Life… is just another waste of time.
Roger Waters had the right idea, I think. Imagine what all you could do with all this time if you didn’t have to “live”. There’s so much to learn, so much to explore, to discover. Imagine the bliss if you could at any point in time, just pack your bags and set out to… wherever… whenever. Want to make it simpler? Forget the bag. Learn from the birds… fly light. And just fly. The world has more to show and teach than what we could “learn” in a lifetime. Yet we keep chasing the conventions of the institutions that we’ve created ourselves in our pursuit of what we think is knowledge. What makes us think that we know all that there is to know? Rather.. that we can provide ourselves with all that we’ll ever need to learn. Ultimately what we end up doing is making the most and/or the best of what we’ve gathered. Which is good.. in a way. But then, take another look at it. Aren’t we somehow… somewhere… consciously or unconsciously blinding ourselves to the plethora of things that we could discover only if we cared to look?
Learn… for what? Discover… for what? Good questions. Practical ones I must admit. A man gotta eat too. And breed.. and feed… and… what was that… live. Maybe you could go that way. And let all this beauty in the world go unnoticed. Or maybe… almost so. You do keep catching glimpses of it on the television… on mails… on posters… and calendars… and so on and so forth. Funny… and ironical that our view of real life is out there… (or rather.. in there) in mere… lifeless… things. But then, if such a constricted.. second hand view can fill us up with so much joy… imagine what is actually contained in the world outside. Waiting for us. If only we weren’t so busy with our lives.
Whew!
Ps: I wish Pandora had left alone that box of troubles. Unnecessary little things. Keep you away from so much more.
~K.
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Friday, February 25, 2005
So what's the point?
Wat’s this world coming to???
People don’t realize the importance of having a good cup of coffee… I ask for filter coffee… it has more sugar than coffee in it…
Now if anyone wants something sweet… he’ll get himself a chocolate… or a candy… or maybe just some plain sugar… coffee does not have to be oh-so-sweet…
And me… I’m addicted to caffeine… not sugar… I ask the guy to put a little less sugar in my coffee… the dude gives me coffee without sugar…
These are times when I reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally really miss my dad…. The best coffee maker in the whole world… (where's my DD ... she'll second me on this... ;) )
Cheers to Dad… (on a cup of coffee… and no… no Bottoms Up!!!)
So what’s the point? Oh don’t bother… and if you DO get it… well then.. still.. no points…
~K.
People don’t realize the importance of having a good cup of coffee… I ask for filter coffee… it has more sugar than coffee in it…
Now if anyone wants something sweet… he’ll get himself a chocolate… or a candy… or maybe just some plain sugar… coffee does not have to be oh-so-sweet…
And me… I’m addicted to caffeine… not sugar… I ask the guy to put a little less sugar in my coffee… the dude gives me coffee without sugar…
These are times when I reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally really miss my dad…. The best coffee maker in the whole world… (where's my DD ... she'll second me on this... ;) )
Cheers to Dad… (on a cup of coffee… and no… no Bottoms Up!!!)
So what’s the point? Oh don’t bother… and if you DO get it… well then.. still.. no points…
~K.
Friday, February 18, 2005
Finished reading…
... Train To Pakistan. Had got the book as a birthday present. What a book! When I finished, I almost felt as if I shouldn’t have. It’s strong. And very moving. Set in the time of the Indo-Pak partition, at the heart of it, is a simple love story.
A couple of things that immediately and almost simultaneously came to my mind.
One, the lot of us have a LOT to be thankful for, to have been born in a time that did not have to witness the partition. God bless the people who survived the trauma, and even those who didn’t.
Two – there is immense power in simplicity. If you ever get a chance to read that book, you’ll realize why I’m saying this. The power of the book lies in the simplicity of its narration. It’s blatantly simple. And that’s what leaves such a great impact on the reader. (did on me, rather)
And finally – there is an amazing power in love.
If you get to lay your hands on that book… don’t lay off without reading it.
~K.
A couple of things that immediately and almost simultaneously came to my mind.
One, the lot of us have a LOT to be thankful for, to have been born in a time that did not have to witness the partition. God bless the people who survived the trauma, and even those who didn’t.
Two – there is immense power in simplicity. If you ever get a chance to read that book, you’ll realize why I’m saying this. The power of the book lies in the simplicity of its narration. It’s blatantly simple. And that’s what leaves such a great impact on the reader. (did on me, rather)
And finally – there is an amazing power in love.
If you get to lay your hands on that book… don’t lay off without reading it.
~K.
Thursday, February 10, 2005
Wishin' And Hopin' n Blah Blah Blah'in...
Ever imagined what it would feel like playing scrabble in Chinese.. or maybe Japanese. But then.. doesn’t make much of a difference. They’re both Greek to me.
But coming back to scrabble… imagine this.. a game you would like to participate in… coz you probably like it… or maybe you could help a player win… only if could figure out what the symbols meant.
And how do I know? Oh well… part of my job… I get a good chance of imagining all that at work… at meetings, or some general discussions, or some knowledge sharing sessions. That’s when I slip into a world of my own. And when reality dawns, I realize the advantage of knowing a foreign language. Or rather, knowing the local language in a foreign land.
The other day I’d gone to a friend’s place for lunch. Her mom was asking me how come I still hadn’t picked up the local lingo, considering I’ve been staying here for more than a year now. And what do I say to her – I never felt the need. Which is true. Never felt the need outside office. But at work.. I wish there was some kind of a device which I could implant in my brain which would translate all what is being said around me. My personal interpreter. (Only thing to take care of… it shouldn’t be something that translated “Dunston Checks In” to “Ek bandar Hotel ke andar”… )
Food for thought for all the scientifically inclined…
For the linguistically inclined, however, there’s more in store here at status quo.
Coz if you look at it from another point of view, it does have some benefits.. not knowing the local language. It builds your creativity. How? You hear something like blah blah blah K (that’s me) blah blah work blah blah … schedule blah blah blah… Now it’s all left to my imagination how I want to fill up those blah blah blah’s. Never did I think being a techie would also help my creativity grow. Talk about perks!!
Another benefit - how else would I realize that the concepts that seem so tough when stated in English would sound even tougher in another language? I’ve got it made! Hah! Poor blokes! Imagine having to work even harder for the same thing which already drives me up the wall when I do it in plain simple (?) English.
I suppose I should revisit my wish list. That device I was talking about.. oh well.. will think of something more worthwhile. Things are so much more convenient like this. And anyway, who needs to know what’s whining in the grapevine? And to fill those blah blah blah’s – hmmm… how does eggzellent sound?
~K.
But coming back to scrabble… imagine this.. a game you would like to participate in… coz you probably like it… or maybe you could help a player win… only if could figure out what the symbols meant.
And how do I know? Oh well… part of my job… I get a good chance of imagining all that at work… at meetings, or some general discussions, or some knowledge sharing sessions. That’s when I slip into a world of my own. And when reality dawns, I realize the advantage of knowing a foreign language. Or rather, knowing the local language in a foreign land.
The other day I’d gone to a friend’s place for lunch. Her mom was asking me how come I still hadn’t picked up the local lingo, considering I’ve been staying here for more than a year now. And what do I say to her – I never felt the need. Which is true. Never felt the need outside office. But at work.. I wish there was some kind of a device which I could implant in my brain which would translate all what is being said around me. My personal interpreter. (Only thing to take care of… it shouldn’t be something that translated “Dunston Checks In” to “Ek bandar Hotel ke andar”… )
Food for thought for all the scientifically inclined…
For the linguistically inclined, however, there’s more in store here at status quo.
Coz if you look at it from another point of view, it does have some benefits.. not knowing the local language. It builds your creativity. How? You hear something like blah blah blah K (that’s me) blah blah work blah blah … schedule blah blah blah… Now it’s all left to my imagination how I want to fill up those blah blah blah’s. Never did I think being a techie would also help my creativity grow. Talk about perks!!
Another benefit - how else would I realize that the concepts that seem so tough when stated in English would sound even tougher in another language? I’ve got it made! Hah! Poor blokes! Imagine having to work even harder for the same thing which already drives me up the wall when I do it in plain simple (?) English.
I suppose I should revisit my wish list. That device I was talking about.. oh well.. will think of something more worthwhile. Things are so much more convenient like this. And anyway, who needs to know what’s whining in the grapevine? And to fill those blah blah blah’s – hmmm… how does eggzellent sound?
~K.
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
(Awe)Some job!!!
Whew... think of a topic... then write about it... (tough enough..) then post it... and then figure out.. it aint worth it.. and delete it... only to be republished in a comment... with a silly alibi... (Technical glitches... yeah right !!!)
Man.. m i glad i'm not my own blog... life would've been so weird... and unpredictably so... What's more.. i wud've kept coming back to life...
I'm sure you wouldn't really be able to understand what i'm babbling about... ok.. just revisit the article "Welcome to the machine" and check out the 3rd comment...
Any comments on that one... post it in this one please... and if no comments.. well then... :)
Just what i call a job... uh well... done.
~K.
Man.. m i glad i'm not my own blog... life would've been so weird... and unpredictably so... What's more.. i wud've kept coming back to life...
I'm sure you wouldn't really be able to understand what i'm babbling about... ok.. just revisit the article "Welcome to the machine" and check out the 3rd comment...
Any comments on that one... post it in this one please... and if no comments.. well then... :)
Just what i call a job... uh well... done.
~K.
Sunday, January 23, 2005
Welcome to the machine!
Hi.
You’ve entered my territory. It’s only fair that I tell you what you’ve landed yourself into before you move on.
I’m, well… a lot of things. (things.. as in not literally. You’ll discover as you read on.)
I am, for one, a software engineer. By profession. Period. Among the perks of my job is that I get to stay up late and have frequent night outs. And I think of Mom and Dad and the times they used to tuck me into bed, even when my eyes and ears and head and heart used to be running on the television. And now, I’m up almost all night, indulging myself in all sorts of code. (Only not the Da Vinci kind, though I do admit mine would present a much bigger enigma. Just WHAT is that line doing there?). And before I forget, I’m doing this in some part of the day as well.
Day – that’s the lighter side of my life. And that’s not just because the sun’s up outside. But because the mood’s up too. And so is the coffee machine. And so are the reply-all’s! Oh, those leg pulling sessions! If only they were a wee bit literal, me and my friends would’ve all grown about a foot a day. And I would’ve titled this article “Tall in a day’s work!”
Which reminds me, another thing that I am, is well kinda funny. Hey, the thing’s not funny. Funny is the thing. (Even if I do say so myself ;) ). And my idea of humor - the deadlines given to me by my boss. And my reactions to them – “Sure, it’ll be done. By the end of day(s)” (s- silent. And conditions apply!). And finally – my explanations for what-cannot-be-done-in-the-given-time but should’ve-been-done-in-the-given-time has still-not-been-done-in-the-given-time-AND-more. That takes the cake (and the calories too). My heroes? You guessed it right –Calvin, Dilbert and Garfield. All this also contributes to the lighter side of life. On the darker side (read nights) , is coffee on the rocks! I’m referring to the JAVA inside my head, which I most desperately try to transform into working code. Which takes us back to point number 1. Technically, we call it recursion. And in English –a vicious circle. And in Hindi – umm… err.. well… That’s a language I need to get a certification course on. (again).
Okay. Track change.
The next thing that I am – a music buff. I grew from Hindi movie songs to English country music – to Boy Band types Pop music (if you’d like to call it growth) – to the final pinnacle – Rock, Metal and all that jazz! It’s quite a common trait in almost 70% of engineers. (for reasons refer lyrics of Sad But True by Metallica.). Anyway, now I’ve crossed over what I considered the final frontier as well. My favorite music now – declaration of compensatory off’s for all the weekends and late nights spent in the office. Biggest irony of IT I believe – rejoicing at comp-off’s instead of resenting working like that in the first place. Again refers to point 1 does it not?
That’s my life in a nutshell. As a software engineer. Gotta re-engineer MY software quick. Gotta make peace with the real life happening outside this matrix. Before I forget my password.
Peace on Earth. (And on the net too! Who knows when I come back as a permanent citizen.)
~K.
You’ve entered my territory. It’s only fair that I tell you what you’ve landed yourself into before you move on.
I’m, well… a lot of things. (things.. as in not literally. You’ll discover as you read on.)
I am, for one, a software engineer. By profession. Period. Among the perks of my job is that I get to stay up late and have frequent night outs. And I think of Mom and Dad and the times they used to tuck me into bed, even when my eyes and ears and head and heart used to be running on the television. And now, I’m up almost all night, indulging myself in all sorts of code. (Only not the Da Vinci kind, though I do admit mine would present a much bigger enigma. Just WHAT is that line doing there?). And before I forget, I’m doing this in some part of the day as well.
Day – that’s the lighter side of my life. And that’s not just because the sun’s up outside. But because the mood’s up too. And so is the coffee machine. And so are the reply-all’s! Oh, those leg pulling sessions! If only they were a wee bit literal, me and my friends would’ve all grown about a foot a day. And I would’ve titled this article “Tall in a day’s work!”
Which reminds me, another thing that I am, is well kinda funny. Hey, the thing’s not funny. Funny is the thing. (Even if I do say so myself ;) ). And my idea of humor - the deadlines given to me by my boss. And my reactions to them – “Sure, it’ll be done. By the end of day(s)” (s- silent. And conditions apply!). And finally – my explanations for what-cannot-be-done-in-the-given-time but should’ve-been-done-in-the-given-time has still-not-been-done-in-the-given-time-AND-more. That takes the cake (and the calories too). My heroes? You guessed it right –Calvin, Dilbert and Garfield. All this also contributes to the lighter side of life. On the darker side (read nights) , is coffee on the rocks! I’m referring to the JAVA inside my head, which I most desperately try to transform into working code. Which takes us back to point number 1. Technically, we call it recursion. And in English –a vicious circle. And in Hindi – umm… err.. well… That’s a language I need to get a certification course on. (again).
Okay. Track change.
The next thing that I am – a music buff. I grew from Hindi movie songs to English country music – to Boy Band types Pop music (if you’d like to call it growth) – to the final pinnacle – Rock, Metal and all that jazz! It’s quite a common trait in almost 70% of engineers. (for reasons refer lyrics of Sad But True by Metallica.). Anyway, now I’ve crossed over what I considered the final frontier as well. My favorite music now – declaration of compensatory off’s for all the weekends and late nights spent in the office. Biggest irony of IT I believe – rejoicing at comp-off’s instead of resenting working like that in the first place. Again refers to point 1 does it not?
That’s my life in a nutshell. As a software engineer. Gotta re-engineer MY software quick. Gotta make peace with the real life happening outside this matrix. Before I forget my password.
Peace on Earth. (And on the net too! Who knows when I come back as a permanent citizen.)
~K.
Friday, January 14, 2005
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