2011 - The Year That Was

So here we are again. Yet another year has passed. Honestly, I could have done a lot more justice to my blog this year, but simply put, the drive was missing. My new job is demanding, actually, much more than I had anticipated. Besides writing a blog is no joke; it requires a lot of concealed effort and dedication.

Alright, I'll cut to the chase and fill you in on both my professional and personal fronts.

Professional Highs:

• It's no longer a secret. I joined Lionbridge Korea as a Documentation Project Manager in November 2010. Within a few months, I was promoted to the position of a Solution Architect, primarily because the management acknowledged my contributions in active presales. Under my leadership, Lionbridge Korea has secured many work orders for their Global Content Development (GCD) business unit. My team also reported a double-digit growth in annual revenue this year, which is freaking exciting to say the least.

• In July 2010, MindTouch published a ranking of The Top 25 Most Influential Bloggers in Technical Communications. Yours truly also made the cut at number 18. Surprising enough, there was no other Indian in that elite list. Reason to be proud, eh?

The Top 25 Most Influential Bloggers in Technical Communications

Personal Highs:

• Yay! For the first time ever, I was featured on national TV, interviewed on FM radio, and published in a leading daily, all in the same year.

• Some of you probably know via my Facebook or Twitter updates that I was interviewed by tbs TV channel. It wasn't a planned interview though, since I had sneaked in to attend a weekend event called “Explore Seoul”, organized by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. There I was - with my family plus a bunch of unknown foreigners - visiting famous tourist attractions in the city like Gahoe Museum, Samcheong-dong, and Coex. You can see a short clip here.

Explore Seoul

• Following the success of the "Explore Seoul" event, RJ Henry Kimm invited me to share my travel exploits on his show "Primetime". The show was aired live on tbs eFM (101.3 MHz). You can listen to the recording here.

• I was also featured alongside other expat bloggers in the JoongAng Daily, a high quality English language newspaper published by Korea's leading daily, the JoongAng Ilbo, for another blogging tour called "Real Touch Korea Season 1 - Seoul Tour". This event was sponsored by buzz Korea. Perhaps my only rant would be that the reporter did not touch upon how this event could have been bettered. Anyway, enjoy the read. The article is titled, "Social media campaign kicks off with a tour for expat bloggers". Get a feel of the "Real Touch Korea Season 1 - Seoul Tour" through this video.

• For a change, this year I was keen in exploring some of Korea's best performing arts, which meant making time to see Drumcat Percussion Performance at MyungBo Art Hall and 2011 Korea In Motion's Hot Stage (Dulsori's Well-Wishing BINARI).   

Drumcat

2011 Korea In Motion's Hot Stage (Dulsori's Well-Wishing BINARI)

• Talking of music, I was totally high on K-Pop throughout the year - be it attending the 2011 Incheon Korean Music Wave or taking a day off to greet 2PM and missA in person.

2PM and missA

• A visit to Boseong Green Tea Plantations was long overdue, and this year I could finally plan a road trip along with my wife and son during Korean Thanksgiving holidays.

Boseong Green Tea Plantations

• Finally, I deserve a pat on the back for winning the third place in IIK Cricket Team Slogan Contest.

2011 was an excellent year for me on many different levels. My best wishes to you for a peaceful but productive new year.