2010: The year that was in my life!!

Its that time of the year when you need to get a new diary, feel guilty about last year's resolutions that you didn't keep up, when  you have to reflect upon what you have done for the past 365.25 days (2010 is not a leap year nerdy idiots) - The good, The bad, The highs, The Lows and The Everything that happened last year.

I saw lot of my friends sum up their experiences of past one year in a single facebook status messages, but can't blame them though. This is the age of twitter where you are supposed to convey everything within 144 characters. But being the Aako i am i could not restrict myself with a solitary status message in facebook instead i reentered the blog world after many months.

So what happened to Aako Shiva in 2010?

Like everyone else i also had a roller coaster ride, there were some highs, some lows, some enjoyments, some disappointments, some happy moments and some not so happy moments.

Personal:

Frankly i don't know how i can sum up my personal life in 2010. Started with a bitter disappointment with a breakup with someone with whom i was never in a relationship. yeah i know it will be confusing but do bear with me as i am not in a position to explain it in a clear way :( and to make matters worse after few months one of my bestest of best friends stopped talking to me. Suddenly the world seemed so mean and when i look back now i seriously don't know how i passed all those dark days of my life. Lord Murphy was in his best form and was playing with me all the time and i was forced to spend all my free time alone. Ironically with so much free time to kill i started watching the serial "FRIENDS" since i missed watching when it was first aired in Star World. I also considered a job switch / industry switch which also flopped (he he Murphy again :P). By mid April i was like a big loser with all my dreams shattered. Nothing went right in my life. I kept reminding myself that "இதுவும் கடந்து போகும்" and sure it did. After the month of may i started to work with lot of new creative projects and life was exciting once again. Met new friends and also got few "Best Friends" for life during that time. Personally am ending 2010 on a super high note with loads of optimism and enthusiasm. Thanks to my "Special" friends for supporting me big time throughout the year. I don't have to name them ALL, they themselves will know when they read this :) Each one of you were so awesome and am so thankful to have got you guys as my friends :)

Work:

Work wise got few exciting projects last year. Having been in the corporate world for more than 3 years, 2010 was my most rewarding year. From a average rating all these years rose to above average rating in 2010 but most importantly i was handling multiple projects on my own so it gave me great confidence to take up new responsibilities. Meanwhile applied for a L1 visa too and it got rejected initially in Chennai consulate. Mr.Murphy never likes to leave me alone  he he :P, anyway the review petition is pending clearance from USCIS and i might fly to US of A once i get the approval. With a sense of satisfaction of having achieved something significant in work i look forward to 2011 :) 

Travels & Trips:

This was the best part. After all the things i was going through, traveling was the only remedy for my loneliness. To take photographs, to connect with nature, to see new places, meet new people, learn new culture - travel offered it all and i simply loved. Here is a list of places that i visited last year:  

 > Kerala (Trivandrum, Azhapuzha, Haripod) with Sreejith and Vishwaant

 > Kanyakumari with Sreejith, Vishwaant and Sriraman

 > Thanjavur - first visit in the year to take photographs and sample videos for a documentary on the big temple

 > Trichy (Vayalur) with family

 > Gangai Konda Cholapuram with family

 > Chidambaram with family

 > Thanjavur - second visit to take videos for the documentary on big temple

 > Pollachi Top Slip, Vaalparai and Kerala Athirampally with IT gang

 > Mahabalipuram with "Prastara" team - an enlightening trip about pallava architecture

 > Kanchipuram - to explore pallava temple architecture with "Prastara" team.

 > Temple tour in and around kumbakonam with family

 > Thanjavur - to witness the "Millennium Celebrations with 1000 dancers" in Thanjavur temple

 > Pichavaram Lake with IT gang

 > Vedanthaangal bird sanctuary with IT gang

 > Alamparai fort with Ashwin and Viki

Shivz Photography:

3 years since i started photographing and 1 year since i got a DSLR camera i think i have improved someof my photography skills. Ventured into people photography and candid wedding photography shoots. Photography was one thing which kept me excited throughout the year. I also got "teeny tiny" bit famous after one of my photograph got selected in the Madras Day photo contest organized by "The Hindu". Read more about this and view the photo here. Also met some awesome photographers - some through CTC, some from CWC and some from CPC who became great friends and who all continue to inspire me with their awesome works.

And yeah if you are interested do check out my candid wedding shots and give your esteemed comments :)

Shanthi & Sivaraman Wedding: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=241827&id=352459482986
Sujatha & Shiva Vishwanathan Wedding: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=239145&id=352459482986

Shivz Photography in Facebook:

Shiva - http://www.facebook.com/shivzphotography

2011 looks bright with canding wedding photography offers for early 2011, few model portfolio shoots, some NGO photoshoots and industrial photoshoots....... with some new acquisitions like the Nikon speedlite SB600, a new prime lens am all the more excited to face new creative challenges in 2011 :)

3ifactory

It was a solid year for 3ifactory design studio. Recently we celebrated its third anniversary. After being dormant for the major part of 2009 we kicked off with lot of creative projects in 2010. Some of them includes:

1) Rajarajeshwaram - a documentary to commemorate the 1000 years of Tanjore Temple

2) Chennai Timelapse - to celebrate the spirit of Chennai

3) Thirukkural Photography - a complex project trying to convey the meaning of Kurals in photographs

4) A Musical video with Blue5 band.

5) A short film about love (developing Script).

Again the seeds have been sown in 2010 and we must  make sure we complete all these projects in an awesome way in 2011 :)

Fitness: 

My only resolution of the year in 2010 :P didn't have non veg food for the major part of 2010, started #Project 72.5 to convert the family pack that i have to six packs. As many you would have guessed it i have gained a kilogram extra from 2010 so i have restarted all my exercise routine last week to try to build the above mentioned packs (6 packs to be specific :P)

Others:

Lost out on writing mokka kavithais in 2010 so have to start writing them once again in 2011. Have to build new websites for 3ifactory and Shivz photography. Have to finish the Tanjore documentary and chennai timelapse video. Have to complete all my other pending projects.

So that is it for 2010. I have come to the close of my post. Just few hours before a new decade, a new year is going to dawn and i wait with super enthusiasm to welcome it.

There is one dialogue from Megamind which will sum up this long and boring post

Roxanne Ritchie: " Megamind, I don't even know if you're listening. But if you are, you can't give up! The Megamind I knew would never have run from a fight, even when he knew he had absolutely no chance of winning. It was your best quality. You need to be that guy right now. The city needs you. I need you."

Sure i am a fighter. 2011 and beyond can have anything for me... but one thing is for sure i will continue to fight whatever be the situation as i have always done :)

Thanks a lot 2010.

Cheers to 2011!!

-  Aako Shiva :)