musings from an elevator journey...

I am on a semi WBL these days and I leave late round at 10 PM. Considering the fact that I never used to stay after 8 PM in office this is very late for me :).

Today considering the long weekend ahead, I left a bit early at 9PM and walked towards the lobby. The director of another group in my company joined me in a bit and then a person who is doing carpentery at our office joined us. I had already pressed the Down Arrow Button for the lift and we all were waiting for either of the two lifts to come from the 7th and 9th floors, as they were shown on their downward journey. Our office is in 5th floor and none of the lifts resting at the ground floor were bothered to serve us. So tired you know!!

These lifts use some strange logic to move around across all the 9 floors. We are depended on the two lifts coming from floors above us to take us down rather than any of the four lifts staying idly at ground floors. Suddenly the carpenter presses the Up Arrow Button for the lifts and then the two idle lifts at ground floor rush to the 5th and open right in front of us in a space of few seconds. As the person who pressed the button and the director entered the lift, I stayed there cribbing - "Its going Up, Its going Up". But that person called me with his hands to come in fast and I reluctantly joined them thinking that the lift will go up. And then it took us down.

Never in my life I have pressed a lift button in the wrong direction. I have seen people getting in the wrong directions only to make the lift more crowded. And I hate it, when some one in 1st floor who wants to go to 5th floor, takes the downward lift, go to the basement and then come back up only to frustrate people who have pressed the correct button and waiting to go up from the basement.

I do not know whether that person's move was good or bad, but it took us down rather than waiting there for the lifts. And that was smart. It was just pure common sense to think that the lifts coming from upper floors are to take more time than the ones coming from the ground floor. And I just didn't think about that. Rather I waited in the methodical way by pressing the Downward Arrow Button.

Oh God! Life is such a great Teacher.

Tail-Piece: My Mom always tells me: "Nee Oru Enjineeear Aayittentha Kaaryam Common Sense Ennu Paranja Saadhanam Ninakkundo" , when I messes up any trivial job, she asks me to do. Very True!!

some strange vacation requests

One Friday an young "intellectual" who is working as a project intern in an organization, walks into his team leader's (TL) cubicle. The team leader is busy with his implementation and customization stuff of the world renowned product.

"Saar..", the intern calls..
"Mmmm..", TL is busy fixing his code base, with his brain and mind deep inside the matrix of code. He is "The One"; some believe and constantly asks himself - "What is the Matrix?".
"Saaaaaar..", the intern lets out a deep moan.
"Yessss.. Tell me", TL still deep down in lappie.
"I need leave Sir this coming Monday.. mmm.. I have a function at...", the intern requests with moist eyes
"Ok. No problem.", TL granted leave without looking at the intern. (See the TL is intelligent enough to identify the person from the voice)

The Intern doesn't leave the arena.. still standing behind our TL..

"Saaaaaar...", then intern calls his TL again.
"Mmmm.. Bolll...", TL almost yells, but his concentration deep in garbage collecting (the unreferenced objects in his code).
"Saaaaar I need one more leave on next Friday... I have another function at...", the intern requests with more moist eyes
"Ok. No problem.", TL granted leave without looking at the intern. (See the TL is too intelligent to grant a second leave in the same week to his team member. He knows his work status and work load by-heart with out even checking the MS Project Plan)

The Intern doesn't leave the arena.. still standing behind our TL..

"Saar.."
"Mmmm.. Ab Kya Hai??" TL still in the same state. This time his brain is fighting with "Agents" in the code.
"Saar.. I want to go home on next Friday..", the intern repeats the request with eyes almost opening the floodgates to erupt.
"I granted you naa.. you come back from function on Tuesday and go home on Thursday.." said the TL with his brain still inside the lappie

After a dignified silence the intern cries out;

"Saaar.. It won't be easy for me to come back on Tuesday and go back again on Thursday.. the function is happening at my home only Saar.. it will be very tiring to travel saar.. so faaarrr from here saaaar... so I will come back only the next to next Monday after leaving for home today..!!!."

A sudden loud noise went out - "cling.. clang.. clong.. tishkyu.. tishkyu.. dishum.. dishum.."

Tail piece: BBC radio later in the day reported that the TL's *JVM crashed and all the objects are now wandering in the virtual world of classes, objects and threads as zombies. The sound due to the crash was so unbearable that it was measured to be more than that of a 'un-crashed' MIG sortie. The employees of the entire organization where this JVM crash happened were admitted to the Manipal Hospital for further checkup on their Cochlear nerve, Eustachian Tube and Ear Drum.

*JVM - Java Virtual Machine

a play

The story and the characters in this play are fictional
and are not related to any dead or alive person in this world.
In case if you find any similarity it is just a co-incidence;
since we all belong to one small world

Actors: (In Order of Appearance)

Young Kid
Grown Up Kid
Big Boss
Poor Worker
Caretaker

Scene 1:

A morning at an office cafeteria. The TV Screen is on and a Cricket match is going; projected from the overhead LCD projector.Lot of crowd around having coffee. One among them is the Young Kid watching the match. He is excited; clapping for each boundary scored.

Scene 2:

Grown Up Kid comes for a coffee with other grown up kids; sees the Young Kid. He then chats with his colleagues; discuss the sensex fall and goes back.

Scene 3:

Young Kid still watching match on the big screen TV. (Camera panned from behind).

Scene 4:

Grown Up Kid comes again for a coffee with other grown up kids; sees the Young Kid. He then chats with his colleagues; discuss the Pakistan Emergency and goes back.

Scene 5:

Young Kid still watching match on the big screen TV. (Camera panned from left side showing his tense face).

Scene 6:

Grown Up Kid comes for lunch with other grown up kids; sees Young Kid. He then chats with his colleagues; discuss the Nuke Deal and goes back.

Scene 7:

Young Kid still watching match on the big screen TV. (Camera panned from front showing the excitement in his face).

Scene 8:

Grown Up Kid comes for an evening coffee with other grown up kids; sees Young Kid. He then chats
with his colleagues; discuss the Political turmoil in Bengal and goes back.

Scene 9:

Grown Up Kid complains to the Big Boss about Young Kid's TV watching tendencies.

Scene 10

Another day, another Cricket Match. Poor Worker;working late at night; knowing his idol playing in his vintage form decides to watch the match for having a break and feel the vintage idol at his heart. The cafeteria is deserted and the TV is not on.

Poor Worker to Caretaker: "Aap zara TV on karega?"
Caretaker: "Order Hai Sir, TV sirf Ek Ghante hi Dikhane hai; din me."

Poor Worker walks back to his cubicle to fight with the complexities of binary inconsistencies (what the heck; whatever it is) and opens the browser to "read" the shots his idol plays.

THE END