Thursday, August 28, 2008

Somebody Somewhere...

A couple of years ago I got a forwarded mail. It said many things and I still remember one from that:

“Someone that you don't even know exists loves you.”

I don’t think it’s applicable for me. Anyway, if I don’t know that person, how do I know?

I don’t know..

But there happened two incidents which reminded me of that forwarded mail…. one is a dog incident.

There lives a girl dog in our neighborhood (street dog). She has a husband and had some kids too. I don’t know where those kids are now. It’s a black dog. Since she is not fed well, it’s thin. She doesn’t know my whereabouts, that I watch her daily, that sometimes I talk about her to my wife and son…. and that I am a well-wisher of hers…..

I was partly a science student and I have dissected cockroaches, earthworms and frogs. I am a vegetarian and handling meat or even watching how fish or meat getting cut was not part of my life (but I have personally seen it couple of times). So, when I was asked to cut a frog for the first time, I couldn’t do that (live one under sedation). I was sitting with two of my friends, me in the middle. I still remember that scene. I asked the guy who was sitting right to me to do that for me. He smiled at me and did that for me (he always had a smile for me but once he gave me a near heart attack …well, off topic and will tell it later). I saw its heart beating…the lungs….and the water in the tray became reddish coz of the blood…. Overall it wasn’t a nice sight for me. But I don’t remember whether I got a headache or not…..

(I think I wrote this in an old blog) One afternoon I heard a dog crying. I looked through the window and saw some dog catchers trying to catch that black dog. The dog struggled and almost jumped out of the net. They caught again. It cried out of fear than pain I think. And I developed a headache…I just prayed for the dog.


Next day I saw that dog standing there as if nothing has happened (coz they took the dog for sterilization/vaccination and then left her back) and I said in my mind:

“You stupid dog! After giving me a headache, how dare you stand like that?”

I felt happy to see her back. I even felt like giving it a hug.

The second was a cat incident. There came a kitten in our apartment complex (not my block and hence I did not see it). And it became an issue since its condition was bad (we have an e-forum and mails started coming in this regard). A good hearted man took it to an animal shelter place and our security supervisor accompanied him. They found that, that shelter is not the right place to keep the animal (I don’t know why). And then the supervisor decided to adopt the kitten. Not just that, the good resident even took the kitten to a Vet to have a checkup! Does the kitten know it was a taken cared of? No…

Sometimes it’s true. We may not be aware that somebody, somewhere, cares for us. Somebody wants to hear from us or just want to know how we are doing….

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

A Death..

Yesterday, when my son came back from school, he brought a sad news. His close friend’s dad died of heart attack.

I don’t know this guy but there was a possibility of I meeting him. My son wanted to visit their house. What my son wanted to do was just dropping him there and then pick him up later. But that house wasn’t near. And I had no idea how their parents take this. So I told him:

“When you grow up, you can go…or ask your friend to come over here and then you can go to park and play”

May be son promised his friend that he will come there. I saw him calling up and talking to him. And he came back and told me:

“His dad also said the same thing, when he grows up he can come to my house..”

Without any reason, I felt like that guy is a good guy… may be he was that’s why God called him early. It is said that Good people ‘go’ early.

May his soul rest in peace…

Monday, August 25, 2008

iPhone 3G In India

Finally the iPhone 3G is coming to India. Vodafone and Airtel already started taking preorder. Is it wise/worth to buy an iPhone shedding more than 30K?




THINK TWICE

The major hype about the phone, as its name indicate, is the 3G element and hence speed. But the 3G technology itself is yet to come to India and hence how will we use the 3G ? It is not coz we don’t have the technology but it’s all coz of the nonsense politicians. The government is yet to come out with regulations. They were busy playing dirty political games. I think it’s high time the companies which want this technology to be implemented go and bribe those politicians and bureaucrats. Then things will move very fast (I think 3G will come within 6 months and that time the price of iPhone will drop).

And about the speed. Which country/countries use the most modern technologies first? The US is on the top. We all know that one user already sued Apple since the phone failed to deliver the speed as per he ad given by them. If that is the case with a country like US, how will it be in India? As with anything, there will be starting troubles since the technology is going to be just implemented. So, it will take some time (or that is what I believe) for things to get stabilized.

iPhone 3G is reported to have reception issues. In the US, AT&T said its not their problem since other 3G phones don’t have any issues and iPhone is facing that around the world. I read in a CNET review that the reception problem could be coz of some hardware problem.

The phone had very less battery life. Don’t know whether they addressed the issue or not. I don’t think apple will throw away the phones which have this issue, so they will sell it somewhere.

Though iPhone is not a CDMA phone, practically this GSM phone will is as good as carrying a CDMA since it comes locked for particular carrier. If we put any other (different carrier) SIM, it won’t work.

And if anybody is switching from Symbian operating system based phone which has lots of third party applications and support , they will not feel comfortable for depending on iTunes for everything. That too in the present Indian scenario, for all the iTune purchase, one need to pay in dollars.

So, is it the right time to invest in an iPhone 3G?

Sunday, August 24, 2008

bush didnt state the truth

Bush, Notepad and Microsoft? How is it connected ? Let us see

In the desktop right click, choose New and Text Document (that is, just create a new file using notepad)

No need to name it and let it be New Text Document, no issues

Now type the following :

(don’t use any capital letter/upper case, type just like what it appears below)

bush didnt state the truth

save it and close it

open it and see

Surprise?

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Eerie Moments

It rained heavily today.

I love rain. I enjoy looking through the windows when it rains. I like to walk in the rain under an umbrella enjoying the cold breeze. I also like to drive when it rains.

Too much of anything is bad. So, too much of rain also can lead to flood and diseases. During my childhood, to the extend possible, I did not miss a chance to get wet in the rain. But I was scared of my father and hence if I had no choice but to appear in front of him, I avoided getting wet.

I started going to school in bicycle from 8th grade. I had a choice, a new bicycle later or dad’s old cycle on the spot. May be I was impatient and opted for the old cycle (well, father did not buy a new one for him, but then on, he started going to office on foot). Our school timing was 9.30 am to 3.30 pm. Dad was with government service and hence he had office till 5 pm. Thus there is a time gap which I made use during rainy seasons. After school, most of us did not wait for the rain to stop; we used to enjoy the rain liberally. During rainy seasons, we used to carry a polythene bag/cover too so that we can protect our books. But sometimes, it used to get wet.

There is a word associated with rain...... Eerie…

Why is that so? As on this day this time, I don’t know. Is it that frightening? Who are the ones that consider rain as eerie? It looks like it was mostly poets and writers and not common man who really faced troubles. But there is an eerie side for rain in my life.

I don’t remember when it was. It was either when I was in third grade or it should be when I was in 4th grade. We were living in a rented house owned by an uncle of mine. It was a tiled house which was very old too. What happens when it rains? During heavy rains, water used come inside, dripping from the top. Sometimes these dripping gains strength and became a flow.

Eerie moments were the night moments, the sleeping time. Sometimes the rain started after us sleeping and there comes water falling on our head! Then we need to keep some vessel/utensil exactly under it and look for a different place to sleep…if water fell there too, look for another place…and was the house that big so that we have enough space and hence choose a nice place and sleep? Unfortunately, it wasn’t.

It really was irritating. It’s not from (just) one place that water used to drip in, but many. So, how was it? Will the parents take care of such things and we just sleep? Nope. Father hardly bothered about it and hence it was mostly me and my mother who were after getting the utensil and yes, sometimes helped by my sister too (I think only if the dripping bothered her).

We weren’t sleeping on cot and bed. There was only one cot and it was occupied by father. Mom, sister and I slept on the floor during those days. We used to use kind of mattress made of grass and then a couple of bed sheets. Some times we came to know of the dripping water only after our sheets and mattress got wet. That were the most disappointing, frustrating and sad moments. Coz, we may not get a dry one to change. Either there weren’t any spare sheets or the spare ones were still to get dried after a wash.

Yes, those were the days rain was really eerie in my life…

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Gimme Blood !


Today I let one mosquito bite me. Yes it’s their day today. World Mosquito Day !

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

The Phelps Factor

I learnt swimming (the basics) some 3 months ago. But I had referred lots of videos of professional swimmers. And one among them was Michael Phelps. No need to say that I became a big fan of him. I cheered for him during the Olympic races and I wanted him to win (well, I also wanted Cullen Jones to win medals but I don’t know why he did not participate in most of the events. AND YES, I DID NOT LIKE THE MEDIA NOT MISSING ANY CHANCE TO REFER HIM AS 'COLORED', 'AFRO AMERICAN' AND 'BLACK'). No wonder he is called the human dolphin. The only Olympian with 8 Gold in a single Games.

When I watch sports, I usually don’t keep any statistics in my mind. I just enjoy that moment. Same with Phelps and his swimming too. I don’t remember any of his timing or what the margin was between him and the second place guy. But I remember that in one of the events, he won with very small margin and it was bit controversy. It is said that Michael’s timing was just hundredth of a second ahead of the person reached second. That means, with naked eyes we cant say who won. I don’t remember who the second guy was but I really appreciate him. Coz, beating Phelps is not an easy task. Why? Coz Phelps is not a ‘normal’ swimmer. And some people hence think it’s not fair. So what are the specialties of Phelps which makes him a super human?

It is reported that in an interview he said he usually takes about 10,000 calories a day. When I browsed for the details (of what he eats), it became 12,000-14,000! (A normal man needs 2000 calories per day) Now, a sports nutrition expert (Director of Sports nutrition, university of Pittsburgh) says its impossible for a human to take 10,000 calories a day. I don’t know whom to believe.

His height is 6 ft and 4 inches (193 cm) but when he spreads his hand, the distance between finger to finger is 6 ft 7 inches, which is not normal (coz it is supposed to be equal or slightly longer (but not this long) to the height). How this helps him in swimming? Usually a swimmer need at least 12 strokes to cover 25 meters (which is the standard length for small pools seen in apartment complex, which are not used for professional swimming) and Phelps need only 8 !



His torso is longer (height and torso ratio) than any other swimmer, which helps him ‘move like a fish’ within the water. He has flat foot and he can turn his enormous foot (size 14) 15 degrees further than any other swimmier which helps him to stream better.


He has knees with hypermobility. Hence he can stretch his knee further than normal. Using all these special features, he can kick off the wall and move very fast underwater than any other swimmer (I think now there is some restriction regarding how long (there is a maximum limit (distance) allowed) a swimmer can swim underwater).

His heart pumps 30 liters of blood a minute which is twice that of a normal man. And what about the lactic acid production which is the main cause for muscle burn outs?

His body produces only one third of it compared to other swimmers. When measured after a race, his lactic acid levels were same as a person who is relaxed.

But what about this guy on dry land? Well, mainly coz of some of those special features, he is very clumsy !


So who can beat his records? I am waiting for the next Olympics so that I can see he re-writing the Olympic history.

God Disposes !

Sometimes we feel the presence of God and sometimes we doubt. When a prayer is answered or when something good happening around us, we accept or feel the presence and when we see lots of bad things around us, there might come a doubt or such moments might trigger a thought ‘ Why don’t you act?’………. I know, not always and not with everyone ….

I had blogged about an abortion case which came in front of a High Court which gave a verdict against the parents. But it looks like God considered the appeal from the parents to Him. The other day the pregnancy ended in a miscarriage and now the parents are happy about it. And they said:

“God listened to our prayers”

Monday, August 18, 2008

Getting Well Soon


What do we do when we fall ill? I don’t know how exactly all others spent their illish days. I have observed my dad, mom, sister, my brother in law(s), my father/mother in law, my wife, my son , a couple of (old) friends……… and of course, myself too. In general we like to be at peace and not physically disturbed. Those are the days we like to be served than to serve.

Though I said I have observed many others, I don’t know how their mind was working that time. We can’t always read it. Some mental activities come as expressions and emotions and no idea about the rest. Yes, thinking is one of the major thing I do when I fall ill..

How good is this thinking process when we are ill? From my personal experience, if those thoughts are mostly negative, its really bad during these period. Many a times I have observed, if I am angry, lots of negative thoughts comes. Mind goes to past and fetches unwanted and ‘to be forgetted’ things. If I entertain that thoughts, they bring more and more.

If the present illish situation is not comfortable, mind goes back and fetches something to tell how it was when my mother was with me. This may not be the situation with others but in my case, nobody ever took care of me like my mom (though we ideologically differ in many things and even used to fight over many things). One main reason behind this was that there wasn’t anybody else to take care of me.

This time also, many such thoughts went through my mind. There was one incident. That happened when I underwent an appendicitis surgery. Somebody came to visit me without knowing the exact room number. He went to the duty room and enquired and found me too. But later on, I came to know from him that when he asked my name to a nurse, for a moment she started thinking and then another nurse told her:

“It is that room, where the mother and son are occupied”


Yes, that time mom was the only person with me (dad was no more). Sister had two kids that time and she was busy taking care of them. Some friends used to visit me in the evening, after their work. Thus most of the time, it was just me and mom. And yes, she was the only by-stander from day one to day last.

Whenever I fell ill, I never had to get up in the middle and make a black tea or coffee or a cup of hot water. She used to wake up and do that for me. Before going to bed she used to tell


“ call me if you need any help”.

That time, I never thought that is a luxury. I just thought that is how life is. Yes, I still think that is how every mom in this world should be (yes, there are exemptions, I know). What about wives of the world? How every one of them should be? SKIP...

I thought of my friends during this ill period. Though some of them knew that I fell ill, they did not even sent me a text….a mail asking ‘how are you’ or wishing a ‘get well soon’… at the end, I sighed and asked myself

“Are they my friends for real?”

“They might be busy” said somebody within me

My logical mind wasn’t ready to accept that being busy theory.

“If I were online daily, they had some time to spare and say something..and I even got a mail from a friend who really is busy..”

“Don’t be prejudiced, they might have some reasons”

“How long will it take to type – how are you?”

“Yes, you are right, but don’t take such things seriously.”

Thoughts thoughts and thoughts….. I am fed up of them, sometimes…

But from reading my own emotions during the illness period, I think it’s a nice feeling to get a hi or ‘get well soon’ or something like that from our friends or acquaintances. I know this is not the case with everybody. There are people who don’t want others to know that they fell ill and thus they might not like somebody asking ‘what happened’ or wishing a ‘get well soon’.

If we try to avoid some thoughts, it will come back. We can either observe them and let it go or think about something else or do something else. So I decided to go back to my biology lessons and brush up my knowledge about knee joints. This I did whenever I felt better. I read a lot and lot about my particular knee issue – the LCL tear. I even went through more than 20 websites in search of more info or to find out what others did when they had a ligament sprain. Most of the sites ‘spit out’ the same thing. May be they copied it from some single source or somehow things got circulated. Many of them wrote:

“LCL tear is not very common”

Very funny. So what they mean to say is I developed some unusual ligament issue? But I was not into any unusual sport. Before the tear I put my head into tennis, squash and yes badminton. If they believe that these sports cant give an LCL tear, then they better change their old theory. Because I already met two orthopedic doc in this connection and when I said it happened while playing badminton, it wasn’t a surprise for them. My physiotherapy doc also did not show any surprise element. A friend of mine said her husband had a similar issue and he plays basket ball. That means it can happen, its not rare.

But I understood that the approach of (most of) the western docs in this aspect is more serious and focused. They go for an MRI in most of the cases to make sure and then rule out other possibilities. And the therapies used also differ. Then somebody within me said this:

“No wonder the sports people go abroad for such injuries. If we get proper treatment, we can recover very fast….but India is picking up as a place for medical tourism , so these facilities should be available in bigger hospitals, though it is expensive…who knows? Should I try one of such place? ….”

Sigh ! Sigh ! sigh !

I went through many different emotions which included ‘helplessness’. I don’t want to recollect them. What if I get a feeling of ‘going through’ those feelings again? It can happen. Its not wise me disturbing my peace of mind at my own cost.

So, it’s a good thing to remember the subject line of a mail sent by one of my friends, who also fell ill:

“lets get well soon..”

Sunday, August 17, 2008

108 !

Today my wife accepted the task of transferring images from some CDs into a digital photo frame, from her mother. She knew that I will show some interest in it. I have never ‘handled’ a digital photo frame and another challenge was that somebody tried it and it did not work. So, naturally, I decided to give it a try.

It was a COBY make. There wasn’t any problem accessing the equipment using my laptop. I transferred all the images and it came roughly over 900 picz. So, whats interesting?

It displayed only 108 images!. First set of 108 images from its default folder. Then I was wondering what logic it is behind 108. When we think the binary way, we get only 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128 and so on. 108 did not fit anywhere. An American company and 108? Then where do 108 fits into?

108 has many significance in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. . I don’t know how other religions look at this number. In India people who use rosary for chanting or wearing has 108 beads or 54 (+ 1 Guru bead , in many cases). If a person is using a rosary with 54 beads, one needs to do the chants two times. A rosary with 54 beads gives ideal length (to wear) when we make it with gold or silver, that too if we make it with caps. Its just a personal choice. But why 108?

The reason is not single. Even within a single religion, there are different views. But there is a general reason. Whether one believes in astrology or not, if a person is doing a 108 rosary, there is astrology behind it.

There are 12 major constellations and 9 planets. And thus there are 108 major changes or vibrations happening. And a believer in God want to chant the name of God for every (such) vibration or change. This is the major reason behind why (at least) most of us use a 108 beaded rosary and if we look around and try to find out how this number is significant to other civilizations or cultures or countries or religions or faith groups, there might be a 108 reasons….

Friday, August 15, 2008

Akhil Kumar and Independence Day

Its Independence Day today. Commemoration of country’s 61 years of independence.

What is special about today?

It really was a special day coz of Olympic games. Our boxer Akhil Kumar had a bout with present world champion Russia's Sergey Vodopyanov (54 kg bantam weight category). Today morning I read a statement by Akhil :

“It’s a sheer coincidence that my crucial bout coincides with India’s Independence Day. I am someone who is very emotional about my country and I have to rise to the occasion”

The whole day, I was waiting for this match and when they entered the ring, the commentator declared Sergey as the probable winner. Akhil looked calm and composed. He has nothing to lose coz he is fighting with world champion and everybody already written him off.

But after sometime, the commentator had no choice but to say “so far the best fight we have seen in this Olympics” and the result? Akhil defeated the world champ!




Congratulations a ton Akhil !! keep up the spirit and all the best for your coming events. The whole nation is behind you (hey, never mind those anti-Indians who live in India). We all are proud of you.

And please accept my personal best wishes for making my day a special day…

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Abhinav Olympic Thoughts

Finally India got an Olympic Gold in individual event, shooting. Congrats Abhinav Bindra!. We all are proud of you.



Till now our Gold was only for team events and that too limited to hockey. If we count the number of medals India won from the year country started participating in the games, its only 18, as on this day this time. Where as many other nations (mostly developed countries) gets this many medals in a single Olympic game (for example the US already got 22 from 2008 Olympics). Why is it so?

It is the right time or high time to look into it. These days, India eats drinks and sleeps only Cricket. No other sport or game is promoted. Many of the athletes are coming from poor financial background. Some of them don’t even have money for a decent three meals per day. When one is struggling to meet both ends, how can they afford supplements and personal trainers? And the facilities available to them?

If we take the list of highest tax payers in India, we can see cricket players and not even a single person from any other sports (I think this year, a lady politician who is supposed to be from a poor financial background beat them all !! no, she is not corrupt…how can she be??? ). Some cricket players already made wealth for the next 10 generations or so. This is the root problem. I love cricket but still, I can’t help telling the truth.

Take the case of this year’s Gold medalist. One way, this is his personal achievement. He is a millionaire and hence he could afford everything best in his event, shooting. He has got a personal ranch for practice and a personal coach from Germany (a Swizz lady). Talk to any India athlete. Are they satisfied with what they got? NO will be the answer except for insults. In the present tragic situation, it is very difficult to consider sports as a career unless one is into cricket.


Billions are generated in cricket. The cricketing body in India is the richest in the world compared to its counterparts. If the rulers can’t find any money to support other sports, they better tax the cricket and cricketers and use that exclusively (yes, please don’t eat up this fund too, for God’s or Satan’s sake (I don’t know whom these politicians represent))for supporting other sports.

When will we get a Mister for Sports who love sports for real? A person who understands sports and who believe that what this country lack is not talent but the infrastructure and the way other sports and people involved in it are treated like?

Thursday, August 07, 2008

Illish Thoughts...

Falling ill is not a pleasant thing. It should be the case with every living thing, not just humans. Or are there people who want to fall ill so that others around them will pamper them? It’s a possibility. I never got such a chance to get pampered…

When we fall ill, we need more rest. More sleep, better put, if possible. But I got only 3-4 hours of sleep for the past couple of days. Bad, isn’t it? Very bad..

A blocked nose is irritating. It gives us no choice but to breath through mouth, which dries up our mouth and can lead to a throat pain. Mouth is not designed for regular breathing.

Hey God! you never had a cold? Good for you, but you better impart some modifications in the human mouth design. Trust me, its not funny breathing through mouth.

Fever or feverish feeling, chills, cough, watery eyes, head ache, joint pains, body pains, runny nose, blocked nose, bitter taste, these all are part of falling ill…I don’t like it. I don’t like falling ill. God, what am I afraid of? From where does that fear come? What is behind it? Why should it become part of illness?

I get a lonely feeling when I fall ill. Its not pleasant. I think, during childhood, when I fall ill, I used to get nightmare followed by a hug from mother…

I miss my mother when I fall ill. She was the one who used to take care of me whenever I fell ill. May be that was the situation till I got married. ..

I remember, my friends used to visit me when I was not feeling well….(good) friends are good for our health. I cant forget that BIG boy.. Gopi, I miss you today. but… I know, you are in a different world…or you are not Gopi anymore…


Today I felt motherless and friendless…

Falling ill is not good, I don’t like it…

Edison - PC Energy Saving Software

If anybody is looking for the much talked (lately) ‘green’ PC energy saving software, get it from here:

http://www.verdiem.com/edison/

Yes, its true, if every one of us try to save some energy per day, it can make a BIG change in terms of saving energy and protecting the environment...

Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Raja Ki Aayegi Barat

THE BIGGEST CRAP, STUPIDEST, NONSENSE AND THRASH SERIAL OF 2008!

(Not about the movie but about serial being aired presently)

SPIM

We all know what is a spam and we get at least one per day. But what is a SPIM?

Those who are after sending spam is not ready to spare even the Instant Messenger (IM - like yahoo, ICQ, MSN, Gtalk…) users. When we are online, we get unsolicited messages from persons we don’t know. This also is a kind of spam.

When a SPam is received in IM, it is called SPIM !

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

An Abortion..


Should the government allow an abortion? Or what is called Medical Termination of Pregnancy? There are many cases where we should allow it.

There came such a case in the Bombay High Court and the court ruled against it. And the judge said :

“We can only interpret law and not make the law….”

Yes, that is how the system works. The less educated and anti-social politicians make law and highly educated bureaucrats interpret and implement it. Though it’s ridiculous, its how things happen in this world.

Here in this particular case, what happens if the baby is born? Medical experts see the at least the following possibilities:

Child could be asymptomatic (shortness of breath and difficulty in swallowing) till it becomes at least seven
Child might need a pacemaker from birth
High possibility of valve problem with the heart

And?


The child wont survive long…

At least now the parents did not develop any attachment with their child. Its still in fetus state and parents want to abort it. But the ridiculous system and then this stupid media which blew this issue out of proportion…. Lots and lots of abortion takes place in this country....where did these gentlemen go? Many aborted when they came to know the child is a girl child... What is the justification? May be the mistake is here in this case, they approached the stupid system thinking that they might get justice, rather than doing it privately without anybody knowing it.


What about the adult killings? Political murders?

After all, its about life. Just observe a fishing incident. What happens when the fish comes out of water? It struggles for oxygen….it struggles for life…. Literally it jumps up and down and shows all sorts of struggle s to get a breath… it undergoes pain…just like when a human is suffocated to death…

Well, at least in this case, the parents have every right to abort this pregnancy. If the law doesn’t allow it, change the law, you fools…

Dear Mehtas, I understand your concern, pain, agony, suffering, frustration….I can only pray for you…..May God bless you…..now leave it to HIM

Monday, August 04, 2008

SQL thinking the C++ way...


Some people never go straight. What do I mean? I mean many things…

Consider such a person building a house. He/she prepares a building plan. It usually will have something out of the way. They bribe the official and get it approved. What happens when the construction is over? It again will have something off track. Yes, the building won’t be as per the plan…

This is not just a possibility but I personally know a couple of such people and buildings. This is not just about building. Such people leaves a ‘trademark’ in whatever they do or even speak..

Ask them a straight question. You won’t get a straight answer, at least they will ask you

“Why?”

We might get surprised with such a ‘why’ and using that ‘extra time’ , they makes up some ‘not to the point’ answer. Strange, but it’s a reality. That is not the end of this story. Today I saw some such people giving a ‘poor fellow’ a help, by answering a technical question.

One guy asked how he can clear the screen in a VC++ console application. He specifically tells that he just started learning C++ and is looking for something similar to the ‘CLS’ of the DOS. I saw two surprising answers.

One person replies with another question:

“There are so many methods, which header file you are including?”

Another one went many steps ahead and replied this way:

“Hope this will help:

COORD coordScreen = { 0, 0 };
DWORD cCharsWritten;
CONSOLE_SCREEN_BUFFER_INFO csbi;
DWORD dwConSize;
HANDLE hConsole = GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE);
GetConsoleScreenBufferInfo(hConsole, &csbi);
dwConSize = csbi.dwSize.X * csbi.dwSize.Y;
FillConsoleOutputCharacter(hConsole, TEXT(' '), dwConSize, coordScreen, &cCharsWritten);
FillConsoleOutputAttribute(hConsole, csbi.wAttributes, dwConSize, coordScreen, &cCharsWritten);
SetConsoleCursorPosition(hConsole, coordScreen);
"
What the heck !

So, what is the solution here? Another person answered:

Use system(“CLS”)

So it was that simple…


This kind of situation can happen to anybody if we get a wrong person to at the other end. It can even be a teacher. Look at this:


10 years ago....I am sitting in a class room to attend a theory session of ORACLE. That was the first theory class on that subject for the course I had taken.


“I did not get, can you please explain it ?” asks me

“Do you know Pascal?”

“No”

“C or C++?”

“No”

“Fortran?”

I shook my head and he shrugs and then continues the class…


I came back home very disappointed and dull. Seeing a dejected looking husband, the wife asks:

“What happened?, you were very thrilled when you went”

I told her what happened.

“I think you got a wrong tutor. Your doubt has nothing to do with C or Fortran…”

That was the truth. (How do my wife know this? She had studied all those programming languages and was/is really good at ORACLE..)


So, when we are with wrong people, there is no need to get disappointed, especially with respect to studies. A right person can help us out, or may be some extra effort from our side might change the situation..


If any youngster is reading this, the message is, Don’t give up!

Did I start somewhere and end somewhere else?

I mean many things!

Sunday, August 03, 2008

Friendship Day !!


Today is friendship day. It is celebrated on the first Sunday of August, every year. May be its an idea by greeting card companies. In what way this day was special about me?

I posted some wish for my Friendster acquaintances. Sent a couple of wish in the form of mails. And I wished one of my friends live. But she just ignored it.


Anyway, this wasn’t the way it should have been, on a friendship day…I know at least that much…


I wish all my friends A VERY HAPPY FRIENDSHIP DAY !

May God bless all of you…