Saturday, December 06, 2008

Mission Fun - I

It was C, who started this discussion thread among our gang @ office, with those we-need-fun-during-weekends-after-hectic-work kind of dialogues. And, we're not still very sure about his true intentions for proposing such plans. Anyways, the first plan of our Mission-Fun did indeed go really well! Since few people dropped out due to their vacation plans, we decided to meet up in our house, do some cooking, play some games and have fun.

C was punctual! After that really fast shopping of groceries, we were all set to start with our cooking plans, as the gals dropped in a bit late! C is really great at cooking. Be it the way he cut the vegetables, or the way he prepared : C is like a professional chef. In an hour, the spicy veg-briyani & the mushroom-masala were done! The late-comers did finish the cooking with their roti preparations as well :P

V liked my room much compared to the other rooms in our house (yeah, mine is obviously the cleanest room you see :P). S was doing all his usual pranks while playing UNO. It was a nice get-together, which made me feel better with the not-so-good-happenings that are going around. It also reminded me of the get-together that our old hyd-gang once had in our house.

Here are some pics.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Excel rocks!

Btw, I won both the games today! :)

Friday, October 17, 2008

Movies Store

In continuation to my previous post on Google App Engine: Thanks a ton for those 2 other users who've recorded their idea in the so-called Idea Store application! I thought I would give a try in creating another app using GAE, and then came this idea of another store, and that's been named - Movie Store! :P

Most of the people I know are movie-freaks and they do end up watching atleast a single movie during their weekends. So, you could just spend few minutes in this application, providing your thoughts & rating about the movie you've just watched, there by making it available for your friends. You could also enter movies & reviews of some old-do-not-miss-movies here.

I decided that I've to market this application better than the previous one, and so tried typing some stuff in the start-up page of the application. :) Click here to check out the app & don't miss to record your favourite movies & their reviews!

Thursday, October 02, 2008

Idleness

Wake up by 10 am.
Have breakfast.
Check e-mail.
Chat in GTalk.
Read HP7.
Check reddit.
Think of a status message for Facebook/Orkut/GTalk.
Have bath.
Have lunch.
Read HP7.
Have a nap.
Check e-mail.
Check reddit.
Get back to continue reading HP7.

This has been my day so far. And, Life seems to be more emptier than ever. Going to office and doing these routine stuffs would have atleast given an impression that I'm not idle and that I'm doing something useful. Curse me and my Life!

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Google Chrome

Ohooo.. I'm making this post from the Google's browser -- Chrome. I was reading their chrome comic book yesterday, and was all excited and waiting for its release. And its really really sleek and cool :-) with not so many icons, nor a top menu bar.. Following the Google's traditional -- "Keep it simple and make it fast"..

And and, I've to run to office early tomorrow to check out our app in it.. He he :P

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Google App Engine

Since the release of Google App Engine, I wished to try out something with it. But it was a long time pending work, as I didn't want to try out things in my office PC :P So, the first thing that I did after getting my laptop net connection (which was active only for 2 days as mentioned in my previous post, and its still down!), I downloaded the SDK for the App Engine.

But then, no idea striked me immediately, so I went on creating a sample application which would try to collect ideas from others for developing applications :P Okay, I know that ideas are something great and no-one would just wanna post them in my application! I just wanted to try things out. Period. :)

It was all in python, and I knew nothing about python. I just followed through the getting started link of theirs, and I realised how easy it is to deploy a web application using their SDK. It was so cool and amazing, and you get so many APIs from them for Google users, datastore, image processing, mail etc etc

And today, it took just 2 seconds for me to upload my application!! The Dashboard for managing the application, the usage logs, are all very nice.. Google rocks as always.. :)
Click here to checkout my sample application :)

PS: I might probably try to implement the winning idea, if its easy enough to do :P

Monday, August 11, 2008

Say 'NO' to Tata Indicom Broadband

Instead of trying to make 'a post a day' which I said in my previous post, I'm making more than 2 customer service calls a day!

I've to apply for Tata indicom broadband as there is no coverage by Airtel in our area :'( But still I went for these guys, as my lucky room-mate is already having a Tata indicom connection and hasn't got any problem so far with the connectivity. So, if and only if you are one such lucky persons, you can go for Tata Indicom I guess. I had my issues started with these guys right after applying for the connection. It took almost 3 weeks for me to get the connection activated (Since I got no response for my first request, I logged 1 more to get the connection. How stupid am I to do this? Huh!)

So, I got the connection on 30th July 2008. And my connection was active only for 2 days. The link went d0wn on 1st August. And, its been 11 days now that I'm struggling with these guys to get a proper response of what's going on. Every time I call the customer service, I get the same reply "Sorry for the inconvenience", "Work in progress", et al. But no one has called me back.

It's been a mental torture for me to come home everyday to see the state of my router and to call the CSR to start explaining the issue all over again every time. I even got this obsessive compulsive disorder of keep on restarting my router every day to see only that my BP raises every time. I even threatened them that I'm planning to cancel the connection, but no response for that as well. I've paid 4 months tariff as advance to get free installation :'(

After googling today for "Tata indicom customer service", I got to see a lot of frustrated posts and complaints overflowing everywhere about their customer service. But then, I guess its all too late for me. I should have done this before applying the connection :'(

If you do have any plans to apply for internet connection, please don't ever go for Tata indicom. Huh!

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Post from my new lappie!

Though I got my new laptop months ago, after several weeks of procrastination from applying for internet connection, and then weeks of struggle after applying the connection (I'd have to log 2 requests, mail the customer service etc), I finally got my Internet connection today!! :)

HBP Teaser Trailer!!!



Ohoo.. It's finally out after a loong wait!!
The young Riddle rocks!
And DD in the Cave scene is cool too..
Can't wait for Nov. 21st :)

Sunday, June 15, 2008

The Departure

I'm here right now after sending off Q in that very same Charminar express, unable to forget that exact moment when he had tears in his eyes, and also not able to sit back at home to see that completely evacuated room of his. This emptiness isn't exactly the same as the previous one when I was alone at home, rather different probably because of the fact that this change is something permanent.

Though we've been discussing about this change or move for the past 2 weeks, even going to the extreme of uttering statements like, "Nothing is permanent in life, except change", it still hurts. It hurts at least for the moment when you say that final "Bye" to the people, the city, the places which have been your Life for quite some time.

And yeah, I'll be missing his kannada, his corrections on the so-called-telugu that I speak, his sambar and the cooking that we used to do together, the intranet chats (which nobody else would be able to understand due to the proper mix of Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and English), the sharing of those team/office topics and gossips, those night time chats at our balcony. And the list just doesn't end there..

But still, the journey goes on. Every one has to move on, to see those different phases of one's life. And Q is moving into one of the important phases of it, stepping into those great grounds of the prestigious IIM-B. All the very best da!

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

The IPL experience

I had a wish for a long time, to watch a cricket match sitting amidst the crowd in a stadium. Once, when I was in College there was a plan to go to Chepauk for an ODI, which finally somehow got dropped. But this time it wasn't for an ODI, rather for the short & aggressive form of the game, T20 and that too an IPL match!

We planned to book for a final league match between Chennai and Hyd, and the booking was also done successfully. But, then came an option of 2500 bucks ticket (South pavilion) for the same match as Team outing organized by our AD! and who'd anyway miss this special offer compared to the 250 bucks tickets :P And yeah, our team was all geared up for the day's game, and also for the reason that its the decisive game for the Super Kings to dream about a semi-final match.

The bookings and everything were all done. But there came an oscillation for dropping the whole plan due to a possible security threat in the Uppal stadium. And few people started saying NO for the match. And, I just thought, I even missed the 250 bucks ticket :( Anyways in the end, as there were 150 more people from our company who were also going for the same match including the director, our plan stayed alive!

When we reached the stadium, and when we were given way for showing the VIP car parking slip and everything, we were all started feeling like flying in mid-air. And the moment I entered the gates of that stadium, the floods of lights and the green pitch and the players there gave me such a "Wow!" feeling. I really loved the environment, the place which we got, 2nd row from bottom, next to the Cheer leaders! :P (Chennai's though). Few of the stars who waved back at the our side of the crowd includes; Rameez, Shrikanth, SS music's Leka, and the rocking star of the evening "Drums" Sivamani. His beats for the Chennai's fours and sixes, even made the Hyd supporters cheer up and dance. Though only some 4 of us from our Team, the Chennai supporters, constantly stood and cheered for fours, sixes and even wides! :P And when Dhoni got caught, there were few Hyd people shouting loud, "Ippudu kottara", asking for Sivamani's beats.. :)

After every over, Cheer leaders from both the sides refreshed us (Replacers for the ad time in TV), and we even did the Mexican wave twice. Sitting there in front of that small ground, we could easily guess when there is a big hit, whether its gonna be a six or wicket or safe landing, which we can't do watching the match in TV!

Overall it was an amusing experience, and that too when the team you support wins in the end!

Sunday, April 13, 2008

20 to 30

It's the approximate time period of your life when you step out of your family to continue your studies or to start working and until when you start a family of your own (or at least till you get committed!); which could be the most crucial and decisive period of one's life time.

It's during this period, when one could as well change the entire flow of his life. It's this period, when one can get to see the most wonderful days of his life which would long last in his memories. It's this period, when one can work towards achieving whatsoever dreams he might have had. It's this period, when you start standing on your own legs; when you start realizing about the world, the people, the sin, the joy, etc. around you; when you get to know and meet the most important persons of your life.

You could either be in a college environment doing your undergrad or postgrad, or in a workplace during this time period. But its altogether completely 2 different feel that you might get in them. You could cherish your college days forever, and its a place where you feel more secure, where you are always surrounded by a gang of similar mindset people, where you wouldn't even get an idle time to sit and write such a crappy post like this! (:P) And I wish even now, that I'm back in a college environment.

Workplace - here is where you'll start looking at the unseen-dimensions of your own life. Well, to start with you'll have to look after your stay! when you're out of your secure-home or college-hostel (It might not be an issue for most of the hostelers to get accustomed to new places where you share things). Or otherwise you could be facing at least few problems with your beloved room-mates!, Iff you're not willing to adjust and share things ;) But, if you wish you could make your staying place as a home-sweet-home, if you get set well with your roomies, et al, you would surely even miss those days when you keep moving forward in your life; when you think of those moments like - first day first show at IMAX, self cooking tryouts, hang-outs during weekends, lunch at those favorite restaurants, marvelous 1-day to 5-days trips to places never seen before, playing cards & dumb-c @ night times gossiping and pulling each others legs, midnight birthday parties, etc etc

Back from home-sweet-home to workplace, you could as well be jammed in with nice and joyous moments to few bad moments as well. Chit-chats about the work & manager during snacks time, wonderful team outings, mind-blowing party times, eccentric birthday bashes, hot technical discussions, euphoric carom/fuzz ball games, small fights with manager, etc. Its again in your hands, in increasing or decreasing those joyous and bad moments here as well.

Well, how am I gonna end this post now ?
And, why did I ever started writing one ?

Its probably because, both of my roomies have left for US. And my parents and sister who were here in Hyderabad for 2 weeks to give company for me, have left as well. Though, I kind of starting to like this loneliness, the silence, the calmness; I wouldn't even compare it with the time I spend in home being with my parents or roomies. May be it all drills down to 'I' vs 'Family & Friends' ?

Okie, I guess I should stop here. See you all soon!

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Weird Dreams

A huge group of forest animals, reptiles, cobras would be coming after me, though I try so hard to move my legs not to run but at least to keep a step, I can't move them. I'd try to shout out loud, though no sound would come out of my throat!

I'd be brushing my teeth and goggling to find that suddenly all my teeth have gone missing!

I'd be trying to climb stairs, to find that the steps which I've crossed kept on falling somewhere underneath the core of the earth!

I'd be trying to curse someone with the same curse again and again, with a so-called-wand, and after quite sometime realizing that the curse didn't work, I'll hit him hard straight away with that wand!

A big flight would be landing in the small road in front of my house, and it'd come to a halt just few inches to the gates of my house!

I'd be traveling in a bus in a steep hilly area, to find that the driver has suddenly given so much acceleration that it has started flying in the mid-air of the mountain near a huge-peak, and finally though the bus returns back to the road! (or else I'd just wake up)

I'd have put papers in my current company without having got another job and with only few days remaining for my last working day!

And above everything else,
I'd be debugging, writing code and designing stuffs in many dreams! :P

Deathly Hallows as 2 movies !!

Big news out for the HP fans (at least for me!) :D, that the final book of the fantabulous series will be released as two movies, and David Yates is going to be in action again!! Its always nice to have the same director taking an entire-series-of-anything, so that it could keep that feel of the movie constant through out.

Check out for more info here

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Destination.. Determination.. Deliberation..

I remember writing this post quite some time back. I was endured with a similar situation one more time (only 2nd time ? No, I don't think so), rather every time I plan a trip to Tanjore. I got vexed up, that every time I book a flight from Hyd-Chennai, (so that I could go by train from Chennai-Tanjore) my flight gets delayed and I've to book some other flight and change my plans. So during the Diwali trip, I decided that I should book for two trains, Hyd-Chennai and Chennai-Tanjore. And as the Murphy's law always holds good, even the train from Hyd-Chennai got delayed, and I missed the 2nd train, and was lucky enough (?) to get seat in a govt. bus from Chennai-Tanjore travelling hard, all through the day on the worst roads I've ever been.

Okay that was a lesson to me, and so I decided that I'll stick to my flight-and-then-train plan as I used to do previously for this last week Pongal trip. But there I'm failing yet again, to catch the train from Chennai. It was around 11 30 pm, and I was in Tambaram, and I have missed my train, which was a 2nd AC ticket :( To make things still worse, I missed another special train in just a matter of seconds, after getting an unreserved ticket from the same Tambaram station counter! But, I was lucky enough to get into an Air Bus from there to my place, with a single free seat near the driver, though I couldn't sleep through the night :-) Probably because I was to witness 2 accidents, and an almost an hour long heavy traffic jam at that thick of night. I'm not sure how these heavy jams get sprouted. Is that because of that accident ? Or is that because I was able to see most of the lorry & bus drivers asleep in their seats, not even noticing that the vehicles in front of them have started moving, Ooof pathetic.. We actually woke up 1 lorry driver, on the other side of the road, as he was asleep, so did most of the drivers behind him :)

But I've reached home safely, and have had a wonderful 1-week-vacation at home :-) Btw, coming to the title of this post, for all those muggles who aren't aware of what those 3 words together stand for : they are the 3D's of apparition. If only I'm a wizard, if only I've a wand in my hand, if only I've a broomstick, if only I can use a floo network, or If only I could just fly; I won't be suffering at all every time when I make my trip to my native!

Ok now don't look at me like that, its probably because I've started reading all the HP books again starting from the first one :D