Intelliments

Last Friday September 8, 2006 was my last day as an Intel employee. I have left the confines of the employee and started my journey towards creating a brand new world. You will learn more from me about the world I am going to create in later blogs, but for now let me get a bit nostalgic about my moments at Intel, the Intelliments.

I was in an autorickshaw all alone going to SRR (Intel site in bangalore). The laptop and the laptop bag was missing, the keys were missing in my pocket, I went back and thought of all the people I will miss, Ananda, Sandeep, Rajesh, Suraj, Sajith, Jomes, Vittal, Karuna, and lots of others from the PVE team and many others with whom I had spent some of the best moments over the past couple of years.

"My appointment letter", said I, showing it to the security trying to gain entry into the towering building of Intel. I was impressed with the building and also my hiring manager during the interview and boy, how eager was I to get into it. While the security was confirming my identity I saw Sachin with his trademark huge smile, welcoming me to ESO and Intel.

The automation team along with Shiva, and many others who were with me in PVE for the past one year gave a sheet of paper with all their wishes on it. How do I describe the moment, I was never comfortable with parting moments and this was no different. But silent drops rolled in my eyes for this gesture of theirs. It felt speechless at the moment.

Man! Where have I got into, that was the reaction on my second day. Cubes taller than me, all my colleagues much elder to me, all of them working as if the world is going to end, with out as much as a glance. Something is seriously wrong with the place. Coming from a place where all my college's were hardly elder to me and where standing at my desk I could see what the person at the other end of the room, it was a culture shock.

If I were to write a autobiography, I would for sure dedicate a section to my Israel trip and the team I was working with. Though I was there only for a period less than a month, it had profound impact on me. I had great time in Haifa. I don't recollect the number of times I pinged them on IM "5 min?", and the extant to which they helped me resolving the issues. I learnt a lot both in technology and the spirit to get the things done in the face of adversity.

It was a slow take off in ESO, then before I realized, I was doing night outs, we had lot of work, and though felt overloaded, those were some of the times I cannot relegate to memory.

PVE was a different world, from the startup environment of ESO to the structured surroundings it was another culture shock. However, this time it was a seamless transition. The work was a challenge, and I thrive on challenges. I really had great time learning all the new things.

The time had come, I had to move on. It was tough, to leave all of them, to leave a place which has taught me about myself. Intel will occupy a special place in my heart. Adieu Intel. Hope to cross paths later in life.