It's not like I demand a lot from life. I ask but little here. I ask for a quiet spot where I can read the day's newspaper in peace, but I can't find one. The place is congested. I ask for a spot where I can sit without talking, but I can't find it either. I then ask for a spot where I can talk only to myself, a place where I can let myself be, a space where I can Think.
I ask to find this place for myself. I find that people are pushing me to this place. But I don't want to go there this way, I don't want to be pushed here. It's a place I seek, let me find it.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Monday, August 28, 2006
Starry encounter
It was a Sunday and I was getting bored at home. So I decided to go shopping to a mall nearby called The Great Mall near Milpitas, about 15 minutes drive from my apartment. The weather was great and I was looking forward to doing a lot of shopping and fun. But something completely unexpected was in store for me.
I started off with the Sports Authority outlet and had good fun at the baseball and the golf section and then moved on towards other shops that I can't disclose right now for reasons that I can't disclose either! ;) Anyway, so I was passing in front of the McDonald's stall and I caught sight of someone familiar. I stopped dead in my tracks and looked and just couldn't believe my eyes. It was none other than Kareena Kapoor! She was near the Country's Best Yoghurt outlet with some lady. I tried to figure out who it was and it was her mother Babita! It was so exciting! I so wished I had got my camera with me. Anyway, lemme at least get their autographs and talk to them, I thought and started walking towards them. And guess who turns up with food at their table, Shahid Kapur!!! I was like , WOW!!! He asked Kareena, "Bebo you need anything else?" and she said no. I continued walking towards them. When I got closer, I said, "Hi! I can't believe I am meeting all of you in person today". Kareena smiled and said, "Thanks, we are here to do some shopping. But I'm sorry we won't be able to oblige you with autographs or pictures. Hope you understand". That was heartbreaking but I just thanked them and walked away.
But it was still pretty cool to see them all in person. Made my day!
I started off with the Sports Authority outlet and had good fun at the baseball and the golf section and then moved on towards other shops that I can't disclose right now for reasons that I can't disclose either! ;) Anyway, so I was passing in front of the McDonald's stall and I caught sight of someone familiar. I stopped dead in my tracks and looked and just couldn't believe my eyes. It was none other than Kareena Kapoor! She was near the Country's Best Yoghurt outlet with some lady. I tried to figure out who it was and it was her mother Babita! It was so exciting! I so wished I had got my camera with me. Anyway, lemme at least get their autographs and talk to them, I thought and started walking towards them. And guess who turns up with food at their table, Shahid Kapur!!! I was like , WOW!!! He asked Kareena, "Bebo you need anything else?" and she said no. I continued walking towards them. When I got closer, I said, "Hi! I can't believe I am meeting all of you in person today". Kareena smiled and said, "Thanks, we are here to do some shopping. But I'm sorry we won't be able to oblige you with autographs or pictures. Hope you understand". That was heartbreaking but I just thanked them and walked away.
But it was still pretty cool to see them all in person. Made my day!
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Fortune for the day
I ate 3 fortune cookies today. Each one of them said "Temptation is fun, giving in is better". Is that a sign? ;)
Monday, May 08, 2006
A barber shop story: A true one
I was about 6 years old then. And it was no different than any of my earlier 'haircut days'. My father woke me up early and signalled using his two fingers by making them move around like a scissor that I needed to get my hair cut today. I washed up, held on to his finger and walked up to Shravan's barber shop near my apartment. Shravan slept in a little room behind the shop. My father knocked on the door a couple of times which woke him up and he smiledwhen he saw us.
I liked the shop. I had never gone to another one.
Black and white photographs of men with various out-of-fashion hairstyles hang above a picture rail at the end of the room, where two barber's chairs are bolted to the floor. Shravan places a wooden board covered with a piece of cloth across the arms of the chair, so that he doesn't have to stoop to cut the boy's hair. I scramble up onto the bench.
"The rate at which you're growing, you won't need this soon, you'll be sitting in the chair," the barber says.
"Wow," I say, squirming round to look at my dad, forgetting that I can see him through the mirror. "Anna, Shravan said I could be sitting in the chair soon, not just on the board!"
"Hmm" my father replies, not looking up from the paper. "I expect Shravan will start charging me more for your hair then."
"At least double the price," said Shravan, winking at me.
Finally my father looks up from his newspaper and glances into the mirror, seeing his son looking back at him. He smiles.
"Wasn't so long ago when I had to lift you onto that board because you couldn't climb up there yourself," he says.
"They don't stay young for long do they, kids," Shravan says. My dad nods in agreement.
Shravan starts running his scissors all over my hair and in no time he's done. I jump off the board to find the floor strewn with the black locks from my head. I wanted to gather them but my father pulled me away.
"Breakfast must be ready, amma must be waiting", he said. I was already hungry and got excited thinking of breakfast and grabbed hold of my dad's hand. His hands closed around mine and I was surprised to find, warming in my father's palm, a lock of my own hair.
I remembered this incident and told my mother about it and she cried. She said my father had told her about this incident that day. He had realized I wouldn't remain the little boy for long, who would grab hold of his hand and go out with him. I realized the reason behind the lock of hair in his hand.
Just wanted to say I'll always be his little boy.
I liked the shop. I had never gone to another one.
Black and white photographs of men with various out-of-fashion hairstyles hang above a picture rail at the end of the room, where two barber's chairs are bolted to the floor. Shravan places a wooden board covered with a piece of cloth across the arms of the chair, so that he doesn't have to stoop to cut the boy's hair. I scramble up onto the bench.
"The rate at which you're growing, you won't need this soon, you'll be sitting in the chair," the barber says.
"Wow," I say, squirming round to look at my dad, forgetting that I can see him through the mirror. "Anna, Shravan said I could be sitting in the chair soon, not just on the board!"
"Hmm" my father replies, not looking up from the paper. "I expect Shravan will start charging me more for your hair then."
"At least double the price," said Shravan, winking at me.
Finally my father looks up from his newspaper and glances into the mirror, seeing his son looking back at him. He smiles.
"Wasn't so long ago when I had to lift you onto that board because you couldn't climb up there yourself," he says.
"They don't stay young for long do they, kids," Shravan says. My dad nods in agreement.
Shravan starts running his scissors all over my hair and in no time he's done. I jump off the board to find the floor strewn with the black locks from my head. I wanted to gather them but my father pulled me away.
"Breakfast must be ready, amma must be waiting", he said. I was already hungry and got excited thinking of breakfast and grabbed hold of my dad's hand. His hands closed around mine and I was surprised to find, warming in my father's palm, a lock of my own hair.
I remembered this incident and told my mother about it and she cried. She said my father had told her about this incident that day. He had realized I wouldn't remain the little boy for long, who would grab hold of his hand and go out with him. I realized the reason behind the lock of hair in his hand.
Just wanted to say I'll always be his little boy.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Astrology: Do I look like an idiot?
The other day I was shopping for a new pair of sneakers for my father; the old sneakers had worn out to the point where they were little more than a glorified pair of socks. I was with my father in a shoe store chatting about how the price of shoes had seemed to have gone up. The salesperson asked us how we were doing and we gave her the shoes we wanted to try on. She came back and everything was fine and dandy.
The store wasn't crowded and she began to talk with us, and I started chatting too.We began talking about something, I don't really remember what the topic was. Anyway, in the middle of this conversation about something not too important, she asked what my sign was. I stuttered my sign not being something that I keep at the forefront of my mind. I looked like a Leo she said. No, um, no in fact I'm a Virgo, I said. That's funny, she said, you don't have any of the characteristics of Virgo. Then she walked behind the counter and fiddled with the register; I stood there puzzled.
I'm baffled by the insistence with which some people let the position of the stars, the planets, the sun, the moon, and the rest of outer space define who they are. Is it that they are so unable to create their own destinies that they need to rely on someone's interpretation on the position of Jupiter or Pluto to figure out what their month's going to be like? Now really, really think about it. Does that make sense? Really?
We've all looked at our horoscopes once or twice. Sometimes it's good fun, but how many times has it actually been right, or specific enough to actually be wrong? Let's take a look at my horoscope in the newspaper some days back. "Sometimes money spent on things of lasting value makes more sense than indulging in ephemeral treats. Buy a very good painting of a rose that lasts forever rather than a rose that fades overnight." Did my horoscope just tell me to invest wisely? Didn't Bertie Wooster already do that? Isn't a horoscope supposed to tell the future? If so, I'm failing to see the prediction here.
Part of the problem with astrology is that's it's so vague and filled with double-speak that a sentence could almost mean anything. If that's the case then hell, I could be an astrologer. In fact here's a forecast for everyone:
May: Things may or may not happen. If so, some will be good, some will not. You may or may not meet people. If so, some of them will like you, some will not.
Astrology throws free will out the window. In basing what happens in the future on where the planets are going, it insinuates that the future is this set thing that we have no control over. It doesn't matter what we do, whatever's going to happen is going to happen and none of it's our fault. Lost your job? We can blame that on Mercury, surely it had nothing to do with the fact that you sent a photocopy of your head to the CEO.
Man, it's a good thing personal responsibility has been replaced by outer space. I figure this way I can blame the pile up of my office work not on my own procrastination, but on Pluto. I sprained my back a few weeks ago. Of course it's not my own clumsiness to blame, it's Jupiter, an awfully big planet for an awful lot of incoordination. Let me tell you, this is all quite a load off my back. ;)
The store wasn't crowded and she began to talk with us, and I started chatting too.We began talking about something, I don't really remember what the topic was. Anyway, in the middle of this conversation about something not too important, she asked what my sign was. I stuttered my sign not being something that I keep at the forefront of my mind. I looked like a Leo she said. No, um, no in fact I'm a Virgo, I said. That's funny, she said, you don't have any of the characteristics of Virgo. Then she walked behind the counter and fiddled with the register; I stood there puzzled.
I'm baffled by the insistence with which some people let the position of the stars, the planets, the sun, the moon, and the rest of outer space define who they are. Is it that they are so unable to create their own destinies that they need to rely on someone's interpretation on the position of Jupiter or Pluto to figure out what their month's going to be like? Now really, really think about it. Does that make sense? Really?
We've all looked at our horoscopes once or twice. Sometimes it's good fun, but how many times has it actually been right, or specific enough to actually be wrong? Let's take a look at my horoscope in the newspaper some days back. "Sometimes money spent on things of lasting value makes more sense than indulging in ephemeral treats. Buy a very good painting of a rose that lasts forever rather than a rose that fades overnight." Did my horoscope just tell me to invest wisely? Didn't Bertie Wooster already do that? Isn't a horoscope supposed to tell the future? If so, I'm failing to see the prediction here.
Part of the problem with astrology is that's it's so vague and filled with double-speak that a sentence could almost mean anything. If that's the case then hell, I could be an astrologer. In fact here's a forecast for everyone:
May: Things may or may not happen. If so, some will be good, some will not. You may or may not meet people. If so, some of them will like you, some will not.
Astrology throws free will out the window. In basing what happens in the future on where the planets are going, it insinuates that the future is this set thing that we have no control over. It doesn't matter what we do, whatever's going to happen is going to happen and none of it's our fault. Lost your job? We can blame that on Mercury, surely it had nothing to do with the fact that you sent a photocopy of your head to the CEO.
Man, it's a good thing personal responsibility has been replaced by outer space. I figure this way I can blame the pile up of my office work not on my own procrastination, but on Pluto. I sprained my back a few weeks ago. Of course it's not my own clumsiness to blame, it's Jupiter, an awfully big planet for an awful lot of incoordination. Let me tell you, this is all quite a load off my back. ;)
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Wonderla
Visited wonderla for the second time and it was as much fun as it was the first time around!
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Hacking the kernel
Getting into linux kernel development full time. Couldn't ask for more. It's the best! And I'm having the time of my life. Hacking the source, compiling and re-compiling the kernel, setting compile time options, building kernel modules, and of course kgdb and ksymoops, i'm doing it all! Lot of studying to do though. Have to read up lots of stuff regarding interrupts, bottom halves, scheduling, networking support in the kernel and lots of other stuff but it's all good.
Monday, April 03, 2006
Funny funny bit
There was this man. Girl refused him. Man went abroad. Two months later girl wired him, "Come back Marvin". Man started to write out a reply; suddenly found that he couldn't remember the girl's surname; so never answered at all and lived happily ever after.
- Courtesy BW
- Courtesy BW
Fun with friends
Here's what ensued on Saturday, April 1st. I left my house at about 8.30 am in a Sumo Victa and went to Paddy's house(couldn't have breakfast there as I had just had it at home and was full), invited her and then we went to Swetha's house where Swetha joined us(we were also treated to some spiffing lonavla chikki!), then to Ash's house where he jumped in(and we had refreshing chilled fruit juice!), then to Latha's house(yummy mixture!)and then to Peg's house where we met Sam also so I invited both Peg and Sam there and were pleasantly surprised that Peg would be joining us too because she was down with viral fever a few days back(here we were treated to some chilled re-invigorating lime juice(Padma may disagree as she seemed a lil biffed after drinking it)).
So after taking Sam and Peg along, we proceeded to Ally's house where he was eagerly waiting for us. This was the scene where Sam was able to successfully pull off a splendid April fool prank on Swetha(details can be provided by the prankster and the prankstee(?? :-) )). A couple of incidents of chumps falling off bean bags, thrilling rocking chair rides followed by an absolutely bucking buttermilk and fruit salad served up by Ally's mom set us up for lunch. So after picking up dear old Ally we proceeded to Nandhini(Sam was pretty worked up to go here) for lunch where we met up with guess who, Karan! And things got chummier! After a filling lunch, we visited Karan's house where Sam and Ally serenaded each other with objectionable magazines in a room and "mood setting" music, Ally drank objectionable drinks and some others "questionable" Pepsi.
That was the last stop. We then started on our way back home and after dropping everyone, I reached home and gifted my dad with a Motorola L6 aka Moto SLVR!!
Pretty splendid day!
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Master of humour
I started reading PG Wodehouse again and I find these books as hilarious as I used to when I was in school! The typical British backdrops, the descriptions of the wonderful English countryside, the super-cool English exclamations(By Jove!!) and of course Bertie and Jeeves. They are all back in my life and I'm delighted!
One among the many things I love about these (and other writings of humour by some good English authors) is their refusal to take any character or any situation seriously. I mean, if some of the things in these stories had happened to me or to people around me, they would have been shattered! But you end up in guffaws when you are reading these situations in these books!
Like, there is one particular story where a poor unemployed painter guy wants to marry his girlfriend but he knows his rich uncle(who gives him a quarterly allowance) will never agree. Now this uncle of his has ornithology(study of birds, bird-watching) as a passion and has written books on it. So the painter guy's girlfriend writes another book on birds and praises his uncle's books to no end all over in her book. The uncle is extremely impressed and invites the girl home. And guess what, uncle gets married to the girl!! And he asks the painter guy to paint a portrait of his baby son with the painter's ex-girlfriend!!
Just love these books!
One among the many things I love about these (and other writings of humour by some good English authors) is their refusal to take any character or any situation seriously. I mean, if some of the things in these stories had happened to me or to people around me, they would have been shattered! But you end up in guffaws when you are reading these situations in these books!
Like, there is one particular story where a poor unemployed painter guy wants to marry his girlfriend but he knows his rich uncle(who gives him a quarterly allowance) will never agree. Now this uncle of his has ornithology(study of birds, bird-watching) as a passion and has written books on it. So the painter guy's girlfriend writes another book on birds and praises his uncle's books to no end all over in her book. The uncle is extremely impressed and invites the girl home. And guess what, uncle gets married to the girl!! And he asks the painter guy to paint a portrait of his baby son with the painter's ex-girlfriend!!
Just love these books!
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Wanna a new hairdo?
Check out Hairdos.com. You can search their photo archive by gender, hair color, hair length, and degree of waviness. They also offer a nice section on makeovers, giving you looks at both "before" and "after."
Along the same lines, you'll find that All Things Hair considers the above criteria as well as the shape of your face. The site also provides photos of well-known celebrities to accompany their style suggestions.
Happy hairstyling!!
Friday, March 17, 2006
Phone call
5:37 pm
“Hello?”
“Mr. Sanjeev?”
“Yes?”
“How are you this evening?”
“Uh – look, I just sat down to dinner.”
“When’s a more convenient time?”
“How about never?”
click
6:30 pm
“Hello?”
“Mr. Sanjeev?”
“Yeah?”
“How was dinner?”
“What? Oh. Hey, let’s be honest here. I can’t stand you people, always interrupting meals, T.V., time with my family. Whatever you’re selling, I’m not interested.”
“I apologize, but - ”
click
7:15 pm
ring…
click
7:45 pm
“Hello?”
“Mr. Sanjeev?”
“I thought I told you – ”
“Did you listen to the message I left?”
“You mean when you called, what, twenty, thirty minutes ago?”
“Yes.”
“You’re so annoyingly persistent!"
“Did you listen to the message?”
“No!”
click
9:45 pm
“Hello?”
“Mr. Sanjeev?”
“Ssshhhit…”
“If I could just take a few minutes of your time.”
“No. N. O. No. No, no, no!”
click
11:30 pm
“What?”
“Mr. Sanjeev?”
“O God!”
click
11:33 pm
11:36 pm
11:39 pm
11:45 pm
11:48 pm
“Listen, you idiot, I’m calling the police. I’m giving them all the numbers you’ve called from. Then I'm going to sue you, your company and your family. You got that?”
“Got it, but Mr. Sanjeev, just let me say three words.”
“You’re digging a deeper hole, buddy.”
“Kraakan Sum Tweetz.”
“Excuse me?”
“Kraakan Sum Tweetz.”
“Uh…”
“Do you understand?”
“…”
“Mr. Sanjeev?”
“…”
“Hello?”
“Shit.”
“Do you understand?”
“Yeah.”
“What?”
“Yes. Yes, I understand. Sir.”
“Be ready in ten minutes.”
“Ten minutes?”
“You should’ve listened to me earlier. Kiss your wife goodbye, then prepare for transport. Our time has come.”
“Sir?”
“Nine minutes. Midnight.”
“Yes, sir.”
click
11:52 pm
“Honey? Who was that?”
“Nobody, dear. Just another marketing guy. Go back to sleep.”
“…”
“…”
“You haven’t kissed me like that in a long time.”
“I love you. Now go back to sleep.”
“Hello?”
“Mr. Sanjeev?”
“Yes?”
“How are you this evening?”
“Uh – look, I just sat down to dinner.”
“When’s a more convenient time?”
“How about never?”
click
6:30 pm
“Hello?”
“Mr. Sanjeev?”
“Yeah?”
“How was dinner?”
“What? Oh. Hey, let’s be honest here. I can’t stand you people, always interrupting meals, T.V., time with my family. Whatever you’re selling, I’m not interested.”
“I apologize, but - ”
click
7:15 pm
ring…
click
7:45 pm
“Hello?”
“Mr. Sanjeev?”
“I thought I told you – ”
“Did you listen to the message I left?”
“You mean when you called, what, twenty, thirty minutes ago?”
“Yes.”
“You’re so annoyingly persistent!"
“Did you listen to the message?”
“No!”
click
9:45 pm
“Hello?”
“Mr. Sanjeev?”
“Ssshhhit…”
“If I could just take a few minutes of your time.”
“No. N. O. No. No, no, no!”
click
11:30 pm
“What?”
“Mr. Sanjeev?”
“O God!”
click
11:33 pm
11:36 pm
11:39 pm
11:45 pm
11:48 pm
“Listen, you idiot, I’m calling the police. I’m giving them all the numbers you’ve called from. Then I'm going to sue you, your company and your family. You got that?”
“Got it, but Mr. Sanjeev, just let me say three words.”
“You’re digging a deeper hole, buddy.”
“Kraakan Sum Tweetz.”
“Excuse me?”
“Kraakan Sum Tweetz.”
“Uh…”
“Do you understand?”
“…”
“Mr. Sanjeev?”
“…”
“Hello?”
“Shit.”
“Do you understand?”
“Yeah.”
“What?”
“Yes. Yes, I understand. Sir.”
“Be ready in ten minutes.”
“Ten minutes?”
“You should’ve listened to me earlier. Kiss your wife goodbye, then prepare for transport. Our time has come.”
“Sir?”
“Nine minutes. Midnight.”
“Yes, sir.”
click
11:52 pm
“Honey? Who was that?”
“Nobody, dear. Just another marketing guy. Go back to sleep.”
“…”
“…”
“You haven’t kissed me like that in a long time.”
“I love you. Now go back to sleep.”
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
A normal man
He didn't consider himself superstitious, just cautious. So he avoided stepping on every 3rd tile on the floor and the cracks on the footpath.
Still, there were peculiarities in his behavior some considered superstitious. Or just plain crazy.
Like his refusal to utter the word "marvellous" in public. There was no apparent reason for this phobia, except that he feared something horrible would happen to him if he ever spoke the word. Now most of us could go through life without ever even experiencing the urge to say the word aloud, but not him. Whenever he talked with friends or family, the word "marvellous" occupied the forefront of his mind, and no matter how much he tried not to think of the word, it was like trying to ignore a rhino sitting on his living room sofa watching TV. It became such a problem for him that he would often blurt out "marlovimpernel" or "maverick murgunjel" for no apparent reason. Friends thought him eccentric. They rather enjoyed his playfulness.
But this wasn't his only quirk. He also felt an irrational need to skip whenever the song "Happy birthday to you" was sung. This created a serious problem for him at birthday parties.
Otherwise, he led a nearly normal life, considering he always kept 3 handkerchiefs with him and he clicked the heels of his shoes against each other 9 times each time he wore them.
Despite his quirks, he managed. He had a good many friends. After all, while most of us strive for normalcy, the people we most fondly remember are the eccentrics. And he was certainly memorable. He entered his car only through the back seat.
People made allowances for him because, like a young child, he was fun to be with. It was a miracle to many people, but he even managed to score well in his exams and made the next grade. At college, no one cared what he wore or how he entered his car, as long as he put his obsessive compulsiveness to good use and performed well in his exams.
But he grew uncomfortable with his own behavior. Although he had friends, he had no intimates. She lived with her mother across the street from him and was his closest confidant. "I admit I take a certain pleasure in people paying attention to me," he confessed to her. "Especially when I wear my red hat and sing tunes in the line at Food World.
"Which, of course, I must do to keep the computer and billing machine from catching fire."
"No, you don't," she said bluntly. "If you stop pedaling, the world will continue spinning on its axis, I assure you. Like the rest of us, you don't have much control over your environment. Stop pretending as if you do."
This shocked him, for no one had ever spoken to him quite like that before. He vowed to at least reduce his quirks. For her at least.
The next day, he chose not to count the tiles while walking, although he did step on all the cracks in the pavement, and, of course, kept 3 handkerchiefs. The earth did not quake. At the office, when he heard his colleagues singing "Happy birthday to you" for a coworker, he fought the urge to skip. His heart pounded and he grabbed the tops of his legs in a valiant effort to keep them still. He knew that she would remind him that logically there was nothing to fear from the song. Breathing like a woman in labor, he suppressed the need to skip. He even entered his car from the front seat like any other man. And nothing bad happened. The earth didn't crash. Nor did he lose his pants.
He reached home, went straight to his room. He felt so happy and free! "Marvellous!" he shouted with a huge grin on his face.
It was the last word that ever came out of his mouth.
The last time a clock ticked in this world.
Still, there were peculiarities in his behavior some considered superstitious. Or just plain crazy.
Like his refusal to utter the word "marvellous" in public. There was no apparent reason for this phobia, except that he feared something horrible would happen to him if he ever spoke the word. Now most of us could go through life without ever even experiencing the urge to say the word aloud, but not him. Whenever he talked with friends or family, the word "marvellous" occupied the forefront of his mind, and no matter how much he tried not to think of the word, it was like trying to ignore a rhino sitting on his living room sofa watching TV. It became such a problem for him that he would often blurt out "marlovimpernel" or "maverick murgunjel" for no apparent reason. Friends thought him eccentric. They rather enjoyed his playfulness.
But this wasn't his only quirk. He also felt an irrational need to skip whenever the song "Happy birthday to you" was sung. This created a serious problem for him at birthday parties.
Otherwise, he led a nearly normal life, considering he always kept 3 handkerchiefs with him and he clicked the heels of his shoes against each other 9 times each time he wore them.
Despite his quirks, he managed. He had a good many friends. After all, while most of us strive for normalcy, the people we most fondly remember are the eccentrics. And he was certainly memorable. He entered his car only through the back seat.
People made allowances for him because, like a young child, he was fun to be with. It was a miracle to many people, but he even managed to score well in his exams and made the next grade. At college, no one cared what he wore or how he entered his car, as long as he put his obsessive compulsiveness to good use and performed well in his exams.
But he grew uncomfortable with his own behavior. Although he had friends, he had no intimates. She lived with her mother across the street from him and was his closest confidant. "I admit I take a certain pleasure in people paying attention to me," he confessed to her. "Especially when I wear my red hat and sing tunes in the line at Food World.
"Which, of course, I must do to keep the computer and billing machine from catching fire."
"No, you don't," she said bluntly. "If you stop pedaling, the world will continue spinning on its axis, I assure you. Like the rest of us, you don't have much control over your environment. Stop pretending as if you do."
This shocked him, for no one had ever spoken to him quite like that before. He vowed to at least reduce his quirks. For her at least.
The next day, he chose not to count the tiles while walking, although he did step on all the cracks in the pavement, and, of course, kept 3 handkerchiefs. The earth did not quake. At the office, when he heard his colleagues singing "Happy birthday to you" for a coworker, he fought the urge to skip. His heart pounded and he grabbed the tops of his legs in a valiant effort to keep them still. He knew that she would remind him that logically there was nothing to fear from the song. Breathing like a woman in labor, he suppressed the need to skip. He even entered his car from the front seat like any other man. And nothing bad happened. The earth didn't crash. Nor did he lose his pants.
He reached home, went straight to his room. He felt so happy and free! "Marvellous!" he shouted with a huge grin on his face.
It was the last word that ever came out of his mouth.
The last time a clock ticked in this world.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Software engineering
This is something I wanted to talk about and discuss since quite some time.
Software engineering is one of the engineering disciplines and qualifies to be one because like any other engineering discipline, it applies knowledge to solve practical problems. Having said that, software engg. is also very unique from other engg. disciplines.
While every other discipline be it electrical engg, mechanical engg, civil engg, architectural engg or aerospace deals with the creation(design and construction) of something very tangible, software engg. involves creating software, which can be perceived only by the mind.
It is this inherent quality of software that makes it extremely appealing to me. (I can be dramatic here and draw analogies between software and the wind, fire, energy but will refrain from doing so ;-) ). Software has no intrinsic physical structure, no rules are imposed on it by nature and it has an ethereal existence. Whatever structure it is perceived to have, we impose it.
And this is why, I feel, it is very important for a software engineer to have a basic philosophy, a fundamental paradigm, which dictates how he/she looks at software. What does a function, a variable, an API mean in the larger sense? What is it's name? What are its characteristics, features and qualities? How does it behave? What does it do and not do? How to use it, when to use it and who should use it? When these questions are answered, software comes to life. It ceases to be ethereal and comes into verifiable existence, but only to those who know the answer to the above questions.
I can give an interesting example of a colleague whose paradigm of looking at software is to treat it like a fellow human being. And it's a good one because all the above questions are very valid questions that can be asked about any human being. This colleague of mine talks about functions or variables like they are people! He uses terms like kind, strict, suspicious, funny, smart, fair, partial and many more to describe these things! (You could of course call it bad sense of humour also ;-)) He really thinks of them as we would think of real people we know. And the best part is that a lot of times, he's able to figure out how the system will behave(or should behave) in a certain peculiar situation without even looking at the code because he knows it like he knows his friend!
A strong perspective like that really helps in understanding and designing software intuitively. And it also makes things easier when you are trying to fix 10x bugs in x days!
Anyway, my point is that a software engineer must be able to look at software as some tangible entity, something real, concrete and must feel the life in it. To make the ethereal work with, for and like the real. That's the challenge.
This is the domain of analogy. Decide between what.
Software engineering is one of the engineering disciplines and qualifies to be one because like any other engineering discipline, it applies knowledge to solve practical problems. Having said that, software engg. is also very unique from other engg. disciplines.
While every other discipline be it electrical engg, mechanical engg, civil engg, architectural engg or aerospace deals with the creation(design and construction) of something very tangible, software engg. involves creating software, which can be perceived only by the mind.
It is this inherent quality of software that makes it extremely appealing to me. (I can be dramatic here and draw analogies between software and the wind, fire, energy but will refrain from doing so ;-) ). Software has no intrinsic physical structure, no rules are imposed on it by nature and it has an ethereal existence. Whatever structure it is perceived to have, we impose it.
And this is why, I feel, it is very important for a software engineer to have a basic philosophy, a fundamental paradigm, which dictates how he/she looks at software. What does a function, a variable, an API mean in the larger sense? What is it's name? What are its characteristics, features and qualities? How does it behave? What does it do and not do? How to use it, when to use it and who should use it? When these questions are answered, software comes to life. It ceases to be ethereal and comes into verifiable existence, but only to those who know the answer to the above questions.
I can give an interesting example of a colleague whose paradigm of looking at software is to treat it like a fellow human being. And it's a good one because all the above questions are very valid questions that can be asked about any human being. This colleague of mine talks about functions or variables like they are people! He uses terms like kind, strict, suspicious, funny, smart, fair, partial and many more to describe these things! (You could of course call it bad sense of humour also ;-)) He really thinks of them as we would think of real people we know. And the best part is that a lot of times, he's able to figure out how the system will behave(or should behave) in a certain peculiar situation without even looking at the code because he knows it like he knows his friend!
A strong perspective like that really helps in understanding and designing software intuitively. And it also makes things easier when you are trying to fix 10x bugs in x days!
Anyway, my point is that a software engineer must be able to look at software as some tangible entity, something real, concrete and must feel the life in it. To make the ethereal work with, for and like the real. That's the challenge.
This is the domain of analogy. Decide between what.
Monday, March 13, 2006
Starting off....
I have an ambition.
It is not to mount on Silver wings and soar away
Scorning the joys and griefs of every day
May I be human, toiling like the rest
With tender heart-beats in my chest.
Not on cold, lonely heights, above the abodes
Of common mortals would I build my fame
But in the hearts of living men
Would I write my name.
Friendship is precious, courage divine
May these be mine
I ask no crown
Such is my ambition which I here unfold
May it be granted mine is wealth untold.
It is not to mount on Silver wings and soar away
Scorning the joys and griefs of every day
May I be human, toiling like the rest
With tender heart-beats in my chest.
Not on cold, lonely heights, above the abodes
Of common mortals would I build my fame
But in the hearts of living men
Would I write my name.
Friendship is precious, courage divine
May these be mine
I ask no crown
Such is my ambition which I here unfold
May it be granted mine is wealth untold.
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