"Magic Carpet Ride..."

Nah I didn't find any lamp or genie or the fabled magic carpet. I was just fortunate enough to avail one of the technological marvels of the twentieth century made more accessible to the common man with the introduction of low fare airlines in India. Yes I had my very first flight experience and man was it exciting (although the build up to the event wasn't).

Normally the reporting time for any flight is not more than 3 hours but I had to reach the airport 15 hrs in advance. Welcome to God's own country where even though the courts have declared a ban on 'bandhs', gross violation of this ban happens by calling 'hartals' (frankly I don't see any difference between the two). So anyways I reached the airport at 10 the previous night and rented a room (needless to say the rent was hiked by 100% on account of the hartal). By the way did I fail to mention that the day I came to Trivandrum was also graced by a hartal by the shopkeepers association. I slept for as long as I could so that I would have less time to while away waiting for the flight.

I was travelling by Air Deccan which is famous (or rather infamous) for its long delays. But God seemed to be smiling on me coz this time around everything went according to schedule. There is a free seating policy so I found myself a nice window seat.

Let me cut to the chase. Speed thrills me and I got a new meaning to the words power and acceleration. Its just an amazing feeling to be flying above the clouds (almost spiritual). For a moment I felt as if the plane was just standing still in mid air (which of course is impossible by the very basic principles that govern flight). If a commercial flight can do this to me I can't wait to get into a fighter jet plane (yeah I wish).

There is no place like B'bay and more so home. I caught up with a few friends of mine. One of the important issues I had come to take care of was to get Mahek (my bike) transported to Trivandrum and so I did. Recently we fitted my roomie's wheels with a kickass audio system. Its not too high end but the speakers from Lightning Audio (Rockford) coupled with the head piece from Pioneer do an awesome job (it should considering the fact that it set him back by 13 grands). Finally my CDs have been put to some good use.

So far we have visited just 2 beaches in Kerala, Varkala and Kollam and I am starting to love it (except for the part where sand gets into my jeans and I gotta wash it too)

"The Month that was..."

So much stuff has happened in my life after the last blog entry that I really don't know from where to start. For starters let me update you with my current geographical position. I am posted in Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum for the uninitiated), the capital of God's own country - Kerala. Now most of my friends might be thinking "How the hell can he be so happy about it?" But I've accepted it as my destiny and now I am trying to get the best out of the current situation.

I completed my fast track training at Mysore and managed to get a CGPA of 4.66 (yeah I know its not much but enough to get me a TPI of 12.5%). Lets not delve too much in the details but what it means is that this will provide me with my petrol money. After the comprehensive examinations we were left with so much free time that we didn't know what to do. I utilised this time to roam explore the campus in detail and have as much fun as possible.

Casino Royale was screened one more time and I went for it again (this makes the total count 3). Kabul express was another movie that we saw. Had a few extended lunches at the floating restaurant (it was a parting gesture) with my friends. Quality time was spent with the new friends we had made over the course of the training.

Here comes the best part. We went for a trip to Kodaikanal. It was totally a spur of the moment kind of decision. I was sound asleep after having a sumptuous lunch on Saturday afternoon when one of my friend calls up and asks me to be ready to go on a trip to Coorg. On the way the Mysore bus stand the destination changes to Ooty. One of my friend informs us that it takes 3 hrs to reach Ooty and 3.5 hrs for Kodaikanal. People in our group are adamant that Kodaikanal is a better place and since the time difference ain't much (which we realised to be so not true to our dismay) we should opt for Kodaikanal.

So after much debate we decide to hire a Sumo (did I mention we were 10 of us not including the driver) for Kodaikanal. As luck would have it the driver was a new chap and it was his first trip to Kodaikanal as well. We left at 8pm and after a few wrong turns here and there and stops for short naps by the driver, we finally reached our destination at 7:30 am on Sunday. After freshening up we went sight seeing. We decided to leave by 2pm so as to reach Mysore by atleast 11 pm (yes it takes 9 hrs as opposed to the 3.5 hrs as we thought). This meant that we had a total of 4 hrs to take in the sights and beauty of Kodaikanal.

This radical decision was taken as we were scheduled to travel to our respective posting locations by Monday noon. We skipped a lot of places and the entire sight seeing process was similar to the Mumbai Darshan tours (the only consalation I could offer the girls was that they would be back here for their honeymoon trips with their hubby... hehehe). We finally left Kodaikanal at 3pm. The ghats took a toll on some and they became the victims of motion sickness.

The return trip was longer than expected. The distance seemed to keep on increasing as we moved forward. Finally we reached our Campus on Moday morning at 6:30 am (obviously we stopped for some time to let our driver take a short nap since we had to reach the campus only by morning as we had missed the night deadline of 12 pm). The total stats show that we spent almost 27 hrs to travel as opposed to the 4 hrs that we actually spent sight seeing. All in all it was a trip memorable for reasons more than one.

I packed my stuff within half an hour with some help by Bosco and Roshan and dashed towards the Reception block where our transport to Mysore station was waiting. A few tearful goodbyes later we were on our way to our respective destinations. The train journey from Mysore to Bangalore and then to Trivandrum was great. We spent most of the time laughing and having a good time (and that too with people with whom I had never even spoken before even though they were in my same class). The initial one week's stay was at the Infosys guesthouse after which we moved into our rented house.

Yesterday my friend and roomie, Irshad took delivery of his new Alto. Over the weekend he has gone to this home and left his bike (Yamaha Enticer) for my use (cool na). Next weekend I'm flying home to get my Mahek (my bike) to Trivandrum.

I failed to mention the most important thing. After one week on the bench, I'm assigned to a project. We'll be working with Websphere Commerce Server. This requires 2 GB of Ram and as a perk we've be given 24 Hrs net access (thats why I am able to post this entry now).

"Playing the role of a Film Critic..."

Yeah I was bored with being the regular movie goer (not that I was a regular at that) so I decided to don the role of a Film Critic... I saw two movies over the period of two weeks at our very own Infosys Adlabs Multiplex (where else can you watch a movie for 45 bucks and enjoy true dolby experience on BOSE AV systems...lucky me).

I went with a lot of scepticism for Casino Royale. I was not at all convinced with the idea of Daniel Craig mouthing that immortal line..."The name's Bond, James Bond". With all the bad press the movie had garnered I would be lying if I said I was not biased while watching the movie, but thats exactly where he gained points. In spite of all odds stacked against him he still managed to shine brilliantly.

He reminds me of Sir Sean Connery in his hey days, the same charm, cockiness and smooth style. The movie has managed to give a more humane dimension to Bond. There is less emphasis on gadgets (I still miss that part) with the demise of Q but nevertheless Bond manages to make the best use of resources available to him in a convincing manner. Both the Aston Martins were definitely what I was yearing to see more of . And in the very end Daniel Craig mouths those lines which signifies that this is just the begining of what is yet to come. (Oh yeah I failed to mention that I watched this movie twice.)

Dhoom2 was the most eagerly awaited release and I must say it was pathetic. You should really love any one of the lead actors that much to shell out even those 45 bucks. Its all style and glitz. Ash should stop trying to act as well as trying to look cool. Abhishek shouldn't dance (unless its steps similar to what he did in Bluffmaster).

Hrithik was good enough (except for those intense senti scenes). Bipasha has loads of oomph and no one can deny that. I regret to say this but it was Uday Chopra's humor that made the movie a bit bearable. Somebody please tell our film people that we do watch Hollywood movies and if they are trying to imitate stunts then please add some element of sensibility into it.

"The Fast and The Furious : Mysore Drift..."

No I didn't get the title wrong... Actually we went go-karting yesterday at a place called Planet X just 4Kms outside Mysore. Its supposedly the biggest go-karting track in Karnataka. It sure is big and cheap too, just 120 bucks for 10 laps or 10 mins whichever is earlier. Of course with the lap times we clocked, we were on the track for a little over 7 mins (this meant that we had to do it for a second time).

It felt so good to lay my hands on something gasoline powered after such a long time (3 weeks is a really long time for a speed junkie like me). Now to the fun part... we were drifting in the carts. The track had really nice curves (the concrete surface and the bald racing tires further helped the drift). The best lap time for the track is 35 secs and we got to only about 42 secs. So you know what this means... We'll be back there the next weekend to better it .

P.S: If you don't know what "drifting" means then this post isn't meant for you...

"I'm still alive..."

For those of you who have been scouring the newspapers for my obituary here's some pleasant (or unpleasant, as per your choice) news, I am still very much alive and kicking ass. I am here in the Infosys campus at Mysore, where my fast track training has started in full swing.

The trip from Mumbai to Mysore was pleasant and uneventful (except for the arm ache I got by lugging the heavy suitcase around). Mayank was at his usual best in terms of punctuality and hence I told him not to come to the station. After two days of induction sessions (boring presentations and lots of forms to be filled) we had the screening test which sealed our fates. Milind and I got into Fast Track. Rest of the DBITians are in the Long Cycle.

"Cycle" reminds me to tell you about the campus. Its awesome, huge, extremely well maintained and environment friendly to say the least. Every bit of land is covered with lush grass, Buildings are spacious with water bodies around to avoid the formation of heat islands. The house keeping staff is very meticulous in its work. My shoe soles are still black, I guess this conveys the message clearly. There are cycles to go about the campus. The terrain is hilly and I am sure to have well toned thighs and calf muscles by the time I return.

Week days are hectic and most of the time is spent in the Global Education Center (also known as the University of Infosys). I come back to my hostel room only to sleep. Rest of the time is spent in the 3 Food Courts and the Employee Care centre which houses the recreational facilities, 24X7 laundromat, Hair Salon and yeah the supermarket (and like a fool I lugged everything from Mumbai). Weekends are meant to enjoy and I am doing just that. I am sorry about not being able to post pics here.

On the training front everything is great. I am getting so comfortable with the LCD monitors that I won't be able to go back to the CRT monitors. Bose AV systems are everywhere. Class rooms are huge with a seating capacity of 180 with individual systems. Two projectors make sure everyone gets to see what the Facilitator is talking about. I finished my Programming Fundamentals module last Thursday and barely managed to score 97%...Looking forward towards the next module.

Last weekend I had been to the Bangalore DC (Development Center), which is also the corporate head quarters of Infosys. We were celebrating the 25 years of Infosys. The Sa Re Ga Ma little champs gave their performance followed by Sonu Nigam's concert but what enthralled me was the talk by our Chief Mentor NRN (Mr Narayan Murthy). Also I was mesmerized by a sweet angel by the name of Gunjan Singh (of Bally Sagoo's Noorie remix fame) who sang just three songs and left me wanting for more (again I regret not clicking a snap while I had the chance). Had a ball of a time with Mayank and his friends. Couldn't meet Utkarsh though (even Mayank has just met him once and he has been there for about 4 months now).

I also came to know one more interesting fact about myself... I walk at a speed of about 20Kmph... How did I realize that? Well thats a long story which is better kept for some other time.

"Branded Jeans..."

Today I bought the first pair of branded jeans with my own hard earned money and boy I love the feeling. Till now most of my branded denims were courtesy of my bro (and I thank him dearly for that). I didn't actually go with the intention of purchasing one but then the moment I laid my eyes on it I knew it was the perfect pair (also the Doom 2 cargos which I wanted were ridiculously expensive).

Coming back to the jeans, its a new line from Pepe called "Seventy three". These aren't antique jeans from the year 1973 but they have managed to stone wash them to attain that look (and I must say they have done a darn good job). Even the borders of the pockets and legs have those worn out look.

Needless to say it attracted the ridicule of my folks who insisted that I shouldn't have wasted money on a used piece of clothing. All said and done, I just love this pair...  

"Nostalgia..."

I walk back in time, towards the large gates.
Walk past the lifeless canteen, with no one to shout.
Peep into the empty classes, missing the screams of joy.
Stand at the tree, where a hundred love was declared and broken.
The sleeping drawing halls and reading rooms.
Looking at the dead PCs and the silent printers.
A single tear escapes my eyes,
And falls on the emptiness of the long corridors.
My mind races in thought.
Alone I stand as I realize its all over.
Yes its all over!

- Joel Rodrigues -                              
                               

Saturday was the fateful day when the whos who of BEComps 06 (at least those who are still in Mumbai) chose to go back in time. Yeah we went back to those familiar environs of our college. It was a wonderful oppurtunity for me to catch up with friends before I leave for Mysore and needless to say for those few hours we felt as if we are still students. Many of you, dear friends, were terribly missed. Hope you too can make it the next time around.

"How much for a Head..."

Before I go any further, I would like to let you know that I bought my helmet due to my father's insistence and it was stowed away for almost a year (during this period many many long distance rides had been undertaken) before the Helmet rule came into effect and I started wearing it.

The astounding rates of fatalities in accidents involving two wheelers and a PIL forced the HC to take notice and implement the Helmet Rule. This is not a new rule but one that has been around for years (only no one usually bothers about its actual implementation though). People thought of it as just another trick of the Helmet manufacturer's lobby and the Traffic Police to rake in some extra moolah (and indeed they did earn handsomely in the process).

Its been almost two years now and still I see majority of the riders without a helmet and even the ones who have, dutifully leave it hanging on the handle bar. As if the handle bar needs the protection in case of an accident, not their head (on second thoughts people who do so probably won't be having anything inside worthwhile to protect). You can always go the shop and ask for a new handle bar to replace the busted one but what will you do for your head?

I have heard all sorts of crazy excuses for not wearing a helmet but I have just one to counter all those..."Its your LIFE at stake buddy!" Think about it and ride safe. 

"Child Labour..."

Everyday I see advertisements on the TV declaring a ban on Child Labour from October 14, 2006. Although I don't support exploitation via child labour I am forced to think from the other side of the fence too. Its true that children are being forced to work under inhumane conditions in numerous sweatshops across the world. This exploitation must definitely be stopped by all means possible. Their innocence and childhood must be protected.

But then is a total ban the right solution? People tend to mature faster when faced with emotional turmoils and harsh realities. So is the case of the homeless children. They need employment to earn and thus sustain themselves. There are plenty of cases where such children have worked hard and reached great heights. There are employers who make sure that these chidren attend nightschools. Plus earning a livelihood contributes to the building of character and self respect.

Whats gonna happen now is that those children who have been earning a livelihood till now will suddenly be jobless. Chances are very high that they'll take the easy way out and turn to crime. "Criminals are not born but forced by circumstances". Do we really need this to happen?

If the government wants to ban child labour go ahead but make sure they have alternate solutions in place. Proper foster homes and education facilities are the top priorities. Decrease the age limit covered by the ban and better still monitor the juveniles and their employers to make sure they are not exploited.

A knee jerk reaction decision is not the need of the hour but foresight, planning and effective implementation.

"Oops I did it again..."

I had made it a point to post atleast once a week but now its been 13 days since my last post. Its not if I was too busy with work and all but I simply had no work to do. The people at Vistaar are too busy with a scheduled release for the 19th of this month and hence they seem to have forgotten about us freshers. Its for the same reason that our tech training has been postponed indefinitely.

So you may ask "What the hell have you been doing all this while?". Well we have a 2Mbps connection over here with no domain or site restrictions of any kind. They trust us not to violate their confidence (movie downloads are definitely out of the question). So I have been checking my mails, orkutting and gobbling up article after article on wiki (some technical articles but mostly about cars, movies, sitcoms and other tech stuff). And yeah some tutorials on Java as mentioned in my previous post.

Finally after more than a month of fiddling around (and getting paid in the process) I was assigned to work on a project for our sister concern Row2 Technologies. I was excited (since this would be the first time I would be working with JSP and EJB) and all geared up to begin work only to be let down to know that I was not granted access permissions to the server. So yesterday I dashed off a mail to the concerned persons and am still waiting for the feedback.

Looks like I am not destined to begin actual work in Vistaar coz just day before yesterday I got that well awaited email from Infy asking me to join for training in Mysore on November 20, 2006. And its not just me, there is a whole bunch of DBITians coming down to Mysore with me... Bosco, Prajakta Jabade, Lyceca, Roshan, Sneha Abraham, just to name a few. Looks like I'll be back in college again.

"Practical vs Impractical..."

Its normally agreed that women listen to their hearts whereas men are ruled by their brains (though that doesn't always imply rational thinking). Men won't bargain (atleast not a lot) but women do. That seems practical enough considering that you want to save money. But then again they will bargain for (and buy) stuff that they don't require at all. I have seen scores of females spend fat amounts to buy stylish handbags (hardly large enough to accomodate their wallet and mobile) and then lug around polythene covers to carry their books to college.

Does that mean that men are not impractical? Not at all... Men lust over the latest gizmos and powerful cars. If your primary need is to get from point A to point B then a Maruti 800 will do the job but then we always eye a Porsche 911. (I am still wondering how a motorhead like me can comeup with such a ridiculous sounding statement). Men will never stop and ask for directions while driving but will prefer to drive around till they exhaust their fuel supply (so much for being practical).

I know this post has an abrupt ending but I really have to get back to work...So catch ya later.

"Letter to Dad..."

A father passing by his teenage daughter's bedroom was astonished to see the bed was nicely made and everything was neat and tidy. Then he saw an envelope propped up prominently on the centre of the pillow. It was addressed "Dad". With the worst premonition, he opened the envelope and read the letter with trembling hands:

Dear Dad,

It is with great regret and sorrow that I'm writing you, but I'm leaving home. I had to elope with my new boyfriend Randy because I wanted to avoid a scene with Mom and you. I've been finding real passion with Randy and he is so nice to me. I know when you meet him you'll like him too - even with all his piercing, tattoos, and motorcycle clothes.

But it's not only the passion Dad, I'm pregnant and Randy said that he wants me to have the kid and that we can be very happy together. Even though Randy is much older than me (anyway, 42 isn't so old these days is it?), and has no money, really these things shouldn't stand in the way of our relationship, don't you agree?

Randy has a great CD collection; he already owns a trailer in the woods and has a stack of firewood for the whole winter. It's true he has other girlfriends as well but I know he'll be faithful to me in his own way. He wants to have many more children with me and that's now one of my dreams too. Randy taught me that marijuana doesn't really hurt anyone and he'll be growing it for us and we'll trade it with our friends for all the cocaine and ecstasy we want. In the meantime, we'll pray that science will find a cure for AIDS so Randy can get better; he sure deserves it!!

Don't worry Dad, I'm 15 years old now and I know how to take care of myself. Someday I'm sure we'll be back to visit so you can get to know your grandchildren.

Your loving daughter,
Rosie.

At the bottom of the page were the letters "PTO". Hands still trembling, her father turned the sheet, and read:

PS: Dad, none of the above is true. I'm over at the neighbour's house. I just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in life than my report card that's in my desk centre drawer. Please sign it and call when it is safe for me to come home. I love you!

I am sure most of you must have come across this mail before. I particularly like the creativity shown by the girl for putting things into perspective for her Dad. Thats why I decided to share it with you all. Try this with your folks, but soley at your own risk.

"A weekend for Infy..."

The day I was selected for Vistaar, after a gruelling process of aptitude tests and 3 personal Interviews (one hour each), I had more surprises in store for me. Just when I had given up hope of getting a call from Infosys to appear for their test (the recent mails of resume sent to them were bouncing off their servers), there it was, a mail from freshers@infosys.com asking me to appear for the test to be held on 10th September. I was given an option of 5 centres out of which Pune was the closest one.

Saturday: I was still not decided on when to leave for Pune. The first bus from Mumbai leaves only by 5 am and it takes almost 4 hours (as opposed to the 2.5 hours I thought) to reach Pune. And I had to report at the test centre by 8:30. As luck would have it I came to know about a cousin of mine who stays in Pune. A phone call later it was decided I would have to leave mumbai by 2 to reach there before dark (it was already 11 am). I hurried about to get my documents xeroxed and pasport sized photos taken (thank God for instant digital prints).

I packed in the bare essentials, threw on a pair of jeans and tshirt and packed in a formal shirt. I thought the interview would be on the same day or else I would convince them to postpone mine to the next weekend (as I had to be in Mumbai on Monday to report for the training on Monday). Mom asked me to pack in an extra pair of trousers just in case (and I thank her for that).

Went to Thane and caught the Asiad Bus for Pune at 2:30. Travel via expressway is a delight but roads in Pune are no better than the ones over here. Anyways I reached Pune by 7 and my cousin had come to pick me up.

Sunday: Being a Mumbaikar I was confident enough to travel anywhere provided I knew the bus numbers. I had obtained information about the bus numbers from the net. But the ground reality in Pune is very different. The PCMT buses don't display the numbers (at least not legibly enough) and one has to rely on the encrypted names written in red on white background (making them very hard to read).

Anyways I caught a bus to Swargate and a ric from there to the test centre in Bibwewadi. I reached there by 7:30 (much before the stipulated time as usual). At 8:30 we were called to form lines for entering the test centre (It was then that I realised the huge number of people who had come there. There were approximately 1500 people present there that morning.)

There is an application form to be filled with your details. Carry your passport along (if you have one) and also names and details of two "professional" references (this excludes family and friends). I didn't carry any of these with me. The test pattern is the same, 1 hr logical reasoning test (almost 7 out of 10 logical puzzles were repeated from previous papers) and 30 mins english test. I don't know the criteria for selection but at the end of the day only 137 were selected.

The results were supposed to be declared by 2:30 but it was 5 pm when it finally came out (so be patient enough for the long wait). The interview was scheduled for the next day at 1 pm at the Infosys campus in Hinjewadi. This put me in a lurch since I had no place to stay (my cousin was going back to Ratnagiri). Luckily I had bumped into a guy who was from mumbai but had done his engg from Pune University. He was staying with his friends at Anand Nagar and invited me to join him. I readily took up the offer.

This was my first taste of bachelor life and it made my decision of not leaving Mumbai seem even more wiser (but still I guess I need this experience to be more mature and independent. If Infy happens I'll definitely take it up). We made some enquiries about the best mode of transport and decided to leave next morning at 10:30.

Monday: My jeans were totally soiled and my hopes of wearing it for the interview were crushed. Thankfully I had a pair of trousers with me. Strangely Pune was much more humind than Mumbai this time and I was sweating like a pig. This was the third day for my tshirt and it had began to stink (thankfully I still got the luxury of a bath everyday) but still I decided to wear it under my formal shirt (so as not to ruin the shirt with sweat) put on an ample quantity of colonge and dashed off.

The first 8-seater rick dropped us off on the Satara-Mumbai Highway. From there we caught another one for Chandni Chowk (no its not the one in Delhi) and from there another one to Wakad. I was keeping an eye out for roadsigns and had also asked the driver to inform us when we reach our destination. Fortunately when he stopped at one place I happend to see the signboard on the flyover directing us to Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park (our destination). We got down there thanking our luck and cursing the driver.

Now Infy Campus is a mere 1.5 Km from where we got down but the fares are decided based on which firm you are going to. So we ended up paying 40 bucks to reach there (compared to the less than 10 bucks fare we paid for each of the 8-seaters). The campus is huge and well maintained. The interviews had started at the stipulated time and the delay from the alloted time was not much to be impatient about. The interview lasts for hardly 15-20 mins and mostly consists of HR stuff and maybe a puzzle. I was not asked a puzzle (I don't know whether that is a good thing or bad).

I waited for my friend outside and he was finished by 3:30. His interview was the best one any fresher could give. We walked back to the highway. He was going back to his friends place and I had to catch a bus to Mumbai. I was approached by an agent and was about to book a ticket when I caught sight of an Asiad Bus with Pune-Mulund written on it. I couldn't believe my luck. I quickly bade good bye to my friend (I can never thank him enough for all the help provided) and boarded the bus.

Two vada pavs at the next stop stopped the growls coming from my stomach. The stretch comprising of the ghats were a lovely sight with mist everywhere. Next time if I have to travel to Pune, I am hoping to drive all the way. I hope this rather lengthy entry would make my friends, who have the Infy test on 24th here in Mumbai, realise how lucky they are. You have plenty of time so prepare well and hope to meet you all again but this time as Infy Employees.

"Java for me..."

As most of you all know Java is a hugely popular programming langauge and very much in demand in the industry for quite some time now. You must be under the impression that, being a computer engineer who spent 4 years (in normal cases) of his life studying technical stuff, one must be knowing java very well since it must have been an essential part of the syllabus. But Mumbai University begs to differ. It did include Java but only as a lab subject, which means there are no exams (or grades that matter significantly) and hence the students don't pay much attention to it.

There are lots of programming assignments involved over the course of 4 years which can be (or rather should be) done in Java, but alas the students (and even the teachers) prefer C or C++. I was determined to learn java on my own and on several occassions even got down to browsing through the numerous resources available over the net. But then there is so much happening in java that I didn't know where to start. Eventually the college assignments would catch up with me and I ended putting java on the back burner. Still the desire to learn never went out.

Now I've got the perfect oppurtunity. Since the past one week I've been going to office and I've got absolutely nothing to do (since the actual training will start only from coming monday, as there are some more guys coming in). I've been put into the development team which uses C++ and J2EE. So now it has become a necessity for me to be knowledgeable in java and I've stumbled across just the right tutorial. For all you guys who want to learn java I would strongly recommend this one. Its called Java Lecture Notes by Elliotte Rusty Harold. Its divided into 13 weeks, written in plain english with enough examples and excercises to try your hands on.

"Lessons for the teacher..."

My neighbour just bought a second hand car and since he has recently obtained his license, he asked me to give him some driving lessons. I gladly accepted the offer (what better way to spend my usually dull mornings). Now I've been driving since I was 16 (that gives me 8yrs of experience behind the wheel) and I must say I am pretty good. In fact driving has become like a reflex action for me.

The parking space around our apartment building is narrow and hence it takes very precise driving manoeuvres to get the car into its slot. Considering my expertise in this matter, he gladly handed over the keys to me (thinking his car is in safe hands). Now I am pretty careful (most of the times) but who knows what happened. I was negotiating this turn (taking care not to crash into the vehicle parked up front ), when all of a sudden I heard the sound of metal scraping.

Luckily for him (and unluckily for me) it was just a minor scrape and the paint had been scratched (nothing that a touch-up job can't fix). There was no dent or any metal damage. Sadly the only damage was to my reputation. I think its God's way of telling me not to get ahead of myself, to take it easy, never be over confident and always be cautious.

"Sex lies and.... Music Channels"

I would like to profusely thank Ms.****** for taking on the role of our moral custodian, filing a PIL and dragging the judiciary to ban all my favourite movie channels. Thanks to her efforts I am left with watching music channels (since I am not much interested in sports or news) with all its "non adult" content.

Music videos have the morally upright and clean content which is fit for children to watch along with their parents. After all watching sexy bombshells competing to do raunchier dance numbers with their clothes getting skimpier day by day seems to be much better than watching movies like Mrs. Doubtfire or A Beautiful Mind. A few beautiful kissing scenes between couples, where the script demands, in movies are definitely more vulgar than these item numbers where skin show is to such an extent that little is left for imagination.

As far as the shows like Desperate Housewives and Sex and the City are concerned then the broadcasters take care to screen them after 10. Shouldn't that be way past the bed time of school kids? Why only target these shows? As if the story lines of our so called "rooted in indian culture" saas-bahu serials are any better. There is blatant adultery, sleeping around, extra marital affairs and seduction in almost every show. The costumes have necklines deeper than the Mariana Trench showing ample skin (I dare not use the word "cleaveage" lest they should censor it).

Do they really think that kids get their dose of porn from Television? All I can say is I pity them for their ignorance. Anyways the good news is that I've been offered a position at a startup firm called Vistaar and in all probability I'll be joining from September, 1. Hopefully this would leave me with very less time to while away in front of the Idiot Box.

"Held at Ransom..."

This is exactly what it looks like. The police have confiscated the decoders from the cable operators and they in retaliation have blackened out all the channels. Where does that leave us consumers? We always get the short end of the stick in such situations. Almost everyone pays the annual subscription (in advance), so the cable operators are least bothered even if they don't provide the service for a few days. The police have made the cable operators the scapegoats to avoid the wrath of the judiciary. And the judiciary in its attempt to deliver justice had passed an order with no detailed instructions and specifications. The end result of all this is that its been snowing (at least on the television sets) in Mumbai from the past few days.

All this has thrust us back to the days when Doordarshan was the only channel available. What the judiciary seems to have overlooked is the fact that all television sets come with a remote or an alternate mechanism to change channels. God has been generous enough to bless mankind with the ability to make decisions and choose what is good and bad. If the lady who filed the public interest litigation is unable to control what her children watch then thats a problem she has to solve on her own (or other parents in such situations). Blackening out the entire entertainment channels is clearly not the answer.

What we watch on TV is our own concious decision. If a channel is screening adult films, then we do have the option of changing the channel (when else would an option of more than 100 channels come in handy) or switching it off. Nobody is forcing you to view such films or channels. Plus whatever happens is in the closed confines of one's house so why should anyone else be bothered about what goes on. The fact that such films are being screened clearly indicates that there is a demand from the viewers. Why infringe on their freedom just to hide your inability to deal with such reality?

"Freedom means..."

"Freedom means the liberty to pee anywhere I wish." This is exactly what I heard a young chap blurt out on stage at a youth meet some time back. I don't know whether it was his irreverence or total ignorance that made him state this but I am sure if our freedom fighters heard this they would turn over in their graves. Do we really take our freedom and security for granted? Our jawans bear the extreme conditions and put their lives on the line everyday for ensuring our way of life and is this how we repay them, by being totally selfish without even a hint of gratitude.

Over the period of time the meaning of freedom has undergone a lot of change. There was once a time when freedom was more than an ideology. The entire nation was united and ready to die for it. But today it means a politician can siphon off hundreds of crores of the tax payers money in scams and still enjoy z category security (which ironically the same tax payers pay for). Unfortunately the law never catches up with them and they die their natural deaths only to be buried with full national honours. The money sadly is never recovered.

We must never forget that along with freedom comes responsibilities. Exercising one's freedom shouldn't include denying someone else's. The best part about freedom is that I am able to put this in front of you all with no fear. Jai Hind.

"Customer Service"

This is a condensed version of my week gone by (including the misery)...

Friday: I've got the first call from amdocs' recruitment agency and they need me to mail them my marks breakup (very urgent). I get disconnected from the net the second time in the night and the only way to get back online is to restart my PC (yeah this is a peculiar problem with a broadband net connection only I seem to be facing). Since its already 2 am, I sms the friend with whom I was chatting about the situation and doze off.

Saturday: I try to get online but no luck. I call up my service provider only to be greeted with a constantly ringing phone or a busy tone. This continues throughout the day. Still no luck.

Sunday: Its friendship day today. I get up in the morning with an upset stomach. As the day progresses I develop a 101 degree fever. With all the energy sapped out I still make one last ditch attempt to get online, no luck.

Monday: The rain gods have been generous and the trend seems to continue today also. I finally manage to get through on the telephone with my net provider. When I tell the lady that my connection has been down from saturday she yells at me for not calling them before. I am assured an engineer will come by and she takes down my address and telephone number. Its evening now, still no sign of the engineer nor is my connection up. I call her up again, this time she informs me about how they can't get hold of a key to a terrace to check a switch in the network and assures me that the work will be done by tomorrow morning. Again she notes down my details.

Tuesday: There seems to be a break in the incessant rains. I decide to college to complete some formalities. Later we go to a restaurant nearby to celebrate a friend's b'day. The rains have started again, I decide its wiser to head back home and jump into a bus. I reach home with a hope of getting online. No luck. Exasperated I revive my analog modem which had been in exile from the past 3 years. Installation was a breeze, everything was working except for the fact that it was taking forever to load a page and then there were the frequent disconnections to deal with. I give up. There is no use calling my net provider coz their working hours are from 11 to 7 (can you believe that...phew)

Wednesday: I am pissed off. I call them up and this time my tone means business. I am greeted by a male voice (a happy relief from those stupid females who don't seem to know a thing and keep jotting down my details) and he can't seem to believe what I am telling him. He too promises to send an engineer by. I tell him I've heard this lots of time and no one comes by. He assures me there will be someone here in an hour. To my utter disbelief there was indeed an engineer (not one but two) at my doorstep within the stipulated time. He told me that the switch in my building needs to be replaced and that the connection should be up by evening. Its 5 and still no luck. I call up again, they tell me they've replaced the faulty device. Well I tell them the connection is still down. I am promised service within half an hour and surprisingly it happens. After a lot of running up and down, they manage to get it working. I send them off with a thanks.

For the first time is 3 years have I been provided with prompt service from my service provider. Usually the network has no problems (the customer support sucks) but then when it does develop a snag, it takes forever to rectify it. I still remember once I had to wait for over a month (that too during the vacations) when all they had to do was replace a switch in the neighbouring building (they didn't realise this because inspite of the promises the engineers never came).

So this prompt service comes as a welcome relief and a surprise. I hope they could and would read this to understand how much trouble it caused me and how much I appreciate what they did today. I hope they keep up the good work.

"The Green Eyed Monster..."

Have you ever observed a burning log? When you ignite the sparks, it catches fire and you seem to enjoy the warmth it provides. You slowly realize the log is turning into charcoal and you put off the fire. This charcoal can again be set on fire but then it reduces into ash. Once you've got ash there is nothing you can do with it.

Jealousy is very commonly used to bring out inner emotions and spark some fire into relationships. What one needs to remember is that just as the log turns into ash so does the human nature undergo transformations. Once it turns into ash you cannot obtain the old log back. You are gonna get your fingers burnt when playing with fire. So beware of the green eyed monster!