NehalPatel.net

So it is now 2008. Two Thousand and Eight. Most people take this time to take a look back at the previous year and set some goals and/or resolutions for the future. Let’s take a walk…

A look back

2007 was a busy year in some respects, not so busy in others.

I fell off the workout wagon in 2007, but I did manage to run the Davis Stampede half marathon with my friend Steve. Bhumisha’s brother Sandip visited in January, and after being engaged to her for nearly a year, I married Bhumisha in April.

The wedding was a four-day whirlwind, and a lot of fun. It was great to see so many friends and family members make the trip; it was just too bad I couldn’t spend as much time with everyone as I had wanted. We honeymooned on Kauai and enjoyed quite a bit if hiking. When we got home, we finished shopping for new furniture and things for the house, as well as getting started on some projects around the home (installing closet organizers, painting the front bathroom, etc).

Anisha came to visit for the 4th of July, and Neha and Nisha visited in August. In September, we went to Kayur’s and Elizabeth’s Indian wedding and reception while we visited family and went sight-seeing in New York City. In November, Bhumisha made another trip to New Jersey, to celebrate her and her cousin’s birthday (she flew in from England). She did make it back in time for Thanksgiving, and to spend her birthday with me (I made her breakfast and we went out to the Cheesecake Factory with some friends). We spent Christmas at my Vaishali’s in Rolla, MO. My parents drove in from Chicago and Neha drove in from Denver (fighting a snowstorm the whole way). We enjoyed the ten days we spent there, and made it back to host a New Year’s Eve game night with friends.

All the while, I was getting used to having someone around me all the time. I also realized I’m not the easiest person to live with. I get into moods where I don’t want to talk to anyone. There are times I enjoy my solitude. After living on my own for the better part of 10 years, I got used to it. Sure, I had roommates, but we weren’t around each other constantly; we had time to ourselves. Now, I’m not complaining about living with Bhumisha – it is actually nice coming home to someone who looks forward to seeing you every day – it’s just been a change.

Bhumisha has been great about this change. She left behind everything she’s known in England to move here. Most of her family in the U.S. is on the East Coast, and she didn’t really know anyone here in California. So it’s been great to see her get along so well with my friends and family here (I think many of them like her better than they like me!). Hell, she even organized a surprise birthday party for my 30th. She also had never driven a car before, so she’s been learning and practicing how to drive. And here I am complaining about adjustments… jerk.

Work was definitely busy as I took on more responsibility while seeing friends and colleagues leave HP. But last year was surprisingly rewarding – I really felt like I was contributing and knew what I was doing. I even got to take a business trip to Seattle – right before my wedding. I managed to rack up quite a few accomplishments, and my boss took notice.

The Future

So what does 2008 (and beyond) hold?

I’m trying to get back into a regular workout routine. Between work taking up more of my time and wanting to spend more time with my wife, working out has gotten squeezed out. I’ll be spending more time focusing on getting back into a routine; work may just have to suffer. I have a few inches to lose around my waist.

Of course pushing back the work clock won’t be easy, as I’ve just taken on a new job role. I don’t think it is necessarily more responsibility, just different. Maybe even less in some ways. But it’ll definitely require more thinking and a lot of learning. Just when you think you have your job under control, you get something new.

Financially, we’re still 2 people living on one income. Bhumisha is still learning to drive and looking for a job, so we’ll just keep plugging along. Hopefully she finds a job soon – it’ll help her get out of the house and not be so bored. Plus it’ll help save for our future adventures. I’ve also signed up for the Motley Fool Million Dollar Portfolio – an investment service that allows you to track their portfolio and make trades when their analysts do. We’ll see how that pans out, given the current market conditions.

As for adventures this year, we’ve already been skiing/snowboarding one weekend (and we’ll probably go again soon), we’re going to visit Fred and Lisa on Maui, Yellowstone this summer, and more relatives visiting throughout the year. All the while, we’ll be saving for our trip to Africa in 2009.

We just got home from watching “Cloverfield”, and I’m still feeling a bit nauseous. Not because two tickets cost me $20 – that’s a rant for a different day. The movie wasn’t that bad, it was the Blair Witch style camera work that had me wondering if I was going to hurl. I saw more than one person leave the theater during the movie; some of them came back.

The story is told from the point of view of the people on the ground, fleeing for their lives, documented via a camcorder. It starts off as a video at a going-away party for Rob. There is some drama (as there always seems to be at parties on movies), and then the mayhem starts. Something unknown, unseen, is destroying the city. And so there is a lot of running and screaming. Despite the ongoing military evacuation, the main characters insist on making their way through the city to save their trapped friend (the one about whom the drama revolved). She is pretty hot, so I would probably be tempted to risk life and limb in the face of a horrific monster which has set about destroying Manhattan and is pretty much impervious to any weapon our military has thrown at it to save her, too.

There are no shots of scientists or politicians trying to figure out where the monster came from, why it is attacking the city, or anything of the sort. The entire movie is focused on the survival of this small group of people.

So the story is really nothing new – how many monster-attacks-and-destroys-city movies have there been? But what is interesting about this one is the (shaky and somewhat nauseating) first-person vantage point, which adds to the suspense as you can’t ever really quite tell what exactly is coming at you. The CGI is actually really good, especially considering how much the camera moves. Overall, though, a pretty good movie – the plot keeps you interested, the pacing feels good, and there are brief moments of dork-friend humor to break up the suspense.

I found this on a blog the other day. I watched it, and it really made me think about my habits and how I live my life. Check it out

When I take stock of all the things I have and want versus what I need, it is really kind of amazing. I’m not saying I shouldn’t want or have many of the luxuries I enjoy, but it is an interesting exercise in self-examination – Why do I want all these things I have or want? What is the real motivation? Do I really need them? Do I really want them? Why? Am I less important, less American, less human if I don’t? Is it because someone is telling me that I should? Who?