Yes, yes..Before you all spell it out for me, I agree that this post is officially 2 weeks late. Half of January has already passed by, and now I come around to write about December. In my defense, let me clarify that I had written and re-written it in my mind around 3 weeks back, but could not get it on my blog, because of—a cliched answer—lack of time. I had eventually thought of not writing this post at all, but then I realized a few things:
1. I did not have any other topic to write on.
2. My blog had gone too long without an update.
3. Better late than never!
4. It's MY blog, so that gives me the liberty to write about anything I want. :-) :-)
OK, enough of blabbering. Now back to the topic at hand. For majority of the world population, the month of December is considered to be the best among all the 12 months. It is the last month of a year—so it's seen as a month of festivals, parties, vacations (for some people at least), generally a good time. But for me, December has turned out to be the worst month, at least for the last two years. Even before 2010, I was not too fond of December simply because it signifies the official arrival of Winters—a season I absolutely HATE!! There's nothing I like about this season. The fog, the chilly winds, the fruits (Orange - YUCK!!), just about everything. However, the last two Decembers, that is, 2010 and 2011 have been disastrous for me personally in one way or the other. Let me take you through each of them separately.
December 2010: This month spelled doom for me on the professional front. I got staffed on the most horrible project to date, which got screwed up badly (partly due to my fault, but majorly due to someone else). On top of that, I got such a PL (project lead), that I don't have words to describe. Let me just say that for the first time, I cried (yes, actually cried with tears pouring down my face) over office work—both at home and in the office itself. It was a lesson in firsts for me, because I experienced certain things for the very first time in my life:
- I stayed in office till 9 or 10 PM everyday for 4 weeks straight.
- I did a night-out in office, meaning that I arrived at 8.30 AM and left at 6.00 AM the next day.
- I worked on all the weekends in December 2010, for minimum 12 hours each, on Saturday and Sunday.
- I made stupid mistakes in my work, which I would normally never do.
- I got scolded by my PL on more than one occasion, through all communication means possible—face-to-face, through e-mail, on the phone, on the IM, etc.
- I got the worst possible feedback I have ever received in my professional life.
You can very well imagine my state. Each and everything that took place during that time is engraved in my memory in agonizing detail. It suffices to say that I still shudder whenever I remember any instance of that period. Believe me I am not exaggerating when I say that I still sometimes get nightmares about that project, and wake up in the middle of the night with a cold sweat breaking out on my forehead.
Till two months after the project ended, I was very scared and unsure of my work, with zero confidence on my capabilities.I am still surprised that I survived through that ordeal at work, and eventually gained my self-confidence back.
December 2011: This was again the worst month of 2011 for me. On the professional front, it was perfect (except for the first week, but that's something else altogether). I got easy projects with an Awesome PL, and some really cool feedbacks. However, on the personal and home front, it was all screwed up! There were too many fights and too many unpleasant scenarios. After controlling my temper and not fighting with anybody for 4 months (which is no mean feat, considering that I am famous, or rather infamous, in my family for arguing with my folks at least thrice a week), all hell broke lose. I fought, shouted, screamed and yelled on petty things, had some nasty fights with my parents. I don't know what happened, maybe some chemical imbalance, but it was like everybody is out to provoke me and calling for a fight. Basically, it was a very stressful, frustrating and unpleasant month for me.
Things got much much better with the start of January, and have gone uphill since then.
I just hope 2012 breaks the December jinx for me! I am positively tired of this month, and the new trials it brings with it.
So, which is your least favorite month of the year? Do let me know.
Signing Out,
December Fearing Soul!
1. I did not have any other topic to write on.
2. My blog had gone too long without an update.
3. Better late than never!
4. It's MY blog, so that gives me the liberty to write about anything I want. :-) :-)
OK, enough of blabbering. Now back to the topic at hand. For majority of the world population, the month of December is considered to be the best among all the 12 months. It is the last month of a year—so it's seen as a month of festivals, parties, vacations (for some people at least), generally a good time. But for me, December has turned out to be the worst month, at least for the last two years. Even before 2010, I was not too fond of December simply because it signifies the official arrival of Winters—a season I absolutely HATE!! There's nothing I like about this season. The fog, the chilly winds, the fruits (Orange - YUCK!!), just about everything. However, the last two Decembers, that is, 2010 and 2011 have been disastrous for me personally in one way or the other. Let me take you through each of them separately.
December 2010: This month spelled doom for me on the professional front. I got staffed on the most horrible project to date, which got screwed up badly (partly due to my fault, but majorly due to someone else). On top of that, I got such a PL (project lead), that I don't have words to describe. Let me just say that for the first time, I cried (yes, actually cried with tears pouring down my face) over office work—both at home and in the office itself. It was a lesson in firsts for me, because I experienced certain things for the very first time in my life:
- I stayed in office till 9 or 10 PM everyday for 4 weeks straight.
- I did a night-out in office, meaning that I arrived at 8.30 AM and left at 6.00 AM the next day.
- I worked on all the weekends in December 2010, for minimum 12 hours each, on Saturday and Sunday.
- I made stupid mistakes in my work, which I would normally never do.
- I got scolded by my PL on more than one occasion, through all communication means possible—face-to-face, through e-mail, on the phone, on the IM, etc.
- I got the worst possible feedback I have ever received in my professional life.
You can very well imagine my state. Each and everything that took place during that time is engraved in my memory in agonizing detail. It suffices to say that I still shudder whenever I remember any instance of that period. Believe me I am not exaggerating when I say that I still sometimes get nightmares about that project, and wake up in the middle of the night with a cold sweat breaking out on my forehead.
Till two months after the project ended, I was very scared and unsure of my work, with zero confidence on my capabilities.I am still surprised that I survived through that ordeal at work, and eventually gained my self-confidence back.
December 2011: This was again the worst month of 2011 for me. On the professional front, it was perfect (except for the first week, but that's something else altogether). I got easy projects with an Awesome PL, and some really cool feedbacks. However, on the personal and home front, it was all screwed up! There were too many fights and too many unpleasant scenarios. After controlling my temper and not fighting with anybody for 4 months (which is no mean feat, considering that I am famous, or rather infamous, in my family for arguing with my folks at least thrice a week), all hell broke lose. I fought, shouted, screamed and yelled on petty things, had some nasty fights with my parents. I don't know what happened, maybe some chemical imbalance, but it was like everybody is out to provoke me and calling for a fight. Basically, it was a very stressful, frustrating and unpleasant month for me.
Things got much much better with the start of January, and have gone uphill since then.
I just hope 2012 breaks the December jinx for me! I am positively tired of this month, and the new trials it brings with it.
So, which is your least favorite month of the year? Do let me know.
Signing Out,
December Fearing Soul!
