If you’re reading this right now you likely got here by one of the following three scenarios:

You are a possible prospective job opportunity checking me out to see if I’m worth interviewing/hiring.
You are a fan of my creations. If this is the case, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Trust me, I know there are a lot of talented folks out there, so I’m touched you’d even dip your toes in my small inch of cyberspace.
You’re looking for a new friend, in which case I’m very flattered. When I was younger I wanted to be friends with a lot of people on the internet, but they mostly never responded back. It’s ok though, I was lucky enough to meet plenty of wonderful people in real life. Since I don’t really have social media, here is a photo of me. And that lovely person next to me? That’s my equally wonderful girlfriend, so you may end up getting two friends for the price of one (lucky you). I took that photo myself. I’m hoping because it’s not in front of a mirror it might be less noticeable (lanky arms ftw). Hopefully, this doesn’t reflect that we are vain, but more so that we know our way around a camera. I also own at least one suit, so you can take me to meet your parents and if your parents are dead, I can meet your grandparents… unless they are dead too, then I can meet your friends. If they are dead as well, then I might have to pass on this new friendship opportunity as I’m starting to worry about what happened to everyone.

Statistically, I’m already losing you as an audience member (casual reading hit a three-decade low recently) so I’ll try to get straight to the point:

In a digital era, we have to make perceptions and judgment calls on people we’ve never met. It all feels so impersonal, no? I created this so you could get to know me. It won’t have all the details, just a few that might point you in the right direction of who I am.

Just remember one thing while you read this:

We all feel the same emotions; it’s what keeps us connected on this wonderful planet.

So how does one begin to summarize decades of living? Well, let me streamline it by saying “I feel you”. That’s my way of saying that probably 90% of those thoughts and feelings that you’ve had in your life, I’ve had too.

I’ve been elated, self-conscious, tickled pink, lonely, thankful, depressed, empowered, disillusioned, and for the last five years or so, optimistic (thanks for the reminder Conan O’Brien). I’ve experienced the joys of life and also had life take loved ones from me. Someone once told me that “Loss is part of the bargain of love and it helps to share” and I wholeheartedly agree. It’s why my favorite publication to participate in was P.S. I Love You on medium.com (RIP now but thank you for the good memories).

Now the fun part is describing that other 10%. This is what reminds us that even though we are all made up of stardust, the arrangement is as unique as a fingerprint. So where to begin?

Well first, if I had to choose just three adjectives to describe myself, I would say I am quirky, intense, and funny (my friends, family, and some strangers would say I’m caring, but they might be a little bias). Quirky is a word you use when you want to describe your weirdness in a positive manner. That being said, this trait has allowed me to live an interesting life, which in turn has led me to meet fascinating people, who sometimes turn into the catalyst for creative stories/ideas to form (I also get a lot of inspiration via lucid dreaming).

The word “intense” can typically be seen as a “good” or “bad” trait depending on how you frame it and I was tempted to play it safe and use the word “passionate”, but I like the word intense. It’s emits a certain feel that passionate does not capture. Now it’s important to differentiate that when I say intense, I don’t mean rude. Some folks use being intense and passionate as a way to justify being rude, which I don’t think is ever right. With global warming, the news telling us we all hate each other, the Knicks sucking, and WebMD letting every symptom we input lead to cancer, life is tough enough as it is without one more jerk. Also, if you disagree with me, that’s ok too (even if you don’t like the Knicks). That’s the beauty of perspective.

No, a good example of my intensity was when my penpal from France asked me what my favorite color was and instead of just saying blue, I told her “a Santa Barbara summer sky transitioning from day to night”. Understandably, when she informed me that she had no idea what that meant since she had never been to Santa Barbara, I took the next four hours using old photos and color matching software to help paint that picture. It took a while since none of the photos were an exact match to my mind’s eye (translation: my iPhone 6S didn’t do well in low lighting). I gave it a name too, but realistically it’s just a tone of dark cerulean. I named it Bloom Blue (#0B5679) for those who are curious. Feel free to pitch this to a future client if you get wasted the night before and forget to pick a lead color (FYI, I never drink so I will always be at the office early unless Toonami has a late night anime marathon. Then all bets are off. Same thing if a prospective blind date is reading this, just replace office with your date location of choice).

As for funny, well, funny is very subjective. For example, some of my co-workers found it funny when I told them what peeing my pants at 26 taught me about project management (you can read about it here). Others find my dating life funny, like the not so Valentine’s Day story that involved Fiona Apple, sushi, and a dead guy. Come to think of it, I didn’t laugh much at that one (on a side note, I don’t do online dating apps anymore). Personally, I think it’s less about me actually being funny and more so that I’m willing to talk about anything and everything that happens to me in a candid manner. It’s why I write stories like this. You never know when your self-reflective moments might help another.

If you’ve made it this far, then I’m assuming either something about my life caught your eye, or you’re the type of person that skips to the last chapter of a book and knew that Snape killed Dumbledore before most got past chapter one. Either way, thanks for reading. I am hoping you find “It” whatever that might be. However, before you go, let me leave you with this thought:

Before I joined Dunkin’ Donuts, I had never made coffee, let alone drink it.

Before Becton Dickinson, I had never used SAP software a day in my life.

Before I started Aura Cadet I had never made my own clothing.

The point is that it is amazing what human beings can accomplish if we give them a chance to grow and succeed. As author Alexander den Heijer once said,

“When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.”

Let’s work on creating an environment that allows everyone to grow. Allow me to be both the flower and the sunlight.

Are you in?

-Sundeep

P.S. No seriously, are you in because I have bills to pay. Oh, and on the way out, make sure to take a look at the recommendations section, especially if you like the NOM NOM NOM as much as I do.