My review of "Deception Point"

Deception Point by Dan Brown
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is my 5th read of the author and i would rate this below A&D, Davinci code and above Inferno and Lost Symbol.

The book is a clear 5/5 thanks to the crisp (at times very detailed), intelligent,high octane writing skills.

When I started reading this book, i felt it will be a typical Dan brown book of killings,clues, treasure hunt, and moving into history etc, but it wasn't rather another blockbuster taking the readers to US election dramas and the strategy the politicians employ to win votes.

I would recommend this to readers who are keen in reading Thrillers(twists),High on pace(was slow till 2/5 of the novel, but then its super fast) & intelligent(so many scientific analogies are used, i got a bit confused at times).


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Peaceful months ahead.

Yes, the month of August has been peaceful and relaxing thanks to beautiful weather in Chennai. Its raining, cloudy, windy and many things are happening in this monsoon. This relaxation is also due to the time i spent with my kid at home. 

After close to 4 months of his birth, my wife and kid moved to our home on 14th July 2013 and to make her more comfortable and i had taken 15 days off , the real intention was to spend time with my kid. It was one of the best moments of my life.

After coming from my leave, i had decided to resign from Indusind Bank and with a 90 day notice period, its another bliss that i am gonna enjoy.

The countdown has already started... 

My review of "A time to Kill"

A Time to Kill by John Grisham
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is my second book of Grisham, 1st was "The Firm", and found that the usual flair of the author in abundance in this book too.

A typical Crime- Legal Thriller with many twists and turns and as you read first few chapters, you would know what's the ending of the novel is.

The author's usual detailed introduction, with an indepth knowledge about the courts working etc makes it much interesting, but as you go along you might feel bored but not lost.

Some how i rate this below "The Firm", may be because of the story.

Read it when you get very little free time since you can easily relate even if you had read few months before.

A bit lengthy, but as it is said "Nothing grips like Grisham" and i completely agree that its truly a gripping novel.


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Being aware

Long ago i never used to be aware of things around me, like hows the mornings, evenings, moon , food, people,perfumes etc, but offlate (after my 1st stage of AOL training) i feel there is a lot of awareness i have got.

I can feel what i am feeling inside when something good happens, when a marriage celebration is taking place, when my wife reacts, when i eat something and more importantly how much i eating,though i know i am putting up weight and increasing my waist size.

I started enjoying each minute of life, gutsy winds, glowing sky, dark clouds, waving sea, chirping birds, traffic lights, people crossing, buses horns, my mobile music etc. lets hope this continues.

Thanks to the AOL training, i am aware of each and everything that is happening inside. Feels good.

Sea Diving @ Kovalam Beach

You always remember you 1st times, your first school/college day, your first meeting with your loved ones, your first day at work, first meditation (atleast for me),  and this blog is about my first time experience of sea diving which happened this Saturday with a bunch of young 19 Lakhsya Volunteers.

The planning was done in a mere 2 days, and god  there were 18 ppl waiting @ Adyar Bakery @ 6 am, Thiruvanmiyur to move to Kovalam beach.

By 7 we were at Kovalam, & after snacks, it was time to get ready for the real drama. We were asked to wear the life jackets and with a new accessory on, it was time for everyone posing for the pics, and mind you some beautiful pics were taken by 2 of our Lakshya Volunteers, It is always beneficial to have 2-3 members who have photography as there passion as you get quality pics.

Till this moment i was not nervous, but the moment we started from the shore in this ship, i was getting a bit serious. How will i jump into the sea?, how will i manage w/o knowing swimming?, will i sink with Life jacket on?, Is there whale/shark near? is there any Tsunami alert?.. Questions were many but i kept mum, didn't  show any emotions.

Time came when i had to jump and the moment i did, i was feeling this is my last breath.. in few millisecs i thought about my son, wife, parents and family and blessed the almighty for giving this wonderful life, i felt thats it & suddenly someone pulled my hands up and i was floating in the water. I was offered a rope,which was tied to the ship, i didnt leave till the last sec i was in the water.

Few more min of nervousness and then there was a moment when i was feeling great, my first experience of sea diving.. the moment i had been waiting since it was planned. Frankly, that was the moment i really felt blessed that i could enjoy the sea as my bed and sky as my roof!!!! No commitments  no fear, no attachment, no detachment, only souls!!! lots of feelings i should say.

After 60 min of lying on the bed of sea, it was time to get back. When i sat on the boat, i said to myself that "Yes,Another first time experience, and i ll never forget this moment".

My Weakness at Work

One of my weakness that I found was my lack of knowledge in Banking and financial sector in India.It was very embarrassing when a interviewer had expressed his displeasure when we were discussing few technicalities in 2009. I did my home work in the next 15 days and arrived at having a agenda for the next one year of completing the Certified Associate of Indian Institute of bankers(CAIIB), a course offered by the prestigious Indian institute of Banking and Finance, a institute promoted by Banking association of India. This course is a distance education and gets completed in 1 year after clearing Junior Associate of Indian Institute of Bankers (JAIIB) as a first leg.

I took my managers in complete confidence to do this course as it need lots of time to be spent to clearing the exams. When the exams neared I took few days off and spent my complete energy is studying and thereby knowing the nuances of finance, evolution of banking systems and working of  Reserve Bank of India. I also learnt how the banks manage its balance sheet, what the different products the bank offers, how the loans are priced, how the NPA is booked and others.

Within the minimum span of 1 year, I cleared all the 6 papers (3 papers each) and was Certified as Associate of Indian Institute of Bankers. I got a lot of confidence in dealing clients, internal managers and my arguments were more logical than before. I understood and became conscious of each part of the banking system such as Branch Banking, Private Banking, Corporate Banking, Risk management, Operations and others.

The results were reflected in 2010, when we won the second best team award Pan India for our performance in FY 2009-10 and in 2011 i was offered a bigger role in Indusind Bank.

Who said weakness cannot be improved.!!!!

Attaining Fatherhood

Hi,

The month of March has started with a great news of attaining fatherhood, wow thats a great thing that has happened to me till date. I can never say how it felt, but the moment i heard of the birth of my kid, my heart felt really big, bigger than the earth ;) may be.. Could not believe that atlast the moment has come, the moment i was waiting since years & i dont how to react.. Mixed emotions, lots and loads of happiness & my mind  became blank, like a soul in a ocean.

My wife is also going through the same emotions, she cry's a lot and i can understand the reason, its a Joy.

Lets hope this journey continues for long!!!!

Regds,
Chetan