Some thought provoking questions...

Some thought provoking questions...
If the question makes you think.., it’s worth asking.

1. If you had a friend who spoke to you in the same way that you sometimes speak to yourself, how long would you allow that person to be your friend?
2. When was the last time you lied? Is it possible to lie without saying anything at all? Or do u think you were lied to without saying a word
3. No matter how bad things get, are you aware that someone always has it worse than you do?
4. When you help someone, do you ever think, “What’s in it for me?” I don't and guess beaten up here.
5. What’s the difference between ‘living’ and ‘existing?’
6. Do you ask enough questions, or do you settle for what you know?
7. If you could do it all over again, would you change anything?
8. What’s the most expensive gift you have ever received? Is it the best gift you have ever received?
9. If your life was a novel, what would be the title and how would your story end..?


|From one of the notes in my Microsoft OneNote notebook not sure on exact credits for this. But found pretty in context to be posted.

Happiness

Some thoughts that were on my mind lately,
People always have pre set conditions to determine how they are going to feel with regard to favourable or unfavourable events. Like, "If I win the game I will be happy, or "if I lose my job I will be sad". We end up miserable when we set too many conditions upon ourselves when we set out to pursue happiness. Only to end up disappointed when happiness remains ever elusive. If your state of mind was sad to begin with, a good circumstance will temporarily lighten up your day, while a bad circumstance will further push you to the brink of eternal despair.
I am no exception here - as far as dealing with difficult circumstances are concerned. After some setback, my first impulse is to crawl into some hole and stay there for eternity, shunning everyone and everything that comes in my way.
But I think that I have learned. :)
Happiness like all pure emotions is nothing but a state of mind, inert and unbounded with any conditions. So free up yourself of these conditions and think beyond.

Conference Calls

With Global working model used by all Software dev/ IT companies conf Call are the norm, every now and then. You tend to have a conf call with yr extended teams in other part of world, maybe like twice a week or so. And everybody tend to use the best of their communication skills. Even humor is part of such conference calls, sometimes ppl just try to put a catchy line/small-talk joke which just lightens the normal serious mood of the Conf Calls
But sometime back a much more funnier thing happened.
We were discussing a new feature the other cross functional team has developed and we wanted to sync up on all the possible impacts. So a conf call was scheduled on a Monday morning.

Some folks including me attending the session from office directly and Some other folks who are in other location over the IP phones, including a teammate who is actually late to office but taking the call from home.

And the conversation went like this.

Convenor/Driver of the meeting: (calling him 'Rushal')
Rushal: Let's get started folks or are we waiting for somebody to join..?
No answers as such from room and from otherside that they are ready.
Rushal starts with setting up the agenda for the Call and chalking out what all he is gonna touchbase in the whole session.

Rushal: I am gonna give first a Introduction to 1 and 2 and then I am going to talk about the content dependent on 2 and its implications.

Phone beeps with sound of somebody joining the call.
Rushal: Hi, Who joined ?
Mayank(My teammate attending from home and taking the call from his mobile): Hi, This is Mayank from so and so team.
Rushal shares greetings and continues with his talk.
Suddenly some krrrr.. krrrr.. thud sound comes from the phone.
Rushal: (to extended team), folks what happened what is that sound. Are you still online, or you are dropping off intermittently.
Mayank: (telling innocently) I am getting some Carpenter work done at my house.
(He doesn't realizes that all that thud sound is actually audible to everybody.)


Mayank: Hi Can you tell me how to mute the Call.
Everybody In room:(Some whispering, Some Telling in their conscious minds) Just use the mute button on yr Landline or the options and then mute on yr mobile phone!

Rushal: use *06# to mute the call Mayank.
Mayank: ok thanks!
(I guess Mayank followed the advice and mutes the line.)
Rushal goes on telling about the new feature. In between he tries is everybody awake and not gone in open eye sleeping mode. :P
Rushal: Any questions as of now!
Rushal: Mayank are you there..? Ask me any doubts that you have around this.
(No reply from Maynak)
Rushal: Mayank you able to listen us...?
(Still no Reply)
Somebody from the crowd replies: Yeah, Mayank has muted his line.

Everybody joins the small laughter stroke. They couldn't just resist of visualizing Mayank Speaking/Shouting into the phone,"Yes I am able to get hear you folks!" :D:D

Conference call goes on further for nxt 1/2 hr and finishes off.

Mayank Reaches office in second half of the day.
He tells that he didn't realize that he is on mute and was actually munching in some words when asked by Rushal. Everybody tells that if you were on yr mobile you could just have used mute from options and all... Nobody is ready to control their laughs, remembering the whole innocent words of Mayank asking for how to mute the call...:D:D

Ain't sure that I have put this as candidly as it happened. But it was real fun seeing this all happening.
And don't tell me that i am making fun of my Teammate, I am not.
Monday morning Blues can be bad! :P

Interesting conversation/ Guy feels mortified strangled

This can happen to you too so this message is for you to be aware of such things. I have 2 colleagues, and for there privacy sake I am gonna call them Venkat and ummm... Shruti.


Here is the interesting conversation.
Shruti has ordered some masala dosa at cafeteria canteen, the cafeteria guy comes back with a masala dosa, and Venkat also just joins in to order some thing.
Venkat: Hi
Shruti: Hi! :)
Shruti(to cafe guy): Can you give me some more sambhar!
Cafe guy goes in to get sambhar in 1 more bowl.
Venkat: So you like sambhar, is it ?
Shruti(still may be in morning blues): Ae I don't understand Tamil, talk in english naa!
Venkat:(taken aback, uses all mind buffers to recall did he speak in tamil ?, realizes he spoke all in english only.)
(Feels strangled, embarrassed, Turns head left and right still confirming words.)
(shruti doesn't realize and is actually waiting for venkat to explain, what he just spoke.)
Venkat: Wake up shruti, wake up! aaeyo aapa! pa--paah!
Venkat: I just spoke in english only!
Shruti burst and laughs just to realize her mistake, venkat feels just mortified. :D

Moral of story: I will ask Venkat sometime. I just can't stop laughing at it now.

The first thing that I am gonna do is to share this post with these 2 folks by mail.
a.k.a. Venkat Please reply with Moral of the story that I should be putting here. ROTFL.

Language Issues in Bangalore

I guess the percentage of population settled in Bengaluru(Bangalore) but are actually from other parts of country is ~47% (Search key words migrants, bangalore, time of india and you will land up links.)

But still you can find this very common.




That's a BMTC a full day pass and I can't read anything from it, except the BMTC written and the hologram which says all over multiple times 'Valid'. You can still find some old buses painted with Route numbers written in Kannada only. Seeing those special buses you run thru all yr brain memory inode to find matching L0 Block, But to no avail. (Sorry! couldn't resist WAFL touch.)

And Bang! here is another one, the new govt is giving a thought to implement rules that all number plates on all vehicles registered in karnataka bear the number plates in Kannada.

Some local MLA's indulging in painting Kannada number plates.

Why they have to do that ??
I have no reasons and thoughts that I can come up with a pro reason to this, can't think of how pathetic the guys who are actually framing rules.

Just for further addition, I am very much interested in learning kannada and there is no issue(Ask people around me and they will tell how ), I have tried in past and intend to do this in this 2009 with much more perseverance.
Let's see..

UPDATE(14-Nov-2009): I realize that lot of google searches can just lead to this page, Please be don't have any thoughts about any language issues in Bangalore now called Bengaluru.
Bangalore is definitely counts in cosmopolitan city and No doubt on that. Thanks.

Some Intesresting Pics.

I realized that Its been quite sometime that I have been vocal here. So have decided to update with all the incidents which I thought will put in here(when they were happening). But for the time being just enjoy these pics.



zoom in the pic and you read "The Lucky nest, by seeing this bird's nest.
The Real Birds can come." Wow! How innovative way of selling things. :) did any MBA think of this..??



Ok, So how big you can think. ?
This was actually a talk on Computation advertising by Andrei Broder, see here for details.

Cheers/Anurag

New Year eve.

It is rightly being said that festivals are celebration time, a time where you can be in touch with everybody whom lately you are not in contact with. I guess traditionally holi is considered to be such a festival, and it makes perfect sense in newer times, when ppl don't have time to do much of it thru the year.

Nowadays, ppl all busy running over making their dreams come true(that I do with great fervidness). That is perfectly fine and I agree that it is the most important. But still I would say that on such occasions ppl should move out and spend some good time out, changing from what they are already doing for days.

I was pinging up my friends on Christmas day(saying Merry christmas even though I am not a christian or anything ;) )and found 2 of them literally going thru the same daily schedule of a working day, I too am not a party fad, that will go to Discotheque or something, But I do make a point to spent some good time out on such occasions, may be just sitting in Mc D's or Corner House(Having a DBC a.k.a death-by-Chocolate :-D ) but yes definitely a good time. My advice to all (including my 2 friends :)) New Year eve is Here, So ppl go out and have a good time.

Wish You a Very Happy New Year Ahead !

Get Things done!

Over time (I guess biweekly or so) I access myself in What I have achieved what are my plans and How things can be done better. I am quite self motivated in doing things, and truly believe in "doing". And it seems to be inline with the Organization which I have recently joined . They(We) have "Get Things done!" quote as 5th Organizational Value. :)
That's what I do:
I analyze the outcome of the thing that I am doing,and feeling of something getting completed, The sweet taste of success, just motivates me to do things. And I get back to work with much more focus.
Had these thoughts all during college life, and the FYP. And I thought its only me, But seems that My organization has already figured this earlier.

Just looking fwd to have an exciting career ahead.

My TechBlog

A Zen.

A Zen poem to inspire you all..

Life is opportunity!
Every day,
All seem it gray,
Can stimulate new thought.

Chance is not what rules the world
There's purpose everywhere,
It's just for us to recognise
The pearl that's waiting there.

The opportunity for us,
To learn and serve and grow.
The harder that the 'problem' seems
The higher we can go.

What is ours will come to us,
So fear becomes inept.
Just find the gift in everything
And we'll become adept.

Places I have been to....

I was just sitting around and thought that I have visited and resided at lots of places and this list has grown fast in recent times.

Places I have Resided

Agra,
Vellore,
Hyderabad,
Chennai,
Mysore,

Places I have Visited
Jammu,
Haridwar,
Dehradun,
Mussourie,
kanpur,
Allahbad,
Lucknow,
Mathura,
Delhi(had to run all the time to this place),
Gwalior,
Jhansi,
kota,
Pondycherry,
Bangalore,
Jaipur,
Kota,
Pune,
Mumbai,


And I believe that list is still to be extended in coming future.
Just hoping all good,
Let's see.

Me, home, books.

had been home for a long duration, Joinings by Infy were late as in october so Its been just home, Some books and Web.
Here are few quotes from a book by "Robert Kiyosaki".

instead of trusting their inner wisdom, that genius inside of them, most people go along with the crowd. They do things because everybody else does it. They conform rather than question. Often, they mindlessly repeat what they have been told. Ideas such as "diversify" or "your home is an asset." "Your home is your biggest investment." "You get a tax break for going into greater debt." "Get a safe job." "Don't make mistakes." "Don't take risks."

If fear is too strong, the genius is suppressed. In my classes I strongly urge students to learn to take risks, to be bold, to let their genius convert that fear into power and brilliance.

That is really a cool though ain't it.

What a Hippocrat -- Jade Goody - visits India

What a Hippocrat Jade Goody is.
Now that's is quite obivious that if tourism department himself sends a open invitation, it was not quite possible for her to ignore it. And That's what happened. she was here in India.
And What she did in India.... One news paper reported.

She spent nearly 90 minutes with some of the children at the 'Anubhav' or 'Experience' charity in the Indian capital. "I am not giving the money to improve my image. It is to improve the lives of the underprivileged children," she told reporters.

What crap, Over the years when she had been the ambassador for the famous perfume and was here on official visit to see the factory then never she took out time for this, then why now..

We are not beggers, Yes we need money but not from such hippocrats. Who is trying to make her image out doing this thing.
May be the 'Anubhav' organization itself should say 'no' to the money that booch is planning to give.

Also I was astonished to see the Wiki page about her, how lowly are the thoughts and things ppl do can be. see it here Jady Goody

PS: Now I am totally deviating from the whole theme that I created this blog for, But this issue is quite serious and I wanted my rather different views to share. And couldn't resist to put a post about it.

Dinner at 2;00 AM

Cool Life,,,, So after days of jugglernaut I am done with the code for the initial stages, did Sit for hours and forgot to take din, At VIT always thought we shd have canteen which stays open in Night too, and here I am just coming back taking my Din at 2:00. May be for the time i want to get this much busy and get something out of it, actually I believe time spent at VIT is the worst time ever had, and also being there has reduced my competency with outer world. Here i am rejuvinating My soul which i think got dug deep in VIT crisis...

scaring Similarity !

After the complete busy week, managed to have a relaxing weekend and went on night walk to the near by campuses, Infosys, Microsoft ISB all standing up straight in front and asking me what i plan for my future,
Anyways drowned in my own thoughts, i saw the Infosys and Microsoft campus,
Outside the Infosys campus found something similar which reminded of VIT, Autorickshaws the same way you find outside the VIT campus. Though Infosys Campus was really huge, It can't beat the ambience that Microsoft campus seem to have. Moreover there were no Autorichshaws some toyota MUV were there which seem to belonging to M$, might be used for employees or something. So clearly I can see the similarity... and truth in thoughts that i always had.
Man ! where I will land up.

My sent mails folder !

I am on the gmail Basic mode, for last 1 week.... since This is rh9, firefox is a distant thing and older mozilla doesn't support gmail interface.... Using this interface i just got to know accidentaly. I send a 100 mails every month, that discludes the count as multiple mails in a single conversations are considered together the count could br much higher...Man i am not able to figure that how i do that, though know that I mail a lot but to this extent..... i dun send forwards even then it is like this only.

Life at IIIT

So life at IIIT... is good very different from What had been at VIT, ppl consider me the laziest person they hv ever seen(Obiviously roommate says to bring water than most stupid thing wud be to bring it, I am not the only one who does this...), I knew always that I am not lazy.... and now I can prove that...Though this week hv been always waking up late ;) . But still spend lot of time to cope up with the work.

This college always do experiments which hv been successful and thus the college is on its way to glory...right from the courses they offer to the food they give in Mess they do experiments with everything...

have a special mess where they give "Yukta Aahaar", you will find Sprouted beans all the time in the mess with all the other usuals, a jaggery sweetdish in night. You are supposed to sit on floor.and wash plate yrself.... I mean the worst thing at VIT mess was somebody taking your "Jhoodi thali". Never liked that, and here when you see everybody cleaning up his plate, you dun feel bad about it.
Similarly they hv this Jeevan Vidhya course, where they teach to cool down and teach importance of knowing thyself, though i haven't atteneded the classes till now, but heard that are good. those who know me wud say this guy won't go to any such processions man, I know it he won't (may be they are true, thinking this. :D... lazy man he is lazy...).

Apart from this, here have separate research colleges and the work being done here is superb, I mean can you think of a single dept sending 17 papers to a conference. I too hv been given project which has clearly defined timeline, and we have presentations every 2 days..where we have to discuss all the issues the problem that we are facing and How to solve, You really get new ideas during this....Which certainly helps... Actually feeling that yes I am an Engineer, though "band bhi bahut bajati hain" , Still I luv it... Moreover it seems that its been long time i hv used the M$ windows, browse the net using this opera browser and till now unable to configure the gtalk on a GAIM client hope to do it soon(Help me if you know it !), so i may be online and talk to you ppl.

Ahhh! Got to go ! Later,

Long Time!

Its been really long time that I wrote something. Now Finally my exams all over and the thing which was taking lots of time is also over, I hv fially managed to get a project at IIIT-H. Just hoping that i manage here in a good manner and make most of this oppurtunity. will update it sometime later.

VIT- a place to give exams, that too always...

After coming back there had been a huge pressure to give 2 Infosys Exams right away, and then I had my LAB cam, I mean what the hell, anytime friends would call what is going on in here i would say Exams , and yes that is true, In a period of 5 months of semester here at VIT you are to give around 2 CAM(Continuous Assessment Marks) for each 8 subjects along with surprise test assignments, and with Sementer End exams which proceed for atleast 20 days....
The count goes to 8*2*2+ 8*2 =48 days... out of 365-104-60= 200 days that we spent at VIT.
And as for this week I have exams on 4 days out of 5 working days, of which 1 still left...
Over and above that Infosys always believes that students they recruit don't know anything, Campus connect is compulsary for them...

Next week having CAM so all over exams again....
am not scared of exams, but i found no point in studying or actually ruttfying thimgs which you will forget after some time.
i am really bad in just ruttfying things so manage to get GPA over 8,
But was Really Happy to score in VIVA +3 the Highest ever i suppose given by a teacher like Venkat. He is a geek who will ask some really good questions and yes i was giving the answers, This helps me to boost that i can perform well in the Domain that i will be working in future and won't be like a student who mugs up things.
Recently one classmate asked how to open an XLS file, I was spellbound--- a final year engg student who is placed, how can it be that he has never come across xls file.
In VIT you will find such cases and Farzi engg is the correct term used here....

As for me I am really working hard to be an engineer (real engineer) who would perform well in the industry in coming time.

I am back

Finally I am back to coll after my hectic Jounery thanks to Kerala Exp.
Back to all usual chores of life. Teachers taking classes which i don't understand they take when they know that nobody is interested. Spending time sitting on Last bench....

escape from vit / Lalu Turning railway in golden egg / Guna putting obstacles

At last I escaped from VIT for 14 days Ahh ! relief...
Peace in life for time being.
I have been planning to meet my dad but was really not able to decide or schedule my escape from Guna Aju, and Venkat's crappy discussions(sometimes good also remember angelina jolie discussion).
Moreover, this Infosys Campus Connect (the most stupid thing,same teachers who hv taught u the subject coming all over again to teach you the concepts and sometime misconceptions Urgh!)
Which I believe have attended only 4 days till now and its exams were scheduled such a way that i wasn't able to plan my journey. Anyhow managed to get the second exam postponed to be held sometime after the The tech week.
One tension over, Next "ask Guna to take my exam before the scheduled date", for the first time thought that my Geography teacher was easier to handle....Mrs Arora yes i do remember that scary teacher. Actually never bothered about anybody till now, but this time I have to get my work done so umm...

Anyways ready with what to ask i went to get his permission for it, and that idiot like a gramaphone record stuck at some track "Get the permission from the dean", always sounded same.
All the other dept friends getting it rescheduled easily but this idiot not even ready to consider anything.
After 3 days of running thru the Hierarchy ( the Class Coordinator, course cordinator, UG cordinator and then the Dean) got the permission ,Haah! I mean actually thought dean won't allow and would call me to his office giving a good Lecture, But ...

Next evening i was giving my Lab Exam, only one to take it the other Lab faculty saying to the main teacher to give hard questions... Crap What it is with him...
was given to emulate the cricket scenario ---------------- Ball, bat player bowler all moving synchronising the ball to bat, bowler's hand, my god i myself dunno how i managed took some 8-9 layers to complete that emulation.

since it wasn't clear i would be going so never got my reservations beforehand, mom would call me up and ask for the same and i wud say nope still not sure that i wud come...
2 days before planned date i got the Tatkal ticket which was waitlisted, my cousin was all the way laughing that what you are doing...and i replied yes i know, you book yr fights 1 month before...

Without knowing that my connecting train ticket from chennai has cleared or not went to the Chennai with brindavan exp standing thruout(didn't get reservation in that too). Read in newspapers few days back that a delegation from some europian country was in india to meet lalu as to how he managed to bring ailing railways in Profit in one year. I was up with the answer you dun have to give any service to around 40% of indian travellers who travel standing thruout their journeys, i was discovering things which i never gave a thought... Crap....
Anyhow 2 hours went and atlast ! I was in chennai on my journey to home. Went straight to the enquiry to check my status, Really astonished to see the long queue even for checking the ticket status over the TFT-LCD. Anyways after standing in queue for a few moments i was there ready with my ticket to check my ticket status, laughing cousin face came to my mind...But checked it over fast and yes it was clear.... great...

finally boarded the train, I was up with my Jeffery Archer, got the upper berth...I wondered the way i was thinking that how the 3 fans are mounted so that they don't pull off any air, i mean that is the patented way of one my dear friend pracheer would do, and will even discus how the trains change the tracks.....(you too can have the pleasure of such thoughts if u go with him)...
Had a dude from vnit,nagpur in same bay so next day went discussing how lalu is making money, i was myself wondering that how i was i indulging in such stupid talk.....

Next morning i was at home. Haah! Finally after such hectic time i enjoyed my unplanned journey home.
and i hope that my return ticket which is also waitlisted also gets cleared, hehe.