[OFF] 2022 - for good or for worse

It's 2022, two years since the outbreak of COVID-19 global pandemic, which has now subsided into an endemic in various countries.

There is a lot that happened in the last 2 years that hasn't happened in a 100 years, and there's something else that we thought would never happen in a long long time, especially after World War II and the massive repercussion that had on the world. Well, Russia, one of the super-powers of the world, invaded Ukraine - a neighbouring country that was created after USSR was broken down in 1991. The term that Russia uses as a replacement of invasion is "Military Operation".

Amidst all of the terrible news going around the world, 2021 / 2022 hasn't been too bad for me personally. After a brief period of joblessness post COVID in 2020 I got a job with an US based startup, ClearedIn, such that I was able to work from home for the next couple of years.

Following that, I was blessed with a baby daughter last year. One more addition to the world of COVID babies! To be honest, I wasn't fully ready but I never know if someone can be fully ready for such an event. We did plan for this though and this was a life changing event for me personally.

Earlier this year, the startup was working for, ClearedIn, was eventually acquired by a large conglomerate and the employees were all offered jobs with the golden handcuff! It was a great experience for everyone and my first when a startup gets acquired. Too bad I didn't exercise the stock options I was allocated - a mistake in hindsight.

However I didn't join the large conglomerate but instead I was able to land a job with Apple UK in London! They paid for relocation for me, my wife and my daughter, and they were super supportive to help us settle down here. So yeah, now I am living in a new country, which is in a new continent where I have never been to earlier, being exposed to a new culture, with a newly born baby and a new mother.

A lot of novelty considering I am now 34 years old, approaching 40, expecting a mid-life crisis much earlier.

London is cold, but the people here are pretty warm. The amount of help I have received so far has been tremendous. Here's a picture of me on the London eye - a huge merry go round in the centre of the city.

It's tough initially as an expat into the UK, the main problem being one doesn't know who to trust and your credit score is non-existent which means it's almost impossible to buy something with credit. However, it gets easier I hear and after one month in the UK, I am slowly getting the hang of things here. My wife doesn't complain about the cold so much now, my daughters seems to have adjusted well and I can go out in the constant drizzle without complaints!

There's a lot going on in the world right now to be expressing any joy and even though it's not happening here, we can feel it. My company is a global organisation and there are folks who are affected. Nobody in my team but quite a lot in the company overall.

I have hope and I know if you keep trying you will succeed. Peace shall triumph.