Slowly. Quietly. After too long a hiatus. But surely. I am back.

In a great new city that is London. With a exciting new job with a great team. With some new friends (intriguing, instinctive bonding) and many old (rock-solid, comforting). On the wrong side of 29 but still the right side of 30 (tick tock tick tock!). With a lot of changes, some expected, some unexpected. New experiences, both good and bad, some secret and some not. Different taste in alcohol – hardly any vodka, same beer, a lot more wine. A more subtle taste in food. New hobbies – cycling, swimming and a few more things. Different books – less of fiction and more of real life. Mind and heart still tumultuous often times.

With a lot of new dreams on the horizon and yet still chasing some old goals. A mixed bag of change and constancy but in a good way. It feels good to be alive.

I am back!

That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run. So I ran to the end of the road. And when I got there, I thought maybe I’d run to the end of town. And when I got there, I thought maybe I’d just run across Greenbow County. And I figured, since I run this far, maybe I’d just run across the great state of Alabama. And that’s what I did. I ran clear across Alabama. For no particular reason I just kept on going. I ran clear to the ocean. And when I got there, I figured, since I’d gone this far, I might as well turn around, just keep on going. When I got to another ocean, I figured, since I’d gone this far, I might as well just turn back, keep right on going. – Forrest Gump

I just got an email from ISC2 telling me that I am CISSP certified. Yay!

CISSP stands for Certified Information Systems Security Professional and is one of the most popular and renowned certificates in the information security arena. In practical terms the CISSP makes me much more attractive for clients and future employers.

I took my CISSP exam in the middle of April, got the exam results a week later, got Karthik to endorse me (thanks Karthik!), sent in my endorsement document and voila! – 3 days and I am CISSP certified. I am impressed the speed and clarity with which ISC2 has conducted everything beginning from the application till the the final certification.

CISSP covers 10 information security domains. I had worked in about 6-7 of these in various projects over the past 5 years of my professional career and that made it easier for me to be prepared for the CISSP exam. Just before the exam I studied for about 7-8 days, took a few mock tests, read through some summary notes and that was enough for me to clear the exam. To be honest the CISSP exam is not as difficult as it is made out to be. If you do have a lot of professional experience in the information security domain and spend some time doing some solid studies you are set to comfortably clear the exam.

I used the following resources for the exam:

• Official ISC2 Guide to the CISSP CBK
• CCCure.org resources
• FreePracticeTests.org (via CCCure.org)
• Group study with my Shelton colleagues (when I was there a few months ago) – Thanks guys!
• Chapter-end summaries from CISSP Certification All-in-One Exam Guide, Fourth Edition

Next Targets – ISSAP sometime in the next 4 months and CISM in December 2009.

If you know me professionally and would like to associate with me on LinkedIn here is my LinkedIn profile.

I do not know what it is about popcorn that makes me forget my manners and makes me a total hog. When I see a bowl of popcorn, my mind goes into some special mode where it’s only aim in life is to eat as much popcorn as possible. I actually grab handfuls of the stuff and stuff it into my mouth as if I have been hungry since many days. I keep on stuffing my mouth till the popcorn runs out. It is only a few minutes later when I am feeling very uncomfortable that I realize that I have overeater… can you believe that? I need to control my desires. Sheesh.

…from 25 year old Varun Next post will be by the Varun who is a year older. I am having Garfield-like feelings about my birthday. More about that later.

My parents and grandmother had planned to come down to Mumbai a couple of weeks back and stay with my brother and me for a few days. However weather at that time was quite unpleasant (continuous rains) and I too fell ill. So they postponed their trip and moved the plans to this weekend.

They arrived in the morning. I have planned lots of things for a couple of days (Mumbai darshan, malls, dinners, lunches, shopping, meeting friends), a trip to Belapur to see my brother’s place and some time at my room resting and talking. They seem pretty satisfied with the cleanliness of my rooms so that is one goal scored My place is always neat but then parents always have different benchmarks. My Amuma (grandmother in Malayalam) poured the sugar from a plastic cover into the jar containing rice and that has been the only mishap till now They are coping admirably with my limited amenities, they always do actually. Amuma and Mom are full of questions (How can you trust the Bai? Where do you keep the valuables? Why are there no curtains in your room) and Dad is observing everything silently. Unfortunately Vineet’s schedule does not permit him to join us… I am missing him

I am taking them to InOrbit in some time. We are also going for a movie in the evening. I am taking them to a nice restaurant for dinner. Tomorrow I have hired a cab to take them to the 5-6 typical Mumbai landmarks. Friends are coming to my place in the evening. All in all I am going to have a nice weekend. Will keep you updated.

Quick Specs

• AMD Turion64 X2 Processor TL-56; Dual Core
• 1.8 GHz, 2 x 512 KB L2 Cache, up to 1600 MHz FSB
• 17” Colour TFT ; BrightView™ WideScreen
• 8X SuperMulti Drive LightScribe, Double Layer (8.5 GB)
• Windows Vista Home Premium

[[[ NOTE ]]] – Read my review of this laptop here.

Specifications

Model

• HP Pavilion dv9502AU
• Colour – Silver and Black
• HP Imprint Finish – Radiance Pattern

Microprocessor

• AMD Turion64 X2 Processor TL-56
• Dual-Core Processor
• AMD PowerNow Technology
• HyperTransport Technology
• Up to 1600 MHz FSB Speed

Cache Memory

• 2 x 512 KB Integrated L2 Cache with advanced transfer cache

Chipset

• NVIDIA MCP67M

Memory

• 1 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 (667 MHz)
• 2 SODIMM Slots (Expandable to 4 GB with discard)

Hard Drive

• 160 GB Serial ATA
• 150 MB/sec @ 5400 RPM

SuperMulti Drive with DL

• 8X DVD LightScribe Technology
• DVD+RW/+R Writer/
• DVD : 8X + write; 4X + re-write; 8X DVD read
• DVD+R DL : 4X read; 2.4X write
• CD : 24X write; 16X re-write; 24X read max speed
• DVD-RAM : 5X read and write

Video Graphics

• NVIDIA GeForce Go 7150M
• Up to 287 MB TAG* memory (as allocated by Vista)

Widescreen Display

• 17” Widescreen Colour TFT
• Diagonal Size – 17” (43.18 cm)
• 16:10 Aspect Ratio
• 1440 x 900 WXGA+
• BrightView™ Screen

Audio / Speakers

• High Definition Audio
• Altec Lansing Stereo Speakers

Communication

• Integrated 10/100 Realtek LAN
• High Speed 56K Modem

Capacitive Buttons – Backlit with Touch Technology

• QuickPlay DVD Launch button
• QuickPlay Media button
• Player controls
• Volume control strip
• Dual-colour Mute button
• 5-In-1 Digital Media Reader
• Secure Digital, SDIO, Multi-media card, Memory stick, Memory stick pro and xD picture card

Wireless LAN

• Integrated 802.11 a/b/g
• Bluetooth Wireless PAN 2.0
• Integrated Bluetooth HP Module
• Next Generation – ExpressCard
• ExpressCard/54 slot

Battery

• 8 Cell Lithium Ion

Interface

• Expansion port for HP xb3000
• Two Stereo Headphone Jacks
• One Microphone In
• Three USB 2.0 Ports
• One IEEE 1394a Port (4 pins)
• One S-Video TV-Out
• One RJ-11 – Modem
• One RJ-45 – NIC
• One DC Power In
• One VGA Out
• Kensington Lock Slot

Pointing Device & Keyboard

• Touchpad with On/Off button
• Right/Left button
• Two way Scroll Zone
• Full size Keyboard
• Separate Numeric Keyboard
• Fingerprint Reader

Software

Operating System

• Windows Vista Home Premium

Additional Software

• Microsoft Works 8.5
• Adobe Acrobat Reader 7.x

Digital Entertainment / Imaging

• Roxio Creator 9 Basic
• QuickPlay for Windows ver 3.2
• Muvee AutoProducer Basic Edition
• HP Games (Shareware)
• HP PhotoSmart Premier
• Verisoft Access Manager

Security and Maintenance

• Norton Anti-Virus (Includes 60 days of Live updates)
• Norton Internet Security 2007 (Includes 60 days of Live updates)

Recovery Kit

• SoftThinks Recovery Disc Creator

Help and Support Centre

• HP Software Updates

Accessories

• HP Mobile ExpressCard Remote Control

Webcam and Microphones

• VGA Web Camera with Low-light Technology
• Two Omni-directional microphones

Dimensions

(H x W x D)/1.64 x 15.59 x 11.22 inches (Note: Height varies depending upon where on the notebook the measurement is made)
• Weight – 3.53 Kgs / 7.8 lbs
• Three Spindle

I came to Mumbai from Delhi to join a new project a little more than an year ago.

It was an exciting move for me. I was going to lead the team. I was moving much closer to home. I was going to the city so central to the Indian mindset, the home of Bollywood, the financial capital of India and the city nickname the city of dreams. I was also moving closer to many of my friends… I had lots of friends in Mumbai and Mumbai is also closer to Bangalore where my brother lived.

Contrary to what is widely believed settling down in Mumbai was much much easier for me than settling in Pune or Delhi. I contacted some friends looking for accommodation and eventually moved in with my DA-IICT junior Murthy who eventually became (and still is) a very good friend of mine. Murthy and I brainwashed a good friend of ours Punit into moving in with us and he shortly did. Jitu was my 4th roommate and we were the residents of a nice 1 BHK flat in the very Gujju area of Borivali. All my roommates proved to be nice and understanding (albeit slightly eccentric) people and I did not have any trouble settling down. I seem to be very fortunate as far as roommates go, I have always managed to end up with nice guys only. The rent is reasonable, roommates good, area nice and best of all I can avoid the horror of commuting in Mumbai. My office is just 100 meters away from my house and I walk down to office every day. Eventually Murthy and Jitu went “onsite” in the great tradition of the Indian IT professional and Punit and I decided that we needed and could afford to have the flat all to ourselves.

The new project that I joined was also exciting. Most of the projects I had been part of till then usually did not involve any explicit leadership or management responsibilities. Of course people skills are always required, especially so for a security guy since his work usually involves ego clashes with others, but this was something different altogether. I had an amazing time honing existing skills, picking up new skills, trying out new ideas, heavy-duty multitasking and in general becoming more confident. Some of my bosses placed a lot of confidence in me, some of my superiors seemed skeptical but in the end I made everyone happy by doing well, stabilizing the team, keeping the client happy and ensuring a smooth ride in general. My team’s efforts (cannot take all the credit for it) coupled with some good work from my company’s management resulted in the team size doubling around in 7-8 months time. A bigger team means more bucks so again everybody was happy. After 6 months or so I moved into a different role within the team and this kept everything interesting for me. The team I built (for this I do not mind taking most of the credit since I interviewed, selected and helped in the training of new joinees) was a very balanced team of techies, positive-minded open people who did not mind additional responsibilities and new challenges and who are willing to learn. All of them are not only colleagues but also very good friends of mine and my life outside of office also has all of us hanging out on a number of occasions.

However the year also involved a lot of downs. Many of my close friends moved out of Mumbai… if they were still around I would be having a better time. Some of my friends decided to go their own ways and I lost touch with them for various reasons. My girlfriend of 2 years and I also broke up and I suddenly felt quite alone in life. I also dated a couple of people but things never really went anywhere. I made a few new friends but not many close ones. I also completed 3 years in my company which is a rare occurrence and promptly became the butt of many jokes in my friends’ circle. I will also turn 26 in a few days… my Mom and Grandma have started the Varun-get-married-please campaign and their aggression and determination sometimes scares me.

I like Mumbai in general. It is an open city with adjusting people. The people around here keep to themselves and do not poke their noses in your life. The people are also helpful in general. Mumbai never sleeps so time is never an issue. Transportation is also a lot easier and even in the wee hours of the morning it is easy to find an auto or taxi that will take you home. Autowaalas rarely ask for anything more than the tariff displayed by the meter and I like that very much since I am very poor at bargaining and find that bargaining often spoils my mood. I also found Mumbai to be cheaper than Delhi. Rent is slightly higher but everything else is cheaper I felt. Also being closer to Ahmedabad meant that I had to could travel more frequently and could conveniently travel by train and save on plane fare. Many of my friends, on their personal and work trips, pass through Mumbai. That gives me an opportunity to meet them, sometimes for a few minutes, sometimes for a few days. They are lots of places in and around Mumbai for short and long trips, though I have been on only one such trip. Since I live very close to work I do not have to commute so I managed to avoid the single biggest gripe of most Mumbai residents.

I also dislike Mumbai because of the many unpleasant memories it has for me. Mumbai is the place where my girlfriend lived and I used to come to the city often when I was in Pune and later Delhi. This is the city where I got to know her better, fell in love with her, spent many beautiful and memorable moments with her, grew as a person but also grew distant from her and eventually we went our own ways. Many things and places about Mumbai remind me about some of the best moments in my past, and since I cannot relive them anymore they are often painful.

Why am I writing all this under a post titled Mumbai? In many ways I feel that Mumbai will be a watershed in my life, professionally and personally. As long as I am here I want to enjoy it and be happy and face the demons that it keeps throwing at me once in a while. But I guess once I get out I would not like to return. Maybe I will keep visiting it and maybe before I leave I will check out all the cool and happening places it has to offer. But this will never be my favourite place or a place I want to settle down in.

22 years ago on this day my brother Vineet was born. When Mom was carrying Vineet I would talk to her tummy every day. Every day before going to sleep I would kiss it. I wanted a sister (not sure why) and I would always treat my would-be sibling as a “she”.

One fine day he was born. I was at the daycare center; my aunt (Sobha Amaye (Amaye=bua in Mallu)) picked me up and we went to the hospital in the bus. I don’t remember the exact conversation but I have a distinct impression that she was trying to convince me that a brother will also make a very good friend. We reached the hospital, I was still not convinced so I was a bit sad. Mom says I created a scene… but I guess when I saw Vineet lying between 2 tiny pillows beside Mom I fell in love with him, my anger melted away. Mom says it took full 3 days to pacify me totally… but I guess the real hard work was done by Vineet himself

Happy Birthday Vineet!