Master and Commander: The Far Side of 2012

It’s the end of another year - it’s time for another yearly review. I can now write about all the travels I went on this year, about the philosophical question that bugged me, or about my alias. I’m not going to do that this year. Instead, I’m going to write about leadership. Last year, ’11, was the year of “first times”. 2012 was for me the year of “leadership” and by that I don’t mean leadership by other people. I’m writing about me taking leadership. At work, I started to teach and lead the research group, at weddings, I was not any more a simple guest but either the “best man” or “the guy who married the couple”. I organized events, I chaired consultation, and I planed hikes... well a hike and only one other person showed up for that hike. A good leader knows when to do a task himself and when let other people do the work, and is not ashamed to show some tears. As a leader you have to work instead of to party.
Now, let’s try to make a forecast for the next year. What will come after “the year of postdoc”, “the year of first times”, and “the year of leadership”. Maybe, it will be “the year of inspiration”, because I write my first novel. Actually, I started to write my first two novels - so maybe 2013 will be the year of “finish one freakish thing before start a new one”.

Why not?

The Name of the Bros

My brother Sina has birthday. This year I am going to give him a picture I drew as a present ... and this post. Don't you love if you get something which comes from heart in stead from store?
Sina is the big brother. He has been around all the time I was in this world. That has some drawbacks. When I was little, I was nicknamed "Susu". That was a long time ago and since everyone stopped calling me that. Everyone except Sina - he still does. To tease him, I nickname him "Sisi". Two can play that game.

Susu and Sisi

Because my name is Soroosh, which is for most people difficult to pronounce, spell, and remember, people often try to come up with a nickname for me. My policy is: I will ignore the nickname and pretend they are talking to someone else. Depending on who is more stubborn either the nickname dies or it catches on. Most of the time, people come up with variations of my name as a nickname, like "Roooosh" (Thanks to David "The Faz" Faroz for that name). Girls like to add an extra vowel at the end of my name, very common is an "i" or an "a". The nickname "Doctor Doctor" is because I'm Dr Pezeshki (Pezeshk is Farsi for physician). From time to time, people give me the same name as heroes from popular culture. I have been nicknamed "Snoopy", "Spiderman", and "Harry Potter".

"Roooosh" is not just a name, it's a lifestyle 

Ohh, I got off track. I wanted to write about Sina. What did I forget? O yes. Happy birthday, Sina.

Next year, I will make a vase out of clay for Sina's b'day

PS: Some other nicknames include but not limited to: Super Soroosh, Evil Soroosh, the dream crusher, sope