One of the goals of mine was to get certified in Cloud. When they said, “Everything is moving to cloud” a few years back, I didn’t really understand, but then Microservices architecture gained popularity with Docker and Kubernetes. It changed everything for me as a Software Developer. My organization started the “Lift-and-Shift” migration for the applications deployed in an on-premises environment. I developed a passion for Cloud and Cloud-Native technologies. Therefore, I started preparing for Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer Exam and got certified.

Why Google Cloud?

Google Cloud (or GCP) along with Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure form the “Big 3 Public Cloud Providers”. Google Cloud is the youngest member of this exclusive club but is also the fastest-growing Cloud provider in recent years. They have huge partnerships with consumer credit reporting agency -Equifax, music-streaming giant - Spotify, Finnish multinational consumer electronics company - Nokia and recently with Major League Baseball (MLB). …

We all seen so many inventions that were created out of necessity by people who have dedicatedly worked to find the solution to the problem. Whether it’s electricity, an electric bulb, wireless communications, an aeroplane, or even the first-ever wheel, all were created by someone who was looking for the solution experimenting a thousand times or even observing things in nature as they were looking for a solution everywhere. Elon Musk is one such person who is changing the world as we see it.

Elon Musk is the Tesla of the 21st century, except for the fact that Musk made a fortune out of these inventions, ideas, contributions, etc. He is the founder, CEO, CTO, and chief designer of SpaceX, CEO, and product architect of Tesla, Inc., the founder of The Boring Company, co-founder of Neuralink, and co-founder of OpenAI. He became the second richest person in the world as published by Forbes in a blog post. He reinvented multiple industries in a short span of time. Undoubtedly, he is an inspiration for startups and entrepreneurs across the world. …

Well, I bet I got you there and made you click on this article. But it is a genuine piece of article that really stops you apologizing unnecessarily and makes you feel less guilty. Well, truth to be told, many people consider “sorry” as the safe word which when used, makes them immune to the prying eyes of the people. But are you that person where you can hear yourself saying “sorry” over and over again for basic and normal requests which really don’t need an apology? Guess what, you are annoying people.

Well, I used to be one of such people who had a knack of apologizing at every instance. Being from a tech field, when I joined an organization I used to ask a lot of questions to clear my doubts or to have a proper understanding of the application I was going to develop. I used throw phrases like, “Sorry for the inconvenience...” or “Apologies, I didn’t get that. Could you please….”, whenever I got chance and the replies became from “No need to apologize” to “Please stop apologizing!”. It was soon I realized that my constant apologizing was taking a toll on how I was communicating with others and I was putting myself in the position of a someone needy and made me seem less confident. At least I felt that way. …

We often seek peace in external sources. Peace, which is defined as stillness, quiet, calm, lack of violence, etc. is seen as a state or concept that be found somewhere far away from us. Perhaps on a mountain? By a brook, maybe? In the woods, amidst nature? In a meditation class? In a sleeping pod with noise cancellation headphones?

Philosophers, artists, warriors and leaders have often spent lifetimes in pursuit of peace. Many of them still haven’t found the answer to the question, where is peace? But the simple truth, which perhaps takes a long time to realize, is that peace is something that exists within us. Of course, an external, clam, environment may facilitate peace in our minds. But how practical is it to always depend on external factors for us to feel peaceful? …

It’s probably presumptuous of me to write about data-driven globalization. I’m not an expert. I have views and opinions but no data to support those, especially when it comes to abstract themes such as this. And yet I dare to write about the relevance of data especially for a world that’s increasingly becoming afflicted and influenced by the same patterns, same worries, same burning issues.

The year 2020 triggered the true start of this phenomenon called ‘virtual globalization’. Movies stopped releasing in theatres resulted in the rise of other OTT platforms in a market where Netflix and Amazon Prime Video are dominating and they are becoming successful. In the uncertainties kicked off by the pandemic, when everyone wonders if we would ever get back to the world we knew before now. …

Can you describe peace to me?

Would your description have maybe a tranquil, crystal-clear, beach with white-sand, or perhaps someone’s embrace where you feel the warmth and just the indescribable sense of lightness or maybe some sort of social setting, where we are a community embracing each other’s differences?

Now dig a little deeper. If I were to leave you in a room for maybe two-three days together, with no technology, no one to interact with, just you and your thoughts, how peaceful would that be? Don’t be so quick to answer. Think of your thoughts. …

So I have a confession to make. Prior to the release of ‘The Mandalorian’, I had never watched any Star Wars movie. All my friends have continuously begged me to watch, but I did not give up. Don’t hate me yet… I was just afraid of becoming addicted to the Star Wars fandom. But then, Disney+ announced its first live-action series in the Star Wars franchise and the over-whelming response made me watch its trailer. It was one of the most amazing trailers I have seen, and I couldn’t stop myself binge-watching all the episodes of Season 1 and Season 2 during the Christmas holidays. …

This is my first article of 2021 and I just wanted to write something being an introvert myself, when my friends and my relatives have been partying in clubs, celebrating the “New Year Party”. Well, last year too, they celebrated, then 2020 happened. By the way, it’s 2 am now when I am typing this article from my part of the world. Just a random thought, time-zones are so crazy eh! Australia gets to welcome the new year way before the United States.

I have always been a believer in doing things than preaching it before. Hence, I never had a new-year resolution ever. I would suggest you not to have one. Every year many people do make promises of becoming fit, they take the gym membership card and start hitting the gym as well. But then by February, the passion slowly fades away, the drive is lost. …