Living in a pressure cooker called Life

JUst wanted to share,

This morning was driving to work on the PIE @ about 0745hrs. As usual, I take the express lane on the extreme right to get to work quickly and smoothly with all the other good/confident drivers on this lane.

Suddenly, this silver corolla started to veer to the right into my lane! I was scared out of my wits and tapped the brakes on my Pappu and horned..finally that car steered back in..guess what it was a jack-ass of a woman who was busy trying to put in her cash-card into her ERP unit because up ahead was the ERP gantry at steven's road!

What the hell, clearly proves that Scientists are right. Women are bad drivers due to their lack of spatial ability and coordinate multiple tasks. I think they just should not allow women to be on the roads driving cars..leave it to us men! Look at the records the only ever time women won any motorsports championship was in the 80s with Audi in the world rally championship but that too was disqualified when the judges found out Audi's car had AWD configured.

Sweetu please don't yell at me after reading this post, but I think you'd agree with me after all the rantings i have made in our car when we drive.

Whoa..its been like what maybe 4-5 mths or longer since my last post. I've been kept really busy with my final year in university. Nonetheless, many things have happened in the past couple of months here's an update in bulletin style:

1) Finished my 1st semester of my final year and managed to improve my GPA compared to my previous semester although i took lesser modules.

2) Final year project progressing well ahead of my peers in the same project supervisory group. I am now working on my report.

3) Mastered SQL server programming and really pushed the boundaries. Learnt from this that you can achieve any goal you set for yourself and everything you need to learn to achieve your goals is available out there in books. Now I know why in many religions books are highly revered.

4) Experienced The Secret and I am now putting this to work for me. Bill Gates applied it and he came up with Microsoft. Thoughts really do make up your world and they will manifest into reality if you keep on thinking about them and giving them energy.

5) Fitness level has dropped quite significantly due to lack of time to go to the gym, I spent my off days programming my SQL DBMS for nearly 8 - 10 hrs a day. (Ask my 'Boss', she'll tell you.)

6) Experienced firsthand life's ability to humble you at a time when you think you're invicible and all-knowing (big mistake on my part). Life throws you a curve to humble you.

7) Learn the power of keeping cool in times of stress, although sometimes I just forget this and lose my temper. I'm working on myself, still human after all.

8) Regained my financial stability, well almost but definitely there's an improvement.

9)Started my workout in the gym again,I realized that what running/fitness guru and philosopher Dr. George Sheehan said was true, when fitness goes can the mind be far behind? Mind and Fitness are connected. Need to start pumping iron again to get that beach body I promised my 'Boss' so that I can go to Sentosa with her and confidently take my shirt off at the beach.


Well, that's pretty much the updates that I have as of now. August is going to be a rather busy month but nothing is too difficult; you can learn anything. Once August is over I can safely say that half of my final semester is done with!

As you all know, recently I been posting a lot about modding my car & spending money on it. Despite constant pleas from my queen Sweetu and my friends Chandra and Vasan, I was heading into a downward spiral financially, physically in the past 3 months. I have never felt more unhappier and unsatisfied in life...and I don't know what was wrong with me until life gave me my answer in a few events that happened which gave me an overnight transformation kicked in my focus back and I felt like a race car driver who has just recovered from a tailspin and got the car back into the race. Now I can feel that I am myself again no more trying to put up a front and suffering from the disease "keeping up w/ the Joneses" which was never a problem with me until I joined this place called the Singapore Honda Club. Gayatri was always against me joining this club and so was my Uncle Surjeet who was the one who helped me find my Pappu..my beloved car. They both felt this club was going to destroy my focus and make me do things which was never me like participating in club meetings on Friday night which were nothing but mainly chance for others to brag and criticize each other's cars. I started to feel inferior and began to want to change things with my Pappu and buy stuff which I did not need. I began to spend hours at my workshop HV Racing in JB..and this led to my health/fitness suffering as I started to feel less energy and my muscles loss (imagine I was able to bench 80kg on a free weight machine and my stamina has now dropped to being able to bench only 50Kg). You need to look after yoru health carefuly when you become a bodybuilder. Every single equation counts. And the area which took the most beatign was my financial health. I was never broke in my life before even when I was owning my previous car. But suddenly my greed and need to 'keep up with idiots whom I only meet once a month and who do nothing but brag about their cars'. Suddenly one day, I started listening to my Anthony Robbins Personal Power 2 Program in my car while driving to work and Tony started to coach me back on the right path and I followed his recommendations and listened to the subliminal programs. Somehow my thinking started to change and one day it hit me in the middle of the night. I was thinking..what the fuck am I doing trying to impress idiots who don't give a damn about me..or idiots who are not achieving what I want to achieve in life. I don't mean to brag but Gayatri and those of you who are my closest friends ppl like Chandra and Vasan and Thana know that I am a very determined person who will never say die and fight to the end for my goals. And then I started to lose quite a bit of that focus and became distracted for a while until a few events in life showed me that most ppl in the Singapore Honda Club were mostly people who were trying to impress the others there and some of them were suffering financially just to put up a front and when I asked them do they travel or have plans to do their degree etc and turns out most them don't even have a degree or any stocks investments or have any goals in life to be rich! And then to put things worst they are really shallow people man most of them but I have made 2 good friends from there people like Han and Nathan. Otherwise a lot of the others were just putting a front of being nice but when push comes to shove or when I needed their help they were not there..at the end only my wife and my other family members can help me. I dug a rather large grave financially thanks to trying to keep up with the others and impress people who don't care. Then suddenly my other caoch Robin Sharma's words rang in my head.."Trying to impress people is a way to misery in life." I decided to put an end to this and return back to my simple life where I will still pursue my passion in cars but in my own way..and I want to be me..again..I want to appreciate my Pappu for what he is and drive him before finally laying this great warrior horse to rest in 2011. He is still a car I love and I dont think is worth it for me to compare him and degrade him in front of fake people who do not think on the level I do and who are just not heading in the same direction in life as me. They all seem to be happy to settle for ordinary life and spend their lives spending tens of thousands on modifying a normal car. But not me..i know I am destined for bigger things in life and living a great life is not about driving a heavily modified car..its about crafting a brilliant career, excellent peak health, financial freedom, a brilliant and wondeful family, a nice home which filled with warmth, love and happiness and more importantly loving the most important people in my life like I've never loved before...and daring to live my life on the skinny branch..travelling the world with my wife..and enjoying the company of my true friends who have stuck with me in my ups and downs..like Chandra, Vasan, and Thana. These are my 3 bestest friends in life who have always been straight and upfront with me..and who really cared for me genuinely. Thanks brothers.
By the way, I have started to recover my physical health went to the gym today and started to patch back the grave I dug financially over the past three months. I still got about halfway to go but I am doing this step by step until I achieve a balanced balance sheet financially for Arvind Gawade Inc. :)

I am tearing a bit as I write this post and I thank God for showing me how I was caught in a tailspin I nvr knew about until recently. I have sold off all the mods for my Pappu which I had bought which were only going to make his running costs higher as he goes through the final 2 years before its time for him to be laid to rest. I used the money to clear off my credit debts and restore my bank balances. And through this I discovered some idiots who were immature also from the Honda Forum who I thought was my friend this malay guy called Nizam who was always constantly in debt financially, living off his wife's salary despite havign a job and all because he spends a lot on his car which is the same as mine but I think my Pappu is a hell of a lot more good looking and draws more looks as Sweetu observes when we drive up to shopping malls etc. ;) Do you notice the similarity of what I was about to go through along with that from people in the Honda forum? Nizam for example?

Charles Tremendous JOnes was right..what you become five years from now is a result of the books you read and the people you hang out with. Scratch with the ducks or Fly with the eagles your choice..I choose to start flying with the eagles. :)

The past month, I feel I was sidetracked a bit by issues which were not related to my goals for this year. Firstly, I was involved in a few minor vehicle accident partly due to my carelessness but I've got that ironed out already by concentrating more on the road and focusing on safety instead of taking shortcuts. Secondly, had a lot of expenditures mainly related to the accident which could have been avoided had I been a lot more careful.

Nonetheless, now I am getting my focus back it all started in my weight training, I started goign back to my usual body part training instead of an all out aimless circuit that I was trying out. Funny how when you become focused and discipline in one area that it spills into the other areas of your life.

Work wise, I couldn't ask for anything better I got the dream job I ever wanted in a brilliant company like HP-EDS. I am grateful to God for showing me this opportunity at a time when I needed it most. As for my degree, I got 6 more months to go before my final year project comes to an end and my degree program is completed. This is e most crucial area.

I will be saving up my money from now on till my final year project is submitted and the presentation is over in November. After which I will send my car for 1 week to my workshop HV Racing for a major engine overhaul and upgrading of the internals such as camshafts etc. I will place the order for my components sometime in September as it takes a while to be shipped to SG. I intend to earn the money for my car engine upgrades via investing in the stock market.

Hi everyone,

Today 11th march 2009 marks the most important day of the year for me. Here's why: Its the day the most important and most beautiful woman in the universe came into this world and finally through the grace of God I got to become a part of her life forever. Its the birthday of my Gayatri. I wish to take this opportunity to shout out Happy Birthday Sweetheart! I am so so grateful to have the oportunity to spend the rest of my lifetime with you. I hope you enjoyed the little b'day cake we cut today on top of Jurong Hill with Pappu our car...hehe. I will give you the rest of your presents soon okie.

I just want to say that you truly make my life worth living, the past 2 months of 2009 have been excruciatingly challenging for the both of us financially and emotionally thanks to Jurong Hi-Tech and their unscrupulous business ethics. But that episode of our life is over now. The lesson learnt: Never join a manufacturing company that is Singapore based and run by a lady haha. You stood by me and made the challenging times a lot easier when I see your smile I have hope and I know things will get better and that gave me the strength to push through and finally conquer it. Well the tough times are not over yet, now I have to deal with a super hypocritical project supervisor for my finaly year project in uni as well as coping with the changes required now that I am a engineer working on rotating shift. As long as I have you by my side, I know nothing is impossible to achieve. Just keep smiling and that will be the rocket fuel I need to keep pushing on towards our goals.

Today you turn 23, but to me you will still always be my bubbly super drop dead georgeous girl who still has a childlike essence which I absolutely adore about you. And everytime you're angry and nag at me it makes me love you even more I just can't say how many numerous times when I gone against your advice and did something it really screwed up! And on the other hand when I listened to your advice somehow things turn out really well. Lesson learnt: Guys, listen to your wives and life partners! Women have a strong intuition!! We men tend to do things without thinking too much. So sweetu feel free to nag at me more but just remember I love you very very very much and each and every day I love you more n more. I mean it and I cannot wait for the day we get married and spend our lifetime together in Australia. :)

I just wish to dedicate this video song from a hindi movie specially for you because this song says it all for me. Tujh Mein Rab Dikta Hai..sweetu mein kya karoon..



Happy Birthday Sweetu!! I am gonna shower now then leave for work and then tomorow I will be going to get some fuel for Pappu in JB. :)

The past few weeks of the year 2009 have been one of my toughest and I think I speak for many Singaporeans as well. It made me realize the importance of savings, family and valuing your loved ones and friends over material things.

To start with I had an interesting experience of a company I work with going to the brink of bankruptcy, Jurong Hi-Tech once a company that used to make billions of dollars in profits yearly but under the wrong hands of a woman called Joyce Lin, the entire business became mismanaged and she was unable to steer it through the rough economic waters now. The end result of top management's greed and poor judgement, delayed salaries, job insecurities and low morale amongst all employees. Sweetu and I suffered from this as we were shifting our mindset from being able to spend our time in nice restaurants having our weekend lunches and outings at the movies to tightening our belts to make sure we could get through the month because there was the constant uncertainty if Jurong Hi-Tech would pay me my salary on time. This kept going on for 4 months consecutively until it was announced that the company would be under Judicial Management. Aah..as bad as it seems it gave me a 'live' experience to apply what I had learnt in my 2nd year of University in my Company Law and Corporate Governance module. It is through that module that I gained an understanding of judicial management as being part of the process of winding up a company.

The depression I was going through and the misery of not being able to pursue my passion of cars by doing up my car or giving it the best treatment it can possibly get made life seem rather bleak. Naturally being my soulmate and life partner Sweetu became upset too seeing my condition all I could do was just pray and tighten my belt hoping that God would shed some light on this situation and He did. I took a risk and instead of applying jobs the traditional way most people do, I made a short plug move (i feel its necessary to be a little bit short circuit in the head to be able to make it in life in an outstanding manner; after all if we all thought like normal people and others then life would be pretty mediocre and boring) and asked my aunt in HP to help blast out my resume to all her colleagues in the IT department. I also added another short plug move, I totally revamped my resume from 5 pages to a mere 2 page resume and created a sense of mystery around myself. And it worked! My prayers were answered I have landed a stable job in the company I had dreamt of working for ever since I decided to pursue a career in the IT industry (one of my other passions is computers) since joining the polytechnic in 2001. I landed a job at Hewlett Packard a dream come true in these difficult economic times.

I am not saying this to show off and I will be the first to admit that I almost did not have any hope in myself of turning the situation around but one day after getting a good shelling from my dearest CO (Gayatri-my commanding officer and princess)about my constant whining and complaining about my situation also not to forget my constant indulgence in self-pity. I decided to take a stand and told myself that if I am going to save my car, my financial stability I have got to do something fast. This means adopting the short plug philosophy I picked up from my bodybuilding training partner; my buddy Chandra and taking the path less traveled. I dared to ask my aunty for an opportunity and told her to blast my resume out. My prayers were answered by Him and I landed a good job at Hewlett Packard.

Thus I have come to conclude two things:
1) To make it in life and to live an above average life you must be willing to be weird or short plug/circuit in your thinking. Never say die and dare to do the things other's don't want to do! Of course with some uncommon sense in common sense.
2) God is always testing your level of commitment and before He gives you the reward He makes you go through some tests and challenges to teach you some lessons you must know in order to avoid from screwing up in the future.

and don't mind me adding this point which Charlie 'Tremendous' Jones mentioned in his book Life is Tremendous:
"A miserable wife is always a good thing because she'll remind you how you're screwing up and keep nagging at you get off your butt and stop licking your chops and indulging in self pity" Well Sweetu did not nag at me but I did get a good shelling and I love her very very much for that. She can be both a source of comfort as well as a set of jump starters to help jump start my engines when I am coasting.

Well next Friday 27 Feb 2009 will be my last day at the sinking Jurong Hi-Tech before I jump ship to safer waters. I wish to thank all my colleagues for their company and we have now become friends especially to my close friend Antoni. He has taught me a lot about networking and we have shared some good times together working till late doing cabling for the various internal restructuring that took place within the company before it started to fall flat on its face. I have made a close friend whom I will treasure and always stay in touch for life as long as I can till time draws us apart although I hope that never happens. But in life friends come and go but true friends will stay on with you for life. I would like to send my sincere wishes and prayers to all my remaining colleagues in the MIS team Joji, Prabbath, Usman and my buddy Antoni guys hang in there you'll get a job soon before Jurong Hi Tech caves in within the next 2 months. Don't give up hope as Barack Obama said..this economic crisis ain't as bad as The Great Depression unemployment rates are still fairly low and fortunately for us in the IT industry we're the catalyst driving most businesses in every industry thus there is always a demand for us.

Remember that guys you can find a job I will pray for you all especially for you Toni, I am always here for you buddy even though we're not going to be working together after next week please remember we're brothers not just mere colleagues and we will leave no man behind. You will get a job soon my friend I know you will with all those certs and your talents and personality you will find one soon.

In the meanwhile I thank God for throwing me a safety line, please God help the other Singaporeans out there as well as the foreigners like my friend Antoni who came to this country in hope of a better future for their families. I know George W Bush fucked up the economy before he left but don't punish the rest for one idiot's wrongdoings.

Hi guys,

As well all know it, 2009 has gotten off to a really slow start for everyone. Pay cuts, 4-day work weeks etc. Everybody is having a tough time coping w/ the rough economic conditions and who's to blame? Well no one really its a cycle and well apart from America's over-liberalization of letting ppl who cannot afford to pay for their homes take loans, Lehman Brothers going bankrupt and accumulating debts of over $653 Billion; all these little events led to our economy eventually tumbling over on its feet.

Now it is up to US President-elect Barrack Obama to hopefully make a quick U-turn for the economy when he takes office on Monday 19 Jan 2009.

Politics, bad economy aside, time to put in some optimism and focus on my BHAGs( Big Hairy Audacious Goals, to quote author Jim Collins). Here are my goals for 2009:

1) Score an A+ for my Final Year Project in SIM University and an A- for my 2 Marketing modules this semester. Nov 2009 & June 2009 respectively

2) Pass the IELTS test the first time round with average score of 8 and above for all the areas. by Jul 2009

3) Enhance my performance in the Gym by increasing the intensity by 30% and put on 20 pounds of muscle this year. Dec 2009

4) Read 20 new books this year on business, fitness, self-improvement and IT. Dec 2009

5) Save up atleast 20% of my salary every month to prepare for my application of Australia PR in the year 2010


Well the above are my goals for this year and I am publicly posting it out here for all of you to see so that in case I don't achieve any of the above goals you can all post your comments here in mockery of me. :)