I guess for any person, to share his opinion or belief or his experience with his community is the main drive to communicate. With Microblogging, this is just easier and faster – especially when you are busy and are multitasking. I love the way Twitter/FB status lets you share interesting links and our latest tit-bits on the World Wide Web. I love the buzz and excitement it generates through comments and likes and reposts, I love the way it engages you with your community and lets you participate on random conversations. When I am in one of my attention-deficit moods, I love the way it lets me interact and verbalize my thoughts in 140 characters or less! Isn’t it a lot like public-texting?

On the other hand, every blogger knows in his heart that the digital epiphany from a blog is much more than Microblogging. It lets you dive deep into the content and dwell on the stuff that you want to say (Just like what I am doing right now!! ) It is true that with traditional blogging you need to focus but the impact it has on readers is surely more in terms of the topic lingering in your mind longer.

Well, the bottom line is that this revolution in expression is an epic-win. Blogging, Twitter, Facebook, Buzz, Tumblr, LinkedIn, Orkut, Digg, etc. has made our world smaller. Isn’t it so easy to socialize, connect & reconnect now? As long as this is not ruling your life, its okay I guess. Nope, I don’t need a social media detox yet!

So what is it with you guys? So you miss multi tasking (Anyways wait for the next software update!), file system and the USB drive?

Dude, iPad is not designed to replace your laptop. If that were the case, then why in the heaven’s name would Apple just revamp their MacBook Pro?

For those who are complaining about the 64 GB space? Come on! Honestly what are you going to do with all that space? How are you managing it on your iPod? Seriously, learn to manage your music!

Honestly if you want to buy a laptop, save your money and buy a laptop! iPad is meant to be transient – for a quick and easy way to get entertainment, reading, movies etc. Speaking of movies, I’m taking on the flash argument. It is an outrageous lie to say that an iPad doesn’t let you watch any videos except that You Tube. There are tons of different forms of video on it. Most of us care about Netflix and Hulu and that is good enough. Personally I think Adobe is pretty much getting what it deserves. What was Adobe doing when flash kept crashing on OS X? You know what? Every site that delivers video will equip to support non-flash based delivery if they want the apple crowd. (Heard of HTML 5??)

If you have heard the argument from Adobe on a blog post from Adobe’s Mike Chambers, vilifying Apple for not being more open with its approach to the App Store, Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller  responded to that on CNet, “Someone has it backwards — it is HTML5, CSS, JavaScript, and H.264 (all supported by the iPhone and iPad) that are open and standard, while Adobe’s Flash is closed and proprietary.”

I’m interested and am holding up myself for the next gen iPad or maybe even later. I did that for iPhone – I got myself a 3G and you bet I’m glad I did. I think iPad will be an awesome travel companion – Awesome for short trip and let’s you access data on the go!

In school we had something called “Vanamahotsava” where all of us students were made to plant trees. My dad loved what we did and was inspired to start the same tradition at home. As we grew older, I’ll be honest; I have not really done anything for the earth. Except maybe give a $150 donation to Charity: Water, that too because my cousin was raising money for it.

I’m not exactly proud of myself for losing the Nature Club/WWF activist that I was during my teen years.

The past three years, I notice myself being called out by Water. Every place that I’ve been going to, has been influenced by water someway or the other. I have been utterly mesmerized by water and the transfixing worlds that it creates – be it in the raw power of the waterfall at Chalakudy or shaping of the landscape, eroding the land and leaving behind the colossal experience at Grand Canyon, be it the snow peaked mountains at Mammoth, or be it in the marvelous glaciers in the lands of Alaska. The striking beauty of water belies incredible power!  There is something about water. It cannot be compared to anything and yet everything at some point is dependant on it.

Water is so beautiful even in the morning dew or in gentle streams or in an astounding blast of a hot spring. The gurgling sound of the fountain outside breaks the awkward morning silence. Its rhythm takes me back to the old memories of Palghat, Kerala, where I remember gazing out the French windows – taking glances at the gentle drizzle, cuddling with the book of Jeffrey Archer on my mom’s lap. Why, even this morning, I was left gawking at the magnificence of the clouds hovering over the distant LA downtown. What are clouds really? They are simply massive chunks of sheer water.

Why is water so beautiful and captivating? Is it because it reminds me of something? Or is it me just being a “Cancerian” as per Linda Goodman’s book? Or is it because it is a visual delight? A mere hot bath after a long hard working day, can alter your mood altogether. Water makes your soul peaceful and calm.

The melancholic twist to this whole saga of water and its beauty is “Wastage”. To think of it, Water is the most abused and insulted resource. I wish people think twice about wasting water. As an admirer of water, I speak on it behalf and encourage you to conserve water! Happy Earth Day!

Rule 1: Gain a lot of life experience:

A key advantage a 20s something year old has, is that its okay to fall. Even if you fail its okay. You can jump right back on your feet. Despite the little fears and insecurities that linger in the background, this is one of those life phases where it still feels like it’s okay to screw up, because “real life” hasn’t started yet. I’m trying to love being 20s with this in mind. Since you just start your career, you understand about your field of expertise better than you were in school. Identify and work on the skills to gain, to get ahead of the game. Experiment and gain as much experience as life offers. Don’t be in a hurry to settle down. Keep an open mind. Travel around, observe people and pick up all the best characters that appeals to you. Enjoy the time you have by indulging in something that stimulates you mentally. I know a lot of 30 year olds who wished that they had done something creative in their 20s when they actually had time.

Rule 2: Financial Education

I think there are valuable financial lessons to learn in 20s and it is so important you get them as soon as possible! When you’ve gained the education and/or skills you need for the career you’ve chosen, and you’re earning money and learning how to handle it, its so important to develop good spending and saving habits, and learning to budget and invest during your twenties. When you make all the short term and long term plans for life I think 20s is the right start to estimate and budget your goals. Enjoy the money you make but be responsible.

Rule 3: Remember that it is normal to feel lost but have a plan:

I still have not figured out why there are chunks of insecurity and anxiety in 20s that I did not have in my teens! There are so many moments when there are conflicting thoughts in your head. But I think I will gain confidence with time and more experience. The fact that I am more confident at 26 than I was at 23 is an assurance. If you feel lost and confused, make a plan about what you want to achieve – make a 5 year plan. What I mean is that its good to set goals. I know for sure that people who have a plan rolled up under their sleeve have a better sleep than those who don’t. Have fun but do not get lost in all the fun. Enjoy the minimal responsibility in 20s. There is room for fun and to experiment. I saw Lindsay Lohan on TV recently. I think she is a perfect example of 20s gone bad. The 22-year-old actress is always going to fabulous parties and supposedly having the time of her life, but is she really? Lohan was arrested twice for drunk driving, had to spend 84 minutes in jail and is now going bankrupt, according to Channel E!. Her friends seem catty and the press is all over her. It must be really stressful. That is something you don’t want.

PS: Sometimes its annoying when someone intrusively asks you “what your plan is”. You know what, you don’t have to say it to them. Just remember these plans are for you. You don’t need any tom, dick and harry’s approval for it.

Rule 4: Have a mentor, surround yourself with a good support system

There’s no faster way to improve than to have someone work with you on your goals. And that is what a mentor does. After I identified my mentor and accepted a mentor, I seem to have a direction in life that I lacked before. There is a lot you can learn from every single person, but a mentor helps you achieve significantly more results than if you had worked alone. Trust me on this one! A lot of things are too complicated to learn by yourself. You can save yourself a lot of time and money by having someone you can ask questions to. It’s important to have Mentors in your life who have “been there.. done that” that you can lean on for guidance, support and advice.

Its crazy in the 20s. Only in 20s can it irk you when a teenager acts like she/he knows it all! You know that the teenager is being an imbecile and on the other hand you are not matured enough to understand that you were the same in your teens!

I’m sure there is something about every decade. But something tells me that 20s has its own special way of creating and changing you!

What do you think? Are your twenties how you thought they would be? If you’re older, what did you think about your twenties versus your life now? What was your favorite age so far? I would love to hear!

Its not as dramatic as Jumpa Lahiri’s Namesake but my name has a story too.

Its been a while since I bid a tearful fareful to “Vaishnavi Thatha”. Vaishnavi Thatha! Aah! A perfect match! Its not that I am a feminist or anything but somehow after being attached to it for 23 years you kinda get stuck to it. I remember my brother tease me about changing the name , I shrugged it off in my pre-marriage euphoria. To think of it, I changed the name at the drop of a hat. (Psst..Inspite of a lot of paperwork!) I did not even realize I loved “Thatha” so much till the day I went for my Visa Interview months after my wedding. “Can I have your papers Mrs. Gollapudi?” “MRS GOLLAPUDI?????”!!! Me?? ” was my knee-jerk reaction. Responding to this new surname was like responding to a new name altogether! I felt different. I felt not me. I was scared and wondered if I had just made the worst decision of my life! What did I end up doing?! I had always been a happy go lucky person and all of a sudden I remembered a numerologist’s words (Who I thought was spinning a cock and bull story then!!) that said a name is everything to a person. I wondered if I would be impacted with this change? Will my stars change? Will all my luck change? Did I just make a pig in the poke decision?!

My friends have always told me,”Vaishnavi Thatha” is so you”! I don’t know what they meant but apparently even they thought it was my identity.

Fast Forward!

US of A. I played the new kid in the block – new country, new husband, new faces, new culture and new everything! The change in the whole atmosphere helped me to gradually step into the shoes of “Vaishnavi Gollapudi” without much struggles. Yes, you are right! There is a “BUT” factor involved. America doesn’t pronounce my name right. The problem was no longer about my last name. This time the focus was my first name. “Vaayeshnayvee” is the closest to “Vaishnavi” that I have been addressed to. I noticed people start twitching with discomfort when they are introduced to me.

Aydeetya (Yep, that is Aditya) introduces, “Meet my wife, Vaishnavi”.

Vaishnavi says, “Hello, Mr.X. Nice to meet you.”

Mr. X, “Vaa..errr..Vaayeesh.nn…(struggles, stammers)”

Vaish thinks, “Stop trippin man! My name is not that hard to pronounce!

Vaishnavi cuts in trying to salvage her name, “Its VAI-Shh-NAVI”. You can call me VAISH.”

Mr. X,”Oh wow! that is pretty! so exotic! err…Nice to meet you, VAAYEESH”.

The story continues.

You know what was pathetic about the whole thing? Eventually, I started to introducing myself as Vaayeesh and noticed it it only when my uncle called on me for that. Darn! There were times I resented saying my name at dinner reservations, doctor appointment. I just resented the mispronunciation of my name by me or by others. period.

Its been a while now and most of my village calls me Vaish. Things are getting peaceful – around me and IN me. I don’t know if your name is the most important label in life but it is an integral part of your identity.

More on a positive note: Since the movie avatar came on recently, I have been able to get people to understand “Navi”! I am Vaish-Navi..Naavi as in Avatar! Thanks James Cameron!

T. Vaishnavi to Vaishnavi T to Vaishnavi Thatha to Vaishnavi Gollapudi to Vaayeeshnne errrr to Vaayeesh to Vaish-Naavi!

This is has been the evolutionary adventure of my lovely name, In war and peace.

PS: Vaishnavi is incarnation of divine mother, Shakti, Goddess, Consort of Vishnu, the creator.

When I was a teenager, I remember asking my grandpa how I would know if I was in a recession and he jokingly told me, “Recession is when your neighbor loses his job and depression is when you lose your job.”

I won’t deny that the times are tough but these recessionary times gave me several positive opportunities.

A greater sense of financial responsibility

The fear of the impending doomsday taught us so much about money. For people who get intimidated by numbers, percentages and Excel formulae, I highly recommend Mint.com. We adopted it as our Personal Finance Manager. It is a web application that pulls all money transactions- credit cards, checking/saving/investment accounts and tells your net worth at the end of the day. A single version of truth (Yes, I do work for a BI company!! ) It lets you classify and review your transactions (As groceries, party, vacation, gifts, restaurants, rent, etc). Not only does Mint analyze your spending and earning trends but it also gives you ideas to save! It has made our life so much easier! Well for all you doubting Thomas’s out there – Read this to see how secure mint is.

Finding my feet

The recessionary circumstances around, gave me the opportunity to change my career. I got into Marketing! This was home calling. Nothing like I ever did before. I got to do all the things that I love doing – writing, blogging, being creative and meeting people. I finally got down to brass tacks. And now recently we ventured into an online marketing business and conceived buzz360. Buzz360 is our new baby. Through buzz360 we are focusing to develop solutions in Search Marketing and Social Media Marketing for businesses and people.  To increase the brand awareness, traffic to the website and providing highest level of Internet visibility for our customers is our goal for buzz360. Check out the website for more details.

Ridiculously priced vacation/airline deals

With the recession, the vacations that we would have probably avoided due to sky-high prices became a reality to us! The price spectrum of restaurants, airlines, hotels (& even cruises!!) had so many specials and promos to drum up their business. And we did not leave any stone unturned. We planned everything ahead and found great deals online. Thanks to Orbitz and Expedia & a special thanks to Google!!

(Psst… I will reveal my secrets to finding great deals online in my future blog)

Become politically and financially conscious

The looming recession sparked in tons of financial advice in media that forced me to take notice. (Free Advice!! Love you Suze Orman!) I remember “Economy” being the most powerful topic even in the presidential race.  Without the fear of this recession I would have taken all of this for granted.

 I might sound cockeyed for saying good things can come out of a recession but if you delve deeply into dark economic clouds, it is possible you see a silver lining too.

How old am I? Old enough to want to hide it.

This birthday marks differently from the other birthdays so far… to my very own surprise, I am tired of making new resolutions. Most of my resolutions are born out of my dreams. How will my dreams come true if I don’t wake up? Huh?

This blog reflects my state of mind – feeling grown up. I finally understand why grown-ups are more confused than the kids. 

I am amidst of starting a new and exciting marketing project, I had many brilliant ideas and felt so proud of myself when I submitted the plan to my boss. It was my brain child. The plan was born out of my own thoughts and ideas. If you ask me to judge the plan I would say it was comprehensive and crisp. I gave myself a pat on the back and went ahead with the project. Well, the bewilderment started when I  began reading more and gathering new information- I felt lost, I panicked and was less confident about my work. Its true that my work contained great information but now (Gulp!!) I know all the holes that existed my plan.  Truly sometimes knowing less is good!

That was in the work scenario…a similar situation in my personal life too. Next month, my marriage would complete 3 years. Thank god the “troublesome 2″ is phasing out! Oh yeah, like to the babies, it applies to marriage too!! When I got married to Adit, we had dated for 5 years. And I honestly was confident about knowing all about him BUT hey, hell no! Marriage is full of surprises and err…shocks. The more I knew him, the more I knew how less I knew him!

But the silver lining is that I am old enough to understand that feeling like I know less will keep me going! It keeps my ears and eyes open to absorb more. Let me go now- there is so much to learn!

Years rolled by and blogging grew enormously. I was bowled over seeing all the creativity, feelings, emotions, thoughts and ideas that people shared. What was overwhelming to me was that they were all so original. I understood why many wanted to blog. And I want to be a part of that. And I wanted it to be a part of me. I am ready to say good bye to paper and pen. Why not? Let me go green!

I welcome myself to blog-zone!