On the internet no one knows you're a rodent.

Going to Scotland

2007-02-16T07:57:00.000-08:00

The route:Reading -> Glasgow -> Edinburgh -> Aberdeen -> InvernessLeaving tonight and will be back by Sunday Evening

My New Camera

2007-02-15T09:25:00.000-08:00

Photos comming soon

Talk to the Customer

2006-11-02T21:22:00.000-08:00

Recently in my ex-team while attending a presentation made by a Senior Person who regularly interacts with the clients, I asked if we as solution providers ever made an effort to observe how the end-user is using the system and what kind of feedback does the solution get from them...The response I got was that the size of user base is just too big for them to actually go and do that. So they

My friend's flickr collection

2006-10-18T04:07:00.000-07:00

Most of these are really good...Especially since they are clicked by an amateur.Slide Show : http://www.flickr.com/photos/85163435@N00/show/With Dewscriptions: http://www.flickr.com/photos/85163435@N00/

The Road less travelled

2006-10-17T03:06:00.000-07:00

I came across this quote by Robert Frost :"Two roads diverged in a wood, and II took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference."Robert FrostI think this quote is quite applicable to my current situation. My current role is basically to be; in some ways; responsible for a whole lot of people's actions. Coordination is a key component. At heart I am a developer. A person who

Personal Investing

2006-10-10T22:59:00.000-07:00

Scott Adams' secret nine-point formula for "everything you need to know about personal investing.". Revealed in "Dilbert and the Way of the Weasels." Notice its simple brilliance in the exact reproduction of his formula: 1. Make a will 2. Pay off your credit cards 3. Get term life insurance if you have a family to support 4. Fund your 401k to the maximum 5. Fund your IRA to the maximum

How did we live without it

2006-10-05T20:56:00.000-07:00

Indeed How did we ever ?Technology at its best..

The best method for sorting resumes:

2006-09-16T03:06:00.001-07:00

When I get a pile of resumes, I pick half of them at random and throw them away - I don't want any unlucky people to work for me!

Anecdote

2006-09-11T20:33:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I thought I will catch up with a colleague of mine who was working on another project and we hadn’t had a chance to sync up for a long time. I sent a message asking if we could have some coffee together. I did this around 3 pm thinking that we would be able to meet around 4:30 or so. No reply came till 6 and I had to leave anyways. While boarding the bus transport (the company

A bus ride to Dehradun

2006-08-30T21:57:00.000-07:00

I had to go to Dehradun again this Sunday. We took the afternoon bus at 3pm and were scheduled to reach around 9:30pm. I intended to fully utilise this time; which I had at my disposal; by having a good nap which was long needed. As soon as the bus started, I was fast asleep. There was some stopage at around 4 and I was disturbed from my deep slumber and for some reason I couldn't go back to

One in Six billion

2006-08-16T20:26:00.000-07:00

I always say a PJ (Poor Joke) about how unique I am, so I say that I am 1 in six billion. This basically a version of the One in a Million phrase, where you say that, this person is a such a gem, he is a One in a Million kind of a person.The problem with that is that even if you are a One in a Million kind of a person, there still would be 6000 people (Six billion being the world population count

PEOPLE OF COLOR

2006-08-13T01:58:00.000-07:00

I came across this poem which if you know the context of the racial situation in America makes a lot of sense,My best friend said that heWas now a "person of color,"Whereas I was simply "white."He used to call himself "black,"Which to me was perfectly all right.But my art teacher pointed out to usThat black is the absence of color.Which shouldn't really get him down,Since he really isn't black,

Perils of Positive thinking

2006-08-11T06:31:00.000-07:00

I was reading through the new entries in some of my favorite BLOGs and I came across this post: http://hodu.com/perils.shtmlA couple of snippets :A young accountant approached her retired mentor one day and asked very expectantly how she managed such a successful career.This answer was surprisingly brief: "Good decisions". In anticipation she launched the next question: "But how can I learn

Why GOD Gave Us Friends

2006-08-07T05:48:00.000-07:00

GOD knew that everyone needsCompanionship and cheer,He knew that people need someoneWhose thoughts are always near.He knew they need someone kindTo lend a helping hand.Someone to gladly take the timeTo care and understand.GOD knew that we all need someoneTo share each happy day,To be a source of courageWhen troubles come our way.Someone to be true to us,Whether near or far apart.Someone whose

Working on other’s code

2006-08-03T06:45:00.000-07:00

No matter how good your code is, how well commented it is, how normalized, how well structured it is. Almost always when a new person comes across your code he will curse the programmer who wrote it and reserve the choicest of unmentionable verbs. I generally have been able to just look at codes and pretty easily decipher them and haven’t had much of problems in this

So funny, I had to link up LOL

2006-08-02T20:54:00.000-07:00

http://whyihatemyhusband.com/blog/Sample this :It's Tuesday and John has a toothache.Whaa whaa, f***ing whaa.Yeah, I know, harsh but I find it hard to have sympathy for his plight when floss hasn't touched his gums in over two decades.Simply hilarious !!!

Dehradun

2006-07-17T02:32:00.000-07:00

Mom and I had planned to go to Dehradun for the weekend. She has decided to buy a house there... and she needed me as a joint applicant for the loan application.So Friday night, after I came home from Office, she and I packed our bags and took off. The plan was to take the train and reach there by morning. But the train had a waiting of 130. This is the season of kanwarias. Roads in July-August

I turned 26 yesterday.

2006-07-03T05:18:00.000-07:00

The entire morning was filled with birthday wish calls.Had a small party with my extended family. Nothing special… Just some cake and dinner. Was really hot in the evening and so had a little hard time, otherwise had a lot of fun.My brother gave me the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mein_Kampf by Adolf Hitler. I will read it in the next few days. He commented that 30% of the people who read it turn

Think before you Speak

2006-06-25T23:55:00.000-07:00

I am gonna post a list of the feedback I received at the Induction laterI thought I will start working on my delta's and try and improve on them.One of the delta's was "Think before you Speak"Well... by nature, I like to keep making funny comments which are fairly well received. However the thing with funny is that different perople have different humour sensivities and what might be funny to one

The Top 10 Top 10 lists

2006-06-24T08:07:00.000-07:00

There are so many top 10 lists out there that I needed a top 10 for myself. Top 10 Strangest Lego CreationsTalk about imagination. This one just shook me from my seat.http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/top-10-strangest-lego-creationsTop 10 Free Email ServicesIf you are looking for a free email service, you can be picky. I didn’t know about half of them…http://email.about.com/cs/

Induction

2006-06-16T22:00:00.000-07:00

Oh my God they make you sit in a classroom for 2 weeks !!!Come on !!! I am a programmer !!!This whole week went through like lightning. Sapient has this fantastic induction program in which they tell you a lot about Sapient and its people and core values.The first day was all about Logistics like transportation, documentation and stuff.. Pretty much standard boring stuff… And a little tight in

The End - The Beginning

2006-06-07T01:52:00.000-07:00

They are giving me a farewell today...Even though tommorow is my official last working day but for some reason they have decided to do it today.

New Job

2006-05-25T00:26:00.000-07:00

I have been looking for a change for quite some time. Now that’s difficult because I am very picky.I finally got an offer from a really good company. It wasn’t easy but was definitely worth the wait. The “wasn’t easy” part will be good conversation material when I am in a mood to brag. I put in my papers roughly 2 weeks back and have to stay here for 2 more.I am anxious to join the new job. The

Thank God its FRIDAY

2006-05-12T02:20:00.000-07:00

Its been a pretty rough week these past 5 days.Lots of meetings and Lots of work.... But I guess it hasnt killed me...My brother and my cousin sister had their birthdays yesterday and I have to buy gifts for them Cant think of any yet.

Funny Incident

2006-05-06T00:02:00.000-07:00

Our team at the office is a clever lot. We handle development of custom applications for our company and the group is a mixed bag of programmers and database specialists. We have a lot of fun on the job, with jokes and humor flowing around keeping everyone’s spirits high and the work is smooth. No one feels Monday blues or tiredness.So yesterday one of the guys called me from my desk and asked me

Long Delay

2006-05-04T02:00:00.000-07:00

Havn't had a lot of time or inclination to update this blog for past few days...today I got an invite from google analytics and thought that i would shift this blog (which has some readers) from www.statcounter.com to www.google-analytics.comLets see how this turns out...I will update my month gone by in a couple of days.

Bullshit bingo

2006-04-28T00:55:00.000-07:00

This just popped up in my inbox...___Do you keep falling asleep in meetings and seminars? What about those long and boring conference calls? Here's a way to change all of that.1. Before (or during) the next meeting, seminar, or conference call, prepare yourself by drawing a square. I find that 5" x 5" is a good size. Divide the card into columns-five across and five down. That will give you 25

My heart will go on

2006-04-06T23:45:00.000-07:00

Some people give upafter they have done so much;Some people give upeven before they really start.So should I also give uplike some people do?Should my heart be 'dead'when my heart feels hurting too?No, my heart will go onto sing that beautiful song;A song of love and faithfulnessthat lasts so long- Bee Prayers not Sympathy

Swimming

2006-04-05T00:37:00.000-07:00

I have joined swimming classes today. It was a horrifying and enjoyable at the same time.The first exercise they ask you to do is walk through the pool to and fro for 20 laps. Which was ok, not much sweat. A little tiring though. Then they teach you to float in the water. You have to hold the edge of the pool for balance and stretch out so that your body is completely leveled with the water

Not so distant future : TV and Internet are going to be the same.

2006-03-27T07:44:00.000-08:00

I was reading this article "Commercial Success" on FastCompany :http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/99/getting-ahead.html?partner=rssWhen by reading a short comment made me realize something :They want a visionary--someone who can see not only what's happening now but what's possible in the next 15 to 20 years. Someone who understands participative media and that TV and the Internet are going to

What motivates Me

2006-03-16T00:27:00.000-08:00

There is a lot that can be said here, I will try to keep it short. As a software developer, the prime motivator about my job are those occasions where I get to take a complex set of ideas and "translate" them into a simple designs realizing that I can fulfill those requirements with a few simple concepts and interfaces.To get a brand new idea off the ground and then show that not only can you

Chandigarh : The Chicken Saga

2006-03-06T01:57:00.000-08:00

During the Chandigarh trip I was quite eager on dining Authentic Punjabi food. In any city or place when you visit, the place has to offer something for each of your 5 senses. Food that tickles your taste buds and leaves a lasting impression on your memory is what you are looking for.I specially wanted to taste the Chicken Tikka, Butter Chicken, Tandoori Chicken... basically NON veg. And I hoped

The Chandigarh trip

2006-03-03T21:20:00.000-08:00

Past whole week has been "eventful" to say the least.I have been trying to buy a flat for investment for the past whole year. I got myself a loan approval last year from ICICI bank and since then all my efforts have been futile. There are options available in Vaishali and even further but I dont wish to buy any thing there... Gurgaon as you all know is way overpriced with the cheapest options

Public Toilet Facility in Switzerland

2006-02-26T23:10:00.000-08:00

Switzerland is known for its cleanliness.Here's a picture of a public toilet in Switzerland which came in my mail today.You have seen the outside view of the Toilet,Just spend some more time scrolling down to see how it looks from inside ..!!. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .That's made entirely out of one-way glass. No one can see you in there, but when you are inside, it looks

IPO scam: CBI mounts searches

2006-02-22T22:30:00.000-08:00

How they did it The accused came out with an advertisement asking people to get one photograph clicked and get two copies freeA large number of people availed of the free serviceThe accused kept photographs for fictitious bank, DMAT accountsAn application was made for share allotment to account holdersOnce the allotment was made, the shares were transferred to Panchal's account, who passed them

Volatile Gurgaon

2006-02-21T23:26:00.000-08:00

Amidst the news of demolitions on the MG road and then the buildings being actually demolished; which I thought should have inserted a semi colon in the astonishing rise of property prices in Gurgaon; there came along a couple of news items in my mail which have given me a nice jolt.Having subscribed to Google news alerts, I get on an average one mail per day which contain 2-3 links to news items

My Current Playlist

2006-02-16T02:09:00.000-08:00

112 - Dance With Me50 Cent - Outta ControlBluffmaster - Right Here Right Now Hip Hop MixEk Ajnabee (Mama Told Me)Everlast - I've Seen Better DaysEverlast - What It's LikeEverlast - White Trash BeautifulGwen Stefani - Rich GirlJack Johnson - Wasting TimeJazzy B-Ni Tun Romeo Bana ke Munde Rakh teNeo - So Sick Of Love SongsPOD - Goodbye for nowPOD - This TimeSantana & Everlast - Put Your Lights

Looking After Your Back

2006-02-14T23:12:00.000-08:00

A really nice article this:Back pain affects all industries, not just a small number of high-risk sectors. An estimated 4.9 million working days were lost in 2003/04 due to back pain caused or made worse by work.The exact cause is often not clear, but back pain can arise in many work situations and is more common in tasks that involve: sitting at a workstation for a long period of time if the

Crackpot Invention

2006-02-12T05:26:00.000-08:00

Some of my closest allies have been privy to my certain burst of genius from my brain cooked into an astounding invention or a neat plan for a inspired money spinning business proposal. Some of them have seen the light of the day as other like minded; and “brilliant” may I add; people have actually implemented them successfully not with any help from me though. For example; back in the old days

No Work to do

2006-02-09T05:52:00.000-08:00

Today is the 3rd day. I have had notingh to do for the past 2 days and today also its been the same.Its my fault also. The project timeline which I was given has an end date of 15th and I had finshed it last month. So I decided to complete the work of the next phase and that finished a 3 days ago. So basically I am a victim my own succeess or performance. Generally when this happens, I start

A Healthy New Lifestyle

2006-01-18T20:28:00.000-08:00

Do you need to make some healthy changes to your lifestyle? If you haven't made any New Year resolutions yet, then it's not too late!Some tips to help all think about a healthier lifestyle and maybe make some positive changes that will benefit your health. By taking on board healthy eating advice and physical activity tips you'll soon see yourself on the way to a healthier lifestyle.Poor

Happy New Year

2006-01-02T08:22:00.000-08:00

I am in a somber mood today. It’s been 4 days since I touched a computer and that’s a rarity considering my profession. And my sadness has nothing to do with any pc-detachment that you might think.Oh!!! I miss you all already. No I am not talking about my emails and this blog. I am talking about my family. My cousins were here in Gurgaon to visit us for holidays and they have just left. It hasn’t

White Peacock

2005-12-25T22:31:00.000-08:00

Traditionally, if anyone saw white peacock, your fortune just turned better!!

FireFox Plugins

2005-12-21T23:59:00.000-08:00

If you needed any more reason to switch to FireFox, let me point you to an excellent article by Quinn Norton. In “The Firefox Hacks You Must Have”, he refers to some excellent plugins which can prove to be quite useful.Here is the link:http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,69781,00.htmlSome excerpts I found nice:“allows you to download little snippets of code that act as the software

Inferiority complex

2005-12-19T07:59:00.000-08:00

Every techy person has a little bit of inferiority complex... So do I.I am constantly in doubt of my capabilities and am constantly searching for a little appreciation from every one. Now that person may or may not be capable himself (as per my inference) but I will anyways look for approval from them… I have noticed this for quite some time but don’t know how I can get rid of this. Or if I

Tomorrow is a new day

2005-12-11T07:12:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow Is a New DaySometimes we do not feel like we want to feelSometimes we do not achieve what we want to achieveSometimes things that happen do not make senseSometimes life leads us in directions that are beyond our controlIt is at these times, most of all that we need someonewho will quietly understand us and be there to support usI want you to know that I am here for you in every wayand

Early morning

2005-12-11T07:10:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is gonna be tough. I am going to have to get up at atleast 6:30 in the morning. Some of you might think its not such a big deal, but for me it is. Especially since I get up at 9-9:30 usually. I mean its still midnight at 6:30. arrrggghhh !!I have to take my grandmother to the hospital to get her eyes checked up. She will have her cataract removed and get a brand new lens in her right eye

Poetic Resignation

2005-12-08T23:29:00.000-08:00

Employee ResignationThe name is good, the brand is bigBut the work I do is that of a pigThe work or the brand; what is my way?I don't know if I should stay.To work, they have set their own wayNobody will care to hear what I sayMy will be NULL, they wont change their wayI don't know if I should stay.The project is in a critical stageBut to do good work, this is the ageThis dilemma is killing me

Fidgety

2005-12-08T20:14:00.000-08:00

I guess every company has gone through this phase... and maybe for some this is the norm rather than the exception... but for me... its making me fidgety.I guess the industry I am in suffers from this a lot more than others...There has been a prolonged series of resignations from my firm... From my team even (40 in the beginning) as many as 15 people have resigned in the past 3-4 months. And this

Love is...

2005-12-07T08:24:00.000-08:00

Love is a gamejust meant to be played.Love is a phrasejust overly clichéd.It's dominated by cheaters,players, and rule-breakers.Where three words often saidare lies spoken by fakers.Love is an emotionand hormones are the cause.Love is perfectionthat brings out your flaws.Young ones are swayedinto believing that it's real.Soon concious of mistakes,next fear is what you feel.Love is a wishdesired

Winter cold - It has begun

2005-12-02T22:49:00.000-08:00

it’s December 3rd and a nice Saturday morning... but oooh so cold out there...I personally prefer the not so blistering cold from the ever so scorching heat of Delhi... If you haven’t experienced, either, you are missing something.When you get up in the morning, there is nothing you can do to get me out of the bed, because it’s warm inside and then the hot cup of tea is simply the best thing in

The month gone by

2005-12-02T06:31:00.000-08:00

A full month has gone by since I last wrote. And believe me when I say this, either I didn’t have the time, or when I did, I didn’t have a topic to write about. Preethi advised me to take a sabbatical whenever I have a block and just read what others are writing. I guess I took her a bit too seriously.The whole month has been pretty hectic, with both work and home front being demanding. Had to

Writing what you want to...

2005-10-30T08:07:00.000-08:00

I thought that this writing business was too easy.First of all I am generally too full of myself and I genuinely believe that if I set my mind to anything, I will be able to accomplish it sooner or later. No make that I will be able to excel in it. A couple of reasons for this belief.One, nobody is born with any knowledge and everything that we know, our abilities, our mannerisms are picked up

A beautiful Smile

2005-10-13T09:51:00.000-07:00

The day begins on a sleepy note. One shouldn’t be sleepy at 11 in the morning !! The sun shines through the windows and I refuse to acknowledge it. Still want to sleep. I had woken up at 9 if you'd like to know but didn’t want to get up. Last nights lack of sleep has to meet with or else the entire day will be ruined.Finally after trying to delay awakening for a couple of hours or so, I get up

How dumb have you felt recently?

2005-10-13T01:16:00.000-07:00

Funny :Full ThreadEarlier today I got a call from my workplace telling me there was an urgent problem with the website I created for them and clients were not able to view the information we have promised them access to.My supervisor and resident database expert took a look at the MySQL databases on our webserver and came to the conclusion that my php code was playing up. Enter the past few hours

Sunday Mayhem

2005-10-10T00:34:00.000-07:00

The day began on a sleepy note...Needed to go to church but didnt... slept through the whole thing. Got up late. Around 1 pm. These days this is my schedule. In the news paper there was an article about how people with irregular sleep die early...So my good friend Amit Goyal and I decided to watch a movie and do some catching up alongside. We saw the movie "Main, Meri Biwi Aur woh". Based on the

Cellphone mania

2005-10-09T00:18:00.000-07:00

My brother has been bugging me for a phone for so many months...Looks like I will finally have to buy one... I will give him mine and use the new one ;) Or we will exchange and use alternativly...So what should I buy ?So many options, and so little money... I mean the scrooge that I am..Decided to do some research before i buy,Came accross these sites:http://www.mobiledia.comhttp://

Does the IT industry need a trade union?

2005-10-07T00:59:00.000-07:00

I read this article today...http://in.rediff.com/money/2005/oct/06bspec.htm"A union for IT workers is the urgent need of the hour. I would call the IT professionals 'the labourers of the information age.' They toil long hours; they work at night; and some of them still get meager salaries. So a labour union for them would help fight for their rights,"CITU president M K Pandhe told rediff.com.Well

Change and Resistance

2005-10-04T01:46:00.000-07:00

Any new software or technology development team always faces challenges in terms of resistance from the people who should be the ones who should be benefiting from it the most. I have recently had the *privilege* of facing these issues first hand.In my previous organization, we had an interface between the end client and us and probably a lot of these issues were solved before it reached us. Now

Best way to show a girl you're serious

2005-10-03T14:16:00.000-07:00

Results of a post by my good friend : tangledweb3% 5 Votes: Dress up like a Chippendale and show off that beer gut. I'm too sexy for my shirt...3% 5 Votes: Send references. No, wait...scratch that, bad idea.3% 5 Votes: FTD.com, for that personal touch.4% 6 Votes: Tell her of that dream where she was naked and twisted like a pretzel.4% 6 Votes: E-mail her that picture of you naked and drunk that

Blog 0.1

2005-10-02T22:04:00.000-07:00

Ok ... Finally on insistance of my good friend Amit Goyal I decided to start my own blog ...Apparantly this is a very good and the in thing these days ...A little bit about me...Name: Amit GeorgeAge: 25Gender: MaleLocation: India Interests: Guitar, photoshop, movies, anything that catches my attentionFavourite movie: Keeps Changing. (Currently Swades)Favourite band or musician: OasisFavourite