Category: Guitar

I fold.

I fold!

This is one of those big decisions for rest of 2015.

I am going to stop playing poker. Few reasons.

1. I have been on a losing spree. As per my poker stats, I have lost 9 out of 10 times I have played. Also, I have wiped all my bankroll. Since I dont have any predictable earning, I am not sure how to build the bankroll without investing anything from my savings. And that, ladies and gents, is not happening.

2. Luck doesnt seem to be favoring me. Not luck, odds. I mean what are the odds that hand after hand you would have like 30 outs and you wouldn’t connect even one? Or you’d have pocket kings and every flop would have a string of aces? Or on the button you had hands so cold that you could deep freeze your coke with em. I am losing that perpetual “war with luck.”

3. I dont see myself improving at it. Improving at poker, I think, is a simple function of time, practice and reading. I dont have that time. There are just too many things that I am busy with – earning my bread, writing my next book, travel, trying to get fit and so on and so forth. Take guitar for example. Neo just got me a new guitar. A F310. It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do. May be I would focus on it for 2015.

4. There is no 4. The above three are reasons solid enough reasons to make me reconsider my poker “career.”

That’s it. I think I would get away from poker. Except that home game once in a while and that occasional tournament.

I know quitting sucks but you ought to know who you are and what could you do!
 Wish me lucky with the guitar 🙂

P.S.: I will get back to poker at some point in life. It gives me everything that I want – money, travel, decision making, access to great minds, time and all that. Just that I have other things to chase right now. May be in 2016?

Anatomy of a good day

Do you remember this ad by Cadburys? I love it. I am sure I have spoken about it. It says…
“I am happy. For no reason. I am happy, just like that.”

Today was one of those days when I am happy for no reason.

Let me make a list of things that I did today. I shall try and do those things again and again so that I could be happier.

  1. Switched Off my phone when I slept the previous night. So when I woke up, at around 630ish, I did not look at any notifications (email, twitter, facebook, tinder and so on and so forth). 
  2. Went for a walk. Walked about 7 KMs in little over an hour. I hope to do this tomorrow as well.
  3. Came back, planned my day. On little post-it notes. Exhibit A.
  4. Breakfast. And read Goa Gallata by Surendra Mohan Pathak along with breakfast.
  5. Chit chatted with roomie about random things while he had his breakfast.
  6. Wrote on my other blog. Worked for a bit. On the list that I had created in the morning. While I ticked off a few things, got a call for an urgent meeting.
  7. Meeting. Went ok. Learned a few lessons, met someone who at some point in time worked with someone who I want to work with now. Sent that person (the one I want to work with) an unsolicited request on LinkedIn. Haven’t heard from yet. And in the meeting, the guy I met, he told me that may be my time has come!
  8. Spoke to a new friend about a new thing that he and I are together trying. Hint: Mastermind.
  9. Got a call from a senior where he asked me to work on a project with him. He, to my mind, is amongst the sharpest people I know. And an opportunity to work for him can make or break careers. 
  10. Met a friend’s friend. For the first time 1v1. Loved meeting her and spending time with her. She is amongst the coolest people I know. Too bad shes happily married. I will write about her sometime. For the time being, do read this. Gave her a few copies of #tnks. Also see Exhibit B.
  11. Got news from one of the work engagements that the client is angry
    and disappointed with what I have done. I should’ve been sad about
    things but I wasn’t. 
  12. Bumped into a really old acquaintance. Had a good discussion with him about his start-up, which incidentally is doing really really well. So happy for him. Glad that I bumped into him!
  13. Worked for a bit. Sent a proposal out as the laptop battery was nearing 1%.  
  14. By this time, I was really really happy. Wanted to talk to someone. Ideally sgMS. But since I didnt have her, tried called Agony Aunt. She dint pick up. But its ok. Dint feel like talking to anyone else. I was so happy so content with myself.
  15. Came home, was about to have dinner when I got a surprise gift. From Neo. Love him. Exhibit C.
  16. Got calls from couple of more people who want to work with me. Ended up narrating the story of the day to one. Loved talking about the day. He gave me yet another thing to laugh about – if the trip to Goa is lucky for me at the casino, I must know that my time has come!
  17. And as I write this, I have this stupid grin on my lips and a heart full of hope and a checklist of things to do that needed to be done as on yesterday. So I am now going to work on those. 

That’s it!

I guess its a combination of lucky stars, eating right and the morning walk. I shall repeat this tomorrow and see if the day goes as well. However, if I could change a few things, I’d just want to have less coffee and little more equanimity. Like GuruJi often said, “this too shall pass.”

Oh, I would love to sit next to #sgMS while I recount the day that has gone by. But then I may not have her, but I do have her memories. That no one can take away from me. Can they? Anyhow, here are the exhibits!

Exhibit A: Things I had to do today. Most of which are still pending.

Exhibit B: A screenshot from a Jack Kerouac book

Exhibit C: A Yamaha F 310. Thanks to Neo. Love him!

P.S.: Last time I was this happy was when I received the first set of copies of my book in my hand. So almost 4 months.