My Incomplete Code...

It all began on a stormy night. I was alone in the house...my house...dark house (there was a power failure). Sitting by the window, staring out at the falling drops of water...the sky was crying (yeah, it was raining). Every now & then there would be a lightening flash, casting terrifying shadows over the streets & my window pane. The wind WHOOSHed & SWISHed against the pane as if trying to get in the room forcefully.

KNOCK!! KNOCK!! a tree bark tapped on the window. I ignored
KNOCK!! KNOCK!! it tapped again & again & again

KNOCK!! KNOCK!! KNOCK!! KNOCK!! KNOCK!! KNOCK!!

Aargh!! i moved forward & opened the window clutch.

WHAM!! the panes blew & crashed against the sides.
A strong gush of wind went through me & SLAM!! the room's door was slammed shut. Within a second, my face was covered in little cold droplets of water carried by the strong winds. I felt a cold shiver run down my spine.

I laid back in my bed, staring out at the grey wild cloud-lets (little bits of clouds) skiing across the black background. The wind playing with my hair...rain droplets trickling down my face every now & then...i closed my eyes.

CREAK!! went the flooring of my room.
There's nobody in the house except me, who's walking around, questioned my mind. I opened my eyes & sat up. No one!!
Well, that's strange...i heard someone for sure.

I turned my head to the right & my eyes were dazzled by a sudden light...my laptop screen. I turned it off...didn't i?? Yes i did...who could possibly turn it on?? Are my folks back??
I called out to my younger brother...*silence*
I called louder...*silence*
Nope, he ain't back yet...then who??

I got up & walked to the laptop desk. My project file was open (the one i was ignoring working on for so many days now). But strangely, the code was removed. It was a blank page staring back at me.
Ctrl+Z Ctrl+Z...nothing happened
Oh please don't tell me...all my work...my hard work...my efforts...how could this be...who could have done this...it was here...i wrote it...what could have gone wrong......

SLAM!! went the open window pane.
I rushed over to the window. The culprit must have entered from the open window. I tried to look through the heavy rain for a moving figure somewhere outside...nothing.
That could mean only one thing...i was not alone in the house any more...whoever did that to my code was still inside.

I closed the window & looked around for some kind of defense weapon to hold on to (if someone was daring enough to destroy my project, he could for sure be on a mission to destroy me too). I found my brother's baseball bat & thought it would do for now.

Carefully, i moved across the room, opened the door & peered out in the gloomy corridor. It was hard to see even, how can someone walk through it??

I was gathering courage to go out of the room when CREAK!! went the floor behind me. Suddenly, it dawned upon me, if the person would have moved out, i would have heard the door getting open...means that he was still in the room & (CRASH!! another lightning strike made shadows on the corridor wall) was most probably standing right behind me.

I closed my eyes, said a silent prayer, turned & smacked the bat with all my might on the person. My bat sliced thin air only. Surprised, i opened my eyes & WOAHHH!! i nearly had a heart attack.

An alien...green...slimy...blubbery...
& wait, what's this...
Oh My GOD!! This can't be...it had a skin made out of my code...
My code has become alive
I opened my mouth to shout & 2 long tentacles made out of for loop covered my mouth & then my throat...choking me...
I was losing conscious...
Fainting...
Need...
to.....
get...
free..
of...
the......
code
.......................
& i died!!

(What?? My incomplete code killed me without any trace for the police to find the murderer...that's it...end of story...go complete your incomplete codes before you end up being deprived of your life from their hands)

Let's Change the World!!

You know we developers have the ability to change the world that you live in...wondering how...well, it's simple, by our developments.

Now you must be thinking that our developments are not even impactful enough to change our office environment (where we are tortured day & night), how on Earth can they possibly change the face of the world (underestimating us...hmm??). Let's take a quick tour of our access range:

Let us begin with the areas very near & dear to you...how about the little toy you hold in your hand for texting & making calls & gaming etc. etc. (talking about a simple cell phone here). It was us who provided you with all these facilities. Imagine if we hadn't worked on them...texting would still be writing letters...calls would still need a corded phone...games would still be out in the fields (Ha! i can see the color draining from your face).

Moving to the device you are using right now to read this (or earlier versions of computer). We made that happen too. If it wasn't for us, "browsing" wouldn't exist in any dictionary even. Your studies would totally be based on books & old journals & other stuff; your business would still be restricted to local zones or expensive tours (now you're really turning white).

OK let's move a little bit away from you. Take banks now...you know, where you keep your most precious assets. Suppose we devise a system that will transfer all the money in every bank of the world to our personal accounts, then you will be earning & we will be spending...or let us NOT provide you security & anyone can use up the money in your account (wooah, is that sweat on your forehead??). Imagine what will happen to your economy; rather, the world's economy.

Alright, let's go general (I'm sparing you the horrors of knowing every little detail of how you'll suffer if we wouldn't be around). Every little gadget you utilize, every little technological aspect you exploit is there because WE developed it & if it wasn't for us, you'd still be stuck in the stone age (there, felt a little heart-attack??).

So, as i was saying that we developers can change the face of the world you exist in (better not deny me this time). We have the ability, the power, the knowledge, the access, the rights, the tools & the techniques to mold your every day's life in whatever shape we want...
& we soon will someday
OK, I've to get back to my JAVA code (it's due today so changing the world has to wait)
But I'm telling you that we will change the world someday...someday soon!!

When all was lost...

It had been 12 hours now & i still had no clue as to what the problem was. I've checked every possible detail but could not find anything wrong...yet, there was something wrong.

When i started my work today, i had no idea i would be stuck over this; i had planned way ahead of this. I just had a cup of tea in the morning, thinking i'll have an early lunch but it was almost dinner time now & i hadn't eaten a bite all day long. My stomach was, instead, occupied with knots...anxiety knots.

What could have possibly gone wrong?? I had worked very carefully (was i that much sleepy last night to goof something up...no i don't think so...i was up for only 62 hours then...not a big deal).

I checked
& thought
& searched
& re-checked
& re-thought
& re-searched
but in vain...

Lord!! Help me pleeeeease...
My mind was an about-to-erupt-volcano (when you put in too much...it eventually comes out)
My eyes were ready to pop out of the sockets (i was literally licking the screen with my eye balls)
My index finger was about to be divided by 2 (scrolling the mouse up & down...it felt like i could never move my finger again)
My neck was about to CREAK!! & CRACK!! (a tensed mind definitely results in a tensed body)
My shoulders were about to run off from my body (or i could be the next Hunchback of Notre Dame)

Who on Earth advised me to become a developer?? If i were a photographer instead, i would be out enjoying the rain (yes, it was an awesome rainy day outside) & not stuck here with this erroneous code. If only i could find that person who dragged me in this field, I'd skin him alive...(oh wait, it was me myself...take my words back)

There was only 1 thing left to do...yes, worshipping the program to spare me the horror & reveal the Hidden Bug to me.
Now how do you worship a program?? (fingers scrolling the page up & down)
*blank* (fingers scrolling the page up & down)
OK that won't work...let's think of something else (fingers scrolling the page up & down)
*click*
i accidentally clicked at a line & the world was enlightened again...the dark clouds were gone...the sun was shining...the birds were singing
no wait, not outside...in my heart
I FOUND THE BUG
Yippee!!!
You Rock Man!!
with watery eyes, i kissed my hand that clicked the right spot & went back to work.

Make way for a Freelancer!!

Hello everyone!!
My name is Susanne & Michael & Sandra & Alexandra & Tom & Jerry & Larry & Diana & Charles & Raj & Raja & Rani...tell me any name & it's me...
Because
I AM A FREELANCER!!
I go by any name, at any location...tell me your project & my profile will change accordingly. I don't have a fixed identity, yet i create identifying marks for you (whatever you hire me for adds more to your name...right?).

People think freelancing is not a proper job...the general rule book says if you leave your house at 9am, sit on a desk in a building crowded with people like you, go about getting commands from your boss all day long & come back home at 5pm, only then you have a proper job. Well, i tell you that freelancing is even more a tougher job in itself than the 9 to 5 routine you call a job. Let's see...shall we??

Freelancer - A CEO
I formulate my own rules
I set my own goals
I formulate my own budget
I communicate with the clients
I make decisions based on his requirements & my resources
I promote myself, my-self
I myself take care of my PR

Freelancer - A Project Manager
I formulate my own working strategy
I motivate myself, my-self
I do self-evaluations
I categorize my own tasks
I monitor my own performance
I manage my own projects

Freelancer - A Developer
I write my own code
I test my own code
I find errors in my own work
I update my tools myself
I update my clients myself

Freelancer - A Designer
I make my own designs
I implement my own designs
I ammend my own designs

So, you began by giving job openings in newspapers & websites, then you call for interview, then you ask questions from each & every person, then you select some of them & reject others, then you assign them posts, then you brief them their work & then you begin with your project.
Whatever things you do after formulating a complete team, i do all alone.
I AM A FREELANCER

A Possessed Designer

There i was, feeling annoyed & angry because of what the light rays had transmitted through my cornea onto my retina & into my brain. At first, i thought that maybe the cons of my eyes have gone insane, but no (i can still see the green trees & the blue sky & a yellow sun & my dyed shirt...so my vision & color sense is perfectly alright), this can mean only 1 thing...the gigantic billboard in front of me was really a mesh of colors thrown randomly here & there (more like they let kids have a color fight over it).

I was standing under it with my head raised to a 45 degree angle for the last i don't know how many minutes (many people have stopped by my side to look up for whatever i was staring at so intently & have moved thinking that i might be from the family of Mad Hatter...the character, not Johnny Depp). I was unable to believe how a company having guts to advertise can come up with such a childish & non-professional advertisement for their product (yeah, i believe if you dare do something, you should do it right).

The colors were all wrong; the pictures were too randomly placed; the tag line was not prominent enough; the background should have been pink instead of red & that big "T" in the middle is not at all giving a perfect look...I would have done it way better than this...If only i knew who has designed it, i can knock some sense into that person...What was he thinking while placing those flowery borders on the right edge...the middle picture should have been in a sepia-tone...
My thoughts were getting far out of control.

BEEP!! BEEP!!
A car honked loudly behind me & brought my mind out of the whirlpool of what's been done & what could have been done.
Are you alright? I'm like calling you for the past 5 minutes... What are you so engrossed in??
My mom got out of the car & began her inquiry while looking up for the source of my distraction. I was eyeing her weirdly as if how can't she see how terrible the world has become (well for me it was sort of that way) but somehow she did not look bothered at all; instead, she seemed a bit worried (maybe scared too) by the look on my face. She grabbed me by the arm and pulled me towards the open car door, looking cautiously around to see if someone was watching us (maybe she thought I've been possessed or something).

She turned the car around & started driving with a worried expression on her face. I was still looking out the window up to that billboard. As the car turned, my head turned with it & now i was sitting on the front seat, tilted towards the back, still staring at the billboard from the back window.
Stop doing that!! came my mom's worried voice as she jerked my shoulder to make me sit straight. I obeyed silently.

But now i stretched out my hand & re-adjusted the side view mirror so that the board was visible to me through it. My mom shifted slightly to my side & lightly touched my forehead to check if my body temperature was normal (now she must be certain about me being possessed). I sat there, silently watching the billboard disappear behind me. My mind shouting that this means war; the tribe of designers has a traitor somewhere within who is planning of ruining our repute & future by polluting the minds of others about us. Something has to be done about it or all will be wasted...ruined...destroyed...

Color Therapy of Coding

People always feel that coding is tiring. Anything becomes tiring if your brain loses interest in it. So, i've got some facts that might change the way your brain looks at the act of coding.

I've seen developers disliking the variety of colors provided by various platforms while/for writing code as they think it’s distracting & girly (yup, the he-developers); some are very fond of it as they think it makes coding easier, convenient & less boring (she-developers falls in the latter part mostly).

& I’m afraid I agree with the latter team too; it really does makes coding easier and fun. But my purpose of writing this blog is going a little beyond the usual fight of looking good & bad…

Color Therapy is a very well-known method in medicine. Now as they believe that each color has a special impact on human body, so does the developers of those platforms (this is my personal believe).

Now see, as you write a single piece of code, how many impacts it has on your brain

Blue
Dark blue stimulates clear thoughts and light blue calm the mind and aid concentration (you won’t hit your screen in case you are stuck somewhere)

Red
It raises the pulse rate, giving the impression that time is passing faster than it is (you won't even know when it's time to go home)

Green
It gives you rest & makes you feel fresh (you won't go yawning all day long)

Orange
It focuses our minds on comfort level of our body (your body won't go slopping down the working chair)

Black
It communicates absolute clarity, sophitication & uncompromising excellence (you feel like the King of Coding World)

White
It gives a sharp insight of space (no matter how long codes you write, you'll always see room for more lines)

Yellow
It lifts our spirits & confidence; it makes us hopeful (you won't shut everything down if your solution is not working)

So you see, colors are good & if coding is bad then we all know that in the fight between good & bad, the good will always win
So cheers!!
HaPPy CoDinG!!

The Storms in the Brain => Brainstorming

When we sit down to write something...anything...usually we go blank (just as the white paper/screen in front of us). A very common approach in such a situation is “OK, let's start writing & see what we end up with!!” (Developers following this technique create “masterpieces”…you know what I mean!!) & we end up with feeling more lost than we actually were in the beginning.

So, there’s a problem here…
You ask someone what to do now & they say, “Do some brainstorming” (what on earth is that??)

That little compartment GOD has made on top of your body (yes I’m referring to your head) contains something squishy & slimy; like flexible pipes twirled & twisted on top of each other…that is called a Brain & it helps you think (bet you didn’t know that). So, when you sit down to think, you’re actually poking your brain to tell you the answer to your problem (you are lazy enough to do anything yourself *sigh*). So now, your brain needs to think (yeah, I think a brain can think).

& you know what a Storm is…right?? Violent winds, thunders, lightening, heavy rains etc. etc.

So, does that mean you need rainfalls and hurricanes in your brain to get any idea? No silly, that is not happening!!

But if you want you can relate the natural storms with the storm in your brain… (See how the storm sounds relate to the brain process):

• BOOM – an idea pops
• CRASH – irrelevant point
• SWOOSH – no that won't look good
• CRACK – this looks perfect
• SPARK – yup, that matches
• DRIP DRIP – this point is relevant & ooo that too

When we get atmospheric storms, what do they result in? A clean & fresh environment, sparkling flowers, pleasant winds etc. (let’s ignore the destructive part for now *hehehe*)
So, the “storm” part in Brain-Storming also refers to the after effects of the storm i.e. when you are done with it, you get mesmerizing & energetic ideas.

It's a healthy exercise

• It tells you your brain still lives & functions (believe me I’ve seen people living without one)
• It gives you a chance to explore & re-explore your brain to the last inch (you don’t want to lose a part of your brain by not using it – Lamarck’s Theory of Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics)

Now, the next time someone asks you to brainstorm, you know how to do it (avoid making the storm sounds if you can please!!).

PM - Behind the Scenes!!

Hi!!
I am a Project Manager...

When you normally tell someone that you are a project manager, they picture you as a person:

• Roaming aimlessly in the office (with a devilish smile)
• Giving commands (or lectures in case you've done something wrong)
• Sitting all day long in his cabin doing nothing (coming out only to check if everyone's at his workstation)
• Circling around you all day long if a deadline is nearby (shouting over your head that you should have hurried with the things)
• Finding faults with whatever work you have done (& you were thinking he'd be thanking you for your hardwork)

etc. etc.
In Short, if you have a forceful Boss, you are for sure to have a bossy Project Manager.

Now, this doesn't mean that i am a bossy one...nooo, my team is really fond of me =]
But we are talking about general perception here...right??

So, as i was telling that the overall image...general image...of a project manager is not very good. People think that it's an easy way of earning money, without doing anything.
Now that's wrong!!

You see, even when i am sitting idle, there are a whole lot of hurricanes twirling & swirling through my brain. I am constantly thinking about ways to meet deadlines, fully utilize the allocated resources, solve issues between teammates, brief the newly demanded feature from client side (in a manner that won't make my team's head go CUCKOO!! CUCKOO!!) & other issues that my team has not even the slightest idea of.

If you think developers & programmers spent sleepless nights meeting deadlines, we project managers spent sleepless weeks arranging & scheduling the time preceeding those deadlines...i can't recall when was the last time i slept peacefully...maybe a month back...oh no, that was when i had my vasovagal episode (fainting) (yeah, that can happen when you are in a condition as i was).

You people think that PM stands for Project Manager only...wrong again
The P is for:

• People you have to look after (clients, boss, team)
• Pressure you have to bear
• Problems you have to deal with
• Projects you have to manage

The M is for

• Money matters you have to handle (even if it means a simple lunch arrangement for the team)
• Machines you needs to look after
• Motivation you have to provide to your team
• Messages you have to convey from boss to team, clients to team, team to boss, team to client, boss to client, client to boss (woahhh!! i lost track of my words...)

So you see, this is not an easy task. Yet " I ", the project manager:

• Greet everyone with a fresh face
• Walk around the office with full energy
• Solve problems with an innovative mind
• Guide you with a smiling face

& still they say i have no work to do...*sigh*!!

When someone asks me what i develop...

I hate going to social gatherings.
Meeting new people is on the top of "Things i Hate doing the MOST!!"...especially if it includes old people.

You must be wondering i am a loner or some kind of a freak who doesn't like having friends around him. Some of you might think i have attitude problems. Some of you must be picturing me as a short snobby millionaire; grey hair standing on the edges on my ear; spectacles sitting on the far edge on my nose; a derby hat on my head (tilted to one side); one hand tucked inside my pocket; a cane in the other hand; a fierce frown on my face; sitting on piles of money (like Scrooge Mc'Duck).

In reality, i am not at all like that...i'm just a DEVELOPER...a plain ol' developer!!
Really?? A developer hating anything besides coding and computer screen...you're a weird man!!

Actually, you're not getting the point here...
You see, when i go to gatherings or when i meet new people, i always end up being interviewed by the humans walking around me (well yeah, i don't think we developers are considered humans any more). Along with all other sorts of questions, 1 very basic question that everyone NEVER seems to forget asking is:
What do you Do?
Me: I'm a developer
What do you develop?
& i go *blank*

I mean what sort of question is this? I said am a developer...right?? Don't you know what do developers do?? They develop...I am a developer...so i develop...What's so hard to understand??

I tried answering it once to daddy's old friend
Me: I develop softwares (followed by a fake smile)
What's a software??
...
& i felt like hitting him so hard on the head that he forgets his monocle is to be placed over his eye and his pipe in his mouth...(Grrrrrr!!)
i tried to remember the definition of a software from my school times but in vain (yeahhh you got it right...i wasn't the high achiever of the batch).

Me: It's what makes a computer run...(no wait, that's the operating system)
It's what we run on computers...u know the applications & stuff
Applications?? We used to write applications on papers back in our days & there were no developers writing them for us, how things have changed now... (& here goes another long story of how things were back in their times)
Aaarrrgghhh!! Give me a break old man!!

So, you see people who don't know anything about this ask questions that makes no sense & either i end up getting lectured about the generation gaps or they all think i'm lying as i don't know the answers to the very basic questions even.

Is it my fault that they don't know what developers develop?? Or what's a software?? Or what applications run on computers??
I am a developer & I develop!!
THE END

An Excuse - Why i couldn't blog yesterday??

Yesterday, while i was on my way to office, i was thinking about what should today's blog be...anything funny or interesting or scary or educational or innovative but BLANK!!!
I was so lost in my thoughts that i missed the sharp turn up ahead the road & CRASH!! my car bumped into the side railings & then  there was smoke everywhere.
Great!! what to do now?? I stood there for a second, thinking & then decided to start walking until i can find someone to give me a lift (fingers crossed!!)

So, i grabbed my bag & began walking...
I don't know what got into me & i decided to take a short cut through the woods (seems like the road was by a forest). It was a bright sunny day & the woods smell really fresh. I wondered why i never went for a walk there before.

I was lost in the beauty of nature around me when i saw smoke far away. Thinking the forest might be on fire (some people forget to put out fire after a camping trip in woods), i decided to go & see if there was a need to call the fire department.

Once i got there, i was surprised to find a little Gingerbread Cottage, with smoke coming out of the chimney. My curiosity got the best out of me and i went to take a closer look. It really was made out of gingerbread...fresh and mouth-watering gingerbread. I couldn't resist nibbling on an open window frame. It was so yummy!! I couldn't stop myself from eating more...i closed my eyes & buried my face in the frame...taking as much into my mouth as possible.

Ahem!! i heard someone...
I opened my eyes to find an Old Granny standing in the window looking at me. I presumed that she must be the owner of the house & i felt ashamed. I gulped down the bread in my mouth & stood there speechless. She looked at me from head to toe for a while & then smiled
"Ooo, why don't you come in dear & let me give you some of my freshly baked biscuits too. Old granny doesn't get many visitors here in the woods..."
Hesitantly, i accepted her invitation & went inside. It was a cute little cottage, just like out of a fairy tale. I sat down on a chair & the kind woman gave me her biscuits, they were even yummier than the bread. I started gobbling them down.

Granny smiled at me. She took out a large cauldron from a closet, hung it over the burning hearth & filled it with water. I looked at her questioningly (still gobbling the biscuits).

"Big enough for you to fit in eh??", she said & laughed. I smiled at her (poor thing, trying to be funny) & went back to eating.
"Why don't you come & stand here by the pot deary?", she pulled me up & started pushing me towards the boiling pot. I could almost feel the blazing fire on my skin...too close grandma...too close!! (you must have figured out by now that she was a witch who was trying to boil me up)

Howwwwwll!! came the sound from outside & SMASH!! went the cottage door. Entered a Big Bad Wolf.
Looked like i was being followed by the wolf but i was too pre-occupied by the natural beauty to notice his yellow eyes following me around. It leaped at granny with a long growl.
I ran to a side and watched the fight between the wolf & granny. They were fighting over whose meal am i gonna be (i was confused whether to feel lucky for being fought over OR sad as i'll be ending up in someone's stomach).

The wolf pushed granny into the bubbling cauldron. It was THE END of the witch & Beginning of the wolf era. It turned towards me. My heart leaped into my throat as he growled at me.


BANG!! came a loud gun shot & the wolf fell to the ground.
BANG!! another shot & it was dead for sure.
HURRAY!! came a cheer & along came Three Little Pigs. They picked up the wolf, packed him in a sack. Looked at me for a brief moment and rushed out jumping with joy.

I looked at the cauldron & it was still boiling, i peered out of the door but they were no where to be found. I stepped outside & started walking in one direction. Soon, i was back on the highway.
I got a lift & came back home. I was so tired that i went to sleep straight away
& that's why i couldn't blog yesterday...!!!

Anti-Social Life - A Developer's Biography

I am a DEVELOPER!!
There i was
Sitting on the high throne...
My people standing in front of me...
Waiting for the moment.
Finally,
The Chief appeared
A shining gold crown over his head.
Everybody stood up as he took the crown in his hand
&
Moved forward to place it on my head
&....


TRRRRIINGGG!! I woke up with a judder. My alarm clock brought me back from wonderland.
Maaan!! i was about to be crowned as the king & this alarm clock...curses!!

I fell back on my pillow & closed my eyes as if that dream would re-start from where my stupid alarm clock broke the flow.
I dozed off without realizing it & woke up again to find that i was half-hour late for work.
I jumped up, got dressed & hurried downstairs. I gulped down a glass of water & rushed outside. I drove to office as fast as i could without caring about my speed or the vehicles around me. Once there, i apologized for my being late and went straight to my cell (it was looking like one at that time).

It wasn't long before my mobile started ringing. It was a friend of mine. I ignored and went back to glaring at the screen in front of me; but the ringing never stopped. Unwillingly, i answered it & OH MY GOD!! it was my best friend's birthday today & they were all at his place, waiting for ME!!

I felt like ripping my head apart. I didn't even wish him last night & here i am again stuck in this cell...GOD!! what did i do to deserve this imprisoned life??
With a heart, heavier than the weight of my office building itself, i told them i couldn't join them & put down the phone. I knew my best friend would be more furious than a Bengal Tiger or maybe a Tiger Shark even.
I gave a desolate look at the metallic window in front of me. I felt like a prisoner sentenced to life-imprisonment...or maybe a metallic robot like that in front of me...or maybe a bird in a cage...or maybe a flower pressed inside an old book for ages...or maybe...i don't know!! (i would have started crying if my Project Manager wasn't around me or if it wouldn't have been for the security camera over my head).

Oh how i wished to go back to my student life; when life was all fun & frolics.
Getting late only meant a few missed notes which can be copied any time from a friend. Here, the risk is losing your job & your greens (money).
Back in those days, i used to lie to avoid attending a family dinner & now, how i desperately want to be there, but i can't because some code of mine seems to be in an infinite loop.
Fighting brothers & a nagging little sister seemed so annoying back then but how i miss not even seeing them for days because some database is not getting integrated.
Staying up late was only for movies with friends or late-night hangouts with buddies; now it's only to meet deadlines.

Long story short
Coding & debugging is what i
Eat
Drink
Breath
Sleep
Dream
Live
Befriend
Hang out with
Spend time with....
(& the list goes on & on)

I am a DEVELOPER!!

Importance of Optical Mouse - A Love Story

When i got to my table early this morning, i noticed my litmus mouse (it gives out blue and red lights - just as a litmus paper changes color for acids and bases) missing from my blue mouse-pad.

OMG!! Where could it be??
Under the table? No!!
In the drawer? No!!
Beneath the file stack? No!!
In my laptop bag? No!!
In the dustbin? No!! (you'll know by the end why i checked there)
My precious little mouse was gone ='(

Sadly, i switched on my system. But today wasn't the same. It wasn't there blinking happily at me, eager for me to start my work. My mouse-pad was sadly staring up at me (remember it was blue & blue means sad...right??)
How am i ever going to work without it by my side?
BING!! i got a message from my colleague to send him a file i was supposed to. Ignoring my previous feelings, i used the touch-pad to open up the file & started working. I got engrossed into my work soon.

My flow was interrupted by an upgrade reminder of my anti-virus. Angry on the interruption, i moved my hand to the right to click "OK" on the pop-up & get rid of that annoying message. i curled my fingers over the usual place but all i caught was air. I looked towards my right annoyingly only to find the resting spot of my beloved litmus mouse empty...and the feeling returned!!

I closed my eyes & sank back into my chair. The memories of me & my dear mouse flashed before me like a film-reel:
When we 1st met: there i am holding it for the 1st time & look how brightly it's twinkling in my hand
How it encouraged me: there i am so tired with all the work load, dejectedly I've placed my head over the table & it shines up the glossy table surface with its light to catch my attention & tell me that it's there with me through all this
How it came in handy whenever i was angry: there i am angry about that software not working, enraged, I've banged it on the table (if I hit it hard enough, it can end up in the dustbin) & it's looking back at me sadly (blue light ON)
How it helped me think: there i am moving it around the screen aimlessly, thinking about my work
How it saved my time: i am trying to skim through that long document & it's there sliding the pages down with a little move of my finger
........
Oh all those cherished memories of my beloved mouse!!
KNOCK!! KNOCK!! on the door draws me back to reality.
It was one of my colleagues & he was holding my dear little litmus mouse in his hand.
"Sorry, i borrowed it last night...", he placed it on my table & left
With shaky hands, i lifted my mouse & plugged it in.
BLINK!! it came to life & my mouse-pad shimmered with red & blue lights. Oh, how happy i was to get it back.
Staring at it for a brief moment, i held it & went back to work!!

SWS - Yippee!! & Oh-Oh!! of Public Holidays

Public Holiday is a badly awaited thing by all living souls (if some one is not included in this list, he/she is "actually" not alive!!). People make big plans for their days off; family gatherings, picnics, late night movies and sometimes carrying out all chores around the house, like:

• raking leaves
• snow shoveling
• spring cleaning
• garage sales
• fixing the pipes :p

Here at SWS, we undergo the same kind of feelings when public holidays are around the corner. Some time away from the computer screens and softwares feel good...no??

Whenever we see a highlighted holiday in our calenders, BOOM!! goes happiness in our tiny brains.

Yippee!! no more getting up early (enjoy lazy breakfasts)

Yippee!! no more staring at computer screens (blank - sleepy to even think what goes into the header line)

Yippee!! no more waiting for coffee-breaks (have it whenever your heart says)

Yippee!! no more client updates (they are all away on vacations)

Yippee!! no more executive chairs to twist on (only executive beds to rest on)

Yippee!! no more dress code (only worn-out sleeping suits all day long)

Yippee!! Yippee!! Yippee!!

Every client is happy and wishing us a happy holiday break. So, we rock and roll away the time and be as lazy as we can possibly be through the break!!

Time flies when you are having a great time & therefore, we end up back in the same building, on the same chairs, with the same screens giving us their icy-stares.

But this is only the initial description of what dreadful end lies ahead of us...

Oh-Oh!! there's a due milestone in the next 24-hours

Oh-Oh!! i still need to make the corrections the client pointed

Oh-Oh!! the client is demanding updates over his project

Oh-Oh!! didn't i already debug this part before the holidays??

Oh-Oh!! Oh-Oh!! Oh-Oh!!

All good things come to an end, an end that is as dreadful as blissful the holidays were.

Praise the Lord Team SWS!!!

You are warriors, surviving war after war between the Yippee!! and Oh-Oh!!

SEO - The Story

I was getting very late and i wanted to find all the stuff in the list my mom gave to me early in the morning, fast and cheap. I stepped out of my car. Just a minute of standing and observing all the stores around me.
BINGO!! there's a neat store that will have all the items i need...
I went inside, and within an hour, i was done.

Well, that was easy...right??

But when i reached home and handed it over to my mom, i came to know there was another store somewhere on the back side of the market that was even high in quality and low in prices...
I mean how would i know?? They should have put up some sign or something on the front... Who told them to open up on the back when there were similar stores on the front... Not my fault mom!!

Easy to understand...right??

Now that store on the back could be you IF and only IF you don't use SEO; losing all your customers to that store on the front, despite having better quality and more variety and low prices etc. etc.

In short, when people search for stuff online, they only tend to click on the websites appearing on the 1st page of the search result; hardly ever the other pages are noticed. SEO gets you on that 1st page!!

Super Sunny Day at SWS

Woahhh!!
Today's an awesome day here at SWS...

We had a refreshing meeting early in the morning; got all our tasks lined up for the day.
Back at our workstations, we updated our To-Do lists and buckled up for the ride of the day. ;-)

At mid-break, we decided to celebrate our glorious day & had a mouthwatering feast with our whole team!! Our teammates put in their hearts & souls to get things done efficiently for our clients. So, it's good to have a little break after a long period of tedious work. We take great care of our team because we know, at the end, it's them who put in the efforts to make a day successful.

Half of the day has passed and we are through most of the things!!
Got loads of our tasks completed!!
Made many of our clients happy ^.^/
Go Team SWS!!

The Great-7 of being a Businessman!!

1. You work for yourself only; no boss to be answerable to
2. Choose whenever you want to work & whenever you want to rest; nobody will tell you that you are late for work or you have wasted this much time
3. Make up your own team; you won't be bound with people you don't want to work with
4. You can modify your policies to take on new challenges or try another dimension of work
5. You don't have to wait for approvals from the higher authorities to finalize something
6. You select your own clients
7. If you know you are the one behind a successful project that you have just finished, nobody will be as proud and happy as you yourself