Algorithm to buy a cellphone

Step 1 : Watch the launch of  "the future of smartphones" online.Keep talking about it,read the reviews,drool over it,till the phone is officially released.

Step 2 : Check the price of the phone.

Step 3 : Login to your net banking account,and check your balance.Sulk as much as you like.

Step 4 : Say to yourself,"Hmmm .. maybe the prices will drop in a couple of months.Till then I can make do with my current phone".

Step 5 : Check the price of the phone again in 2 months.See a strikeout on the 30k price tag.(Enjoy the moment).
Scroll down to find the new price,Rs. 29,499.
Start off a series of swears.(Language no barrier).

Step 6 : Check for the next best phone.Say to yourself,"Hmmm .. maybe the prices will drop in a couple of months.Till then I can make do with my current phone".

Step 7 : Check the price of the phone again in 2 months.See a strikeout on the 20k price tag & an offer badge next to it.(Enjoy the moment).
Scroll down to find the new price,Rs. 19,499 and a case free !
Start off a series of swears.(Language no barrier).

Step 8 : Check for the next best phone.Say to yourself,"Hmmm .. maybe the prices will drop in a couple of months.Till then I can make do with my current phone".

Step 9 : Check the price of the phone again in 2 months.See a strikeout on the 15k price tag.(Enjoy the moment).
Scroll down to find the new price,Rs. 10,499.
Find the "out of stock" label next to it.
Start off a series of swears.(Language no barrier)

Step 10 : Look at your current phone and ponder as to why you need a new phone.
After some deep thought,reach on a consensus that you have absolutely no reason to buy a new phone.

Step 11 : Check the leaked images of a new cellphone about to be released in a couple of days.Go gaga over the blurry images.
Go to step 1.

A year on ..

Last year,this day,I was a different person.

A naive fellow,who was just done with his graduation,finished all the sitcoms,movies and games on his portable,who couldn't wait to start working in the IT industry.IT industry at that time was like a fairy tale,a 5 day week,8 hours of work,friday night parties with team and a handsome salary at the end of the month.Not to forget,the onsite opportunity in just a couple of years.Yes,thats what the guy had always imagined the IT industry to be like.Little did he know his life was going to turn turtle,and shatter his tale,in just a couple of months.

The first 3 months was just what I had imagined it to be.5 days of "work" a week,outing on weekends,hogging with friends,football,mafia,movies.And the best part,we were getting paid for it.Oh,how I loved those days.Little did I know that was the just the lull before the storm that was headed my way.

About a month into the training,we were asked to put in a preference for our base branches along with the stream of choice.Without even a moment's hesitation,I opted for Mumbai,and Java,the latter only because it the maximum seats for the former.At that moment,it seemed like the perfect choice.
Heck,I even tried my friends to opt for Mumbai and Java.But they were skeptical.I considered them as fools to let go off such an opportunity.
And since I was still living in the fairy tale world,I could see myself signing my visa papers in a couple of years,with that choice.
Looking back,I realize,I was just signing off my soul.

A year on,things have changed,drastically.Words no longer mean,what they used to.

KT:
KT is synonym with every engineer.No point in explaining !
Well,now it means the times when you need to sit after work and have your dose of knowledge transfer.

PL:
PL the month before exam,where the first 26 days were spent on movies,sitcoms and games,and the next 4 days searching/buying books and "trying" to study.
Now,it means the person who makes you work for 26 days,so that you realize the importance of the 4 days.

Deadline:
Deadline during engineering meant the day you need to start doing your work.
Now,it means the day you need to finish your work,get it tested,fix all the bugs and move it onto production.

Sleep:
The happiest time of your day,whether you were at your home,or in college.
Now,its a term,which is almost driven into oblivion.

But,somethings are still the same.
-All the good looking girls are in the other projects/buses/buildings and are committed.
-You still snooze your alarm and wake up to your mom's yelling.
-You still can't figure where your money goes.
-You hate what you do,and you wish you'd be doing something else.
-You still want to watch the next Himesss Resamiyaa movie.

All said and done,there are a couple of things I've learned over the year.
-Writing emails.
-How to get your work done.I've have mastered the art of 'cc'-ing a mail,and keeping people in the loop.
-Keyboard shortcuts and impeccable speed with alt+tab.
-Working with MS Excel.

If anything,this year has been an eye-opener,a preview of what your life is going to be.Lets hope I make mends with it.
Till then,I'll enjoy my first appraisal and hope some a good looking trainee joins my team. :)

No,nothing else matters

I didn't believe in love,but the moment I heard,"I Disappear",I knew I was in love with Metallica.Yes,it was love at first sight(or hear,if you may),and I've looked back since.The more I listened to them,the more I fell in love.Initially,I didn't get what the songs meant,I just loved the riffs.
But as time grew,I could relate myself to what they were trying to say.James Hetfield,you are a fucking genius.I can't understand how you can come with something so brilliant and still convey it with such ease.Not to take away any credit from Kirk Hammett,Lars,Cliff Burton,probably one of the best bass players,then the man who had to fill into the shoes of that person,Jason Newsted and of course,Robert Trujilo as well.

Anyway,its almost 12 years into this relationship and up and until the first 5-6 years,I thought listening to them was the best thing.It was then that I saw a couple of videos from S&M,that I realized,listening to them is nowhere close to the experience of watching them play.And eversince that day,there hasn't been a single day of my life where I haven't thought of them playing here in India.

I still remember having a discussion with my friend after watching a Big 4 video and my friend cribbing about the fact that how they'll never come to India.And to my amazement,just a week later,Robert Trujilo,uttered the words that I'd been dying to hear,".. and we'll be doing a gig in India".The following few days were just anxious waiting for confirmation on the news.And yes,this was no rumor as their website officially confirmed a tour in the "Uncharted Territory".
30th October was marked as my date with destiny.And the build up was nothing less than the gig itself,with friends sharing song of the day,cubicles overflowing with Metallica print-outs,frantic searching for t-shirts,bus tickets,plane tickets,deciding the place to stay,journey from the place to the venue.

28th October 2011 : Metallica cancels gig at Delhi,due to safety concerns.
Friends calling,depressed,nervous if Bangalore is going to the same as well.But me,I am all happy.
Why ? Because I wanted to attend THE FIRST GIG by Metallica in India,and with this news,I would be doing exactly that.(Am I Evil ? .. Yes I am !)

30th October 2011,D-Day and we were at the location and still hours before the gates would actually open,but who gave a fuck?Hours of pushing-shoving-false alarms of Metallica van-TV interviews later the gates were finally opened and we rushed as close as to the stage as we can.
After some "Safety First" tips came Inner Sanctum,and man were they good.Awesome beginning to the show.
Then came the party spoiler,whom I wont even mention.An hour later it was time of Biffy Clyro to awaken the dead crowd.And that they did to perfection.Ah,awesome music,rains and head-banging,it just kept getting better.But with all due respect Biffy Clyro,you played one too many songs!
Around 6.30,Biffy Clyro ends its setlist,signing off by saying,"15 years ago,we attended a gig at Glasgow and we saw Metallica perform,and it made us pick up the guitar and start making music"(Respect sir !)

Then came a Shinning White ESP Explorer,and was she sexy !And slowly the whole Metallica setup was on stage.Sound check in progress and we couldn't wait to just get a glimpse of them.30 mins .. 1 hour still no sign of them.Crowds getting restless.Fatigue starting to build up.Patience at stake !My friend turns up to me and says,how much more longer ?,and all I could say was,I've waited 12 years for this,I can wait more :)
People chanting swears.An hour and a half,and still no sign of them,and my friend turns up to me again,"Dude,now even you must be pissed !",and all I did was smile.

And then suddenly the screens lit up,I see Eli Wallach,yes its Ecstasy Of Gold.Yes,they are here !
30th October 2011,at around 8.00 pm,was the moment my dream was realized.Yes,I was there.To that sweet symphony,I saw 4 men walk onto the stage.This is no dream,this is my reality !
At that moment,Nothing Else Mattered.

And without wasting any time,they started off with Creeping Death.Drums which made my heart resonate on its beats,bass lines which hit me like a wall,solos that gave me a high,heavy riffs which made my head bang and lyrics which made me yell out of top of my voice,and I had officially attained Nirvana.There cannot be a more divine feeling than this for me.
With each song,the crowd kept getting louder and Metallica started getting happier.Oh I wasn't the only one in love at that moment.The whole place was in love.And Metallica sure as hell was in love with us.
Those 2.5 hrs were probably the best 2.5 hrs I've ever spent.If I could,I'd just stay there,forever.I had witnessed my Gods,live,playing the songs I've grown up listening to,with the people I've grown up,listening them with.Words cannot do justice to that day.

We didn't want them to go,neither did they want to leave us,such was our bond within those 2.5 hrs.If that isn't love,then what is ?

"So close,no matter how far
Couldn't be much more from the heart
Forever Trusting who we are
No,nothing else matters"

                       3.50 - 5.40 : This memory shall always remain !

Dude,you spoke to a girl !

Girls,Girls,Girls .. Thats all we think about !
But,no matter what,when it comes to talking to a girl,we all are sissies !
Having the guts to approach a random chick and just say "Hi",and live to tell the tale,makes a you a God amongst your friends.

"Dude,you spoke to a girl !",is a ubiquitous sentence in a guy's life,but in each phase,it means a different thing altogther !

Phase 1 : The BlunderYears
This is the phase of a guy's life when he is surrounded by hot wheels and g.i.joes!
Girls are the last thing on a guy's mind,and the thought of being friends with one is way behind that.They are like our enemies !

And the day he is caught signing a peace treaty with one of them,all his friends will say is,"Dude,you spoke to A girl ?",emphasizing on the fact you've sinned,by betraying your own.

This probably the only phase in a guy's life where a girl approaches a guy,and the guy says,"No,thank you !"

Phase 2 : Teenage Years
Up and until 12 yrs and 364 day and 23 hrs,59 mins and 59 secs of age,a girl to a guy is what Microsoft is to Apple.But the moment the clock strikes 12,and he officially becomes a teen,he has an epiphany,and he goes,"What the hell was I thinking all this while?"

Everything has to be somehow related to a girl.Girl is the word for us."Hi,I am blah .. Will you Fransheep me ?".Though this time its the girls chance to say,"No,thank you !"
They just wont bloody talk with us !(Probably payback from the childhood)

And the day he says,"You know,that cutie from the next class .. Her bag touched me,so she turned around and said sorry,and I said okay its",he suddenly becomes a demigod !

"Dude,you spoke to A girl !",over here means he actually managed to do what all of the others just think of doing,talking to 'A' girl.

Phase 3 : Desperado Years
After years miserable failure,we become desperate for success.We dream about scoring the hottest babe in college,when in fact we are bonkers over the shy girl,on the first bench.We make up stories about how we spoke with her,how we are in the same classes(though she never notices you,and always hangs out with a senior),till the day you have a drink too many,and cry your heart out,and state the facts.Its the time when the wiser bud says,"Grow a pair dude,tell her how you feel.The other one is a bitch,don't screw your life over her !"

And the day you tell them you poured your heart out in front of her,they'll say,"Dude,you spoke to THE girl !",stressing on the fact that you managed to talk to 'THE' girl you wanted to talk to.

Phase 4 : Committed Years
Ah,the committed guy,a guy whose monthly phone bill is greater than his pocket money,whose weekends are defined by watching the crappiest of the romantic flicks(and still loving it),and visits to the coffee shop.Its a bliss when you aren't that guy(spare a thought for the poor guy,though).

Its time again for the wiser bud to step up and say,"What the fuck is wrong with you man ?You didn't come for the match,neither did you turn up the time we all went drinking",and all the poor guy can say is,"She wanted to shop,she had made plans already,sorry".
"Grow a pair,tell her to shop with her girl friends.You belong here,amongst the buds".

The few who manage to grow a pair,end up being single,and end up crying their hearts out yet again,over the same girl,in front of the same people,having the same drink,and all they get is "Dude,you spoke to the girl !"

Phase 5 : Denial Years(Applicable only for the ones who broke up in the previous phase)
"I hate girls,I'll never speak to one again,ever!",somehow makes its way into every second sentence uttered.This is the phase where the guy starts to listen to songs like,"Dust in the Wind",shaves once a month,doesn't give a shit of anybody,and doesn't even know what the hell is doing.
All he knows is he'll never speak to a girl again,and all he wants to do is drink with his buddies.And all his buddies can't help but think about the fact that he's more pain in the ass now than he was when he was committed.

This is until one fine day,a girl cutie will come up and ask,"Bhaiya,time kya hua ?" and all he can do is say,"Bahut accha",and the guy is back to his desperado phase.This time though,no wise guy tells him not to carry the shopping bags.

"Dude,you spoke to A girl !",emphasizing on the fact that,the same guy who used to recite the pharse,"I'll never speak to a girl,ever again",actually asked a girl out !

Phase 6 : Married Years
And so,the guy finally manages to settle down with the girl of his dreams.He has a wonderful life,everything is a Cinderella Story,and one fine day,an intern joins in the office,and the whole office drools over her.

He sits with his friends,talking about how others in the office make a desperate attempt to grab her attention(including himself,though he'll not mention that),and how he used to be so subtle back in his day.Everyone laughs it off,and tell him shes out of his league,even in his day.But the guy sees it as a challenge to his manhood,and one fine day calls her and with every iota of manhood on stake,he says,"Excuse me,whats the time?"

And just to cut some slack on the poor guy,they tell him,"Dude,you spoke to THAT girl !",stating that he still has it in him.

The Visionary

Its not often that you feel sadden by the demise of someone not related to you by blood.
Its not often that you wake up on a beautiful day,and feel sad.

Its not often that wherever you look,its the same news floating around.

Its times like these,that you know the world has lost a a great man,a visionary.Alas,today was one such day.

Jobs' life wasn't a fairy tale.He wasn't a child born with a silver spoon in his mouth,he earned it.He earned his life,the respect of all.That's what sets him apart.

He always believed in changing the status quo,and believe me did it.
It is this man's belief that computers can be a part of each house,that right now you own one.Hell,he even convinced IBM,who believed that computers were only meant for offices.And he even had the balls to "Welcome IBM" to the PC market,and make them believe what he believed in.
Jobs took what Xerox had,and took to a different level altogether.He believed in the success and he sure made it simpler for us.

It is the Mac-Windows war in the 80s that the computer has evolved to what it is now.Always trying to get the better out of each other,it was the consumers who always benefited.

He was driven out of the company he build,by the person he hired.But did that stop him?No !
He created NeXT,the roots of which are now used in OS X and iOS as well.

He changed the way movies were made,with Pixar.He pushed CGI to its limits.

All this while his brain child,Apple was going into drains.They had no other option but to call him back.And he didn't say no.Not only did he join,he brought the company back to where it belonged,with the iMac.
Years later,he revolutionized the personal audio industry with the iPod.He didn't "invent" it.He just took what existed and made it into something which was worthwhile.Thats the guys vision.

Soon after,Apple Inc. was back amongst the riches,all thanks to this man.But that didn't stop this guy.

He brought in the iPhone,which completely changed the way smartphones were made.Again,he didn't "invent" it.Smartphones existed,touchscreens existed,but,they never co-existed.He integrated all the great platforms into a one single device.Now,almost all smartphones are based on the same platform.
Again,we as consumers are benefited by this ever-growing competition.

He then took over the tablet world by storm,with the launch of iPad.Again,tablets did exist before the launch of iPad,but they truely came into being post the iPad.The iPad has come to a point where PC manufacturers fear it'll drive the PC market into oblivion.

And he didn't stop there.He kept making these devices more better and user-friendly.
Every WWDC,keynote was the event of the year,to understand what the future lies in store for us.

He IS the Da Vinci of technology.I can't imagine the world the world of technology without this man's brilliance.

He pushed the limits of his worker,too.He made them think,he made them work.He made them make his dream a reality.He was a leader.

Though he was often described as arrogant and petulant,at work as well as in personal life.Sure,he was.He did things which had no explanation.But then again,who doesn't? He is just like us,a human being,after all.What set him apart was the way he changed the world.

It was a sad day to see him step down as the CEO of Apple,for somewhere I felt no-one could think like he did,no-one could innovate like him.Still the fact that he was on the board of directors,gave a glimmer of hope.

The keynote a couple of days back was not the same without Jobs.I missed the man in the black turtle neck.I missed the guy telling me why I need to buy this product,why its better than the others.The same location where he revealed the iPod 10 years ago,wasn't the same without his presence.Something felt missing.

And today,to wake up to the news of his demise was really sad.Somewhere,the revolution in technology has also died,for his innovation and ideas is what propelled the market.Sure there,will be thinkers,but none like him.He will be missed.
Goodbye Mr.Jobs.Thanks for everything.You made the world a better place.You will always be one of the reason,geeks are the way they are.You will always be one of the reasons why I love technology so much.

I hope one day I'll join the legacy of 1 Infinite Loop.Bless me sir.

"Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do .. "

The Last Day ..

And so the day had dawned,the day I was praying for since I got my joining,and the day I was hoping would not turn up since the past month or so. 

Woke up to sound of my roommate's alarm,cursed him yet again and tucked myself in for 10 more minutes of tranquility.Woke up finally,got ready for what was going to be the final day.Frantically knocking on the bathroom door and yelling "Abbe bahar aa,kitna time le raha hai ?!","Oye tie ka knot banake de","Shaving cream de yaar","Polish hai kya tere pass?","Iron kahan pe chupake rakha hai ?",neighbours coming running to use the loo and cursing their roomies for taking too long,had soon become a day-to-day thing.Enjoyed those banters for one last time,took some snaps of the place we called home for quite sometime now,entered the out time for the whole floor,and we were off.One thing we always decided on,but never really happened was a photograph of those "working professionals".Well,this was the day for it.Clicking photos from every possible angle,with every person in sight,we almost forgot that we were supposed to report to office ! 
Taking the "short-cut" route,we sprinted towards the office as reaching late and having to lose half a day's salary was not something we really wanted. 

Having been done with the submissions,tests,we wondered what was going to be our last day all about.Some were still busy with java,some checking out the class photos,some reminiscing about the past two and a half month,which was a sheen  on an otherwise charred life.As the appointment letters were being handed out,some prayed to experience certainty for once,and not have their base branch changed,while others were desperate to experience uncertainty,for one final time,and be posted to their hometown. 

At lunch,the thought that we were having the oil laden food for the last time brought a smile on everyone's face.This was probably the only good thing about us leaving the place.But,whatever be the condition food,the whole experience of having lunch at that place with those people was surely going to be missed.Irritating friends by singing Tinku Jiya,watching Sunny Deol songs on 9X,yelling out "Maaza tujhaya haatat aahey",checking out the girls was surely an experience of its own. 

Post lunch,we were told to assemble in the auditorium,where the higher authorities were supposed to address us for one last time.Having being aware of the fact,we quickly occupied the last few rows and dozed off.The top achievers were called upon and awarded 'gems'.Though the real deal of the day was the song written by our fellow batch-mates,describing the time spent there.The song was composed to perfection,as every individual present there,could relate to every line being sung. 
A good bye and all the best,and the 200 individuals were left alone in the auditorium.The poor CRs were left with a few last minute chores,and the useless individuals(yours truly included),were wiling away their time singing their anthem,Tinku Jiya,to their beloved mumma.As if that wasn't enough,we started singing it in different tunes,further horrifying the experience for mumma.Man,thats life ! 
Uncensored,uncut,straight from the heart sessions of Ice-Cream with Ishan and Chaas with Prasad were to follow suit. 

End of the day,a phrase which usually brings a smile to an individual,brought tears this time around.Tears,hugs,good-byes were all around,as this was that all of us were together."I love you,man","These were the best days","We'll surely meet again","Be in touch",were the only sentences people could come up with. 

The hardest walk probably of our lives,as we walked the same old road,stared at the same buildings,noticed the same nilgai,before finally reaching the same old hostel.On our way back,we decided to enjoy a last meal at one of our favourite restaurants.Quickly rushing back,I packed my bags and called up my Goan family for a last good bye.Otherwise garrulous individuals were at loss for words,as we were counting our last few moments together.A quick photo session and our rides were here.A last round of hugs and we were off,and all I could think about was,"Why was this supposed to end now?". 
Chocolate Boy joined us at the station.We laughed and joked and bitched about people.We cursed this place and still cribbed over the fact that we are going miss this place. 

The train honked and set in motion.We waved out and bid adieu to the place,marking the end of the journey.The journey which started on 11th December 2010,with the words,"Please dont make me board this train",ended on 23rd February 2011,with the words "Please dont make me board this train". 

Arrivederci Ahmedabad. 

Enough is enough

Yet another terror attack,lives lost,no clue on who is behind the attacks,investigations under way,and all we get is a salute to the spirit of Mumbai ?

Seriously man,grow up! Be in our shoes for a day.

You are working,and suddenly a there are people talking about an explosion.You go online,till then theres another one.You confirm the news,and you realise its not one,not two,but three explosions.You check the places,you realise that your near and dear are present there,at that time.You try to call them,you cant get through,because the networks are jammed.You try calling your home,to no avail.There you are,sitting in your office,clueless about things happening around,and you feel helpless.You can't do anything but wait,wait till someone calls you and says,"We are all right over here".You heart-rate doubles,you wanna just hear that person's voice,but you cant.

Do you ever feel you'd have to experience the same?

NO !

Why ?

Because you travel in a bulletproof car,with state-of-the-art 24x7 security,funded by OUR HARD-EARNED MONEY.

You dont have to worry about being on a train,or waiting for a bus,or getting into a cab.Neither do you have to worry about your loved ones being anywhere in the proximity of the same.

For once imagine your kid is supposed to be in college,following his usual routine.You hear about a blast in the area,and you are not sure if you kid is still there,or if he/she is home.You try to call,networks jammed.You try to call home,same thing.

Godforbid if you lose a dear one,would you still sit there and say "I salute the spirit of Mumbai.Lets get back to our normal routine and show them how it didnt affect us."

People have lost their sense of security.You never know if you'd reach home back at night,when you leave in the morning.When you hear about a blast in a bus/train,you are still forced to take the same bus/train your way back home.You have your heart in your mouth.You pray and wish the bus/train isn't rigged to blow up.You don't know if the bag right above you is someone's luggage or a ticking time-bomb.

Ironically,the safest individual in Mumbai is someone who proved that Mumbai isn't safe.He is living a regal life,funded by taxpayers.

Why is he still there?

Ever imagined how a person who lost their dear one because of such a person feels when they realise he is still alive ? 

All the working individuals out there,what if you don't do your work promptly,does your boss just sit there?

He doesn't,right ?

So why are we just sitting there ?

I might know much on the working,but there are individuals who do.

There should be transparency in the system.We want to know where our tax money is going.

We want to feel secure.We need peace of mind that we are travelling in a bus/train,not a hearse.