We meet again, in post-covid era
Time flies when you are in the zone or when you are buried under troubles.
How long#
It has been almost 20 months since my last blog post, which you can find here. I apologize to myself for waiting so long 🤪.
Since my last post, a lot has happened. I changed companies twice, moved into a new house that I own, and had surgery.
The new house#
It has been a crazy ride trying to get my house ready, jumping through hoops.
The Covid-19 pandemic has only made things worse, with workers being evicted, builders giving up on the work, and interior designers making a mess of the woodwork, among other things.
My health#
My health was also suffering. I stopped jogging and started eating junk food again, causing me to gain weight.
One morning, I experienced severe stomach pain. After seeking medical attention, I was diagnosed with acute appendicitis and immediately underwent laparoscopic surgery.
The new normal#
Things are slowly returning to normal, and I am finally settling into my new home, where I moved in July 2020.
However, it is still scary where I live due to the second wave of Covid-19, which is much worse than the first wave in India. Word around town is that it is going to get even worse.
So, if you are from around here, please take care of yourself and your family, my friend.
The Post-Covid Era#
Truly, Covid-19 has proven to be a great equalizer.
The virus affects everyone equally, regardless of social status, age, or location. Since the virus hit the world last year, there is a new normal. People wear masks, there are no public gatherings (or very few), no family unions, no office, and many people have lost their jobs. Organizations have collapsed, and empires have shaken. Everyone has been affected, and many have prayed for it to stop.
Some say it is the beginning of the end, while others claim that a new era has started in human life with the emergence of this simple virus. The virus is one enemy, while the swarm of misinformation and panic swirling around in the internet, in social media, print, and electronic media is the other enemy.
This tiny parasite has tested our resilience, our commitment to taking care of ourselves, and our very nature as human beings. So far, we are doing okay, but we could definitely do better, and the virus knows it.
In other news#
My current and previous projects have allowed me to explore the JAM Stack arena extensively. I fell in love with Gatsby.js and dug in deep. This passion led me to create a Gatsby-based portfolio site, as well as this very blogging site.
Recently, I revamped my blogging site to use a more lightweight static-site generator tool. I came across Docusaurus from Facebook opensource and was immediately attracted to its simplicity and ease of configuration. So, I switched my blogging site to use Docusaurus.
However, my portfolio site is still built on Gatsby.js. I have recently been impressed with Next.js and its expanded capabilities. It now supports both server-side rendering and static site generation, combining the best of both worlds. Previously, it was only a server-side tool.
Future plans#
My current company, ServiceNow, is wonderful and provides me with enough work to grow as a developer. My new home is cozy and fresh, and I am happy with it.
As for my future, I am considering two possibilities.
First, finding bigger opportunities to excel in my field, most likely outside of India, such as Canada. I have always wanted to raise my kids in North America or Europe, like many other professionals in my field.
Second, becoming self-sufficient by creating learning courses and software to generate passive income. This idea has been on the back of my mind for a long time. However, this option is more risky as it heavily depends on my marketing skills, which I am still learning.
Either way, one thing is for sure: I love the technologies that I work with in both my day job and side projects, and I am happy where I am now.
Thank you for reading this far. Please check out my tech articles and blog posts for more content. I also occasionally make YouTube videos, so be sure to check those out as well.