{ "version": "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1", "title": "Sunil Shenoy", "icon": "https://micro.blog/sunil/avatar.jpg", "home_page_url": "https://www.sunilshenoy.com/", "feed_url": "https://www.sunilshenoy.com/feed.json", "items": [ { "id": "http://sunil.micro.blog/2024/03/23/showing-up-everyday.html", "title": "Showing up everyday", "content_html": "
I read this blog post today\nThe unreasonable effectiveness of just showing up everyday and I liked how the article started
\n\n\n\n\nI shall write some code everyday before or after work.
\n
I have had that goal in my mind the last five years, yet somehow I never got started. Everything else got prioritised but the project I had in mind to work on. I would spend time worrying about tools than actually writing the code. Spending too much time at 10000ft view than getting down to ground and writing the code.
\n\nHere it goes. Day 1. I have the repository created. I have added reminders in my calendar to work on the idea every day. If it’s in my calendar, it gets done.
\n", "date_published": "2024-03-23T11:10:46+11:00", "url": "https://www.sunilshenoy.com/2024/03/23/showing-up-everyday.html" }, { "id": "http://sunil.micro.blog/2024/02/19/five-years.html", "title": "five years", "content_html": "It’s been five years today since I moved to Australia. Five years since leaving friends and family behind to start an adventure which I thought would not last more than a few months. It’s been a ride, one that I have had a great time being on.
\n\nThe original plan was that every year, I would spend nine months in Australia and three months in India. Staying away from mom, sister, niece and friends for more than a year was not on my mind. But here I am almost a year plus since my last visit to India. I miss them a lot and can’t wait till I get to see them again.
\n\nI did not imagine I would stop thinking about not travelling, but the more I stay here, the more I feel like continuing to stay here. What held me back before was having to apply for visas to get to the country I wanted to visit, but now with an Australian passport and the freedom to visit hundred plus countries, I have actively not made plans to travel. Has got me thinking a whole lot about how plans and life change.
\n\nThank you Australia and everyone I have met here in the last five years. Here’s to the next five.
\n", "date_published": "2024-02-19T08:08:50+11:00", "url": "https://www.sunilshenoy.com/2024/02/19/five-years.html", "tags": ["Australia"] }, { "id": "http://sunil.micro.blog/2024/01/13/navigating-tech-choices.html", "title": "navigating tech choices", "content_html": "I was recently asked to build a new web application. After having worked in the tech industry and constantly learning new tools and languages, being handed an empty canvas to work with is not as much fun as I thought it would be.
\n\nReact + Node.js backend? Go all in on Ruby on Rails? Serverless with Svelte frontend? You see where I am going with this. There were many options to choose from and a few days to make the decision.
\n\nI had to make the decision considering that this project would not need a lot of updates and I wanted to build this as soon as possible. My final choice to build the app? CodeIgniter with Alpine.js
\n\nAlpine.js is much fun to work with. A breath of fresh air after having worked with complex javascript frameworks for the last five years.
\n", "date_published": "2024-01-13T14:45:12+11:00", "url": "https://www.sunilshenoy.com/2024/01/13/navigating-tech-choices.html" }, { "id": "http://sunil.micro.blog/2023/12/17/three-eight.html", "title": "three eight", "content_html": "Finally thirty-eight. I felt thirty-eight when I was a year younger, so it feels good to be the age I have been feeling all year.
\n\nI am happy to be thirty-eight—another year on this beautiful planet surrounded by great friends and family. I feel great about this year—a year to be laser-focused towards my goals and start travelling again. Now that I don’t have to worry about visas anymore, Aussie Aussie Aussie.
\n\nAs I sit down to write this, I feel happy and blessed. I got a few text messages last week from new and old friends who asked me what I would be doing on my birthday day and asked me to spend the evening with them.
\n\nMy post last year started by thanking Manly, the suburb I moved to in Nov 2021. I need to continue the tradition. Moving to this suburb has been so good for me. I have never been this fit in my life, and I have never been this happy about where I have lived. As much as I miss my family and friends back home, this feels like home now. I wish family and friends could move here or spend time with me through the year.
\n\nA few friends did visit and stayed with me this year, which was the highlight of my time in this place—having people live with me or close by was great. Having good friends to spend time with after work or do other activities with, activities which you did alone, brought me so much joy.
\n\nThe year that was
\n\nIn January this year, I told myself that I should be chasing my dreams. It was high time. Each year, I would say “the next year,” and somehow 2023 felt like the best time to get started. Instead of working on multiple projects, I would work on the one project I was passionate about. I could not shake this thought for the entire month of Feb. I handed in my notice in mid-February. I told everyone I met about my plans and prepared to spend the rest of the year focusing on building my dream project.
\n\nMarch, April, and May were some of the best months of my life in Australia and Manly. I met so many people, ate so much good food, learned more about 2D programming and how to build games and did some of my best work on projects I worked on. BEST TIME EVER!!!
\n\nI wish I planned my finances better around working on my dream project. What I planned, as it turns out, was only 30%. I quickly realised I needed much more money to survive in this suburb. After having a positive bank balance for my adult life, being in -$50000 made me question continuing to work on my project. I was more stressed than enjoying my time building my project.
\n\nSomething had to change. I paused my work on the project and applied for a few contract roles in Sydney, and I found myself a great project and team to work with. Finances are now back in order, and I am no longer stressed.
\n\nI hope to get back to working on my dream project soon. As of now, though, I am in a perfect place with work, social life and fitness. I don’t want to disturb this.
\n\nHere are a few personal highlights of last year:
\n\nMy themes for last year were\n- Create\n- Dance\n- Travel
\n\nI am soooooooo happy that I was able to spend the year focused on these themes. I was part of creating some excellent software, learning hip hop, salsa, and bachata, and I travelled a lot around Australia, New Zealand, India, Thailand, and Singapore.
\n\n2024
\n\nThemes for 2024:
\n\nI hope you all have an excellent 2024. 🙌🏻🤗
\n\n\n", "date_published": "2023-12-17T11:30:18+11:00", "url": "https://www.sunilshenoy.com/2023/12/17/three-eight.html" }, { "id": "http://sunil.micro.blog/2023/10/14/aussie-aussie-aussie.html", "title": "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie", "content_html": "I remember handing in the permanent residence application for Australia on Feb 14, 2018. I remember telling a friend that day that my love for Australia must be true cause I handed in the application on Valentine’s Day. After waiting for a good ten months and a few back and forth with the application process, on Dec 12th 2018 I received confirmation that my permanent residence application had been approved. I jumped with joy when I read the approval letter.
\n\nWhen you have been working towards something and all the stars align so you can have that thing, you rarely forget these moments.
\n\nTwo moments I remembered while I sat down after I got the citizenship certificate:
\n\nI remember sitting in the Hong Kong airport for my first visit to Australia as a permanent resident. I had a 12-hour wait from when I landed in Hong Kong to when I was to fly out. After few hours of walking around, I checked into a hotel room. Four hours later, I walked around again, ate, and chatted with my good friend Archeet. I remember telling him I was looking for a return ticket to Mumbai from Hong Kong. Sitting in the airport for 8 hours, I started to think about life in India the last ten years. It was nothing but full of joyful moments. My niece was five years old, and being with her over the previous five years was outstanding. I could not think of why I was moving away from her. I remember Archeet messaging me then and telling me that I should go, stay for a few days and see how I feel. I could always return.
\n\nThe second moment I remember was during Covid. Feb 2020. I had just moved to an apartment in a new suburb. I did not know anyone there, but I loved the suburb. The first month of living there was great. Setting up the new place and walking around to new restaurants and cafes. Covid started, and I was locked in an apartment, not knowing anyone or being able to meet in person with friends and collegues. A month into COVID-19, the isolation began to get to me mentally. I heard stories from friends and family back home about how they were together and having a great time while I was locked up alone in a room. I wanted to be there. Nothing else mattered then. Being a citizen was the last thing on my mind. I did follow the news very closely then. Compared to others, I was in a much better position. My job helped me pay rent and cover my food/living expenses. I decided to toughen up mentally and make adjustments to my living arrangements.
\n\nThe road to becoming a citizen has had a few bumps. Being away from family and friends has been challenging. I have made some lifelong new friends here and met some great people. People who I would not have met and gotten to interact with had I not made the move. I have travelled to some great places, eaten some delicious food, and learned so much from this place. A place I now call home.
\n\nOn 11th September 2023, I got my citizenship certificate. I jumped with joy as I got the certificate. The next day, I applied for the passport, and I could not stop smiling when I opened the envelope and held the passport. I cannot wait to start travelling in 2024.
\n\nAussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi
\n\nA good friend in the gym made this card to celebrate being a citizen. ❤️
\n\n\n", "date_published": "2023-10-14T16:56:00+11:00", "url": "https://www.sunilshenoy.com/2023/10/14/aussie-aussie-aussie.html" }, { "id": "http://sunil.micro.blog/2023/09/13/embracing-change-why.html", "title": "Embracing Change: Why I Like Slack's New UI", "content_html": "When you don’t pay for the product, you are the product. Being a free user of Slack, I have come to accept random changes Slack makes to its UI. Paid users should get a choice though, about changes to the UI Slack releases. Maybe an opt-out button and being able to choose a version they like.
\n\nI woke up this morning to a new UI for Slack. My initial reaction was “why”. As I started using it, though, the UI grew on me.
\n\nChange can be daunting, especially in the world of technology, where familiarity often feels like a warm embrace. While many of twitter grumble about the departure from the old look, I wholeheartedly embraced this transformation. The new Slack UI feels like fresh air – vibrant, colourful, and spacious.
\n\nThe infusion of colours and additional space has made my daily interactions on Slack a more delightful experience. In a constantly evolving world, embracing change can open new possibilities. Slack’s new UI reminds us that sometimes stepping out of our comfort zone can lead to a brighter, more colourful perspective on our daily tasks, fostering creativity and efficiency. While some may resist change, I encourage you to explore and appreciate the revamped Slack UI for its fresh perspective to our digital workspace.
\n", "date_published": "2023-09-13T21:16:02+11:00", "url": "https://www.sunilshenoy.com/2023/09/13/embracing-change-why.html" }, { "id": "http://sunil.micro.blog/2023/09/10/not-all-days.html", "title": "not all days are the same", "content_html": "I want to return to this post occasionally, so this post is a self-reminder post.
\n\nNot all days are the same.
\nSome days are good.
\nSome days could be better.
\nSome days you meet a lot of people.
\nSome days, you spend a lot of time just being alone.
\nNot all days are the same.
\n
You want to travel, meet people, have good food and enjoy that road trip
\nToday is not that day, neither is that day tomorrow, but someday, the above will come true\n
\nNot all days are the same.
\nToday, you can sit down, plan and dream about your travel adventures,
\nTomorrow, all these dreams will come true.
\nNot all days are the same.
You sit here overthinking things.
\nIt would have helped if you had said yes to that invite to travelling and meeting friends, but you did not.
\nYou should have asked that girl out or told her how you feel about her, but your overthinking brain told you not to
\nTomorrow, maybe you will say yes to that invite, to travelling, meeting friends and asking that girl out.\nToday was not the day; don’t be hard on yourself.
\nNot all days are the same.
Being alive is a blessing:
\nwalking around, being healthy, being able to sip that good coffee, eating that cake, being able to dance to a tune.
\nEnjoying these moments is important,
\nSomedays, all you want to do is be in bed, not do anything; on these days, I hope you read this and remind yourself.
\nNot all days are the same.
It rarely goes away. Even after working in the industry for more than thirteen years, every time you try out something new and stumble, the feeling is back again.
\n\nYou might have worked on building complex systems, bought in a lot of revenue, worked with a few companies and have proven yourself by learning existing systems and improving them, something new which gets you a bit stuck, you think of yourself as an imposter. Someone who is getting by because you have been lucky and have not been caught as yet.
\n\nI had the feeling two weeks ago, even for most of last week. However, getting across the finish line and marking the task as done made me feel good. I no longer thought of myself as an imposter. A considerable weight lifted off my shoulder, the feeling that I belonged and knew what I was doing.
\n\nIt’s good to recognise these feelings. Make a note of these and know how to recognise them when it does come back again. Cause it will when you try something new in the future.
\n", "date_published": "2023-08-20T11:11:28+11:00", "url": "https://www.sunilshenoy.com/2023/08/20/imposter-syndrome.html", "tags": ["life"] }, { "id": "http://sunil.micro.blog/2023/07/10/will-miss-you.html", "title": "will miss you my friend", "content_html": "I have had this post in my draft folder for over five months. Each time I started to write this, I would cry and stop. But here it goes. I hope you all have or find a friend like Rajinikanth.
\n\nRajinikanth, a really good friend of mine, passed away in February this year, and I have been thinking about him almost every day for the last few months. I have had so many good memories with him over nine years of knowing him. Before covid, every year for the previous nine years, I, Sneha and Rajini have gone travelling at least once. Planning the trip, enjoying the journey and planning the next trip a few months later. I would look forward to the call every year.
\n\nThere were so many good memories, but these two conversations that I had with him are something I will remember forever.
\n\nWe always have an option of not inviting you
\n\nI, Sneha and Rajini took the first trip to Bali in 2015. Other than the airline losing my bag, we had a really good time on a short three-day trip. Once back from the trip, I am not sure who put the thought in my head, but when planning the next trip and when on the call with Rajini, I asked him if he was sure about me joining him and Sneha. “we always have an option of not inviting you” he said. He said I should accept the offer when people ask instead of questioning it. A lesson I will remember forever. Rajini made me feel welcome.
\n\nI want to spend as much time with friends and family
\n\nI remember this day like it was yesterday. On the way back from Raglan to Auckland in New Zealand, I, Sneha and Rajini were in the same car. Rajini asked me what plans I had for the rest of the year/life, and I mentioned how I wanted to start a business, build excellent software and travel more with friends and family. I asked him what his plans were, and he said, “i just want to spend as much time with friends and family”. After returning from that trip, those words became part of my yearly goals—less time on the computer and more time with friends and family. Every year has been better thanks to that advice.
\n\nI will miss Rajini very dearly. I will miss getting that phone call from him every year, meeting him, drinking with him and sharing the stake. I hope you are having a great time up there, my friend. My world will not be the same without you.
\n", "date_published": "2023-07-10T10:18:49+11:00", "url": "https://www.sunilshenoy.com/2023/07/10/will-miss-you.html" }, { "id": "http://sunil.micro.blog/2023/07/09/writing-documentation.html", "title": "writing documentation", "content_html": "Unless you are starting a personal project, the first thing you should be doing is writing a document with your thoughts about the project.
\n\nThe more I work with different systems and businesses, the more I see that documentation around the project is always missing. I know it can be a daunting process to write all thoughts and strategies, but maybe we can start focusing on these two things:
\n\nWhen onboarding someone new or handing over the project to someone else, this could be a good base to help them understand your business/project—a good starting point for them to ask questions.
\n", "date_published": "2023-07-09T11:55:48+11:00", "url": "https://www.sunilshenoy.com/2023/07/09/writing-documentation.html" }, { "id": "http://sunil.micro.blog/2023/07/02/when-things-dont.html", "title": "when things don’t work", "content_html": "Being part of the software industry for over fifteen years now, I understand that expecting your favourite software/hardware to be available 100% of the time is nothing short of wanting to win the jackpot each time you buy a lottery ticket.
\n\nSoftware or hardware is bound to fail; when it does, people/companies responsible for maintaining the software/hardware fix it as soon as possible. Some do it faster than others, but very few write a postmortem report. I wish more companies wrote postmortem reports.
\n\nI love reading postmortem reports of software that I use frequently. Knowing what went wrong when you were expecting things to work gives your users an insight into why the software/hardware failed. Companies often depend on external services; sometimes, bugs are outside the company’s control.
\n\nWriting postmortem reports is also a practice I want to promote with teams/companies I work with. Most bug reports from internal users get an “it’s fixed, please try now” reply. For the internal user, this is often enough. Still, for the internal IT team, it is good to write a detailed postmortem report so that everyone learns about what went wrong and what needs to be considered as they continue to build and maintain the software.
\n\n\n", "date_published": "2023-07-02T10:24:16+11:00", "url": "https://www.sunilshenoy.com/2023/07/02/when-things-dont.html" }, { "id": "http://sunil.micro.blog/2023/06/24/thank-you-internet.html", "title": "thank you internet", "content_html": "I should make this a regular post on my blog where I thank the internet and everyone who contributes to keeping things runnings.
\n\nThank you to everyone working in the javascript space to continue building new JS frameworks and improving JS frameworks.
\n\nThank you to everyone who is working on building and improving browsers.
\n\nThank you to everyone who is working on building and maintaining servers and other parts of the infrastructure.
\n\nThank you to everyone working on building and maintaining backend programming languages. PHP, Go, Rust, Java, Python, C, Dart.. and many more.
\n\nThank you to everyone for building so many incredible things and constantly innovating.
\n\nThank you for keeping things interesting for people like me and so many more.
\n\nAll this and more is why I am overly excited every day.
\n", "date_published": "2023-06-24T11:26:18+11:00", "url": "https://www.sunilshenoy.com/2023/06/24/thank-you-internet.html" }, { "id": "http://sunil.micro.blog/2023/06/06/what-an-interesting.html", "content_html": "\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2023-06-06T12:02:43+11:00", "url": "https://www.sunilshenoy.com/2023/06/06/what-an-interesting.html" }, { "id": "http://sunil.micro.blog/2023/06/06/wwdc.html", "title": "wwdc", "content_html": "What an interesting moment.
\n\nWe’re staring at two distinctly different visions of the future. They may co-exist, but they are radically different takes on what’s modern, what’s current, and where things are headed.
\n
Watching WWDC with a few friends is a yearly tradition. From watching it in person in Mumbai to now having conversations on iMessage about the latest updates to Apple’s ecosystem. I look forward to this day.
\n\niOS, macOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, it is always good to see Apple continue to invest in the software ecosystem. Each year, after the announcement, developers use these new APIs to build new features and some even new products. I have always looked at the ecosystem from the sideline. This year that changes. I am going to actively participate and build/launch a product—something for iOS and iPadOS.
\n\nVision Pro looks like a great product. The pricing seems expensive, but the whole VR experience looks impressive. I would love to try it before I have more opinions about the product. From next year, I look forward to learning about visionOS and building a visionOS app.
\n\nExciting times.
\n", "date_published": "2023-06-06T12:00:18+11:00", "url": "https://www.sunilshenoy.com/2023/06/06/wwdc.html" }, { "id": "http://sunil.micro.blog/2023/06/04/software-bug-that.html", "title": "software bug that made me cry", "content_html": "Over the last 10-plus years, I have been responsible for and fixed many bugs in the software I have helped build. Bugs are never intentional. They are a by-product of an edge case you did not consider the user would do or an input parameter you did not think of but was passed as an input. Bugs take away from a good user experience, and I do my best to ship software with fewer bugs.
\n\nI don’t remember a lot of bugs I have fixed, but out of the many that I have fixed, one I remember recently is the one that made me cry.
\n\nWe had a “Time” feature that helped employees record time for their assigned tasks. Freelancers working for the company would get paid based on the time recorded. Someone from the company’s accounting department sent us an angry email. Many people were underpaid the last two months due to an error in the software they told us. They were angry, and I had tears while I read that email. People have plans with money. Getting a few hundred dollars less and being in the position of that accountant to explain why, due to an external software mistake, a software I had helped build made me sad.
\n\nGoing through the code, I saw the mistake. Rounding off error. I shipped the fix so that, in the future, time was recorded/reported correctly. I also went through logs, found the time entries for that client’s last two months, and sent them the details. Writing that email was difficult, and the reply also had me in tears. They appreciated the extra effort to help them and are still a paying client.
\n", "date_published": "2023-06-04T11:05:47+11:00", "url": "https://www.sunilshenoy.com/2023/06/04/software-bug-that.html" }, { "id": "http://sunil.micro.blog/2023/05/27/social-interactions-and.html", "title": "Social Interactions and Bias", "content_html": "After a fascinating meeting this morning, I could not help but think about different tones/ways of interacting with people most of us have. For example, when speaking with friends, you behave and talk a certain way, but you act and talk differently when around work friends.
\n\nIf your work friends were to meet your school friends, would they notice the difference in how you interact? Would they have a different opinion of you then?
\n\nIt is sometimes challenging to read/understand people, from what you hear about them to how they behave when interacting with you. It is difficult to ignore what you hear about them to form a bias towards future interactions with the person.
\n", "date_published": "2023-05-27T13:46:24+11:00", "url": "https://www.sunilshenoy.com/2023/05/27/social-interactions-and.html" }, { "id": "http://sunil.micro.blog/2023/05/26/we-crashed.html", "title": "we crashed", "content_html": "we crashed has been on my watch list since the first time I heard about the tv show. Being down with cold and cough the whole week, I have been catching up on all the TV shows that have long been on my watch list.
\n\nWe crashed was good. I usually take my time with tv shows, but this time I binge-watched. It was thrilling and entertaining, and knowing it was true made it all that interesting.
\n\nI like learning about companies and the people who started it—learning about the motivation, the struggles, the grandeur, and the thoughts of conquering the world. These things inspire me. When WeWork launched in India, I quickly signed up to try their co-working space. WeWork did not disappoint. I tried a few locations, and they were all equally good. One thing that always stayed in the back of my mind is their deal to rent a whole building in Bandra, Mumbai as their first co-working space. we crashed, confirmed a few doubts I had about WeWork being able to expand so quickly. VC money is fun to burn.
\n\nI don’t associate with entrepreneurs like Adam Neumann. Grow quick, burn that midnight oil and expand at all costs is not the style I associate with. I associate more with companies like Bare Bones Software - BBEdit. Continue to build, maintain and improve one or two things for 30 years. Sign me up.
\n", "date_published": "2023-05-26T09:57:51+11:00", "url": "https://www.sunilshenoy.com/2023/05/26/we-crashed.html" }, { "id": "http://sunil.micro.blog/2023/05/25/bookmarking-is-hard.html", "title": "bookmarking is hard", "content_html": "I enjoy visiting new websites. Twitter, Reddit, and Blog posts have supplied me with websites I can visit. I come across new tools, software, design, fonts, colour pallets and writing styles that inspire me daily. The first few hours of me sitting down to work is spent absorbing all the awesome things the internet offers.
\n\nI have tried out a few bookmarking tools over the years. I started with using Mozilla Firebird bookmarks and then moved to more web-based tools, starting with del.icio.us, then moving on to a few others over the years. Some free and some paid. I have spent a lot of dollars trying to make sure that I get to remember all the things I come across, but I don’t stick with any.
\n\nIt is not difficult to build a bookmarking site. I need the following features.
\n\nThats it. That’s all I need from a bookmarking site. Almost every bookmarking service does this. Yet, the user interface / being able to add the website I discover is where I struggle with sticking with the tool.
\n", "date_published": "2023-05-25T10:25:35+11:00", "url": "https://www.sunilshenoy.com/2023/05/25/bookmarking-is-hard.html" }, { "id": "http://sunil.micro.blog/2023/05/24/updating-my-resume.html", "title": "Updating my resume", "content_html": "I want to get back to writing here, but other things on the list always take priority over writing here.
\n\nI spoke to my sister yesterday, and she asked me to share my resume. It had been a while since I updated my resume. A few things had changed since I last worked on my resume. An hour later, I had the resume updated and learned a new system called “LaTeX.”
\n\n\n\n\nLaTeX is a high-quality typesetting system; it includes features designed for the production of technical and scientific documentation. LaTeX is the de facto standard for the communication and publication of scientific documents.\nLaTeX
\n
I thought the resume looked beautiful. It was straightforward to read and had all the information I wanted it to have. I shared it with a few friends, and one of them had an honest opinion.
\n\n\n\n\n“Owns a Macbook but has zero creativity” …
\n
My initial reaction was, “But look at it. It’s so nice and clear”. He said it was missing colours and design.I agreed.
\n\nIt made me go back to the drawing board. After a few hours of choosing the right font, the right colours, a good layout, the same resume looked so much different. I liked this version too.
\nI love design. It helps the same information be communicated/consumed in different ways. Each iteration makes it better or worse, depending on whom you ask.
\n\nOverall, quite a fulfilling day. My resume has been updated and shared.
\n", "date_published": "2023-05-24T09:33:38+11:00", "url": "https://www.sunilshenoy.com/2023/05/24/updating-my-resume.html" }, { "id": "http://sunil.micro.blog/2023/02/12/scratch-that-itch.html", "title": "scratch that itch", "content_html": "You can plan all you want. You can fill out excel sheets or any other accounting software to budget your finances, but nothing can prepare you for when you finally decide to take action. The motivation to do that has to be strong and something you can no longer ignore. After you commit and take that call, your days/months/years are on the line, along with your planning around finances. Of course, others will be around to support you, but it’s your journey from now on.
\n\nThere can always be more money in the bank. The date to commit to the decision can permanently be moved. One more week will not hurt. One more month will not hurt, but the longer you delay it, the more the thought stays in your mind and leaves you not at peace.
\n\nYou are not doing justice to your current work if all you want to do is scratch that itch and would spend the days and weeks doing something else.
\n\nAre you ready, though, to commit and start the journey? Is today the day you decide to scratch that itch?
\n", "date_published": "2023-02-12T09:24:03+11:00", "url": "https://www.sunilshenoy.com/2023/02/12/scratch-that-itch.html", "tags": ["life"] }, { "id": "http://sunil.micro.blog/2023/02/05/draft.html", "title": "(draft)", "content_html": "There has been one post in my draft folder for six years now. The day I had the thought was the day I wrote the blog post. The post itself only makes sense if a picture occupies it.
\n\n“six pack abs” are a craze in the fitness industry, from good biceps to six-pack abs to focusing on overall good health. The conversations in the fitness industry have changed. Six-pack abs, though, is something people will not stop talking about.
\n\nI remember reading about six-pack and telling myself, “one day,” and since then, I have been working on and off to get that one picture. Unfortunately, getting to that picture has been difficult based on my food habits. It will be challenging to maintain even if I did get to have six-pack abs. But thinking about that one picture makes me never want to give up on the dream.
\n\nI need to have more (draft) blog posts. They motivate me.
\n", "date_published": "2023-02-05T15:33:18+11:00", "url": "https://www.sunilshenoy.com/2023/02/05/draft.html" }, { "id": "http://sunil.micro.blog/2023/01/03/three-seven.html", "title": "three seven", "content_html": "\n\n\n“we’re all alone. that’s why we have friends and family. so that loneliness is easier to take”
\n\nModified quote from Mr. Mercedes
\n
There have been times this year where I thought I was already thirty-seven, so as I write this post I don’t feel like I have turned thirty-seven.
\n\nHave I mentioned how much I enjoy writing these posts? I love it. A day to look back on and reflect on being part of this world and this ride, and as I write this post, I feel incredibly grateful. I am grateful to experience all that I experienced last year and for what I will experience in the weeks/months ahead.
\n\n\n\nIt would not be fair to move ahead without saying thank you to this suburb I had been spending most of my time in 2022. I thought living at home alone and working from home would be quite a boring and lonely experience, but Manly has made the experience quite the opposite. Never a dull day. Living closer to the beach has been nothing but fantastic. It costs me a lot of money but money well spent.
\n\nI write a lot here about how the last year went by, but I want to change that up this year and move to a shorter format. Make it easier to read.
\n\nFew personal highlights for the last year:
\n\n2023
\n\nInstead of writing down lists, I want to switch to living 2023 around three themes.
\n\nMy three themes for 2023:
\n\nI hope you all have an excellent 2023. 🙌🏻🤗
\n", "date_published": "2023-01-03T10:36:14+11:00", "url": "https://www.sunilshenoy.com/2023/01/03/three-seven.html" }, { "id": "http://sunil.micro.blog/2022/12/04/senior-engineer.html", "title": "senior engineer", "content_html": "I have never been into titles. I know why they exist, but I have never actively chased them. But on the other hand, I have seen people chase titles, and I only got why last year. A colleague told me that titles came with more opportunities to learn, the chance to contribute to the product roadmap, and more money.
\n\nI have ensured that I put my point across regardless of my title. But that’s not how it works in large corporations. You have the right title to be invited to forums and meetings where decisions are made.
\n\nAt my last job and my current job, my title is a senior software engineer. The pay rise has been good, and I get to work on things that would scare me before. I now participate in meetings involving roadmap items for the next quarter. It feels good to contribute to the product roadmap.
\n\nLooking back, I should have tried to get a title bump much earlier. There were things I wanted to change to make the software better at previous companies that I worked at.
\n", "date_published": "2022-12-04T10:25:16+11:00", "url": "https://www.sunilshenoy.com/2022/12/04/senior-engineer.html" }, { "id": "http://sunil.micro.blog/2022/11/20/micropayments.html", "title": " micropayments", "content_html": "\n\n\n\n\nFor $25 you can buy a content passport. It’s available for purchase on any website that is part of the content network, and you need one to read the content on their site. The site that sells it to you gets $10 in commission for selling it to you.
\n
I like this idea of how we look at payments for content. Instead of paying for content each time and at different sites, we get a content passport that pays content creators.
\n\nMedium tried this, but they wanted to control the user experience, which did not end well. I like this idea because content creators get to maintain control over their websites. Content creators also get to make money in other ways cause they have control over their website and disable ads / other monetization methods when a user shows up with a content passport.
\n\nCan someone please implement this? I have also been looking at working on something on the side. Could this be that idea?
\n", "date_published": "2022-11-20T10:40:33+11:00", "url": "https://www.sunilshenoy.com/2022/11/20/micropayments.html" }, { "id": "http://sunil.micro.blog/2022/11/13/twitter.html", "title": "twitter", "content_html": "This week has been fun in the Twitterverse, with Elon Musk now taking charge at Twitter. He fired many people, and a few who worked for Twitter quit, including a few Heads of departments.
\n\nI read a tweet about how the developers were now required to sign off on compliance-related features because heads of those departments had quit. I can’t begin to imagine what that must have felt like, being made responsible for things outside of your domain expertise.
\n\nI don’t know what the future of Twitter is. It feels like Twitter has always been there. But it’s only been sixteen years. Sixteen years feels like a lifetime. I have learnt so much from everyone I follow on Twitter, and I can’t thank the team at Twitter for building the platform and continuing to work on improving it every day. I hope Elon does not cause the platform to not exist in a few months/years.
\n\nI am sure someone out there is building a Twitter alternative. There are a few which exist already, but none which has convinced the masses to shift. I hope the next platform has a good business model behind it. Free hardly scales, and we have seen it time and time again.
\n", "date_published": "2022-11-13T12:23:29+11:00", "url": "https://www.sunilshenoy.com/2022/11/13/twitter.html" } ] }