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Hi Everyone:
I’m looking forward to 2004! Not that 2003 was a forgettable year, but it was a foundation building year for some big changes especially with regards to career. Keeping with tradition here is my Top Ten List for 2003:
10. Japan. I have always wanted to travel to the Orient and Japan was a great first destination. Given the time – about two weeks. I thoroughly explored as much as Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Mt. Fuji as any tourist has (okay maybe not Mt Fuji since I only got halfway up). While not as cinematographic as Lost in Translation, I made a DVD which captured 3 vignettes of the trip. Thanks Andy for letting me leverage your business trip.
Weddings. Three weddings this year. I applied my newly acquired movie making skills to making a 45 minute film for each one. Despite the differences in an Indian, Jewish and Catholic wedding – the same format applies – a quick 30 to 45 minute edited film of the wedding and then 5 to 10 minutes of Best Wishes. Each of my friends loved it “It was the best wedding gift we received”, I don’t know why we spent money for the wedding videographer. We’re just going to watch yours.” Niral and Tejal, Michael and Anne-Renee and Hower and Kristi – congratulations once again and thank you for letting me be a part of your day – hope the films bring back some great memories.
Lush Camp. Got a lot of skiing in last year. Thanks to everyone at our ski house and Peter and Arshad for joining me in the Northstar ski pass – I think we know the mountain inside and out. I look forward to skiing other slopes this year!
Braces. Getting them off. Many thanks to Dr. Larson and his entire staff. There aren’t too many other people who I have consistently seen (every four to six weeks) over the past years as Dr. Larson. Aside from the orthodontia, it was a meeting I looked forward to :-)
Career Transition. At the beginning of the year, I enrolled in a Real Estate class at Berkeley. Following Siebel, a consulting assignment at Quindi and some travel time, Steve and I started Sandalstone Group, LLC. Sandalstone is our investment vehicle for buying, holding and selling real estate. We ended the year by being in contract for our first property – a fix and flip in West Oakland. We hope to build a track record with several of these before we move on to bigger projects. As we used to say when providing financial guidance - I’m cautiously optimistic, stay tuned!
Baseball. The season began with a road trip to LA where Dave and I rolled into Dodger Stadium, continued with regular season games at Pac Bell and Oakland, and culminated with Game 5 of the A’s–Red Sox and Game 1 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium! (No more scalpers Sammy!!!). If that wasn’t enough I won my fantasy baseball league despite drafting Randy Johnson with my first pick – a brand new Yankees jersey from the folks at Yahoo!
The Feldmans. This one is to thank Michael and Anne-Renee for becoming such great friends. It was enlightening to watch you two fall in love and become such a great couple – it taught me a thing or two about relationships. It also taught me what not to do at a Bachelor Party – thanks Greg for an amazing weekend! Michael as I’ve said before you and I would be successful at anything together – hurry up and get a job and become financially secure so that we can do it!!! I look forward to seeing both of you (and Dave and Karen and Bhupen and Ramika) in Boston later this year.
Noelle – Number three seems to be reserved for a friend who I don’t ordinarily acknowledge but who means a lot to me. This year I’m singling out Noelle. I have now lived longer in the Bay Area than any other place in my life, and it has been wonderful being a part of Noelle’s life ever since B-School. The book club, Thanksgiving dinner, Bruce, their beautiful home in Mountain View, her parents, Gloria and Ron, all of her wonderful friends, I could go on and on with the ways she has enriched my life. Thank you Noelle for being a great friend these past o-my-gosh 9 years.
My brother – Sameer. My 22 year old brother has had a rather eventful past four years. Three colleges, epilepsy, shoulder surgery and having to live at home. Well, he still lives at home, but he managed to graduate with honors from Hofstra in four years and now is part of the Teach for New York City program where he teaches 7th grade to special ed kids in the South Bronx. It’s a tough job, but he loves it so I’m thrilled that he’s taken on this challenge.
Finally, as always the people (each of one of you) who inspire me to write, dream and do the things that make life worth living.
Happy New Year everyone!
Cheers,
Biren
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