An Anniversary Gift

“Anyone can make you smile. Many people can make you cry. But it takes someone really special to make you smile with tears in your eyes.”

The best moments in your life become all the more special when they are captured and frozen in time. And this picture is one such moment in my life. Holding my daughter in my arms.

This picture would have been my most favourite picture of all time had the picture been complete. But my daughter and I missed the one person who made this moment possible. So this picture is but complete without my beloved wife.

It was sometime end of December 2015 that my wife whispered into my ears that she will give me a very special “Wedding Anniversary Gift”. And indeed it was the best gift. And so this post is dedicated to my dear wife. This is the least I can do for you at this moment. Thank you! Thank you for everything. Thank you for being a part of me.

To the rest of the world, let me introduce you to our new bundle of joy. “Eshal Fazal” my little daughter born on 23^rd Aug 2016. As Eshal gets ready to take her first steps in life, I am getting ready to capture those moments in this space. So stay tuned, my little daughter will inspire my future posts.

On this day 13th..

Jul 2005, Fresh out of college, with some flying scores and a Bachelors Degree in Information Technology, I was all fretful when I set feet into the job market. While in college I had only taken up one campus recruitment test and I went all the way to the final round and didn't make it in the end. I had lotta hopes pinned up then.
I was very keen and desperate to pick a job as early as possible, cos then I had some promises to keep. There was someone waiting for me and it was not just my prospect but our future which was to take shape. I wanted to settle down abroad and before I made that leap I wanted to ensure I had some experience with me and at the same time, I also wanted to make sure I was self dependent before I could speak to my potential in-law's.

As I kept trying for jobs, it was not a good experience to start off with. Walk-in is never easy. Sometimes I would just come back not getting a chance to be able to make my way through the crazy mob that used to gather in front of the centres. Made two futile attempts at two different companies and didn’t even make it through the written aptitude rounds.

It was on one such day in Nov 2005 that Chetan(My friend/my classmate) calls me up and asks me to come to Koramangala as there were a few openings in the company which he jus joined. I rushed. I gave my written tests. An aptitude test, a technical paper and then an essay round. The lady HR said she would get back by EOD(End of Day)

While I was heading back home, the HR calls me and informs me that I have cleared my written rounds, and then I would have group discussion the following day. So then it was the round of GD. 3 rounds of GD with some really strong contenders. I managed to survive. And then we were taken trough the technical rounds of interview the same day. And in the end, I felt positive I would make it through. I got a call the next day saying I have been selected and I could come and take my offer letter. I was all ecstatic. It was my first job and I knew it was important for me to keep moving and not fritter away time.

And it was on this very day, 4 years back 13th of Nov 2005 that I joined Aztec. There is something else about the date 13th. My Kismat Connection was born on this eventful date; fortunately for me not the same year (Sad Joke). The journey from Aztec to Aztecsoft to Mindtree has been really a great experience with my career growth on the fast lane. Four years and four back to back promotions is something I can brag of. Have been really privileged in that sense for having worked with some real great leaders (I wouldn't call them managers). I have learnt a lot. I am still learning, and will continue to learn.


4 years is not something I had foreseen when I started. But then there were lotta other things which I had never foreseen back then. I have lost something that I never wanted to let go, and somehow the thought always continues to haunt me. May be that is one reason I have always tried to keep myself engaged in work. My effort along with my share of good fortune has taken me places. From Austria to Germany to Italy and now to Malaysia. I am travelling around the globe.

All said, it's been a memorable 4 years and something that I can showcase in my resume. It's a different thing and ironical that my technical knowledge does not reflect my years of technical experience. May be that's why I find people around me these days telling, "Fazal, you are wasting your life here." Not sure if I'll complete my 5th year in this industry. Time will tell.

So time for thanksgiving again. I ll make it short. And interestingly the reasons for my success so far have all been women. My mom, My sis and My lost love. Thanks to the three of you. My mom for all her prayers, my sister for all her support, my lost love for being my reason to live.
Love you all.......

Blogger thanks giving...

After having completed 3 yrs at work, after having posted 50 blog posts, today is the day my blog turns 3 years old.

April is in many ways my "The most favourite month" of the year. I am sure most people who know things about me will already know why. But for the others, don’t worry, you are at the rite place to find answers. Keep watching this space and you ll know why I love the month "April" so much.

So as I complete 3 years of blogging, I ll would love to share with all how and when all this started and the one person behind fazal and his blog...

I was very new to the world of blogging 3 years back. Infact I didn even know that we could blog and there was a site called blogger.com.
It was on this fateful day 3 years back that "Sumi" introduced me to the world of blogging, and it was she who created my blog name and signed up for me. And in many ways April 15th is or rather was synonymous to our existence. It was on the same fateful day that we gotta know each other a few more years back then..

She is the one who taught me the basics of blogging, the how to... And if there is somethin that i look upto it is her style of bloggin...
She is also the one who taught me to blog and compose messages with lesser spellin mistakes. (Ya, I was very bad at spelling, a little better now though, thanks to all the spell checks). I can go on and on about her. In many ways all that what you see and what you read is all thanks to her.

Was it not for her, I sometimes wonder what I would have been... And since the time I have lost my this "Kismat Connection" my life has never been the same again...

My majority of the posts are always dedicated to her though I don’t directly credit them to her.. But this one is especially for her.

Sometimes I really wish I could trace back the moments of my life and correct certain things....

So now that leaves me with no more room for dedications. But that does not leave me short of people to thank them...

I have had quite a few avid followers of my blogger, or that’s how I would like to believe... The truth is I force them to read.. And so here is a hearfelt sympathy to my friends "Ashwin", "Chandan" and "Nandini"....
Guys... They say good times come after bad times.. See now you guys are all famous.. See its paid off to read my blog... So anyone who feels their names have not pictured in this blog, you know what you need to do...
Btw.. Forgot.. a special thanks to "snow queen" and "Shub"... It's nice at times to know that there are actually two people who read my blog without me forcing them to read...

So here's celebrating 3 years of successful blogging.............

Celebrating 3 years at work

As fazal completes 3 years at work, fbs (fazalblogspot) caught up with fazal to share some of his momentous moments over the last 3 years. Here are some interview extracts....

Fbs : Hello fazal. Congrats on having completed 3 years at work. So how are you planning to celebrate this occasion?
Fzl : Thank you :) (All confused and all excited - this is the first time someone is interviewing fazal)
I still find it hard to believe that I have completed 3 years. It feels like I just completed my graduation yesterday.
And coming to the celebration plans? I have just decided to spend the day at office going about my usual chores. I don't want my 3rd anniversary to be my last working day at office.

Fbs : (laughing) So fazal how has it been, these 3 years of work life?
Fzl : Its been a potpourri. A period of ups and downs, Joy and sorrow. Hatred and love, learning and de-learning. Only good thing in life is that I now I have financial independence :) (But I still have my loans to repay and credit card bills to settle - can I still call it financial independence?)

Fbs : The one defining moment in your career over the last 3 years?
Fzl : Oh, that's a tough one. Because there have been lots of defining moments, some personal some official. So I would not pick one moment. (But actually yes, the day I decided to become an s/w engineer was the most defining moment in my life. I dug my own grave)

Fbs: Your lessons learnt?
Fzl : ha-ha... It's true when people say, learning never ends in life. Every single day at work you learn something new. It could be a thing as simple as how can I get along with the person sitting next to me.
However something that I would want to share...
* You as a resource is at the end of the day are only as good as how good your manager is. You might have done the shabbiest of works or the best of work. But if your manager is no good, then you are in for tough times in your career.
* You need to learn to say "NO" to some things. Else you will become a loser at work who ends up doing all possible work for everyone around you and people will walk away with all the credit.
* Your company is not there to look into your welfare. After all they are doing business, be it with their clients or with their employees. Their welfare is all that matters.
* Never get emotionally attached to people in your project or work. It makes life a lot difficult. Learn to be practical in life.
* For heaven’s sake, stay out of office romance. Office is not a place to flirt or make love. (But only a looser like me will miss out on the pretty ones, so you guys better take her number and call her after office or meet her outside office)
* Lastly try managing a balance with your personal life and official life. Try not taking your work home. Try not carrying your mood home. Your family has no role to play for the bad day you have had in office.
I know I have still not succeeded in this. But I am trying.

Fbs: (yawning) fazal, how is it that you have stuck on to the same company for 3 years?
Fzl: Oh, I hate job hopping. I love my job and my work place.
(Liar!!! The truth - I know if I quit here, no other company will take a dumb guy like me)
And in my case, I do not have to change companies. The company itself is changing. From aztec to aztecsoft to now Mindtree

Fbs: So looks like you really love your company?
Fzl: Huh, I wouldn’t wish even my worst enemy such bad days in life.
(If my employers’ are reading this.. Oh, I don’t ever remember giving such an interview, guess they heard or understood me wrong, I can give a press conference to clarify things)

Fbs: fazal, how is it that a person like you, and we still haven't heard a SINGLE gossip about you being behind/ going on with someone at work?
Fzl: ha-ha.... (Moron!!! what does he mean by person like me!! Freak!) Smiles.
Like I said before, I hate the concept of love at work. And more over, girls these days are getting smarter and smarter which is not helping. And these days you never know, a slightest gesture might be taken the wrong way, and the last thing I would want is being shown the door for the wrong reasons. :) I value my job.
(Are all losers good at coming up with such good excuses or is it just me?)

Fbs: Any plans of marriage? Guess all the bloggers reading this would be interested to know...
Fzl: (Laughs) only a totally insane father will get his daughter married to me at this stage. And I don't think any father will hate his daughter to such an extent that he might want to get her married her to me. It’s not just about "fazal" the person, the software Industry itself is entering into its bad days, time alone will tell who all manage to see off this rough tides ahead.

Fbs : Thanks fazal, it’s been a pleasure to have you on our blog and having spent some time with us
Fzl : Thanks for having me, it’s always been my pleasure to share my thoughts with you guys. (Hurray… that’s my first interview, which will be published live on fazal’s blogspot)