Gettting out of my house to get to office as every morning. My car clock says 8:42AM. I can't believe 2 weeks in a row and I am still making the same time every day.. I am turning into a machine. Alas!
I try to change a bit in my course of action, so as to feel human again. But there is not a lot to do when you are stuck in the drivers seat of the car and paying attention on 65 speed limit of the interstate. So instead of my regular Ipod, I decide to start the radio. But I am not in mood of playing the blarring hip-hop or soft country music or the instrumental jazz. Still I just turn it on without giving another thought and a guy(radio-man as I will hereafter call him) is talking about 'Barack Obama'.
Yes!! the news is on from Market Place New York on 90.3.
Well Since I hardly read a paper in the morning and don't have time to watch news on TV, my only source of news is the BBC website which I have access to from the desk in office. Yep a Software engineer's life. And since its impossible for me to bury my head in New York times in the morning, this feels like a pleasant change. For the 15 min drive to my office, I get completely transported to the busy streets of NewYork and around, with commotion, stock rates, traffic, crowd pushing their way in and out of path-rails, people who make page3-of-fashion-section walking on the roads with aristocratic suitcases, waiting a while at the buzzing round-the-corner coffee shops to pick up breakfast, news from important places like white house, NSE, WallStreet pouring in. I get all excited and ready to be at work. Being a city girl at heart, these things catch on to me.
Wait!!, Can I smell coffee, bagel...Can i? This wakes me up a bit. I want to get out and stop at a bustling coffee shop, when my exit 252 calls for me to get off the interstate. Good God, the coffee worked (atleast the virtual one). I din't miss the exit. I check my clock again 5 min to 9. I dont have enough time to squeeze a coffee and more so I don't have a bustling coffee shop around the corner. Drat!
I am suddenly on the slow moving, calm quite country road. This reminds me I am in a small city which at times and mostly on internal roads feels like a town. No-one is in a hurry to move forward. People are chilled and relaxed. Atleast I like the look on their faces. No tension, no rush.
The radio-man goes on Dollar rate, Gas prices fall.....Well did he just say gas prices..Did he just say "Fall"...Woooo I look at my gas tank, showing half full.. Well I don't need to get any gas today. Maybe I can just wait and listen to this news every morning for it to fall more. Maybe I will just make it in time for the lowest-gas-price-day-of-the-week. Now I am happier in the self analyzed version of what the radio-man just said. My eyes are still set on the couple of gas stations near the exit showing high prices near to 4/gallon in font size 72.
Just then the radio man changes the topic and now its a zero-calorie sweetener. New found from some herb. And all aerated drink companies are rushing for it. Diet coke just became 'Anorexic coke' because you might just loose the will to drink it anymore. Hey coke lovers, just kidding here!! I think they should even work on changing the shape of the bottle. Well why not, when companies have already worked on changing color like the pepsi blue. No try is going to harm the already declining market of diet coke (quoting the radio-man here). Another sweetener, well why does it keep reminding me of coffee!! I can take it no more. Just then I halt at exactly 2 min to 9 in front of my office. Look at the building. take a deep breathe, visualize it as the tall 60 storey office (well in reality its just 4 storey ;), say hi to a couple of people on my way in, stop at the break room, get my dose of coffee - feel important carrying it to my seat and have my first sip. Yup! back to normal, the first sip did it :)
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Its a DBa's life
I lead each day a different day, trying to look positive, bearing that smile which is hard to maintain after continuous frustrating unidentifiable hex coded uncoded, unable to decode, hidden behind a simple sentence "I cannot log in"
But today, I had reached my frustration level, started to think I ws dumb when I came across this article: http://www.orafaq.com/wiki/Fun_stuff
SDome of the excerpts are so near to my heart....:((
SELECT * FROM users WHERE clue > 0;
SELECT * FROM clients WHERE clue > 0;
etc....and so on
Yesterday: A DBA's backup song
YESTERDAY (to be sung to the tune of the Beatles' song - Yesterday):
Yesterday,
All those backups seemed a waste of pay
Now my database has gone away
Oh I believe in yesterday
Suddenly,
There's not half the files there used to be
And there's a deadline
hanging over me
The system crashed so suddenly.
I pushed something wrong
What it was I could not say
Now my data's gone
and I long for yesterday-ay-ay-ay.
Yesterday,
The need for back-ups seemed so far away.
Thought all my data was here to stay,
Now I believe in yesterday.
Q/A
Q. What if your Dad loses his car keys?
A. 'Parent keys not found!'
and if you are a true DBa, you will go ahead to read:
http://www.orafaq.com/wiki/Fun_stuff
The small a in DBa signifies which position I am in right now, b and c look so far away...And that this was not enough my computer denies to perform anymore for the day...I guess its just a way of telling me to rest...I can blame it on the slow processor!!
Enjoy!!....After all its a DBa's life
But today, I had reached my frustration level, started to think I ws dumb when I came across this article: http://www.orafaq.com/wiki/Fun_stuff
SDome of the excerpts are so near to my heart....:((
SELECT * FROM users WHERE clue > 0;
SELECT * FROM clients WHERE clue > 0;
etc....and so on
Yesterday: A DBA's backup song
YESTERDAY (to be sung to the tune of the Beatles' song - Yesterday):
Yesterday,
All those backups seemed a waste of pay
Now my database has gone away
Oh I believe in yesterday
Suddenly,
There's not half the files there used to be
And there's a deadline
hanging over me
The system crashed so suddenly.
I pushed something wrong
What it was I could not say
Now my data's gone
and I long for yesterday-ay-ay-ay.
Yesterday,
The need for back-ups seemed so far away.
Thought all my data was here to stay,
Now I believe in yesterday.
Q/A
Q. What if your Dad loses his car keys?
A. 'Parent keys not found!'
and if you are a true DBa, you will go ahead to read:
http://www.orafaq.com/wiki/Fun_stuff
The small a in DBa signifies which position I am in right now, b and c look so far away...And that this was not enough my computer denies to perform anymore for the day...I guess its just a way of telling me to rest...I can blame it on the slow processor!!
Enjoy!!....After all its a DBa's life
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
The Big B - Bombay
Bombay, when I shifted to this city of 7 islands it was still Bombay. Till one day Mubaikars decided to be so. WHatever the name is, it hardly matters. I still love it.
Came here when I was in 5th. Switched schools twice, started learning hindi from the first alphabet as opposed to my kabir ke dohas which I had started to love by now. Hindi was better than marathi, because I was a hardcore 'MP'ite, my friends thought it weird. The place I came to live in was still a subarban village of Bombay with a police station and dhaba next to our building. From a convent school to a normal one, from the good old ICSE board which I so much love and still consider the epitome of good education to SSC was a pleasent change as I had to study less. In approx 2 years there sprang building beside ours and I could no more see across the higway. Though I could still see my school bus coming from around the corner and run down in a jiffy:D Soon I forgot there existed a highway across and was happy settling for the part of world I could see and experience.
My dad taught me to ride the bicycle and then my first scooter in which I crashed and never touched a motorized 2 wheeler again. Bicycling is still my favourite sport. Thought havent done it for years. I had my first music lessons in Mumbai, as my mom always wanted me to learn to sing. And I am glad that she had discovered my passion for music. I love and appreciate music. I had a bengali music teacher, who taught it in her typical sweet Bengali accent :)
My brother loves Mumbai though he was born in Bhopal and I still love the small town feel, A disscusion on Mumbai and you will know he hates to get out of that place and dreams to make it big there. Bhopal has no importance other than the place of birth. I guess thats is why he is the hardcore Mumbaitte and not me :)
He was very young then, I still remember his running around in that fav red sweater and playing with my gang of girls till I was in 10th. After which he attended my school picnic and that was the end of my gaming sessions with my bro, where I had to finally declare that he make his own friends.
Extremely naughty fellow, who always got me complaitns in school, but which only made me love him more. The bond and understanding with which we grew, will always be as strong and I am glad, I have a sibling.
Then came the junior college and I spent more time at home that usual, bunking college... The transformation from school to college was really enriching experience from new friends to new dresses to new teachers, new subjects, new travel in local train to even a few crushes. Things were always merry. The love hate relations of life just started and thats when I understood the ppl of this city more. While in school I only interacted more with families staying in my colony.We had a bengali, tamil and bihari family staying on the same floor. Then I was awed by the strong bengali culture, the importance of women they potrayed, while at the same time I could see the boldness of the biharis and the simplicity, hardwork and religiousness of the tamilians. We had north, south, east, west exp...all in one.
But when I went to college, that is the time I experienced the real Mumbai culture and the sweet people. The maharashtrians and gujratis though being different have over the years struck a sanguine relation. And its hard to differeciate anymore. They stay in one family while sharing the cultural beauties with each other. Going to engineering college, always being interested in other cultures, I had more gujrati friends. Getting to see their culture from such proximity was something I cherished.
The fourth year of engg was even better with a project at IIT, one of the biggest university campuses in India was worth experiencing. With a good professor and a nestle canteen and the powai lake and four project partners, life had come to a standstill for the moment after which we did not know where our lifes would take us. My journey of Mumbai was for 13 years after which it was time for Infosys and moving on to another Big B. There is a lot more to write, but for now its late, the clocks ticking and dreaming of it sounds like a better idea :)
Came here when I was in 5th. Switched schools twice, started learning hindi from the first alphabet as opposed to my kabir ke dohas which I had started to love by now. Hindi was better than marathi, because I was a hardcore 'MP'ite, my friends thought it weird. The place I came to live in was still a subarban village of Bombay with a police station and dhaba next to our building. From a convent school to a normal one, from the good old ICSE board which I so much love and still consider the epitome of good education to SSC was a pleasent change as I had to study less. In approx 2 years there sprang building beside ours and I could no more see across the higway. Though I could still see my school bus coming from around the corner and run down in a jiffy:D Soon I forgot there existed a highway across and was happy settling for the part of world I could see and experience.
My dad taught me to ride the bicycle and then my first scooter in which I crashed and never touched a motorized 2 wheeler again. Bicycling is still my favourite sport. Thought havent done it for years. I had my first music lessons in Mumbai, as my mom always wanted me to learn to sing. And I am glad that she had discovered my passion for music. I love and appreciate music. I had a bengali music teacher, who taught it in her typical sweet Bengali accent :)
My brother loves Mumbai though he was born in Bhopal and I still love the small town feel, A disscusion on Mumbai and you will know he hates to get out of that place and dreams to make it big there. Bhopal has no importance other than the place of birth. I guess thats is why he is the hardcore Mumbaitte and not me :)
He was very young then, I still remember his running around in that fav red sweater and playing with my gang of girls till I was in 10th. After which he attended my school picnic and that was the end of my gaming sessions with my bro, where I had to finally declare that he make his own friends.
Extremely naughty fellow, who always got me complaitns in school, but which only made me love him more. The bond and understanding with which we grew, will always be as strong and I am glad, I have a sibling.
Then came the junior college and I spent more time at home that usual, bunking college... The transformation from school to college was really enriching experience from new friends to new dresses to new teachers, new subjects, new travel in local train to even a few crushes. Things were always merry. The love hate relations of life just started and thats when I understood the ppl of this city more. While in school I only interacted more with families staying in my colony.We had a bengali, tamil and bihari family staying on the same floor. Then I was awed by the strong bengali culture, the importance of women they potrayed, while at the same time I could see the boldness of the biharis and the simplicity, hardwork and religiousness of the tamilians. We had north, south, east, west exp...all in one.
But when I went to college, that is the time I experienced the real Mumbai culture and the sweet people. The maharashtrians and gujratis though being different have over the years struck a sanguine relation. And its hard to differeciate anymore. They stay in one family while sharing the cultural beauties with each other. Going to engineering college, always being interested in other cultures, I had more gujrati friends. Getting to see their culture from such proximity was something I cherished.
The fourth year of engg was even better with a project at IIT, one of the biggest university campuses in India was worth experiencing. With a good professor and a nestle canteen and the powai lake and four project partners, life had come to a standstill for the moment after which we did not know where our lifes would take us. My journey of Mumbai was for 13 years after which it was time for Infosys and moving on to another Big B. There is a lot more to write, but for now its late, the clocks ticking and dreaming of it sounds like a better idea :)
Monday, March 3, 2008
Toast
We usually meet people in our long life to create memories and part to preserve them. But along the way some people become the way of our life. My roommate of 3.5 years is getting married and the memories of our togetherness come back to me and fill my heart with all the beautiful things, times and emotions. I recently read in a book: "You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed." Its same, when we meet, we get used to each others ways.
Once we spend some considerable time together everytime we look at something or do something, it reminds us of that someone important in a happy way. The time I have spent with Richa will never come back, but the memories will, the love and care will always be there where she had made her special place.
I still remember the first day of school when I met this bubbly kid, joining school so late so as to not being able to register for any of the classes she liked. But still happy. Then she lost her way going home and through a lot of efforts came to our place to be dropped back, still with that smile.
The next interaction with her was, she came to our place to look for accomodation, we being in need of a fourth roomie.
Since then we have moved around from four roomies, to five, to two, to three, to four and back to two.
We came to share all the good times and bad, from getting up late for classes, to studying together, to cribbing about assignments, to get to know about each other and family and trying to fill the gaps, till last year when she announced she wanted to marry Davey, the intial surprise which I soon accepted, because he is such a lovely person, that its difficult not to like him, his qualities, his knowledge, his love for books, his anecdotes, his always being there for you, all started to become a important part of our lives. I always felt the trust that he so confidently put in the relation towards Richa and all things important to her.
And that could be because for you all who have known Richa for some time, know, she is adorable, smart, extremely lovable, highly caring, and cooks awesome food :) Also, She has always had a happy disposition alongwith matureness and strength of mind.
You learn a lot of stuff form your roomies. Similarly I unknowingly learnt a lot from her too, what loving your people in the right sense means. Love does not mean only feeling a lot for a person, it is a mix of compassion, care, complementing other persons shortcomings, working on the qualities of a person making them stronger enough so there is no more place for shortcomings, doubts, distrust or fear. Love is not only feeling but showing too that you truly love.
No outsider can see the friendship we have, let alone understand it. Because sometimes we ourselves don't say anything, but just understand and so its definitely going to be difficult to say "good-bye"
With all the love that she is going to take forward in the Templin family, who have always been so supportive and been pleasure to be with, I am so sure she will make a great wife, a caring daughter-in-law and a fav granddaughter...
May Richa and Davey life be long and happy,
Their cares and sorrows few;
and the many friends around you
Prove faithful, fond and true.
Once we spend some considerable time together everytime we look at something or do something, it reminds us of that someone important in a happy way. The time I have spent with Richa will never come back, but the memories will, the love and care will always be there where she had made her special place.
I still remember the first day of school when I met this bubbly kid, joining school so late so as to not being able to register for any of the classes she liked. But still happy. Then she lost her way going home and through a lot of efforts came to our place to be dropped back, still with that smile.
The next interaction with her was, she came to our place to look for accomodation, we being in need of a fourth roomie.
Since then we have moved around from four roomies, to five, to two, to three, to four and back to two.
We came to share all the good times and bad, from getting up late for classes, to studying together, to cribbing about assignments, to get to know about each other and family and trying to fill the gaps, till last year when she announced she wanted to marry Davey, the intial surprise which I soon accepted, because he is such a lovely person, that its difficult not to like him, his qualities, his knowledge, his love for books, his anecdotes, his always being there for you, all started to become a important part of our lives. I always felt the trust that he so confidently put in the relation towards Richa and all things important to her.
And that could be because for you all who have known Richa for some time, know, she is adorable, smart, extremely lovable, highly caring, and cooks awesome food :) Also, She has always had a happy disposition alongwith matureness and strength of mind.
You learn a lot of stuff form your roomies. Similarly I unknowingly learnt a lot from her too, what loving your people in the right sense means. Love does not mean only feeling a lot for a person, it is a mix of compassion, care, complementing other persons shortcomings, working on the qualities of a person making them stronger enough so there is no more place for shortcomings, doubts, distrust or fear. Love is not only feeling but showing too that you truly love.
No outsider can see the friendship we have, let alone understand it. Because sometimes we ourselves don't say anything, but just understand and so its definitely going to be difficult to say "good-bye"
With all the love that she is going to take forward in the Templin family, who have always been so supportive and been pleasure to be with, I am so sure she will make a great wife, a caring daughter-in-law and a fav granddaughter...
May Richa and Davey life be long and happy,
Their cares and sorrows few;
and the many friends around you
Prove faithful, fond and true.
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