Friday, July 03, 2015

Transition

I have not been frequent on blogs, my own as well as visits to yours, because of the transition from my old job to a new one which, incidentally, happens to be in the same group I have been associated with for the past fifteen years. Only my line of work has changed, from that of a full-time journalist to a content specialist in one of Asia’s leading public relations agencies. I started out on July 2 and I'm looking forward to my new career in this challenging and exciting field.

© Faber & Faber
I hope to make up for my absence from blogging this weekend, by visiting my friends’ blogs rather than posting anything on my own. That may take a while. However, I owe my friend Sarah Ward an honest apology. I still have to review her brilliant debut, In Bitter Chill, that she so kindly sent me by post a month ago. I'm halfway through Sarah’s gripping mystery novel and I'm excited about reviewing it next week.

My new job falls midway between my home in a northern suburb and my old job in South Mumbai, or downtown, which means I will have less time to read during my train commute. I'm going to have to make up for it by reading whenever time permits, and time doesn’t permit a lot. You know, we readers have as little time to read our books as sleuths have to solve their cases.

Among other things, it’s nearly three months since I bought a paper book, and I don’t intend to buy any till I have read at least two dozen paperbacks from my existing lot. This is a promise and I aim to keep it. The only exception would be Sudden novels, the western series by British writer Oliver Strange that I'm so fond of. Nothing, absolutely nothing on earth, can prevent me from grabbing his priceless books. To hell with TBR and all that.

That’s all for now.

22 comments:

  1. I'm so pleased you've started a new job, Prashant. I know that always means a bit of stress as you break into the new routine, but I'm sure it'll go well for you. And I look forward to your full review of In Bitter Chill when you've finished it.

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    1. Margot, thank you. It is a new routine and PR writing is a challenge that I look forward to.

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  2. I'm catching up on some of my TBR pile as well before buying new books. Part of that is money woes, though. Sounds like your new position will be very interesting. Luck with the transition.

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    1. Charles, thank you. PR is an interesting field. I was on the other side of PR for nearly thirty years and now I see the difference from my new position in the industry.

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  3. Good luck with the new career!

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    1. Col, thank you. I'm still learning the ropes as PR writing is very different from newspaper writing.

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  4. Congratulations on the new job Prashant and good luck. Will be very interested to read your review of Sarah's book - I hope to get to it soon.

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    1. Moira, thank you. I don't want to review Sarah's book in a hurry. I enjoyed it very much.

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  5. So glad to hear that you have a new job, Prashant. Having been through job loss (a few years back) and the stress it causes, I know what a relief that is. I look forward to your review of In Bitter Chill also.

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    1. Tracy, yes, it was a relief, and I hope to acquire some new skills in content writing for my public relations firm.

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  6. Glad to hear about the new job. Been reading your blog for a while. Looking forward to more of your reviews and observations.

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    1. Elgin, thank you. I appreciate your visits and comments. I hope to review books more frequently in future.

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  7. Change is good! Good luck in your new career.

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    1. John, thank you. I agree, change is good, though not so much when you resist it.

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  8. Good luck to you, Prashant in your new career! Wish you all the best.

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    1. Keishon, thank you. I'll need all the luck in my new job.

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  9. Congrats on your new job, Prashant! Transitioning can be nerve-wracking.

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    1. Oscar, thank you. Fortunately, the transition wasn't so bad as I'm still with the same group but I need to acquire new skills in PR writing.

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  10. Best of luck with your transition, Prashant!

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    1. David, thank you. Writing content for PR clients is challenging and requires much research.

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  11. Prashant: I hope your new job goes well. Your life is so different from mine. I have worked in the firm I started with in 1975 and have no commute to work.

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    1. Bill, thank you. My train commute has been cut by half and so has my reading, which I miss the most.

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