Around this time last year, I was preparing to get married, had become an aunt for the first time, and recently started at IGN Entertainment--all within one month! It was a very challenging time for me both professionally and personally, but there is a feeling of contentment as I think back to that time. 

At IGN, I started as a part of the video team then began volunteering with a new initiative called IGN Pro League earlier this year. Before I knew it, I was leading the video production charge with a 12 person team. I have managed people in the past, but never so many passionate and talented individuals. I really feel lucky to work with this group on a daily basis and appreciate their dedication to making high quality video on a daily basis. My peers on the senior team are so intelligent and I genuinely feel connected to them and know that I have made some lifelong friends within the organization.

A lot has changed after IPL3. We matured as a group and made us feel that we were not in the minor leagues anymore. After directing the multi-day show in Atlantic City (not to mention surviving the whole ordeal that is planning & executing a live event), I have been faced with the challenge to constantly innovate. With articles in Forbes, The Economist and other media heavy hitters it is clear that eSports is in the limelight. Many other eSports organizations focus on the live tournament aspect of entertainment; at IPL we are trying something different.

My goal is to strike a balance between pre-produced "polished" content as well as maintaining live, engaging broadcasts--all available daily. Transitioning IPL from an online tournament, to a live tournament and now network in under one year has been quite the feat! My team launched two new shows in the past couple of weeks and we are getting close to being a true eSports channel. Next year, we will expand in to new avenues and my major focus will remain on bringing the fans good quality content that they care about. 

Directing at Master Control, Circus Maximus

This year also marks the year where I traveled more than ever before. I took several trips down to Southern California for conventions and weddings, along with Atlantic City for IPL 3, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston along the way, Washington, Alaska, Canada, St. Lucia and Disneyland. My last stop is Costa Rica for New Years which should be amazing!

The beautiful Rochester, MA

On a personal note, I admit I am truly a fan of marriage. Sure it's much different than my life as a single lady but in the best way possible. My husband has been incredibly supportive of me and my (at times) consuming job. We constantly talk about our dreams and try to figure out how we can support each other in making them happen. There have been some tough times that we have been through, but the fact that I have a strong commitment with someone remains to be the most comforting feeling. It's wonderful sharing the end of my day with a good man who I trust with all my heart. I also became an aunt one year ago to my brother's first child--oh what a feeling that is! She is such an amazing little girl who I am so excited to see grow. I can't help but spoil her with stuff I didn't have growing up.

I miss honeymooning in St. Lucia everyday!

Which leads me to where I end this blog, that is where I began. Not many of you may know this, but I grew up in a modest home with two parents who worked 4 jobs between them. We've all heard the immigrant rags-to-not-quite-riches-but-middle-class story to which my parents are no exception. My mother saw my talents early and encouraged me to follow my goal to create media. I have a long way to go before I touch the stars, but I am really proud of the road I have come down to get here even though it has taken sacrifices and a lot of hard work.

Thanks for continuing to read my blog even though I don't post as much as I would like. Cheers to a new year! 

Going into this, I understood gaming culture well enough as I have played video games all my life. The thing with eSports is that it has an innocence that the overarching gaming culture has to some degree lost. Console gaming is like the parent of this largely StarCraft-based industry that is just starting to take off (again). eSports is not a new concept, but it seems that the prime time for it really gaining traction is now. Predecessors such as CGS had ambitious goals but were not executed in the best way. That is the Cliff Notes version of the history of eSports, there is much more there that I have left out.

 Sporting my custom IPL earrings

eSports is also becoming increasingly competitive.  In our region alone, there are 5 major organizations that hold regular events. I don't really see these companies as competition, but rather a sign that eSports is alive and well in North America. It's  huge industry in Korea where two television channels are dedicated to eSports and my group is dedicated to making eSports more of a mainstream pass time.

At IGN, we are now officially a division, a goal that our small team worked countless hours to accomplish. I lead video production and have built a team that strives to up the ante for quality video production. In Korea, they focus a lot on the story telling and drama building aspect of eSports. We are very much trying to bring that spirit to North America through our graphics, programming, and overall style. Although we work for a large company our group is very much in startup mode where experiments become reality and we are encouraged to stand by our ideas. I love our environment and enjoy working with each of my team members. With the long hours we work, genuinely liking my team is a blessing. 

With two online tournaments under our belts, we are now literally taking it to the next level--a live championship event! I will need to brush off my directing chops and put in lots of hard work but I know it will be worth it. The last thing my team wants to do is put together a shoddy event that leaves more to be desired. That being said, we don't have a huge budget (contrary to popular belief) so we will need to be resourceful. 

So far, one of the most rewarding parts of being part of this new world has really been getting to know many of the players, team managers, casters, community managers, and viewers. It's completely different from the typical tech circle where I've felt most comfortable in my career so far, but completely refreshing. A special thanks to all of you who have dealt with my n00b questions and have taught me so much this year.

I do hope that some of you look into following eSports and even come to the live event. I will try to post more updates on my site chronicling how I navigate this new challenge, but will continue to be very busy. I also have started playing a newly popular eSport League of Legends, as I have no hope with my Protoss skills in StarCraft 2. Let's see how it goes.

Viva la eSports!

Don't mess with the IPL!I will be leading project management on the video/media side, and am very proud of our first promo (which is totally my baby). Check it out and let me know what you think! Also, check back often for new video snippets, some will even feature me on camera. Bookmark this URL today!!

It was not my first convention, but it definitely was one of the most memorable. I remember getting a ton of my X-men and WildC.A.T.S comics signed by Jim Lee, who was an incredibly nice guy and also got a few Spidey items signed by the Romitas. I was also able to buy comic book inspired shirts that actually fit me and weren't a little boys size! This was a victory considering that most paraphernalia back then was for large men, not little Indian girls like me. In recent years, a highlight was meeting Chase Masterson (aka Leeta from ST:DS9) and the Forigs (aka Lou Ferrigno/Hulk).

I got this goodie a few years back!

Although I haven't been able to make it back every year, I try to make it there when I can. This is likely the longest hiatus I've had from attending, but I can blame that on a crazy personal life filled with jet setting and marriage! I have been lucky to cover it when I was a reporter at CNET, and also did a piece for Revision 3 when I was the nerd bird. I am not planning to write anything up formally about Wondercon this time around  but am stoked to attend as an off-duty IGNer!

This year, the goal is to find some fun decorative stuff for my new digs. I already have the home that a 13-year-old boy would dream of, filled with action/anime figures, robots, comic books, etc.--but who says I can't have more? Also, more g33ky shirts cut for a lady and  issues of JLA/Spidey that strike my fancy (I seem to always pick up something from these two series, although I am considering going with Green Lantern this year).

If you are attending Wondercon, what panels are you planning on checking out? I am still looking to see if there are any worth attending outside of my usual Marvel/DC realm. I also plan on getting some of my books signed, and will check out what artists are scheduled to be there.

I should likely be at the IGN meetup after at Eddie's, hope to meet some of you there. Hooray for Wondercon!

In the past 6 months I've become a wife, daughter-in-law, aunt, excel monkey, and have tried to maintain a shred of who I am in the process. It has not been easy to say the least. 

Getting married and living with someone who is not my immediate family has been interesting, wonderful and challenging all at once. There are many things that I hadn't thought about that take up so much of my time now. Where to store this, how to cook that, and who to call when the heater isn't working. Don't get me wrong, growing up as a latch-key kid taught me to be plenty self-sufficient, but these little daily tasks seem to take up every minute of what used to be free time. On the bright side, having a partner in crime who helps me work through obstacles has been both great and invaluable.

Professionally, I've gotten plenty of feedback from all of you wondering what exactly I am doing if I am not being the creative brains behind a web video series. I started to ponder the same, and asked myself if my decisions were really what I wanted or just a means to a (stable) end. I think I've found that the latter is more true than false, and unfortunately (or awesomely) I have trouble doing anything that is dissimilar to my passion. When I was freelancing for a year before I started working at Justin.tv, life was not easy and it was frustrating finding work. Call it shell-shock, but I think I've been afraid of being in that situation again. Since new media is such a new field, it's hard to find the best next step to advance one's career. With some guidance and a bit of a nudge, I think I am getting closer to figuring out what that looks like. My immediate path will rely on the skills, talents, and goals of where I want to end up, which is not a bad thing after all! I also feel fortunate to work with such a supportive group of people. Some of my colleagues have been instrumental in helping me come to genuine conclusions, and for that I am grateful. 

Other than that, life is moving along as it should. I still tweet up a storm, and am hoping to find a better way to blog (short form? vlogs? Tumblr?) so I have a channel to communicate with everyone. I'll try to get to that soon so my dot com doesn't turn into a wasteland and it remains a place where you all can read my thoughts on a regular basis. For those of you reading this, thanks for hanging tight and following me thus far. I hope to be doing some cool stuff in the future that is more me, and more of what you dig!

My wedding day is fast approaching and in the Indian tradition, there are a number of events that you invite your guests to before the nuptials. Since I straddle two cultures there has been an elevated need for invitations for the past few months. For my bachelorette party, an informal series of emails worked. For my wedding, I used traditional paper Indian wedding cards and the US Mail service. My bridal shower was more of the same. With paper cards, tracking RSVPs has become a chore and a spreadsheet nightmare. Since many arrangements need to be made for an upcoming event, I knew I couldn't go that route. Evite, Anyvite and Facebook Events all gather RSVPs well enough but none really have the wow-factor of a beautiful card.

Enter Paperless Post. I remember receiving an invitation from my friend Maya's going away party, and was instantly curious about the classy card service that behind her invitation. I signed up for an account and started creating an invitation that would later become my Sangeet (Indian rehearsal dinner) card. One of the most redeeming qualities of Paperless Post is that there is close attention to detail. The site has a number of designs neatly broken up into categories including Holiday, Save the Date, Bridal Shower, etc. Each category has a number of applicable designs and each card can be customized with relevant symbols.  Users can even upload a photo for a card and customize the inside lining of the envelope. Fonts, colors, and wording examples are given and properly categorized into modern and classic divisions. After creating a top notch card, you can then add an address book manually, from a spreadsheet, or email account for delivery. Each contact can be edited to include the exact number of RSVPs per that contact and preferred name. Select the contact, add to guest list, and hit send--it's that simple.

There aren't words to describe how thrilled I am to be joining such an awesome and established company known for it's geeky (and reliable) content. As the Video Ops Manager, I will be responsible for tracking video success, partner management, and keeping the pulse of video content in general. This is a great follow-up to my position at Justin.tv where I truly learned the ropes of business and project management at a media company. I will not only be working with the talented and smart video team and IGN, but will be able to work with other teams as well which is great. I love producing content and feel that my experience will compliment my role and contribute to IGN's awesome factor.

When choosing to work at a larger company, I was slightly worried about missing out on the spunky start-up atmosphere that I have grown accustomed to in the past few years. I haven't really worked at a corporation since my first job at CNET, but am looking forward to the stability and established structure. IGN appealed to me because they seem to not shirk away from change and actually believe in experimenting with new ideas. These are two things I loved about start-up culture, so I won't be missing a thing.

I know many of you must consume IGN regularly, much like I did even before getting a job there. I would love to hear about what you would like more of when it comes to content, and how IGN can be a better resource for you. I have used IGN for game reviews, guides and also as a place to check out the latest news in the nerd movie arena.

I start on November 1st, just 26 days before my wedding. It will be all about new beginnings for me next month, and I can't wait to embrace all the thrilling changes that are to come. Hooray for beaming up to the ultimate mothership and thank you IGN for bringing me aboard!

A couple months ago, I read about a rumored R2D2 android device coming to Verizon Wireless on an unspecified date. If I had to pinpoint it, that is when my obsession with this device began.

Being an avid collector of Star Wars paraphernalia and a lightsaber warrior, I knew this limited edition gadget was on my must-have list of future purchases. I signed up for the newsletter, visited the device site everyday, made a plan-of-attack for the launch date, and did not even let the birth of my niece stop me from getting it! Before hearing about the R2D2 device, I was pretty sure I would transition to a Droid 2, mostly because I am a fan of the tactile qwerty keyboard. There was no question that a Droid 2 with R2D2 design and special add-ins would be a perfect new phone for me.

All I need in this life of sin--my Droid and my lightsaber.One week ago, I activated my new treasure and have been learning about how androids work daily. At Justin.tv, we were developing for Android and I had a chance to carry around a Nexus One for a week which familiarized me with some of the processes. In retrospect, that was merely scratching the surface since the R2D2 phone was shipped with Froyo 2.2, the latest android OS. I was coming from a Blackberry on AT&T which is not a world away, but at the very least, a different culture.

I have owned a slider in the past, so getting used to the touch screen versus physical was an easy enough transition. I was happy to see that there is very little lag and virtually no freezing when transitioning from one to the other, a common occurrence on my old LG Xenon. When using the touch screen, I really enjoy using Swype technology and am impressed by how smart it is despite my clumsiness. The app market on Android is spellbinding; it was like moving from a tiny boutique shop on my Blackberry to a multi-level mega-mall. It's also nice to have seamless integration with Gmail, Google Voice, GDocs and other Google properties as that is what I chiefly use for everything professionally and personally. The design is sleek, and I am completely in love with the Star Wars extras including a Best of R2D2 video, sounds, and overall exterior design. Switching providers has also been a positive shift, as I can finally make a phone call without it getting dropped five minutes later.

With those sweet features, there are also some sour. Just three days into using my new device, it crashed completely and I was unable to use it for an entire day.  I had to get a hard factory reset which wiped out all my app data. Luckily, it was only a few days worth of installs but a factory reset would be devastating on a later date. It is still unclear why it froze, but some possible conjectures are that it was trying to update software or was stuck in an interrupted sync loop. Another not-so-great part of the Gmail integration has been the myriad of contacts I now have on my phone. My old sim card contacts, Gmail and LinkedIn contacts are now in a strange web of an address book which will take a good amount of time to sort out. I will have to merge and purge contacts one-by-one in a relatively manual fashion, which is a tedious task that I am not looking forward to. The battery life is also rough, and I've installed the advanced task manager to kill processes a few times a day. Luckily, I have a nice dock to juice up my device when needed.

I am still learning and discovering new things about my phone and I believe I have made a  good choice. Any fan of the Star Wars films can attest, having R2D2 on your side is an advantage. I am looking forward to having R2D2 help me fight the dark side many times over!

Last year, quite a bit happened for me in Q4. I applied to grad school, got engaged, was told I was going to be an aunt, and also got a new job. Grad school didn't really work out, but the others did and have kept me very busy since.  At Justin.tv, I implemented new workflows, processed data, managed broadcast production and much more; this was a tall task considering that not much was organized before I started. Wedding planning can be a full time job in and of itself especially on a budget. My new niece should be arriving shortly, a blessing my family is overjoyed to welcome.

So here's why I may have some time on my hands coming up: I am still getting married (sorry guys), but Friday will be my last day at Justin.tv.

 This may be a shock to everyone and honestly, it is to me as well. I enjoyed working at Justin.tv for many reasons, but foremost because of my smart colleagues. They will be what I miss most about going in to work every day, but I am sure I will see them around as the SF tech space is a small and cozy niche. I also had a chance to meet so many great people on the business side as well as in the Justin.tv community.

Justin.tv let me and the rest of the BD team go, including my very savvy and intensely smart co-workers. Everyone in this group is someone who I learned from and I am thankful to have been on their team.

What's next? I am hoping to find a job at a media company soon where I can still manage analytics, business communication, implementation and will definitely hold out for the right opportunity. I've updated my resume and am looking into some dream companies for openings. I can imagine it may take some time to find a perfect place to work in this economy, which is fine considering all I have going on personally.

Ironically, I  received the call that my sister-in-law was in labor literally when I was being let go and some part of me thinks it might be a sign. A sign to  have patience and see where my career takes me while allowing my personal life to blossom, a value I learned only the last time I was unemployed. My fiance and I often joke about this, but I don't think our relationship in the beginning stages would've survived if we both were at stressful full-time jobs. Love takes time to grow and needs to be nurtured, which is why I will never regret my time freelancing in 2008.  It was the first time I allowed myself to have a personal life that where I was truly invested. With my wedding coming up in just under 2 months and my niece coming any day now, there is no better time to spend with my family and hold out for what I want in my career.

I do plan on blogging much more than the sad amount I have all year. I miss writing about tech and so much has happened! I am still very into tech and now have a more mature perspective, something you may notice in my blog posts to come.

In the past year, I've grown so much professionally, personally and have enjoyed ever moment of the challenge. I am confident that I will find an awesome place where I can contribute my background and essentially rock.

I'm going to sign off this blog with a quote from one of my favorite athletes of all time:

"I've failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed. " -Michael Jordan

In essence, Swagapalooza is about giving any product creator their 15 minutes of fame in a room full of bloggers. From Bacon Hot Sauce to the Joby GorillaPod, there was an expanse of innovations discussed. A keynote by Guy Kawasaki kicked off the evening by saying that he "loved swag," which inspired me to think about that for the rest of the evening.

Since there was a screen with recent tweets next to the presenter, the crowd was definitely hard to impress.  As a reward for hearing each of these product monkeys out, each blogger gets a filled swag bag with everything that was demonstrated, including the black garlic [it's fermented or something]. There were some flashier items like iPhone covers and How to be the best damn entrepenuer, period type books,  but my favorite thing in the bag was the most unassuming item. It was a small bound book called Laughs 4 Dads: A blog by Mark Hallen.  I am always looking for a good read to spice up my train ride into the city, and I grabbed this as I left my house this morning.  Hallen wrote a book over 20 years ago and recently decided to get back into writing via blogging. I was laughing a good amount of my train ride, appearing to be a crazy person. It was worth it; Hallen's short collection of blog posts conveying the dark (but hillarious) side of parenting were very amusing. I have read a lot of blogs, and this is probably the first parenting blog I can relate to without going through labor pains.

Just as Kawasaki articulated early on, everyone loves free stuff; why not do something different like Hallen? My second favorite item in the bag was a service that turns your kids drawings into pillow-cases. It had such a weird name that I can't quite remember it, but it was very similar to art2believe. Maybe I have been worn down with my dresser filled with XXL swag shirts, but I think that it's worht thinking about what a company should give out to make a lasting impression. While I was at CNET, I collected a plethora of swag, much of which I still have around today. Stickers, pens, lanyards, and shirts have been done to death, should companies just give out garlic instead? Perhaps I have gone soft since I am going to be an aunt for the first time, but I am not sure how many more lanyards a human being can collect. I suggest that companies bring back the need-factor to swag and leave the novelty behind.