I feel like I'm standing on the brink of a deep, dark abyss. I decided voluntarily to not renew my job contract in Abu Dhabi. With no immediate employment prospects for the summer, I am not looking forward to sitting at home, lazing on the couch, and generally being a burden on society :p... I don't want to volunteer at an NGO because my past experiences have been pretty negative- you drive to far away places (paying for your own petrol and mode of transport), you sit around all day reading papers or magazines, take loooong chai/lunch/namaz breaks and basically exhaust yourself without accomplishing anything worthwhile.

I finally read Outliers (by Malcolm Gladwell). It's an amazing book, although some of the relationships that Gladwell highlights are a tad farfetched. He claims that the key to success is meaningful work; i.e. an activity in which there is a direct and obvious relationship between effort and reward (i.e. the greater the effort you put into something, the greater the reward). I think I agree with him... Now I need to find a project where I'll see immediate, tangible results. Easier said, than done :p

I've also started watching TED talks! TED stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design- fascinating...!