Theories are not a waste
Being in a technical field, I absolutely give more weight to practical knowledge. Guys mugging up things could never stand against practical/real-time issues. Their trophies are merely good for decorations and nothing else. But, while reading these lines, we need not overrule the importance of theoretical aspects of any field.
Most of the times we tend to bend down too much on theories or practicals. In college we get to learn too much theories with very less practical knowledge, and as the time goes to practical scenarios we move very far from theoretical concepts….
While I was preparing for a certification exam, there were so many instances where I have been busy doing things in a way, but the same thing could be done in much better clean way. There are number of ways to do a thing, we just need to find out the best out of it according to purpose. I have been waiting upon this exam for many days or rather more, just because merely getting theoretical concepts would not be of much help to me. But eventually looking around the real difficulties/issues in cloud, I could better reason out things. Thus, theories are definitely not a waste until we solidify the concepts or establish our thoughts.
My experience with Linux…
Few months before, I wrote about my tedious experience of running Ubuntu alongside Windows. It was really very hard time getting things on track again that day, but gradually I am getting used to Linux so well that Windows no more seems to be comfortable. Yeah, Windows is certainly more user-friendly for novice users but for developers, I think the statement might not be true… 
Windows seems to be creating lot of trouble around that made me take step further to linux. I remember somewhat the moment when I first booted up Ubuntu, and on the desktop, the first thing I did was ‘Right click’ on screen and to our surprise…”there is no ‘Refresh’ option in the menu”….which is something every Windows users is accustomed to…. From then on, slowly and gradually working on Ubuntu, I just don’t know when Windows turned out to me so user-”un”friendly. Okay, before I miss out, one thing which I really like most here on Ubuntu is…the “font-style” that is used here 
These days I am working on shell-scripting in Linux which is very similar to batch-programming some of you might have done on Windows. I am also working around building a software just for learning purpose in Python that I could package as debian installer and open-source as well. I could work out C/C++/Java programs here so lively like never as it is solely built for this purpose and so far is best platform. There are times when I had really screwed up everything experimenting here, but whatever I do, I just love around things and it makes me doubly confident. While I am writing down this post, I understand there are few things where I know is yet not done in Ubuntu but still I will say I am having an awesome experience…
Try focus on a single task at a time…
While surfing down web, I found this post saying about why is it that between 25 and 50 per cent of people report feeling overwhelmed or burned out at work. It is because many a times we try dividing our focus across multiples channels with the thoughts that we are saving time.
It’s not just the number of hours we’re working, but also the fact that we spend too many continuous hours juggling too many things at the same time. There are no stopping points, finish lines and boundaries. Technology has blurred them beyond recognition. Wherever we go, our work follows us. It’s like an itch we can’t resist scratching, even though scratching invariably makes it worse.
Honestly think over: Do you answer email during conference calls (and sometimes even during calls with one other person)? Do you bring your laptop to meetings and then pretend you’re taking notes while you are also doing something else? Do you eat lunch at your work desk? Do you make calls while you’re driving, and even send the occasional text, even though you know you shouldn’t?
The biggest cost — assuming you don’t crash — is to your “productivity”. In part, that’s a simple consequence of splitting your attention, so that you’re partially engaged in multiple activities but rarely fully engaged in any one. In part, it’s because when you switch away from a primary task to do something else, you’re increasing the time it takes to finish that task by an average of 25 per cent.
But most insidiously, it’s because if you’re always doing something, you’re relentlessly burning down your available reservoir of energy over the course of every day, so you have less available with every passing hour.
Consider these three behaviors for yourself:
1. Do the most important thing first in the morning, preferably without interruption, for 60 to 90 minutes, with a clear start and stop time. If possible, work in a private space during this period, or with less noisy environment.
2. Establish regular, scheduled times to think more long term, creatively, or strategically.
3. Take real and regular vacations. Real means that when you’re off, you’re truly disconnecting from work. Regular means several times a year if possible, even if some are only two or three days added to a weekend.
A single principle lies at the heart of all these suggestions and from my experiences. When you’re engaged at work, fully engage, for defined periods of time. Stop living your life in the gray zone.
Beware of “Last minute” bug fixes……
We were making preparations for our demo, around a week before, to US team, of the ‘new’ functionalities in project. Everything seems to be running pretty neat and going well until we were just handful of minutes away from show. There was a small bug all of a sudden that came to our notice. We stopped the server, made some patch, head off the server and bang! Server failed to start due to some other fatal errors. Okay, fixed this up and shoot the server again and when things seems to be going just fine again, we had even worse situation, system was too overloaded and it started responding very slowly…. We were bound to hang up the meeting, reboot the setup and get things ready again. It finally all ended on a good note.
The story very likely repeats itself each time you do last minute fixes in hurry. We had another demo today and we were all set with our preparations on local systems. In morning, when we moved the project to server, problems bubbled up. We had 500 errors (Internal Server Error) all over the project, just few minutes before the start. One issue being due to the ‘differences’ in development on Windows locally and Linux on cloud. While we were fixing these bugs there were times things seems to be getting worse with nervousness cropping as time was getting closer. But, all’s well that ends well. We were able to wrap up things in time and could end our demo on a good note.
Looking down these and similar experiences, I have just this message to share, beware of any last minute changes you are making before staging down anything. We might fine-tune things as much as possible but still many a times the last minute changes can become very crucial.
‘Jingle bells, Jingle bells, Jingle all the way’
This reminds me of the Christmas celebrations at Conrad’s I could recall. The memories of class-rooms decorated all over with stars and balloons, girls putting up their amazing (sometimes nasty) art with multicolored chalks on black-boards, exchanging gifts; and other celebrations. And guess what – the best part of all these celebrations was this day used to mark the beginning of Winter vacations for us, that two-folds our excitement. We used to get around early morning to decorate over and also various other arrangements that includes cake, snacks etc to be done. There was like, a competition between all the classes as to who could best decorate and few of us used to even bring DJs to rock the world……
Its been years which would just add itself to it one after another to all this blah blah. Yeah, I do still enjoy what’s behind this mesmerizing X-Mas carol. I never liked too much more or less the same skit reminding of the day when Christ was born and carols thereafter, but these are just memories now and feels like live that day once again…
Merry X-Mas 
“Ohhh, I forgot again……..!”
I have been so forgetful lately, that its just freaking me out….I go on a conversation but couldn’t carry on with it sometimes as I slip off the right words. This changes the whole point of discussion and is so very upsetting. I am often asked by me colleagues and elders to go for some post-graduate careers as its really good for career but with this wiping off words, I am reluctant.
One reason of being so forgetful is perhaps I have grown so very passionate in few areas that everything else is like half-heard to me. Most of the time I am always trying to figuring out something in these areas, creating things more appealing, like; that rest everything goes bye-bye. Yeah, I am often criticized for it, but alas it is something I couldn’t help…… Well, this is just one side of the whole story and that’s all for the time, because the other part I forgot again…oops !
Okay, so moving ahead, I am having a marvellous time – busy with more of movies, songs, tv-shows, work etc. However when talking about TV-shows, its ‘Fringe’ and ‘The Prison Break’ for now (no longer ‘Supernatural’)….. We have a convocation ceremony on 28th this month where I shall be getting my B-Tech degree, so its yes very exciting. With a new year coming ahead, there are lots of other stuffs, plans and excitement to roll about…if only I do not forget something yet “again”…
Completed ‘Supernatural’ Series 5
I just completed watching the last episode in Season 5 of Supernatural Season and its the ‘best‘ episode I have ever watched. This episode called ‘Swan Song’ was something like the whole digest of the complete series so far. In my earlier mention here about the Supernatural series, we saw the attachment between two Winchester brothers, which is just amazing throughout.
Lucifer – the biggest devil of all times, is hunted on by Sam and Dean which is undoubtedly the most difficult or the best they could ever really do. During this whole journey they had times they were totally hopeless and shattered but the thought to save the lives of all other people around, kept them fighting against evil. They lost their loved ones in this attempt – and why not – they were just aren’t facing demos or devils but angels as well.
Michael and Lucifer both are sons of God who have been there even before human-race existence. But, then when God created humans, it was the most priceless and wonderful creation in His eye. He asked even Michael and Lucifer to bow down and look after Nature. Lucifer was not happy with it and he rebelled, from where God asked Michael to punish him and put him in cage. From thereon the evil powers started rising and we came across demons and devils. As, Lucifer in this Supernatural season walks down on Earth, apocalypse begun, and so Michael from heaven came down to fight Lucifer. But, again the fight between these superpowers would mean the cost of millions of human lives at stake. So, Sam and Dean had been fighting up against devil as well as angels to get some other way out to send Lucifer back to cage and this is what this season – ‘Swan Song’ was all about. Hmmmm….yeah in this attempt Sam might have lost his life while taking Lucifer into the cage, along with Michael, back again………
Finally, here’s the song that’s looping in my head all the time,
# carry on, my wayward son #
# there’ll be peace when you are done #
# lay your weary head to rest #
# don’t you cry no more #
The episode ends with these awesome lines by Prophet of Lord narrating the whole series :
I’d say this was a test for Sam and Dean… And I think they did all right, Up against good and evil, angels and devils, destiny and God himself. They made their own choice. They chose family. And, well… isn’t that kinda the whole point ?
No doubt… endings are hard, but then again… nothing ever really ends, does it ??
