Well lookie what we have here...

Hey. Ever wondered why the sun rises in the east? Why not the west? Because someone didn't know that and someone else wanted to act smart, he called it the east. And the whole world believed him and still does. Mad world. Why couldn't the north be the south? And so on. Anyway I guess its always been the perspective. No one wonders these things nowadays, at least according to me, because it is taken for granted. The phrase "taken for granted" is a lethal weapon if given to the wrong hands. I mean literally. Even in the right hands it is a powerful one. All crap right.

This is the end. This is the start. This is everything. This is nothing. All paradox. Whats this world got to offer me? Or you? Or them? All of these are just questions. Stupid questions. With no answers. All crap again. Does this mean I am stupid? Maybe. Or maybe not.

The next part comes to languages. Just now one of my friends was telling me that I am wasting time by learning new languages when learning one is enough to get us through. True. What is the point I am trying to make by learning this new language? I can communicate effectively? Or just wasting time? What is it? Don't know any convincing answer. I see the practical uses very reduced since I know a few more languages. But what am I using it for? Same way. Why not learn a new language? It is knowledge. But will it be useful investing in? Am I the only idiot in this phase? I don't know that either. I am not promising a solution to this question either. So what is it I am presenting? The question obviously.

Whats the use of all this? All this media, broadcast? Criticism is a useful tool in making things obsolete. We need it to focus, but the same thing can stop us from doing essential things that make life worth living. But "make life worth living" can also be criticized and break down what we are trying to abstract from our regular thought cycle. Brooding into too many thoughts may lead to senseless exasperation. But thats just the side effect, the main effect is that we may start to question whatever exists, what may come to exist. What is the point? That will become our motto. The path ahead is bleak. It is hidden in a shroud of mist. The mist doesn't seem to be clearing. Do we let it cover our eyes or try to live in harmony with it? What's the way of life, there doesn't seem to be one way to it. There is nothing like it. I don't know. That's where our society comes in. Painting pictures for things we haven't experienced. Forming a prototype of things which were and which will be. Whole load of pointless nonsense to attain a state of supposed bliss. Either block the rest of the world which you really really don't care about except for argument's sake and get on with it. Things will go according to plan, things will fail. Because that's what the plan was in the first place. Anyway who am I kidding? Myself. And that's why the saying "Some people just don't get it" seems very appropriate here.

Music and Lyrics

Read the following story. "Once upon a time there was a small town boy. After he grew up he became a small town man". This is what happens in reality. You need to understand the pragmatic nature of situations. The way it is portrayed in writing is mostly fiction as the writer's thoughts adulterates the reality of the circumstance. Consider Romeo and Juliet, it may never have been two people like that in the history of the world. History is what the historian records. Who knows with what sincerity that record was written. We just believe that its true. Was there ever any love between Shah Jahan and Mumtaz? We may never know, or until some idiot comes up with a time machine, ruining everyone's lives. So what we do know is that somehow the historians seemed to consider that there was something huge.

Anyway, this was a really happening week at work. Some unknown old guy once told that "The unknown is always interesting". And it is very true. Just because it is not known completely, curiosity definitely killed the cat this time. Anyway I ll stop before I get any gentle thumping on my shoulders, if you know what I mean. This time I have been working for more than a fortnight on this specific post. Don't know why though. The intervals between my posts are so long that even I get bored of it. To write something, I need something to write. Wonder how I wrote my grad exams. Anyway need more excitement in life. New projects. Short term goals keep it fiery. Incidents, accidents anything would do. It's a pity that life has come to asking for such things.

Thats that for this post. I seriously need to post something interesting rather than this old boring **** next time.

P.S. Whoever said Hyderabad is a very hot place, climatically speaking, is a liar. Its cold. And I dont usually feel any kind of change in weather, so you can imagine the intensity of the cold wave.

The tale of two idiots + 1

This is the story of two people I heard speaking in the berth next to my train. I tried not to listen to them but I couldn't help it because it was a serious discussion about something. I was trying to read something and they were disturbing. Sorry for misinterpretations if any. For ease of use, I will refer to the guys as oldV and youngV.

OldV and youngV were sitting on the side berths of my railway compartment. They started off with the usual pleasantries, exchanging names, occupations, backgrounds. OldV, as the name suggests, was a middle aged man, or an old man posing so, working in some IT industry. The youngV was a late twenties or so from his hair which was quite losing its hold on his head. Then came the education background. The youngV was from mechanical engineering stream. The pride with which he was explaining the reason why he chose mechanical while all his friends were busy choosing the IT related streams, was, for lack of a better word, admirable. The reason was, well you know, the whole hook-line-and-sinker story. The way he was talking anyone in the world would be convinced. Even you-know-who.

The oldV was totally impressed by the youngV because of reasons unknown. Maybe he wasn't thinking, maybe he was just passing his time. After that point the conversation became sharper and aggressive. The reason was, in youngV's words, "Mechanical engineering offers more scope because, once you understand mechanical engineering, anything else in the world can be easily learnt. The IT related streams have no idea about anything other than their line of work. Mechanical engineering is more open. Mechanical engineering is............................................blah." The oldV was agreeing at every pause. Taking instances out of his life, explaining why more people should choose the mechanical stream and why people shouldn't fall for the IT stream. Then came up the same-old-story of the IT recession. Oh my god, haven't I heard enough already, was the ringing thought in my head. The IT industry is useless, unreliable and so on. Now if you ask me where the oldV and youngV were working, well don't ask, you already know the answer. I"T" was their stream after such rigorous discussion on why IT shouldn't be a career for people. To all of this I had to definitely say something, but I couldn't. So I am typing it out now.

First of all, you are a mechanical engineer, so? Big deal. In the end you are just a graduate with an engineering degree. If anyone thinks that their field of engineering is the best in the world, please don't tell it out and embarrass yourself, because in the end what you are learning is how to keep your mind open to engineer solutions rather than produce one out of thin air. If you haven't understood this point, I don't think you should be called an engineer in the first place. The engineering part of the mind is the one which makes anyone apply things from one stream of thinking to another. If you studied mechanical engineer for the scope, and working in an IT company, you could have very well taken any IT stream and done better. It's not the stream, it's person who matters more. That's why you are in IT stream in the first place. I guess not many realize it.

Coming to oldV's IT-recession-story, seriously I don't think this guy even thinks. How does an IT company, no, any company operate? Planning, design and whatever things that come after that. How much time does it take for one product cycle? For e.g. for a mechanical main stream company, such as automobile industry, it might take from a few years to few decades. So if there is any profit, it can be seen only after a considerably long period. Same goes for the loss. Take an IT company, the product cycle ranges from days to months and sometimes years. So the profit is seen almost instantaneously. Looks more attractive, people like youngV and oldV get pulled towards it. But the loss is also seen instantaneously. So? It doesn't mean it's the end of the world, it just means that you need more think-tanks to solve the crunch, than the metal-heads of production stream. So people get scared as rapidly as they got attracted and start counting their options. Like any industry, the IT industry will rise and fall and rise and so on. Doesn't make it any better than other industries. But not the worse either. So if you still feel that the IT industry is not reliable and big-negative-adjectives, you are in serious need of time to think for yourself. And even more if you are working in an IT company. At the end of the day, business is business, everything has loss and profit. Do not endorse such statements before thinking about them. Please. My humble request. So why the oldV and youngV are idiots is clearly understood I suppose.

Sorry for blunt and hot-headed remarks, if any. This is a serious issue and it needs to be addressed, and I have done it. It's time for you to do it as well.

P.S. You know, there is a third idiot in this tale. Thats me. Because I am typing all of this instead of saying it on the spot. So the experiment continues. I do not speak out too much. Why?

Hyderabad/Cyberabad

Well here I am blogging from the Hi-tech City in Hyderabad. In some addresses, I noticed the name Cyberabad. What a weird name! What is visible is the huge skyline with tall buildings be it apartments or business complexes or just plain houses. Everything I saw until now is big. Hyderabad has impressed me with its grandeur. The Banjara Hills road was a visual pleasure. But one thing is there, this city is covered with small hills and huge boulders everywhere. The houses or rather the villas are stunning. These are not just the run of the mill kinda buildings but each one was unique. The hillocks provided for better architecture, it was blending into the environment. The posh area I guess.

The other thing special today was the rain. Its a mild drizzly weather here today. Thank god for saving me from getting roasted. The humidity factor is low, so when the sun is high, somebody or something is definitely getting cooked. Don't mind the cliches. The business houses here are kinda similar to other cities' IT parks. The place where I have been accommodated is a huge residential complex. A mini city. Its a new place, so I gotta put on my diplomatic mask because everyone is expecting me to last a few months atleast here. Lets see.

Apart from the usual things you'd expect, Hyderabad is quite silent for a bustling city. It may be the middle of the day, but still there isn't enough crowd on the street as in other metros such as Chennai or Kolkata. Anyway a city is a city. It is much cleaner than those mentioned before. Lets see what Cyberabad has in store. BTW the story of two idiots coming up in the next blog. Until the next time. Bye.

Experiment - 1: Up close and personal

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;	5
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,	10
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.	15
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.	20

Well hello there.. It is true. It is here. I am not trying to do anything fancy here. Just to put things into perspective, my first blog is not going to be what i think about me rather what i can get from others about what they think about me. At least in this post :P. This is my version of the experiments with truth or something close to it. Maybe serious at times. Maybe funny and most of all, it will be dumb, because the truth is mostly unexpected as it is too dumb to be true.

So here it goes.

I am going to ask the people I know in my college and what they think of me. Lets see what they replied. But do not trust every reply. Some are just sugar-coated. Then I will try to find out what they really think. But not possible, but a definite try.

Observations

I can not quote names due to privacy issues. But I can assign numbers.

1. "I don't think of you much"

Now that is God's honest truth.

2. "I think you're a normal human being. Nothing wrong about you, you hust do what you think is right.And that's a good thing. A good friend to people. Popular. Dunno much about you. That's all." + "Not irritating"

Partly true but it is a constricted view. The person has restricted himself/herself from giving away too many thoughts.

3. "Good at heart, intelligent... Handling stress has to be improved..."

This is a comment that can be only from a person who has seen me from a distance.

4. "An intelligent and great friend, who does not show off to others, no matter how much stuff he has compared to others. And one who helps his friends when they need his help, and jovial, smiling boy :-)"

You could say this was from a friend who has seen one side of mine.

5. "Different reactions at different times... Speaking well but at times confusing.."

Very true. Very accurate.

6. "Good intelligent calm person.. As cool as cucumber:-) Got so much of helping tendency. Multilingual person which has made me 2 feel jealous about you. That's it as of now, but will tell so much later :-)"

Similar to point no.4.

7. "A person with too many talents.. But don't know how to use it.."

An observation I had made myself.

8. "Smart, cool, reserved, good friend but someone with whom i couldn't spend much time.."

A reserved reply indeed.

9. "A friend of mine : a-amiable f-foolish r-reserved i-intellect e-exciting n-naive d-dedicated o-overconfident f-frenzy m-mold-able i-intriguing n-nonsense e-enigmatic"

Dumb isn't it? Seriously.

10. "Whatever"

11. "Am not that much close to you.. So i don't know how you are.. But few things which I felt about you is.. You're a person who speaks lot.. But I get unexpected reactions from you for even very small incidents.. When compared to the other boys in our class, you're good as concerned with me.. A good hearted fellow in our class.. And that's it.. Have a great future.. Be happy.. My best wishes"

A person who has tried to know me but maybe I dint give them too much of a chance.

12. "About you.. Very intelligent.. Likes to move with all people.. Is very practical.. The bad.. Cannot always stick to something. You don't show the josh in the long run as in the beginning if u take up something."

I intend to prove this wrong someday, but as facts stand, the bad part is true.

13. "You are a straight forward person which I like about you, so don't change it.. Straight forward, assertive, moody.."

The foremost thing that anyone can see in me.

14. "You are a good guy. Slightly need to work the way in which you talk to people. At times, you speak as if to challenge the second person that you are right. Make yourself more 'approachable'."

Yeah, I got to work on interpersonal skills, but I guess I just like being 'unapproachable'.

15. "Kind hearted but covered by his rudeness.. stubborn..."

Too short a reply, buddy.

The most interesting point of this experiment is how I felt when I read these messages. Every message made me think of the person who sent it. The most important point is that I did not concentrate what the message had to tell about me, I think I was looking for how wrong they were about me and how there are bad things in them too. A little sadistic, but yet that is the truth. This was the result at end, I don't like to be told anything, good or bad, because I'd rather be the worst than not the best. An unfortunate end to the experiment. Or maybe I am not revealing all the details. I am not actually comfortable talking about myself yet, so in my future posts I will be discussing some other stuff, partly or fully, directly or indirectly, or not all regarding me. Until the next one.