Clean Desk, Jammed drawers

What is work and what is play?

2011-02-08T14:23:00.000-08:00

“In Production all servers are running from my ID...isn’t it cool !!”

A friend of mine updated this on his Facebook account some days back. Aren’t we used to see updates that go like "Another bad day at work" on Facebook/Twitter more often?

Rise of social media is changing the norms of everyday communication. You start form sharing anything that you think is cool enough and then you start looking out for things to share and then it comes to a point when you have to share a bad experience. Is this a problem? Answer to this depends upon what your group consists of? And more than that, what have you been sharing and how you handle it. There are pros and cons to it. Let us see how;

For most of us our Facebook friends range from mere acquaintances to childhood friends, to recent friends to activity partners to office colleague and to even supervisors (Last one is true at least in my case ;) ). When my followers are such a mixed group, things I share can be interpreted in different ways. The status update mentioned above got my friend kind of heroic remarks from his friends, but what if a colleague or a supervisor sees this? I am not sure the outcome would be that amusing.

On the other hand, having everyone at one place helps me make my voice heard well. I can actually draw different perspectives from people and generate a lot of food for thought. I can provoke a discussion and catch required amount of attention, and because it reaches beyond my own network (that’s the way Facebook works) I get a good chance to get people interested who I otherwise won’t come across. At those levels it provides you a better networking opportunity even in professional terms; better than LinkedIn or any other professional network for that instance.

Another friend had to make an important deal-breaking presentation to a prospective client. A normal Google search landed him on client’s Facebook profile and he got to know that the client shares his interest in graphology. On his way to office, fortunately he met him in lift and just struck an offhand conversation bringing in the common interest. His presentation went well and they got the deal. I know it did not happen because of the off-had conversation but you can’t deny the fact that he was able to make a personal note with that person before stepping into professional zone. Having that personal pitch helped cool his nerves and it’s anyway good to see a smiling spectator rather than a twisted faced one. I am not sure how many of his competitors had that.

So where this does brings us? Today I don’t communicate with people only when I talk to them. I communicate when they see my comment on any of my Facebook friend’s update. I communicate when they see what place I have checked in. I communicate when I say what video or news article I liked or hated or found hilarious. And then there are incidents like those mentioned above that make us feel that work and play are getting mixed. And it seems to be the case. Social network is inevitably mixing personal and professional lives. The more you express, more you will be able to get out of it. There is a reason people are so active out there. It is because they do benefit from it to a good extent.

You build a web personality the way you share things on social media. The more you share, promote and contribute, more trust you gain from people. You build relationships on web that help you work things out in your real life. It might sound radical or even ridiculous but that is what I am seeing happen. The trend is certainly changing.

We are always taught to hide our weaknesses and show only strengths. The growing social media seems to be changing those norms. Sharing more information is helping people get in better touch rather than threatening privacy as we think to be the case. Does that mean definition of privacy has also changed? The trick is in knowing where to draw the line and the question here is how much to share.

Care to share what you think?

A Blackberry addict discovers grassroots enterprise in India

2010-07-30T18:40:00.001-07:00

Well, since last couple of months, i am not actually writing my won blog, but sharing other ones that i find interesting..Can this be called cheating?? Anyway, who cares ;)

This is a post from Shekhar Kapur's latest blog. For those who do not know him, Shekhar is a renowned Film director not only in India but in Hollywood as well. This is the link to his blog,

http://shekharkapur.com/blog/2010/07/a-blackberry-addict-discovers-grassroots-enterprise-in-india/

and for your ease, I am pasting the actual post here..

A greater ‘hole in the wall’ you cannot imagine. A small fading sign on the top saying “Cellphoon reapars” barely visible through the street vendors crowding the Juhu Market in Mumbai. On my way to buy a new Blackberry, my innate sense of adventure (foolishness) made me stop my car and investigate. A shop not more than 6 feet by 6 feet. Grimy and uncleaned.

‘Can you fix a blackberry ?”

‘ Of course , show me”

” How old are you”

‘Sixteen’

Bullshit. He was no more than 10. Not handing my precious blackberry to a 10 year old in unwashed and torn T shirt and pyjama’s ! At least if I buy a new one, they would extract the data for me. Something I have been meaning to do for a year now.

‘What’s wrong with it ?”

‘Well, the roller track ball does not respond. It’s kind of stuck and I cannot operate it”

He grabs it from my hand and looks at it

“You should wash your hands. Many customers have same problem. Roller ball get greasy and dirty, then no working’

Look who was telling me to wash my hands. He probably has not bathed for 10 days, I leaned out to snatch my useless blackberry back.

” you come back in one hour and I fix it’

I am not leaving all my precious data in this unwashed kid’s hands for an hour. No way.

“who will fix it ?”

‘Big brother’

‘ How big is ‘big brother?’

‘big …. umm ..thirty’

Then suddenly big brother walks in. 30 ??? He is no more than 19.

‘What problem ?’ He says grabbing the phone from my greasy hand into his greasier hand. Obviously not trained in etiquette by an upmarket retail store manager.

‘Normal blackberry problem. I replace with original part now. You must wash your hand before you use this’

What is this about me washing my hands suddenly ?? 19 year old big brother rummages through a dubious drawer full of junk and fishes out a spare roller ball packed in cheap cellophane wrapper. Original part ? I doubt it.

But by now I am in the lap of the real India and there is no escape as he fishes out a couple of screwdrivers and sets about opening my Blackberry.

“How long will this take ?”

” Six minutes ”

This I have to see. After spending the whole morning trying to find a Blackberry service centre and getting vague answers about sending the phone in for an assessment that might take a week, I settle down next to his grubby cramped work space. At least I am going to be able to watch all my stored data vanish into virtual space. People crowd around to see what’s happening. I am not breathing easy anyway. I tell myself this is an adventure and literally have to stop myself grabbing my precious blackberry back and making a quick escape.

But in exactly six minutes this kid handed my blackberry back. He had changed the part and cleaned and serviced the the whole phone. Taken it apart, and put it together. As I turned the phone on there was a horrific 2 minutes where the phone would not come on. I looked at him with such hostility that he stepped back.

‘you have more than thousand phone numbers ?”

‘yes’.

‘backed up ?’

‘no’

‘Must back up. I do it for you. Never open phone before backing up’

‘You tell me that now ?’

But then the phone came on and my data was still there. Everyone watching laughed and clapped. This was becoming a show. A six minute show.

I asked him how much.

‘ 500 rupees’ He ventured uncertainly . People around watched in glee expecting a negotiation. Thats $ 10 dollars as against the Rs 30,000 ($ 600) I was a about to spend on a new blackberry or a couple of weeks without my phone. I looked suitably shocked at his ‘high price ‘ but calmly paid him. Much to the disapointment of the expectant crowd.

‘do you have an Iphone ? Even the new ‘4′ one ?

‘no, why”

‘I break the code for you and load any ‘app’ or film you want. I give you 10 film on your memory stick on this one, and change every week for small fee’

I went home having discovered the true entreprenuership that lies at what we call the ‘bottom of the pyramid’. Some may call it piracy, which of course it is, but what can you say about a two uneducated and untrained brothers aged 10 and 19 that set up a ‘hole in the wall’ shop and can fix any technology that the greatest technologists in the world can throw at them.

I smiled at the future of our country. If only we could learn to harness this potential.

‘Please wash your hands before use’ were his last words to me. Now I am feeling seriously unclean.

Why Peter Bragman returned his iPad

2010-06-17T22:54:00.000-07:00

This is a post from Peter Bragman on Harvard Business review site's guest blog. It made me thinking, see if it does the same to you...

http://blogs.hbr.org/bregman/2010/06/why-i-returned-my-ipad.html

Rebels are important

2010-05-05T04:18:00.000-07:00

There are team-mates and there are rebel team-mates. Those who do not like things the way they are, question almost everything thats put to them and have a bizzare way of working that strays almost 180 degrees (I couldnt find the degree button on my keyboard) to the line of normal work pattern.
So what do you do with them? Chuck them out? Say they are disturbing the melodious harmony of your super smooth workforce? I say think again. Do you really want to do without them?

Maybe not. Rebels are innovative, never-satisfied and always questioning the status queue. Having one of them around could be a great catalyst when you want to reduce waste, deliver just what is enough and keep energy bubbling in your team. Encourage them with appropriate means, try to align them with higher objective goals and see the effect. Who knows, they may end up giving you what you have been looking for everywhere. Or better, they may give you what you yourself coudln't imagine better.
I believe its all about people management. Or rather 'good people management'.
I could be wrong. but i still think its a nice thought ;-)

Stop by and take a look

2010-04-29T22:43:00.000-07:00

Take a look at some cracking Quality Quotes I came across with my opinion on each one.

"The best way to get a project done faster is to start sooner." - Jim Highsmith
I guess most projects get into hiccups or suffer at some point because someone did not take that urgent call or Someone was not active enough when it was required, or someone did not see that far in the beganning. I strongly believe all these can be mitigated to a huge extent if teams start earlier. So at the point when sponsors are just coming up with the product idea and basic requirements, team identification can start. If the team takes of well, chances of a smooth release could increases manyfold.

"Programming can be fun, so can cryptography; however they should not be combined." - Kreitzberg and Shneiderman
I think its simple. We are at a position to realize that there is a limit to modularization and code less-get more done and everything else that is related. When things are changing on a less than half-monthly basis,no one wants to get into decrypting DA-Vinci code kind of puzzels just to get a simple thing done.

"Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler." - Albert Einstein
I think it coincindes more or less with what I talked above. Or not?? Maybe someone could give another take ;-)

So...what tester are you?

2010-02-23T05:11:00.000-08:00

This is a very intuitive read that I found while rambling on Internet.

The Tester Types is a fun read, its actually an e-book that describes various types of testers...

Just give it a shot!! Now that everyone has become a tester, I am sure each one of us can identify with a type.. and whats more!! it has got great material for leg-pulling ;-)

so if you are waiting for your chance to get a go at that one person in your team, read Tester Types and you can tease them in all possible ways you want!!!

Who do I identify with? Its Explorer ;)

http://thesocialtester.posterous.com/tag/testertypes

Kaizen vs Kaikaku

2010-02-18T01:13:00.000-08:00

Ok, I think I tabooed myself by saying that I read that particular book because ever since I said that, i have not been able to read a single page of it..I am not a superstitious person but in a funny way..well yes, may be ;)

BTW, I came across this very useful piece while indulging into results of my Google search about something that I don't remember..as one site led to another and I kept reading everything until i lost track of where i started from and what I was looking for!!!
Anyway, enough beating around the bush..here it goes(with special comments from my side ;))

In lean terms, there are two kinds of improvement.
1.Kaizen refers to steady but incremental improvement
2.Kaikaku means revolution, or radical improvement.

Without Kaizen you are building Kaikaku on sandy foundations. And vice versa.
The below 10 Kaikaku commandments are all good basic principles to start any improvement journey. It is top down initiative to activate a bottom up empowerment for change.
10 Kaikaku Commandments
By: Hiroyuki Hirano

1.Throw out the traditional concept of manufacturing methods.
2.Think about how the new method will work, not how it won't work. (Thats a cool piece of advice)
3.Don't accept excuses; totally deny the status quo.
4.Don't seek perfection; a 50% implementation rate is fine as long as it's done on the spot.
5.Correct mistakes the moment they are found.
6.Don't spend money on Kaikaku.
7.Problems give you a chance to use your brains.
8.Ask "Why" five times. (I suggest you don't try it on anyone else except you ;-))
9.Ten person's ideas are better than one person's knowledge.
10.Kaikaku knows no limits.

smoke testing

2010-02-03T09:58:00.000-08:00

Just got to know that the term Smoke Testing got its use in IT when a piece of hardware was continuously plugged into electricity and it passed if the circuit did not burn and no smoke was produced!! Interesting, isn't it?
Few more notes from the Agile Testing book:
1) Developing a project dialect or team jargon is one of the key things tester should do. What it means is developing a common ground for communication or rather developing and facilitating a common language in which customer and team can communicate with and understand each other.

2) Agile teams are very high on expectations form return on their investments. It makes sense. Agile works in short iterations, a thing like a tool or a concept or technology, if after implementation does not return results quickly, it is left and team moves on. This is can not be considered negative when you are delivering a production ready software within two weeks.

3) Many of the agile development practices are synergistic, means they wont work as well in isolation. If they are implemented in isolation, they might not provide the benefit teams are looking for.diverse viewpoints help but its necessary for everyone to head in the same direction.

4) Another good sentence, "You need courage to allow others to make mistakes because that is the only way to learn the lesson."

BTW, ever since I reported on my blog about this book, I haven't read a single chapter!! So it might be some time before this free flow supply of cool agile advice resumes back ;)

My first post in 2010

2010-02-01T10:43:00.000-08:00

Fine, i know i am a little late. It took me some time to get my new laptop and a new internet connection and so instead of 1Jan2010, my first blogpost for this year is on 1Feb2010. Does it matter? I dont think so..I am probably going to blabber the same things anyway ;-)
Mike Cohn, yes The Mike Cohn, personally recommended this book to me "Agile Testing" by Lisa Crispon and Janet Gregory. I have been reading it from past few days and here is a list of couple of notes I had made for myself from the book:

1) Agile testing means using each team member's skill to improve quality. When Agile says quality is a whole team's responsibility, it doesn't mean that testers are not necessary, but the approach here is to make testing everyone's responsibility. It should never be considered as a means to lessen the team size by avoiding to have a specialist tester.

2) Agile is not all about speed, but its all about quality. A team that delivers on time but not delivers on quality, is not an agile team at all..

3) Being an agile tester is not at all easy. It requires one to know something of everything an agile team might use. So an agile tester should know how to translate business needs into application requirements, should participate with developers to achieve maximum amount of unit test coverage, should be able to automate the regression tests, and should be a good if not excellent at exploratory testing. The most important trait is the willingness to learn.

4) Testers tend to be customer focused. This is a very minute thing to be balanced within an agile team as though testers work with other members, they always or most of the time represent customer's point of view. This is a delicate position to be in and if not handled properly, can be a little annoying for the team and may effect the coherence of the team.

5) A very nice sentence that I came to read in the book goes, "Successful projects are a result of good people allowed to do good work"
will keep sharing more as I read on ;)

My First Travelogue (Day 3)

2009-10-05T23:37:00.000-07:00

(September 28)-> A very uncomfortable overnight bus journey dropped us in Manali via Kullu. Kullu and Manali are great hill stations in their own and given a choice we would have spent at least a day there. But limited office leaves made sure we dint rest till we reach Leh. So we took couple of rooms in Manali, just for freshening up. We set out for fixing up a taxi to Leh and eventually settled for a Tata Sumo (not that we had many choices; 8 of us and the tough terrain till Leh).
We were introduced to our driver “Sanju”. One look at him and I got a feeling that this is going to be an interesting journey ;-) Dressed in a rugged jeans and t-shirt with an ear-piercing and a thin plait amongst the otherwise short hair, Sanju promised to make us reach Leh by 29 evening despite of starting a little late. So around 11.30 in morning we started from Manali to Leh. Manali-Leh is a distance of 475 KM. Though not much, the journey is completed in 2 days, with an overnight halt. From our research we knew that the road was in bad condition at most places but the scenic beauty along the route is what makes it worth the pain. Still nothing could prepare us for the Manali-Leh highway with Sanju on the driving seat.
Our first obscure was when we were blocked for about an hour due to road-cutting before Rohtang; our first pass of the journey. The Manali-Leh-Shrinagar highway is maintained by Border Road Organization, which is an Indian army undertaking. It was around 3 in the afternoon when we reached Rohtang Pass and experienced the first chill. At most times the road was non-existing and we found ourselves travelling trough highest mountains, with our car being on the edge every now and then. Sanju knew many shortcuts through the road and that made our journey more adventures and bumpier at the same time. It’s not allowed to travel on the highway in night so we made our halt at the last village in Himachal Pradesh called Jespa. Jespa was beautiful like a dream, surrounded with mountains on the bank of Bhaga river. The temperature was chilling cold and we had to fight for a couple of rooms in the only guest house in the village. Anyway, after a hot-water bath and some comforting food, falling asleep was not very tough.
P.S -> Night halt on Manai-Leh highway is usually done at Sarchu or Pang. Since we started late, we had to halt before Sarchu at Jespa. If you are likely to hit similar situation, make sure to get the rooms booked in advance as there are only 2 guest houses at Jespa.

My First Travelogue (Day 2)

2009-10-05T23:35:00.000-07:00

(September 27) -> after crossing almost 7 states, we got down at Chandigarh around 5 in evening. From here we had a bus to Manali at 8.40 in night. One of our members had some relatives in Chandigarh and the Kukreja family was gracious enough to allow us spend a few hours at their place. Chandigarh is one of India’s very few planned cities and just traveling through its roads was a pleasure. I don’t remember how many sectors we crossed from Railway station to the Kukreja house (all crosses looked just the same to me). We dumped our luggage there and headed for prime attraction of Chandigrah “The Rock Garden”. Established in 1957, Rock Garden is actually a made of rubbish and junk. Created solely by a government employee Nek Chand, Rock Garden is a great model of modern art. Statues adorned with ceramic pieces, drums, iron wastage etc is disguised in a beautiful and interesting way over more than 43 acres of space. After spending just over an hour there, we headed back to the Kukreja’s where we were to have our dinner before catching our bus to Manali. Nice fellows let us wash our dirt, fed and even dropped us to the bus station. God bless them ;-)

My First Travelogue (Day 1)

2009-10-05T23:28:00.000-07:00

Day 1 (September 26)-> The first part of our journey to Leh was the train from Mumbai to Chandigarh. Paschim express had a depart time of 11 Am from Andheri station. We all huddled up on the platform quite before the train was to arrive. Standing where our coach was scheduled to halt, we realized that Chandigarh was on slip route. Slkip route means not all coaches of the train go to Chandigarh but only a few.This meant that our coach will actually be last in the train, but before we could realize this our train came. It had only 2 minutes halt at Andheri and with the entire luggage(13 bags for 8 of us, quite reasonable I had thought ;-)) we had a really tough time making it to our seats. A clear indication of how rest of the journey is going to be ;-)
In India people love their travel and since we were a large group, our seats were scattered in various compartments. So the next task was to make some insternal adjustments with other passangers so that we all could be together in one compartment. More that 50% passengers in Paschim express were senior citizens. If it was a coincidence, I dint understand. However that made our task tougher as the oldies were not very flexible for the shuffling we were trying to impose on them. Anyway our destination Chandigarh was not due in next 28 hours so we had plenty of time shifting others, making room for ourselves, playing cards and laughing at the drop of a hat. To be frank we were making so much noise that almost all others knew where we were going and some were even watching the movie guessing game we were playing.

My First Travelogue (Preparation)

2009-10-05T23:23:00.000-07:00

Everything is easier said than done, and our idea of a trip to Ladakh was no exception.
I was still under kind of a shock as to what made all these people ready for Ladakh and just a little bit of initial research was enough to make us realize that Ladakh is no cakewalk. However, it being a childhood dream and the tough adventure associated, made Ladakh so inviting for us that for the next 2 months we (me and Pre) pour our blood and soul in preparing ourselves. We went thorough every single URL on the Internet that had Ladakh written on it, joined various forums and read experience of those who’ve been there.
Some of us had a really hard time getting their leaves sanctioned but nothing could let our spirits down. Thousand emails were exchanged; various things like eatables, medicines and what not were bought, tickets were booked and all we wanted was the departure day to come.

My First Travelogue (Prologue)

2009-10-05T23:21:00.000-07:00

For many times in our lives we think of travelling to our dream destination, and then comes some important work assignment, some domestic emergency or some other problem out of the blue and our dream destination just remains a dream, yet to be fulfilled.

So when one lazy afternoon, a common friend of mine and my roommate’s (referred as Pre hereafter) proposed the idea of a vacation and I blurted out “Ladakh” just like that, I had no anticipation of it being ever fulfilled. But then, you never know what the destiny has in store for you and so we had 8 people ready for the idea of a trip to Leh-Ladakh.

What follows next is my first travelogue containing every single detail of how we planned this dream trip of ours, what hardship we faced before and during the trip and how we had the most joyous moments of our lives.

Beautiful

2009-05-10T23:54:00.001-07:00

Deep in my heart it pains..
nothing like joy remains..
all I feel is ultimate despair,
tearful eyes are occasional if not rare..

I tried everything to make it work,
they laughed at me and said I was a jerk,
even to think that my efforts would succeed,
I was only as good as a second lead...

looks like mine don't catch the eye,
I do not register, any more than a passer by,
so what if my heart is of gold,
so what if its filled to the rim, with love for him many fold..

and just when I was sulking and sinking so low,
i saw him coming, his face aglow,
the passionate gleam in his eyes, that I always searched,
stopped right in my front why? I wondered..

he was talking to me, I couldn't believe,
I am always in his thoughts and do not leave,
the sparkle of my eyes, is what he can't forget,
if he wont say it now, he will always regret..

I am a person of substance,
its what he liked,
he said i was BEAUTIFUL,
and just then..i BEAUTIFIED....

क्या लिखें

2009-04-22T06:07:00.000-07:00

आजकल बोझिल सी लगती है ज़िन्दगी,
हमारी दिलचस्पी हो गई है कुछ कम,
दिल के आवाज़ को मिल नही पाई जब जुबां
तो सोचा चलो कुछ लिख ही चलें हम,

पर आख़िर क्या लिखें,
कैसे लिखें कुछ ऐसा, जो घर कर जाए लोगों के दिलों में
करे दे मजबूर उन्हें सोचने पर
और शायद हमें जानने के लिए भी,

क्या हम लिखें, की कितनी हसीं है ये दुनिया,
और देखना चाहते है हम तमाम रंग-ओ-रूआब इसके
या फ़िर लिख दे की बहुत हो गया अब,
और हम तंग आ गए हैं इसकी आज़माइश से...

या लिख दे हम उन रिश्तों के बारे में
जो देते है हमारी शख्सियत को वजूद
या हम बात करें उन बे-मतलब रिश्तों की
जिनका ना होना ही शायद होता बोहोत खूब

क्या हम ये लिखें
की हम में है ललक कुछ कर दिखाने की
या फ़िर लिख दें की ठहर सी गई है हमारी ज़िन्दगी
और हम उम्मीद खोते जा रहे हैं ,इसके आगे जाने की

और ये तो लिख ही देने दो हमें,
के किस कदर हम डूबे हैं उनके प्यार में
पर शायद ये न लिख पाएं हम
के सोचते हैं , कब तक खड़े रहें इंतज़ार में ..

लिख तो बहुत कुछ देते हम,
जो लिखना ही होता हर मर्ज़ की दवा,
पर ये एक ख्वाब की शुरुआत तो है ही शायद,
और जो इसकी तावीर हो जाए,
तो बात ही क्या...

मेरी कविता

2009-03-26T08:24:00.000-07:00

फूल बड़े नाज़ुक होते है,
आते-जाते जब भी कभी पड़ती है नज़र,
कहीं किसी फूल पे,
तो बस खिल उठता है तन,
उस भीनी महक से,
और छा जाती है,
अजब सी ताजगी,
कितने रंग होते हैं ना फूलों के,
ऐसा ही एक रंग देखा था कहीं,
कुछ याद नही आ रहा ठीक-ठीक,
हल्का गुलाबी सा,
किसी चौराहे पे शायद,
हाँ, वहीं तो देखा था,
उन नन्हे से हाथों में,
रूखे-बिखरे बालों के झुरमुट में छिपी,
भोली सी आँखेंचमकती हुई,
धीमी सी आवाज़ में,
बड़े मनुहार से मुझसे पुछा था,
दीदी, लो ना -- ले लो न दीदी,
उन आँखों में झांकते हुए,
ख़याल आया मुझे,
काश मैं मांग सकती थोडी सी चमक इनकी,
और थोडी सी बचपन की लापरवाही भी,
थोड़े ही दिनों के लिए बस..उधार में,
और बदले में भर सकती इनके जीवन को,
इन्ही फूलों के रंग से,
दे सकती आशाओं की खुशबू,
और सींचती बगिया, इनके सुनहरे कल की,
यह दिवा-स्वप्न सजा के मैंने
बढाया ही था अपना हाथ,
के अकस्मात् ही चल पड़ी मेरी गाड़ी आगे की ओर,
और वो फूल पीछे ही छूट गए...

:-))

2009-01-09T01:45:00.000-08:00

When you are born,

Your world is so small

Mother’s lap & father’s shoulder

Is all you know of.

And then you grow up

Startled that the business of life is very mean

And before you realize

You are turned into a machine.

While you make money, drink, dance

and chill out

all you hear is noises

and Voices die out.

You don’t even know how long you’ve been pretending

Being a person, you never thought of

So why not once be your innocent self

And damn the showing of

We always portray what we wanna be

We never cherish what we actually are

We become a person of other’s want

And our true self stands far

So being yourself is not that bad

It’s mighty hard I agree

but it may well turn you on

and stand on top and bounce and flee!!!

Its a Gloomy day

2008-11-30T23:33:00.000-08:00

Well, there is so much happening to me at the moment, not that I am overwhelmed by it, in fact I am someone who likes to be immersed in her going arounds. You know, the busier it is, the happier I am, because then my stupid mind does not bring unnecessary thoughts to me. Anyway, currently I feel down, shattered, angry and frustrated like many of my Indian fellows not just because what happened in the last few days, but more because we still don’t see the much needed reform being brought in, we still don’t see the long-long slept conscience of our worthless politicians arising. Anyway, enough has already been and still being said. I only hope God gives them enough sense to implement theat. Please God, it will do even if it’s momentary, but LET THEE BE SENSIBLE.

Now this was from the nations side, but there is also a change happening from the personal front. I feel little scared of myself sometimes, because never ever in my life have I thought of what will happen to me in future, but this time I am, and this is scaring me, because its stupid to be worried about the future. It scares you, because you cant think that everything will be wonderful, because everything cant be wonderful, as life would have been perfect, and its not. So you will think about the bad things happening and that is bound to make you feel bad. So basically you will be sad about something that hasn’t happened at all!! So its very bad thinking about the future, its better to let things happen naturally, keep your head down, do your work, and leave the rest to God. Yesss..this is what I have got to do. Good that I got to it finally by writing here.

Humm..think that’s enough for today. Work Calling!!

Happy

2008-11-24T05:42:00.000-08:00

So the poem below (you know…the collection of lines..in the previous blog, if you can call it a poem that is!!) is my perception of this in this city. It’s a reflection of the fact that you feel so tiny in the vastness of this giant place and don’t even realize how much deep are you immersed into the hustle-bustle.

By the way, somehow I am finding myself in a relatively happier mood nowdays. Don’t ask me the reason, as I am always so vague with reasoning..seriously..I am like, I contemplate in my mind for several long miniutes about a thing and then get to the most obvious reason for something that others get to in seconds.. and that too..very naturally!! Anyway, that’s not the point..the point is, I am happy..and the reason might be that I shopped for some rally funky stuff this month (though I still don’t know when and how am I going to utilize it..as I work in the boring software world where you have a proper guideline of what to wear and what not to wear!! Trust me!! It actually happens..Human Rights!!Anybody listening?? Pls HELP) whatever it is..its a nice feeling..i am up and unplugged..and I hope it stays longer..wohooooooooo

P.S-- And just now I realized, Italics irritate sooo much!! So I have chaged the style of my blog..hope it looks fine now.

Little more Rambling!!

2008-11-19T23:31:00.000-08:00

The Wakeup call rings,

Brings in a Sigh,

Yet another day has begun

Just to pass by.

You set out yet again,

To make it an EXTRAordinary day,

You step out of your house,

And the EXTRA blows away.

However much you try,

You will always be part of a Rat Race,

Its become such a long queue,

Someone is gotto be ahead.

So why don’t you just take a pause,

to think, to take a break,

That it doesn’t matter how different you are,

But the difference that you make.

So, any clue what it means?? Ok, dont bother to answer that one..Even I dont know ;-))

Be Happy

2008-10-08T04:36:00.000-07:00

Be Happy.
That you have one more sunset to see
Be Happy
That you have one more day to Glee
Be Happy
That you have one more try to choose what not to mind
Be Happy
That you have one more moment to be kind
Be Happy
That you have one more day at the center of chaos
Be Happy
That you have one chance to listen to someone's boohoos
Be Happy
That the world is still running
Be Happy
That the birds are still singing
Be Happy
That the Miracles happen
Be happy
That the god listens
Be Happy
That the chances are still bright
Be happy
That the hope is still in sight

Reserches

2008-10-06T08:07:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I think, you know with all these advent of Science and Technology, the way we have come so far, and the realization of how far we have yet to go, so scientists is all parts of the world are carrying out researches which are supposed to give us more insight on us, the way we are, the way we behave etc. But I don't understand sometimes what to believe of these researches, I mean one research says, Eggs are healthy for us, another says they are not. One says Milk is good, another says taking Milk is harmful.The point I think is, if you go on doing to much analysis, nothing can be said specifically, because at the core everything reacts differently to different things.
So getting what I want to say? NO!!
Don't bother, even I don't!!
P.S. - Most of the time ;-)

So, I have just finished Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan's much talked about book 'You are here'. When I first read about it (in some newspaper), I had a great anticipation of reading a book, which talks about women of our generation, something I thought I'd be able to relate to. However as I actually started reading it, I realized I was not at all able to relate to any of its characters. Then I braced myself thinking, it might be because I come from a different social background and all, but even after that, I did not find anything at all in the book, which I can even call appealing, let alone worth reading. You know all the time I was reading it, searching for one single thing which will make me say, 'yeah, its nice', but NO!! I found I was expecting too much of Ms. Madhavan, I mean for all it might just have been a random collection of hundreds of her blogs she has written over the years. Its not even a good timepass. See -- There is no story, and every time something comes up, where you sense a beginning of something interesting, it has to precede first with some random and extra long flashback of some entirely uninteresting past, and more so totally unrelated to the thing going on in present, and it all burst as it had popped up..

I am not sure thought you know, I mean I might be a little harsh, due to that fact that I was expecting too much out of it, but still I'd say, it does not account for a good reading at all, and have read some good books (HummYeah..I think I have!!)

Being Women

2008-10-01T05:54:00.000-07:00

I wonder how boys can come up every time and comment on how a girl or women is looking fat, out of shape or whatever worse adjective they can come up with. And I can bet all girls, once in their life have asked a question that what is it that makes boys to comment on how a girl is looking, or rather 'should look'. I mean who are you to decide on what are the correct bodily measures for a girl? I mean they sometimes wont even show the decency of not commenting about it in public, and here, I am talking about they guys you know, like you buddy, brother or some colleague you are quite friendly with. They all have got this right about asking you a question if you get that little nanometer out of your normal frame.I can imagine what was it that made only girls to take all the pains in the world to look beautiful, and wats more, you are not considered as a appealing person if you do not do that. Never mind!! I think its just one of the endless unfair things we come across everyday, and care of give a thought about.

Its me!!

2008-09-04T06:15:00.000-07:00

Trapped in a confusion

I live kindda hibernamted life

Just looking, listening at things

And not doing a single thing.

Knowing all is a problem in itself

And wats more!! I know that I know it all..

And still here I am

Mere spectator of the world around me

And so less a part of it..

I wonder what will make me change

What it will be that will make me change

Or more, if ever there will be anything that will make me change

I wonder..I think.. and still all this time..

I remain just the same..

Sarkar Raj

2008-06-11T01:02:00.000-07:00

It's a gloomy day. One more of several of its kind. I do not feel geared up for my work. Neither do I feel like studying nor for anything else. It's just like one of those days when you just don't feel like doing anything. The problem is, I am having such days pretty frequently ;-( So, the funda is, we'd be happier if we try to be what we want, and not what we are supposed to be. I really like and appreciate the people who are actually doing that.
Saw Sarkar Raj yesterday. Ram Gopal Verma has managed to recreate the magic he once was supposed to be possessing. All the Bacchhans look excellent and deliver even more excellent. I am really impressed by Abhishek now, and I'd really like to ask this to all the people who just love to criticize Aishwarya, what'd you all say after Jodha Akbar and now Sarkar Raj. The lady has constantly proved herself and I can't help but love her more after Sarkar. She has delivered a very decent and mature performance, and not once you can think that the same heroine worked in Jodhaa Akbar as well.
And I don't think I can ever think of anything that matches with Mr. Amitabh Bacchan. I just say "You are eternal Sir!!"

I Love Google

2008-05-02T00:11:00.000-07:00

I've never been a net savvy, considering the fact that I never had a computer of my own, but being in software induatry gives you this oppertunity of endless hours of net surfing, coz obviously you will have your own machine, obviously connected to internet, and you are obviously supposed to work on it, and obviously you will find many hours where you have nothing to do, so you will just play with it. So that's when it starts and you use google for everything ranging from tickets booking to eat-out searches. And what's so amazing is you can practically ask anything to google and it will give you a supposedly correct answer to it. I mean I have tried it all the time. Google solves nearly all questions of my life. Sometimes I feel, with almost half of the earth using it, and considering it a prt of their daily life, google has not just reamined a search engine. It has become more of a phenomena, a person who we live with, and yes... I love living with it!!!

Oh no, not again!!

2008-04-30T02:47:00.000-07:00

I think politicians in our country have not just got anything better to do, except from dragging the poor cheergirls (ok, I admit they might not be that poor though, its just a figurative expression.) into controversy and trying to snatch their job, or telling Shah Rukh Khan or Amitabh Bacchan or some other celebrity every other day, that something he did sometime in his films was wrong in some way. Please give us a break!!!

For instance our health minister Mr. Ramdoss said, SRK spread alcoholism (I wonder if this is the right word, anyway I hope you'd be able to get the sense anyway!) in OSO by doing a scene which shows him badly drunk. I'd like to tell Mr. Ramdoss that people in our country are old enough (pity. The same can't be said on education front), to see what's good for them and what's not. I mean for this matter, youngsters do not even listen to their parents when it comes to their likes and dislikes, so how will it be that they will be so moved by just a scene in a film, which can not even be called excellent!!
Please mister Health Minister, you have enough pressing health issues in our country to last you a lifetime, without you requiring turning your head to what or what not the filmstars are representing in their movies. Please try to make some sense when you speakl next time in public.

Who'd take it from here?

2008-04-22T00:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday night, we went to a restaurant for dinner. It was a pretty decent place, in a posh area, and all the crowd consisted of sophisticated looking families. As we were deciding on our dishes, I got to see a young boy cleaning tables there and picking up plates. He must be aging somewhere in between 11 to 14 years. He looked quite out of place, you know, means all the other staff there was adult, except this little boy.
I mean, not that, its very uncommon in our country, I mean, yeah, we have adapted ourselves quite well with the daily sightseeing of children bagging, or selling small goodies at traffic signals, or working as a Chhotu, in roadside dhabas. But still, I don't know why, that boy strike me as different, I called him to our table, tried to ask him, "Do you work here all day long?" You know, thinking that he sight be working part time, and going school in day time. But he did not care answering my question properly, murmured something and went away.
Clearly, he understood, what I was trying to ask, and did not want to answer it. Talking to me in details about his personal life might have caused him his job, and he knew it. So he also knew perfectly well, that he is supposed to be studying and not working in hotels, and that this is not only illegal but also a crime. So he refrained himself from talking out of it.
It was like; mind your own business madam!! You do not need to do social service where it is not desired.
What I realize is, we Indians, do not make our choices based on what we want, but we make them on the basis of what we are supposed to be. So the kid might have wanted to study, he knew if he made some effort he might've succeeded in it (government is making some effort for such children), but he was not doing it. the reasons behind which, should not be a problem for us to think of. So this poor, illiterate population is not there only because they are not getting proper facilities or whatsoever. It is also because; they don't see education making drastic changes to their living standard. It's because they have completely lost faith in the government, and in the fact that country's progress depends upon them and vice-versa. It's because this wave of economical growth, globalization and rupee getting stronger, is doing nothing for them, except making rich even richer, and poor getting poorer.Now can somebody take it form here???

Reality shows!!

2008-04-21T03:32:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it so happens that you know so much, and you just don't know how to put it precisely. Yup, that's what my problem is, I know everything but, how to be more assertive and present it firmly to the other person, and ther are many moments in a day, where I feel, the lack of it is killing me!!!
Anyways, let's talk about a few social issues, my favorite stream, (sometimes I feel I would have been doing better as a Sociologist!! I mean what am I doing here in IT, you know IT!!! Anyways, the rapid way, that we are changing with now, I don't think, even those big sociologist are doing their job.) For instance, what is with these reality shows!! I mean, I hardly find anything real about them. First they are (almost all of them) celebrity oriented, and don't give chances to the common people. Second, the drama quotient is such shows is so high, you start wondering, whether they are judged on the basis of their performance, or the drama that they show up there!! And finally, man!!, I find them so senseless, I mean what do we gain by constantly producing these good for nothing singers, dancers and all these so called entertainers???
When you come to think of it (if at all you care to put some thought, when you watch them) the quantities of such shows has reached so high, that they've even started kind of recycling them. Shows where, the performers of all other shows turn up, and compete once again!!And to top it all, we again have celebrities who judge them. So far I have not been able to recognize their credibility in these shows. Because, at the end, it's only the so called audience voting that decides the winner!!And you still do not know what happens at the backstage. Sometimes I think, can we take any rubbish, if it comes in from of entertainment? And does entertainment only mean senseless time pass like this? I wonder how long would it take before we come out of this intellectual drought!!

I am back!!!

2008-04-14T07:49:00.000-07:00

Yeah..One day, I got up, inspired by a good friend, my boyfriend and my own self, and started writing bolgs. THinking to turn the world upside down by the fire within ;->> but nothing much happened and the bubble burst, like it was never tehre!! But I am back now, with a promise that I will prove to be a regular this time. I hopw with this bolg writing, I will be able to define myself some day..and yes..also achieve Selfactualization (Got it from Pricess DIaries, my recent read!!).
By the way, can someone tell me how to make your blog visited by many people(apart from writing it very intelligent and interestingly, which I dont think I am doing at present.) But please, if someone knows, let me know, how you make most poeple read your bolg..

Actually, I want more inspiration, that there is at least someone, who is listening to this undefined soul. You know, it can be a way for me to define myself!! really..

First One

2007-12-31T04:25:00.000-08:00

Yeah!! This is me, a little, young enthusiast, an optimist to the 't'. In a worls where everyone is trying to (and I think very well succeeding in), taking advantage of others, I sometimes feel totally lost. Thats the world around me where everyone is just boasting and showing off, for just that little thing he or she has done, just an otherwise routine task one has troubled for oneself and performed later on. And here am I, soo modest ,that can't even accept a praise gracefully, cant even voice what I know I have done the best... Why do I love being an anonimous? Why do I love being 'not so interested' in the routine gossip and ga-ga that goes around me? Then I feel why not!!! I am the way I am..what can I do if I dont find many things being talked around me not worthy enough to bag my intelligent comment!!

Good!! Why am I soo confused???