Can't believe it's already four months since I posted something. Time is galloping about and not having enough time for anything. Lot of things happening during the last few days, not that I am complaining.
Was on a month long vacation to India and it seems so different every time I visit. The outpouring love and affection can't be explained. Had very little time to spend with family or friends (it happens every time) as I was held up with some silly stuffs which I would rather not talk about now.
The highlight was getting my parents back with me to the UK. It was a dream from time immemorial but it just happened now since my parents seemed to run out of any more new excuses. Had a tough time having to tell my mom to limit all the goods she intended to ship out but then she had the final say :-)
The flight journey was ok not great with the BA cabin crew strike the food was horrible but nothing seemed to deter me in this journey. I sat down explaining every thing right from telling them how to wear the seat belts to explaining them what the controls in the seat are, I think I could sense a feeling of pride in both of them :-)
It's almost two months and I am not quite sure they like it here or not but I am sure they find it very interesting. Had been to London and I can see my dad being overwhelmed by things he saw there. Being an avid reader he was so thrilled to see all the things he had read about standing right in front of him, it's a sight I am not going to forget for a pretty long time.
But the best part of course is the food. There is something about mum's cooking that is so magical and the taste so very unique. My taste buds are having a rocking time with all South Indian specialities to give company. As the day they return looms in the corner I tend to blank out my mind but with little success.
Will be visiting Scotland this long weekend and am excited to drive them around and make it as memorable as memorable could be..
Will try to write more frequently...Ta..
- Sridhar Ramakrishnan
- About me? Thinking about it, describing yourself is such a difficult task and I am puzzled how some guys out there do it so seamlessly. I am what you can call a “Yours Ordinary Programmer” and come from an already overwhelming group of people calling themselves the “IT Guys". So here goes my space mostly with things I don't know why I wrote in the first place. For those who feel it is non-sense thanks for your patience and for those who feel its quite good thanks for sticking your neck out "Be the change you want to see" Cya, Sri
Wednesday, 26 May 2010
Sunday, 28 February 2010
"The One" !
Late sunday night. The precious few hours you wish would stretch into infinity. So before I doze off thought to write about someone very special.
There are a few that come across your path who are a source of strength and you wouldn't do anything to disappoint them. My brother is one such bloke ! Our relationship is quite odd, in the sense we don't go out frequently nor do I share any secrets of mine to him but there is something comforting when he is around, everything looks so well in control and I kind of get a feeling that nothing can go wrong. I guess that's why they coined the word "Big Brother" :-)
Being the strong headed guy I am it is so difficult to change my decisions but my brother has this persona wherein he would just come and talk me straight out of it. My lot of firsts is attributed to him my first mobile, my wallet, my first formal branded shoe the list just keeps going on. Till date I have never got a wallet on my own! I remember wearing most of his dresses during college and would anticipate restlessly when he would come down to Bangalore just so that I could spend some time chatting. I still remember the first match I saw him play where he tore the opposition apart with both his bowling and batting skills and the blue shirt he wore then still lingers on.
One downside to him being this perfect son, husband, brother is that he has set a benchmark which poor souls like are supposed to follow which seems so utterly impossible. He has this uncanny way of doing all the things in his own way but without hurting or making anyone around him feel bad and I have been a nightmare in that area :-)
Of all the things it is his patience that quite strikes me. If something is going wrong he would in his own way quietly deal with it without anyone else noticing. I have never seen him shout at anyone till now (hope I don't see it ever) or willingly hurt anyone and I guess that is one of the reason success has chased him.
I guess I am pretty lucky as I need not go out looking for inspirations and such people often remind you why life is such a wonderful place to live in.
Thanks bro for everything !
There are a few that come across your path who are a source of strength and you wouldn't do anything to disappoint them. My brother is one such bloke ! Our relationship is quite odd, in the sense we don't go out frequently nor do I share any secrets of mine to him but there is something comforting when he is around, everything looks so well in control and I kind of get a feeling that nothing can go wrong. I guess that's why they coined the word "Big Brother" :-)
Being the strong headed guy I am it is so difficult to change my decisions but my brother has this persona wherein he would just come and talk me straight out of it. My lot of firsts is attributed to him my first mobile, my wallet, my first formal branded shoe the list just keeps going on. Till date I have never got a wallet on my own! I remember wearing most of his dresses during college and would anticipate restlessly when he would come down to Bangalore just so that I could spend some time chatting. I still remember the first match I saw him play where he tore the opposition apart with both his bowling and batting skills and the blue shirt he wore then still lingers on.
One downside to him being this perfect son, husband, brother is that he has set a benchmark which poor souls like are supposed to follow which seems so utterly impossible. He has this uncanny way of doing all the things in his own way but without hurting or making anyone around him feel bad and I have been a nightmare in that area :-)
Of all the things it is his patience that quite strikes me. If something is going wrong he would in his own way quietly deal with it without anyone else noticing. I have never seen him shout at anyone till now (hope I don't see it ever) or willingly hurt anyone and I guess that is one of the reason success has chased him.
I guess I am pretty lucky as I need not go out looking for inspirations and such people often remind you why life is such a wonderful place to live in.
Thanks bro for everything !
Thursday, 25 February 2010
Didn't miss one in Feb !!
Two things sum up my February, work and no sleep ! But no complaints enjoying every bit of it.
I guess Mr Feb thought he could just move away into oblivion ! Sorry not happening, had promised one of my friend that I shall post at least once a month. I know it's not an easy promise to keep up but as you can see I am faltering miserably.
I was watching an old English movie (don't seem to remember the name, Frank Sinatra starred in his career defining role) and there was an interesting dialogue in it. One of the character tells the hero "I am not lying that I am lonely" for which he (another guy and not Sinatra) replies "No one ever lies that they are lonely" ! So very true and it suits the scene so well !!
From movies to Sachin ! Naaah I am not going to write about his double century coz I don't want to miss out anything. A fitting tribute will be given when the great one hangs up his boots. I was reading an interesting book "Newton--The last Sorcerer" where the author gives us insights into Newton's life that involved alchemy, dark arts etc..but as I finished reading it I just scribbled something on my textpad. Generally what I write doesn't reflect on what I am thinking at that moment so naturally felt quite odd after reading it in the first place. So here it goes....
Then came a time I had to call it a day,
It was my turn to walk the road never taken,
With bundles of fear and excitement I lay,
All my near and dear ones forsaken.
It seemed to me that my last adventure,
By far would be the most memorable,
There were none to talk or none to smile,
In the chill of the night it was me and then me.
I had heard stories of the judgement day,
Never did I think I would face it so soon,
But as the age old saying goes,
All good things must come to an end.
It was my turn and I had nowhere to run,
I had to face Him, for good or for the worse,
Was I fair, was I bad, was my life worthwhile,
Some of the few questions that took turns in my head.
Had I hurt someone who forever loved me,
Was I, a disappointment for people who trusted,
Such a pity that all these thoughts,
Never did come when it mattered the most.
With darkness engulfing me all around,
Flying was I, to the highest of high,
With whatever little time I now had,
I thought, I wondered of my life below.
As I flipped through the pages of time,
The memories, the thoughts came gushing by,
A slow but gradual feeling seemed to sink,
My time might have been, worthwhile after all.
A temper so short, that doesn’t make me proud,
But Indifference and lies is what I couldn’t bear,
Is it so difficult to speak out your mind?
Believed in my values, and for the rest I didn’t care.
I did not know to utter sweet and tender words,
Nor did I believe in what they now call Love,
But In the long and timeless journey of mine,
There is none, I ever could hate for life.
Life is but a bundle of good and the bad,
Deep inside my heart I do know,
Never did I fail to regret a mistake,
Nor could I be untrue to myself,
As timeless and ageless the memories seemed to last,
I heard an invisible voice uttering some words,
Who it was, till today, I do not know,
All I could hear was these few little verse.
To regret a wrong, is not a mistake,
To utter the truth, not a weakness,
A bigger heart, is not the one who always loves,
But the one who never hates !!
.
I guess Mr Feb thought he could just move away into oblivion ! Sorry not happening, had promised one of my friend that I shall post at least once a month. I know it's not an easy promise to keep up but as you can see I am faltering miserably.
I was watching an old English movie (don't seem to remember the name, Frank Sinatra starred in his career defining role) and there was an interesting dialogue in it. One of the character tells the hero "I am not lying that I am lonely" for which he (another guy and not Sinatra) replies "No one ever lies that they are lonely" ! So very true and it suits the scene so well !!
From movies to Sachin ! Naaah I am not going to write about his double century coz I don't want to miss out anything. A fitting tribute will be given when the great one hangs up his boots. I was reading an interesting book "Newton--The last Sorcerer" where the author gives us insights into Newton's life that involved alchemy, dark arts etc..but as I finished reading it I just scribbled something on my textpad. Generally what I write doesn't reflect on what I am thinking at that moment so naturally felt quite odd after reading it in the first place. So here it goes....
Then came a time I had to call it a day,
It was my turn to walk the road never taken,
With bundles of fear and excitement I lay,
All my near and dear ones forsaken.
It seemed to me that my last adventure,
By far would be the most memorable,
There were none to talk or none to smile,
In the chill of the night it was me and then me.
I had heard stories of the judgement day,
Never did I think I would face it so soon,
But as the age old saying goes,
All good things must come to an end.
It was my turn and I had nowhere to run,
I had to face Him, for good or for the worse,
Was I fair, was I bad, was my life worthwhile,
Some of the few questions that took turns in my head.
Had I hurt someone who forever loved me,
Was I, a disappointment for people who trusted,
Such a pity that all these thoughts,
Never did come when it mattered the most.
With darkness engulfing me all around,
Flying was I, to the highest of high,
With whatever little time I now had,
I thought, I wondered of my life below.
As I flipped through the pages of time,
The memories, the thoughts came gushing by,
A slow but gradual feeling seemed to sink,
My time might have been, worthwhile after all.
A temper so short, that doesn’t make me proud,
But Indifference and lies is what I couldn’t bear,
Is it so difficult to speak out your mind?
Believed in my values, and for the rest I didn’t care.
I did not know to utter sweet and tender words,
Nor did I believe in what they now call Love,
But In the long and timeless journey of mine,
There is none, I ever could hate for life.
Life is but a bundle of good and the bad,
Deep inside my heart I do know,
Never did I fail to regret a mistake,
Nor could I be untrue to myself,
As timeless and ageless the memories seemed to last,
I heard an invisible voice uttering some words,
Who it was, till today, I do not know,
All I could hear was these few little verse.
To regret a wrong, is not a mistake,
To utter the truth, not a weakness,
A bigger heart, is not the one who always loves,
But the one who never hates !!
.
Tuesday, 26 January 2010
Work..that's all for now !
Another hectic week! I think that's why they are called deadlines. You almost die by the time you cross the line. In spite of this, here I am trying to write something sensible before I brace myself to another late night work!
The past month or so has been quite different. For one I have been stuck in this vicious and never ending cycle of coding, testing, bugs etc then re-coding, re-testing and bugs again. But apart from work, of late I seem to have lots of time for myself which is kind of nice once in a while. I have judiciously grabbed the opportunity to rekindle my old romance, the only love of my life...BOOKS...my favourite past time which seemed to have taken a sabbatical for reasons unknown.
Reading some of Oscar Wilde's work and I must say experiencing pure literary magic. Just read "NIGHTINGALE AND THE ROSE". An interesting short story! Not sure how he manages to express such deep expressions of love, disappointment with simple words. Genius at work !
Hmm..from deadlines to Oscar Wilde..my thoughts seem to be dancing like a pendulum. My laptop is already reminding me of the huge list of things I got to do and all I can think of now is:
"The one thing I don't want to do badly now is the only thing I have to do by tommorrow !"
The past month or so has been quite different. For one I have been stuck in this vicious and never ending cycle of coding, testing, bugs etc then re-coding, re-testing and bugs again. But apart from work, of late I seem to have lots of time for myself which is kind of nice once in a while. I have judiciously grabbed the opportunity to rekindle my old romance, the only love of my life...BOOKS...my favourite past time which seemed to have taken a sabbatical for reasons unknown.
Reading some of Oscar Wilde's work and I must say experiencing pure literary magic. Just read "NIGHTINGALE AND THE ROSE". An interesting short story! Not sure how he manages to express such deep expressions of love, disappointment with simple words. Genius at work !
Hmm..from deadlines to Oscar Wilde..my thoughts seem to be dancing like a pendulum. My laptop is already reminding me of the huge list of things I got to do and all I can think of now is:
"The one thing I don't want to do badly now is the only thing I have to do by tommorrow !"
Friday, 15 January 2010
Oddities in 2009 !
Not sure if the word oddity exist, but taken the liberty any ways! The end of the year and a beginning of a new one is a time for self reflection. Mostly its not a conscious feeling. Me for one have never given thought of what happened during the course of the year but somehow wanted to write about 3 odd things that occured during the last year.
1: Modern Teleportation!
The scientific definition of "Teleportation" is disapperances and appearances of anomolies basically science of disappearing and appearing instantaneously. We have not quite managed to master this field and as of today it is scientifically impossible to teleport humans.
But this year I witnessed the modern teleportation techniques. People being in two places at the same time. There was no hi-fi technology or any hardware costs. You can be in office during the weekend as well as in the movie watching the unwatchable or be at home sick as well as in McD's enjoying a hot burger, from having lunch with a friend who never existed...All it takes is a foxy mind, a bluntly told lie and an audience dumb as a dimbo..easy ain't it...
2: Come let's Recycle!
Everyone was pitching for last year with the environment summit in Cophenhagen etc etc and the "blokes" here didn't want to be left far behind. In fact, the zeal was so much so that their half drunk coffee was religiously offered to another friend as if it were just freshly brewed from Brazil. Little did the hero of our story know that he was part of a scientific research on recycling. Anyways he showered nice adjectives at the recycling scientist and left the place happy and contented.
To the hero: Don't trust anybody dude !
To the scientist: Grow up kiddo !
3: From dish washer to Super cook !
I must confess that a couple of years back my culinary skills were limited and being the gourmet that I am was a bit worried about the future of my belly. Luckily I had some great house mates and was taken care of in a way that befits a Royal ! However over the past few months I have seen the gradual rise of the unknown soldier. All my hidden talents gushing to all parts of my brain..and there I was, the new "ME" from the realms of "dish washing" to "super cooking". With a wee bit of liberty I think I have kind of got a hang of things now and guys who are out there back home, whenever you come, there's a big shock awaiting your way !
However mutton curry, mutton biriyani,Dal Makhani and Avial will never be cooked as a mark of respect to Vineet, Junaith, Pooja and Sowmya respectively...Cullinary Ethics you see :-)
1: Modern Teleportation!
The scientific definition of "Teleportation" is disapperances and appearances of anomolies basically science of disappearing and appearing instantaneously. We have not quite managed to master this field and as of today it is scientifically impossible to teleport humans.
But this year I witnessed the modern teleportation techniques. People being in two places at the same time. There was no hi-fi technology or any hardware costs. You can be in office during the weekend as well as in the movie watching the unwatchable or be at home sick as well as in McD's enjoying a hot burger, from having lunch with a friend who never existed...All it takes is a foxy mind, a bluntly told lie and an audience dumb as a dimbo..easy ain't it...
2: Come let's Recycle!
Everyone was pitching for last year with the environment summit in Cophenhagen etc etc and the "blokes" here didn't want to be left far behind. In fact, the zeal was so much so that their half drunk coffee was religiously offered to another friend as if it were just freshly brewed from Brazil. Little did the hero of our story know that he was part of a scientific research on recycling. Anyways he showered nice adjectives at the recycling scientist and left the place happy and contented.
To the hero: Don't trust anybody dude !
To the scientist: Grow up kiddo !
3: From dish washer to Super cook !
I must confess that a couple of years back my culinary skills were limited and being the gourmet that I am was a bit worried about the future of my belly. Luckily I had some great house mates and was taken care of in a way that befits a Royal ! However over the past few months I have seen the gradual rise of the unknown soldier. All my hidden talents gushing to all parts of my brain..and there I was, the new "ME" from the realms of "dish washing" to "super cooking". With a wee bit of liberty I think I have kind of got a hang of things now and guys who are out there back home, whenever you come, there's a big shock awaiting your way !
However mutton curry, mutton biriyani,Dal Makhani and Avial will never be cooked as a mark of respect to Vineet, Junaith, Pooja and Sowmya respectively...Cullinary Ethics you see :-)
There is something about winter !
Have been busy with loads of work and I guess that is a good enough excuse for not penning down something for so long. Of late, whatever I think or do my thoughts just keep dragging me to the horrendous weather we have had for a couple of weeks here and it seems that I am having an involuntary fixation over it.
Officially it has been one of the most terrible winter out here for a long time, temperatures hovering around -2 to -3 and after all the initial excitement of snow fall it was time to brace ourselves to the chaos that followed. Initially not going to office was kind of a luxury but as days went by you just wanted to get out of the house, feel some fresh and warm air. A classic example to prove my philosophy "too much of good is bad" :-)
I call the English winter the 3 Ds..Dark, Depressing and Dull and gives me a feeling as if Lord Voldemort has taken over the muggle kingdom. And I must confess that I am quite surprised by the way we get influenced by it both in thoughts and actions. The advice you get from seasoned campaigners who have seen a lot of winters out here is to complete all things important before winter (read job hunting, Europe trips etc etc) and the logic behind is that your brain kind of goes into hibernation probably coz "There is something about winter" !
Plans change so dramatically, from wanting to work for many years in the UK to going back home and settling down..from not marrying for the next 2 to 3 years to getting married within a couple of months... It is purely inexplicable logic probably coz "There is something about winter" !
And then there is the perennial boy-girl courtships which become stronger at the onset of winter. Lonely guys who don't have their own vehicles go to office by bus and romance the cold winds before even beginning their morning work. Can't quite say that about the girls though, being the big hearted species we boys are, no one wants to lose a chance to become a brother/friend/companion to all those lonely girls out there. India is shining, Growth percentage of India is consistently above 8% but our Mr Lonely guy still goes to office by bus standing in an overcrowded bus stop, alas if only there were sisters and female friends with cars ! But I guess this is will of nature or should I say "There is something about winter" !
In a couple of days another weekend will pass by and my arch nemesis Mr Monday is getting all set to confront me. But strangely I am not too perturbed this time probably coz I have kind of made my peace with Mr.Monday or probably coz "There is something about winter" !
Officially it has been one of the most terrible winter out here for a long time, temperatures hovering around -2 to -3 and after all the initial excitement of snow fall it was time to brace ourselves to the chaos that followed. Initially not going to office was kind of a luxury but as days went by you just wanted to get out of the house, feel some fresh and warm air. A classic example to prove my philosophy "too much of good is bad" :-)
I call the English winter the 3 Ds..Dark, Depressing and Dull and gives me a feeling as if Lord Voldemort has taken over the muggle kingdom. And I must confess that I am quite surprised by the way we get influenced by it both in thoughts and actions. The advice you get from seasoned campaigners who have seen a lot of winters out here is to complete all things important before winter (read job hunting, Europe trips etc etc) and the logic behind is that your brain kind of goes into hibernation probably coz "There is something about winter" !
Plans change so dramatically, from wanting to work for many years in the UK to going back home and settling down..from not marrying for the next 2 to 3 years to getting married within a couple of months... It is purely inexplicable logic probably coz "There is something about winter" !
And then there is the perennial boy-girl courtships which become stronger at the onset of winter. Lonely guys who don't have their own vehicles go to office by bus and romance the cold winds before even beginning their morning work. Can't quite say that about the girls though, being the big hearted species we boys are, no one wants to lose a chance to become a brother/friend/companion to all those lonely girls out there. India is shining, Growth percentage of India is consistently above 8% but our Mr Lonely guy still goes to office by bus standing in an overcrowded bus stop, alas if only there were sisters and female friends with cars ! But I guess this is will of nature or should I say "There is something about winter" !
In a couple of days another weekend will pass by and my arch nemesis Mr Monday is getting all set to confront me. But strangely I am not too perturbed this time probably coz I have kind of made my peace with Mr.Monday or probably coz "There is something about winter" !
Wednesday, 6 January 2010
Here comes the snow (once again) !
I can't quite understand our infactuation with snow and I guess its probably due to the fact that we are not embraced by it back home. Nevertheless news of snowfall generally excites us and why not ? After all who would miss the chance to hit the streets, play like a kindergarden kid, pelting snow balls at one another,skipping office and having hot snacks at home.
It was sometime Feb last year and all the news channels were going beserk with severe weather warnings. You generally get to hear phrases likes "This is the coldest day of the year", "The worst weather in 10 years", "Its gonna snow first time in UK after so many years" so on and so forth. As the rate of predictions grew gradually from every day to every hour our anticipation increased too. It was around 7 or 8 in the night when I caught the first glimpse of bits of ice dancing down from the skies. Within a few minutes there was happiness and excitement everywhere and I could see many people dancing out in the streets.
The next morning I woke up and went towards my window which gives an amazing view of the entire street. It was as if someone has painted white everywhere, the cars, the driveways, the trees each one of them had all been given a shower.But no the fun didn't end here.We couldn't drive till the office so me, Sowmya, Junaith, Vineet, Ashok, Prashanth started to play on the streets. It was quite funny actually to see grown up software professionals dressing up each other in snow and after 10 to 15 minutes the cars in and around us were stripped off their white coat..
Junaith's less than impressive aims, Ashok's perfect cricket throws and Sowmya recording all our misadventures was a memorable sight. As usual Prashanth Shivashimpi took some time to choose and wear the perfect costume for the occassion, but he came out nonetheless. As we were enthralled in the snow fight, I could see Nandeesh and Pooja coming towards us and they had plans of going to office. I am not sure if one could be so dutiful :-) But being who we are, we made sure that both of them didn't land up in office for the next couple of hours and Nandeesh's hair was shampooed in snow and Pooja's face was religiously pampered with a cold white face mask..
All in all it was one of the highlights of last year...
Fast forward...Its January 2010...And I heard the same news yesterday .."Worst weather in 60 years". Severe weather warnings!And yes it did snow overnight. I went for a walk around 4 in the morning and I still can't believe I actually did this ? I woke up early morning but this time I didn't feel like watching through the window. After a while when I did look outside it was more beautiful, it had snowed more heavily this time. But as I gazed on the view before me I didn't feel that excitement and I am not sure why ?
I can't say I missed them,
Nor can I say I wished they would be here,
But something in me didn't let me to enjoy the snowfall this time...
As every day passes by,
Thoughts and feelings seem to fly.
I realize you won’t be so nearby,
With me, to laugh, or to cry.
It was sometime Feb last year and all the news channels were going beserk with severe weather warnings. You generally get to hear phrases likes "This is the coldest day of the year", "The worst weather in 10 years", "Its gonna snow first time in UK after so many years" so on and so forth. As the rate of predictions grew gradually from every day to every hour our anticipation increased too. It was around 7 or 8 in the night when I caught the first glimpse of bits of ice dancing down from the skies. Within a few minutes there was happiness and excitement everywhere and I could see many people dancing out in the streets.
The next morning I woke up and went towards my window which gives an amazing view of the entire street. It was as if someone has painted white everywhere, the cars, the driveways, the trees each one of them had all been given a shower.But no the fun didn't end here.We couldn't drive till the office so me, Sowmya, Junaith, Vineet, Ashok, Prashanth started to play on the streets. It was quite funny actually to see grown up software professionals dressing up each other in snow and after 10 to 15 minutes the cars in and around us were stripped off their white coat..
Junaith's less than impressive aims, Ashok's perfect cricket throws and Sowmya recording all our misadventures was a memorable sight. As usual Prashanth Shivashimpi took some time to choose and wear the perfect costume for the occassion, but he came out nonetheless. As we were enthralled in the snow fight, I could see Nandeesh and Pooja coming towards us and they had plans of going to office. I am not sure if one could be so dutiful :-) But being who we are, we made sure that both of them didn't land up in office for the next couple of hours and Nandeesh's hair was shampooed in snow and Pooja's face was religiously pampered with a cold white face mask..
All in all it was one of the highlights of last year...
Fast forward...Its January 2010...And I heard the same news yesterday .."Worst weather in 60 years". Severe weather warnings!And yes it did snow overnight. I went for a walk around 4 in the morning and I still can't believe I actually did this ? I woke up early morning but this time I didn't feel like watching through the window. After a while when I did look outside it was more beautiful, it had snowed more heavily this time. But as I gazed on the view before me I didn't feel that excitement and I am not sure why ?
I can't say I missed them,
Nor can I say I wished they would be here,
But something in me didn't let me to enjoy the snowfall this time...
As every day passes by,
Thoughts and feelings seem to fly.
I realize you won’t be so nearby,
With me, to laugh, or to cry.
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