aJCfreak - Dan's Blog

I'm leaving the world of advertising. It couldn't be simpler than that. But if you ask me where I'm going to next, the answer's slightly more complicated - I'm taking up two part-time roles, at my church (Ashraya) and at my old school (Anita Methodist). Doing a variety of things. This decision has taken a few months to make, and I'm super-grateful to the support of close friends and family. My wife has been supportive about the move in ways I couldn't have even dreamed of, with an inner strength and childlike faith in God's 'leading' like only she can possess. My thoughts have kept going back to my quitting HP, and how God orchestrated that . I've agonised over what I would be writing here, but decided to restrict it to the things I'd like to remember as the highlights of this move are (in no specific order): I've learnt and grown much, in my four years in advertising My whole concept of working/functioning in an office...

Business photograph designed by Onlyyouqj - Freepik.com This is something I wrote when I was nearly 30. I just got up one night in July/August 2014, and typed this out on my then-new MacBook Air. Many of these I'd already either started or been involved in some way or the other. Some of these I'm sure, I can't ever do. But here's the thing - I finally know what I want to do/be in life. Apart from the job that I do. Or maybe, even  at the job that I do. My life's mission statement for the next thirty years or so. Here goes... (The purpose of me putting this out there is two things: Firstly, if this can help inspire and 'sort' the thoughts of others, it should. Secondly, if anyone wants to discuss any of these aspects of 'doing' stuff with me, please feel free to get in touch) ______________________________________________________________________________ I want to write. That includes fiction - romantic short stories, thriller novels, m...

Me, during my years in Bangalore (from L to R): August 2007, May 2009, August 2011 When, like me, one works in a large MNC for 5 years and 9 months, and then decides to move on, the onlookers raise questions. The first question, "Where did you get a job?", is also the most unnecessary question. I haven't got a job elsewhere. And I'm not looking. The second question, "What about money? Survival?" has a pretty unconventional answer ("unconventional" by the standards of this fast-paced, rat-raced world). It is an answer that some have scoffed at, others have considered as part of "Dan's craziness" while still others have been left stunned at hearing it. Nevertheless, the answer is simple: "God will provide." Let me try to explain things a bit more clearly. On 22nd January 2012, during the regular Sunday worship service at my church, Adonai , the Australian worship band, Shalom, was ministering to us when God spoke to me. ...

This entire Christmas season has been sortofa blur... But an amazing and an awesome one at that. So I'm gonna blog about it in parts.............. On December 22nd, my parents were to meet up with Smitha's parents at their place in Baroda . So I decided to make my way up there directly from Bangalore , while my parents were trudging up there from Chennai . I caught the train at 21.50 hrs on Saturday, the 20th of December from the main station in Bangalore, Bangalore Central. It seemed like it was going to be another one of those long, boring journeys. So I was armed with another Star Wars book ( Tyran't Test , one I hadn't yet read) and a copy of Billy Graham 's biography. The last was a Christmas present given to me at church and I was looking forward to reading it during the trip up north. I had also copied some fresh MP3 tracks to my phone ( WOW Worship red , WOW Worship green , WOW Worship yellow , Sandi Patty's 2008 release, Songs for the Journey ) and I ...

Hey all.... I've just had a glorious weekend sleeping over at S uncle's place (from church). And yesterday, Sunday, I convinced him to purchase a MacBook. Or rather, I convinced him to take a look at the MacBook at the Imagine store in Forum Mall. (For the sake of our international readers, I should mention that India does not yet have a single Apple Store ) So we went... And I told one of the sales guys that this uncle wants to purchase a MacBook - so do your best job in selling it. Truth be told, half of the selling was done by moi .... There were even certain facts which that guy had got wrong. :) A quick check on the Internet proved I was right. The sales guy was mighty pleased to meet such an Apple fan... Anyways, I spent the night over at uncle's place, setting up Leopard (which is a cinch) and then going through a few key actions and customisations so that uncle would be able to find his way around it. Uncle was really really really pleased with GarageBand . He feel...

Yep - it looks like my church has changed. It may be too soon to say this, but looks like I'm going to be a regular at the LWCC, which is situated half-way across the city. It's a lovely little house church and I'm beginning to think that all our churches should be broken down into house churches. At the end of the day, the size/building doesn't really matter does it? Well, I went there this Sunday again, and found it pretty decent, to say the least. Youth was fun (I guess that always is!) and I did manage to again come up with a few questions for Pastor regarding his message. What can I say?! I like it here!!!

Last time I'd been home , I struck upon the idea of visiting my Periamma (Mum's elder sis) and Periappa (her hubby!) in Vellore as they were down here from Aus . I hadn't seen Periamma since Thaatha (Grandpa) passed away in May 2006. I hadn't been to Vellore since December '05 cos I didn't feel like visiting Periamma after she moved out of the house in the wonderful CMC Bhagayam campus. :( Anyways, a coupla calls to Periamma got me a lil bit of totally-deserved sleep (I missed getting off the train at the right station). A couple more calls found me trying to locate a place called Otteri (which till then I thought existed only in my hometown of Chennai). Then I was home.... Man! What a home. If ever you've lived in CMC's Bhagayam campus and you shift out, this is the place to live in!!! It was really grand. Overall, the trip was good. I had some nice time chatting with Periappa and Periamma - discussing work, life and the Christianity of things. I even...