Moved to Wordpress

I've moved to http://logicalobscurity.wordpress.com/

Many reasons. Most of them you can find on IHM's post here.

Please don't disown this blog just coz it moved to wordpress. I promise it will be a lot better there.

Thanks and see you guys there.

x
Masood

55 word fiction

“HELP!!! Leave me!! Help, PLEASE!!!!”
“It’s a girl from your college”
“HEY!!! Hey YOU! LET HER GO YOU #%&$@#”
“Aunty, please check on her”
“I’ve lost my honor. Don’t want to lose more”
“He got there on time”
Hero. Messiah.
He was trembling.
7 months later
She saw him. Ignored.
He walked away. Smiling.

Phew! This was not easy. Lame amateurish effort. Couldn't come up with a title too. Oh well, Monkey is off my back now. Cheers.

First Born Tag by a Dad

How can a man take the first born tag? Like this :p

1. Was your first pregnancy planned?

Yes and No. We wanted it but didn’t expect it to happen so soon.

2. Were you married at the time?

I think so ;)

3. What were your reactions?

Delight. And a little fear. It was a big leap. Had all kinds of questions in my head. And a little proud too.

4. Was abortion an option for you?

No and hope never.

5. How old were you?

27. How does that matter?

6. How did you find out you were pregnant?

Those faint red lines (which were non-conclusive) and then a blood test the following day.

7. Who did you tell first?

My brother. And then the entire family while we were out for dinner celebrating my brother’s promotion. I stood up, raised my coke glass, walked over to where my dad was sitting and said this, “This man here is going to become a grand-father and me a father soon. Inshallah”. All hell broke loose after that! (My family consists of 2 elder brothers n their wives, my sis n her hubby n my dad mom and 1 nephew)

8. Due date?

27^th Jan 2009

9. Did you have morning sickness?

For the first few weeks, it was pretty bad. But manageable. She had only 3 separate days during her first trimester when it was absolutely terrible. Otherwise, more or less, OK.

10. What did you crave?

Aah. I cannot mention that here or else I am so dead ;) But for the record, she wanted all kinds of chaats – pani puri was her favorite, ice cream, vegetarian food, 100% attention, unexpected hugs and affection and lots n lots n lots of love….which I gave! :)

11. Who/what irritated you the most?

I think I irritated her the most. I’d like to be proved wrong but that’s what I think. But otherwise, she hated when people kept giving advice. Plus there was this one time when we had a small get together and 3-4 women spoke only about what could go wrong during a pregnancy and newborns. That really had her shaken. Took me days to put her mind to rest. She also hated taking those tablets (Prenatal, Calcium, Iron and Folic acid tablets). Plus the migraine and lower back pain.

12. What was your first child’s sex?

Boy

13. Did you wish you had the opposite sex of what you were getting?

Nope. We were open to both. Did not determine the sex of the child for that reason.

14. How many kg/pounds did you gain throughout the pregnancy?

22 kg. At the time she got pregnant, she was almost 6-7 kg under weight though.

15. Did you have a baby shower?

Nope

16. Was it a surprise or did you know?

Pass :p

17. Did you have any complications during your pregnancy?

A little. We had a few scary moments early on. She had this severe pain in her lower abdomen and we had to get her admitted in the hospital for 2 days. Several tests later docs were unable to determine the reason! Just some cramps they ultimately concluded. I am still curious.

Anyways....a week short of her due date, we took the Doppler test. And that showed that there was some strain on the baby. Blood flow and blood pressure was getting compromised. Doc asked us to get admitted the following morning and they would induce labor and get things rolling.

18. Where did you give birth?

Panat Hospital, Aurangabad, India

19. How many hours were you in labor?

Doctors induced labor. Was in for 26 hours (poor girl :( ) before deciding to go ahead with C-Section. Actually, there was some drastic fluctuations in the heart rate of the baby. They told us the baby could be at risk if we wait longer.

20. Who drove you to the hospital/birth center?

My driver. Along with me, my wife, her mom and her brother who is also a doctor.

21. Who watched you give birth?

Two gynac docs, 1 anesthetist, 2 nurses and 1 pediatric doc.

22. Was it natural or c-section?

C-Section

23. Did you take medicine to ease the pain?

Yes.

24. How much did your child weigh?

2.8 kg

25. When was your child actually born?

20 Jan 2009 at 6:14 pm

26. What was your reaction when the doctor announced the sex of the baby?

I started crying. Not because it was a boy but because it was MY baby. After 9 months of wait and anticipation, the moment finally arrived. I'd been dreaming about this for so long.

27. What was your first reaction on seeing the baby?

Amazement. I couldn’t believe it. His eyes were open. He kept gazing around before stopping to look at me. Like he was checking me out. Even raised his tiny, little right hand as if he was saying hello. He was not crying and kept staring right into my eyes. I can NEVER forget that moment. And he looked just like my wife. Beautiful eyes, great complexion, perfect nose and jawline, lovely face...OK am I praising my baby or my wife? ;)

28. Did you cry?

Probably more than my baby. I cried when I first heard him cry from the operation theatre. I cried when I first held him. Cried when I hugged my wife, dad, mom and my entire family. I think all I did that time was cry.

29. What did you name him/her?

Ibrahim :)

30. How old is your first born today?

2 months and 12 days.

Thank you, Solilo. This was fun. It's like reliving those fantastic memories this first pregnancy brought in our lives. I'll ask my wife to do this as well. Will add her comments to mine later.

Fit hai toh Hit hai

This is a fitness update. For the record,

I've started the "couch potato to 5k" running plan and "100 push ups" training program along with my already hugely successful "Atkins" diet plan.

In 39 days of diet, I've lost 10 kg. Another 6 kg to loose before I reach my target weight. But in terms of fitness, there's a long way to go.

Gone are the days when I captained my college cricket team or represented my region at the All-India national athletic meet or was the sports captain at my school.

For now, I am just a couch potato (who does not eat potato coz of the diet) but spends a lot of time on the couch! But that's going to change. And soon. Last evening was my first training session.

Thank you, Roop for sharing these fitness programs. And to Fitness Fervor.

p.s. Wasn't that a bloody clichéd title? :p

Isn't a baby girl your child too?

Yesterday afternoon, an ex-colleague visited my office. She was here to pick her final settlement cheque and experience certificate. She dropped by my desk to say hello and congratulated on my baby. She had had a baby girl a few months back so I inquired about her. She was doing well. Even showed me her photo. Cute little girl. Asked her about how things were otherwise? She informed me that she almost got divorced. I was a little shocked. Stepping into some personal space, I asked her what happened. The reasons:

1. She gave birth to a baby girl
2. She called her mom over for the delivery

Who was the architect behind all this? Mother-in-law
Husband was helpless. Mentally poisoned & emotionally blackmailed by his mother.
Things are OK now. They are back together after 6 months of separation.

I was so freakin shocked. What is wrong with a girl child? Why are people still bloody fixated with this boy child thing? Isn't a girl also your child? Is that old women fuckin nuts?

And what's wrong if she called her mom over for the delivery? Wouldn't she want her mother around during her difficult time? Completely beats me.

A couple almost got divorced because she gave birth to a baby girl. It just did not register in my head. He is a young, educated guy working with a MNC. How could that jerk let this happen? He even got her visa canceled and sent her back home.

I've heard such cases but was under the impression it predominantly happens in rural India. Illiteracy, society, finances, unawareness, call-whatever-fuck-you-wanna-call-it, could be reasons. But how can you explain this?

We may have hopped into the 21st century but our minds are still rotting. Thousands of women have made this country proud and still people separate because it is a baby girl? Fucking hypocrites.

I am appalled. I feel disgusted. What does it take to change such lousy filthy minds? How does their damn consciences allow them to sleep at night? Is this what we call progressive India? I am sure this is NOT a one-of case. Thousands must be suffering the same fate as my friend. When does it end?

My idea of therapy

No bones to guess I was depressed all weekend. And now I've decided to put an end to this. No more depressive, sad, sombre or pitiful posts. Folks who know me or have followed this blog for a while know I'm better than that. Enough is enough. So what did I do to get over the mood?

Therapy!

No, I did not see a psychiatrist. Not that kind of therapy but the other kind. This kind:

1. Shopping therapy:

There was a sale at Azzaro. Need I say more? ;)

2. Food therapy:

Why wouldn't a double cheese, grilled jalapeño chicken burger make you feel good? ;)

3. Fun therapy:


And with whatever little frustration left, I knocked out those pins left, right and center!!

I think it was just in the mind. The moment I decided to let go, everything was instantly better.

Thank you to one and all for your supportive and encouraging words. Cheers :)

Too many whys and what's with the 'T'

I don't know why people blog. Is it because:

1. They are bored and don't know how else to kill time
2. Want a medium to express their views be it personal, social, political, sports or current affairs
3. To vent out their frustration. Rant, blah, ramble, swear etc.
4. Those with literary aspirations use this as a platform (be it writing, poetry or even photography)
5. It's cool to have a blog
6. Networking. Want to be in touch with family/friends/acquaintances/fellow bloggers
7. Record their lives and experiences. A public diary.
8. To tell the world how well they can cook?

There could be more. Me just thinking aloud.

I started blogging for just one reason: #7

But with time #2, #3 and #6 jumped in.

And today I proudly introduce you to the latest joinee: #1

Yes, that's what this post is about. I've got absolutely nothing to do. So here I am.

As I write, my wife and baby are guest of honors at a big family gathering hosted on their behalf. It's a celebration usually done when the baby is forty days old. No clue why. But they do it. My baby is two months old (touchwood). They had to delay the function for some reason.

So it's happening today. What's really weird is I could not attend. For some reason I had to stay put. I still don't know why. And I can't believe I'm sitting here typing this post rather than be by my wife's side holding my adorable little baby. Will never be able to get over this. I've written numerous times about my baby and how much I miss the little kiddo. This was my chance to spend a quick weekend with them and I've missed it. This regret is gonna be with me for a long time.

For now, all I can resort to is write a post about it and continue feeling super-miserable.

p.s. My last five post titles have started with a T!!!! WHY?

Tears, Parenthood & Wifey

Last night I shed my first tears seeing my little baby on webcam. I longed to take him in my hands. To hold him, play with him, talk to him, just see him play, hear him make weird sounds, walk around with him, console him when he cries, clean his nappies, put him to sleep - I'm missing all that and more. Everything seems incomplete now. Meaningless.

I'm not sure what changes parenthood has brought to me. One minute I was just another guy with not too many responsibilities, and the next, I'm a dad with all the responsibilities. It's crazy.

A lot of things change upon becoming a parent. But I'd say, the first and foremost change comes to the relationship between the couple. Simply put, it brings them closer. Nine months is a long time. And it can be a difficult and intriguing time for a women. With all kinds of physical, mental, hormonal, psychological changes, it teaches you just one lesson: this women is undergoing all that just to give birth to your baby. Many say that it is a defining moment in a women's life. That could be quite true. And it's not just the nine months and giving birth part but continues through post-birth phase as well. All in all, a really challenging time for a women. It is quite unbelievable in the end when you hold your baby for the first time and think: Did this really come out of there? Just incredible.

Holding my bundle of joy for the first time will always remain my most cherished moment. My wife, with all that she went through over the last 10 months is the greatest thing I have ever seen.

There couldn't be a more appropriate time to let her know how much I respect her for being the women she is and - a caring wife, a supportive friend, a trusted companion, a passionate lover, a smart critique and an ideal life partner. And now, a super-mom! Hats off to you, love.

Travails for a passport

Getting a passport made in India is the easiest possible thing. Really! And for a new born, even more simple. After all, no police check, no address proof, nothing. All you need is a birth certificate. That's all, right?

Wrong.

My son's passport application is in the works. In order to just complete the application, they require a NOC from me in the form of a sworn affidavit attested by the Indian Embassy in Dubai. In order the apply for the NOC, I needed a bunch of stuff, one of which was that my wife's name has to be attested on my passport. In order to get my wife's name attested on my passport, I needed my marriage certificate to be attested by the Home Department of Maharashtra.

See what I mean!

Anyways, the home department jig is done. Right now, my passport is gone for it's drill. Expecting that on Saturday. Once that is done, then will I finally get my hands on that 'coveted' NOC.

20 days they say for the passport to get delivered. Honestly, I don't trust that number one bit.

Oh, and after the passport is ready, I need to apply for my son's residence visa. But that does not take too long. Couple of days tops.

Guess it is another 4-6 weeks before my wife and son can join me. Alas, the wait continues.

p.s. Did I mention it took 1 month for the birth certificate to be issued? Well, that's another story.

Edited to add:
17-Mar-09: Got my passport yesterday with the endorsement. And this morning, I finally got the sworn affidavit issued by the Indian embassy. Hopefully, the passport application should be submitted today. Fingers 'still' crossed.

Tag of 25

1. I think this is the most boring tag ever!
2. I was named after my late grand-father. Me born right after he expired.
3. I feel he is watching over me always.
4. Once got my head stuck behind the TV set. And even stapled my own thumb.
5. Always day-dreamt of being the greatest cricketer ever. Imagined hitting a double century in an ODI on debut against Australia in the finals of the world cup with India 5 wickets down for less than 10 runs and winning the game!
6. That never happened.
7. Love this number.
8. Excelled in Athletics though, all the way to the Nationals.
9. Will trade my right arm to meet Roger Federer.
10. Err...only hypothetically!
11. Did I ever do an MBA?
12. Or am I even an engineer?
13. Joined Oracle just because it sounds cool and was in Bangalore.
14. I still miss Bangalore
15. Miss my wife and 6 week old son.
16. Love my parents and family.
17. I drive a Benz E230. Want a Lexus IS300 or BMW X5 or both.
18. This tag is long.
19. I miss my best friend.
20. I totally, completely, absolutely, hate bhindi and baingan.
21. Money is not the root of all evil.
22. I love food.
23. I love movies.
24. I love perfumes.
25. Date on which I got married.

I'm not tagging anyone. Almost everyone I know has attempted this. So open invitation for whoever dares to attempt it. Just let me know once it is done. Cheers.

That moment....

At this lovely captured moment in my life I had wished I was a kid again....

05-Mar-09, 9:22 PM

....seeing those kids jump down that air-filled slide!!!

What are those kids thinking of?

Project deadline? Targets? Performance appraisal? Traffic? Weight loss? Recession? Money? Investments? Family? Marriage? Heartbreaks? Moving houses? Rama Sena? Politics? Global warming?

Bet, at that instant, all they freakin cared off was to jump as hard and as fast as they possibly can down that slide! What a life! :)

I wish.... (sigh)

On failing driving tests in UAE

To the person who got here with this query:

"i failed my driving test in uae"

I feel sorry for this guy/girl. Really really really know how it feels. And I can tell you it's not good. Anyone who stays in UAE will know how important it is to own a car here. Public transport system is appalling. Taxis charge a bomb. Metro is far from over. Car lifts are not allowed. Walking is out of the question due to the long distances between places. So what are the options? Frankly, not many. And thus owning a car is almost your only resort And with so much traffic on roads these days, licenses are not being issued generously. RTA thinks that's the way to reduce traffic problems! And appearing for driving tests is by no means cheap. Digs a BIG hole in your pocket. But it's gotta be done! It's a necessary evil.

So hang in there, Mr./Ms. I know it is tough but surely possible. Good luck for your next test. Cheers.

Of Dogs, Century and Work times

While driving back home last evening:

Me: Hey, guess what? I saw a dog today!!!! Ain't that something?!?
Bro: I saw two the other day!
Me: Whhaaat??!!??
Bro: Yeah, can you believe it?!
Me: Noooohhh! Lucky you. The blessed one.
Bro: I beat you at it.
Me: Don't rub it in.
Bro: (After a few seconds) What are you thinking?!
Me: About my next blog post (smiling wryly)

....which also happens to be my 100th post. That's 100 posts in 1 year and 4 months of blogging. That's 1 post every 4.87 days. I never blog on weekends. So that's one post every work week. Not a pretty bad average I guess. Work reminds me....

Last Tuesday I had the most optimized work day. The expected in-time at my work is 9.30 am with 15 min grace so effectively that's 9.45! Expected out-time is 6 pm. On Tuesday my entry-exit log read:

In-time: 09:44:38 AM and Out-time: 18:01:12 PM

I've had several 9.45 ins and several 6pm outs. But never on the same day! I always thought the best possible combination is to get in 1 min before time and out 1 min after time. And coincidentally last Tuesday was the first time that happened. Which takes me to another point....

I think no one should work beyond their stipulated work hours. At my last job, leaving on time was almost like a CLM (Career Limiting Move). It was a taboo. Colleagues spoke about it behind your back. Managers gave sarcastic comments. Even the cab drivers stared at you. You almost wished to be invisible. Leaving work on time would require maneuvering. (Guys, I'm going to take a bio break (or smoke break or a quick snack). Anyone coming?). And you walk towards the rest room (or the balcony or the pantry) and then quietly slip out.

But it was my first job; full of energy; all guns blazing; out to prove to the corporate world that the next big thing has arrived. So it hardly ever mattered. I've stayed back at work even upto 7-8 hours. Overtime was not part of the package. So never got paid for it.

Thankfully, my current job has no such 'culture'. People come on time and leave on time. Period. And so do I. Work never requires me to stay 15 min more than my time. Guess I learnt a bit of time management as well. And I almost never work from home. Have 8.5 hrs to do my job and I make sure my job gets done in that time. Work should be at work. It should never take up your personal time.

Ofcourse if you get paid to work late, that's a different thing! Go, dog...err...Tiger!

(p.s.: For the record, you never see a stray dog in UAE)

Random rantings - 1

Ever get that feeling when you know you have it all yet you also know it's incomplete? Or like not having any reasons to complain but still feel like complaining.

Feeling something like that today.

I'm really tired. And sleepy. Have headache and that nagging backache due too long hours behind the wheel. Still haven't recovered from flu and my antibiotics are over. I am overweight. And I need to see a dentist! (Groan). Health has taken such a backseat in my life that someday I think I might just drop dead.

Work front is OK but I hate spending close to three hours commuting daily! Sucks

The wife and kiddo are OK but I hate being away from them for so long! Sucks

I start with Atkins tomorrow. That sucks too.

I stood up my friends today. Has happened for the first time ever. This after I had booked the movie tickets myself. BIG sucks.

Phone at my desk doesn't work. The watchman did not wash my car today. I want to change the curtains in my room. The kiddo's birth certificate (required for his passport which is in-turn required for his visa) is taking forever to come. I need to start working out or play some cricket or tennis.

Whoever said I had no reasons to complain?!?

Passionné par les parfums

Very few things in life that I am really passionate about. One of 'em is perfumes. There is no measure about how much I absolutely dig good perfumes. Every time I step into a departmental store or a mall or duty free, by default I get dragged to the perfume section checking out the latest testers. I make notes on which I like and hope to add to my collection. Ah, by 'collection' don't get wrong ideas. I have a rather modest collection. But am determined to increase it moving forward.

I think a good fragrance is like a person's identity. And careful consideration should be taken before selecting one. Not just pick something that smells good but check if that fragrance goes with your overall personality. I'm no expert on personality traits neither on perfumes but, little that I can understand, I try and keep these aspects in mind before selecting one.

And hence it does not take a genius to figure out that the gifts I've given out most often are perfumes. I know what fragrances go best on me. There's not much left to uncover actually. So what's the next best way to keep this passion rolling?! Buy for others! :)

I don't remember when this started. Back in college, all that mattered was a good deo. And Adidas was a clear winner then. I did have a large collection of deos though but again, they were purchased mostly on offers or bulk and they were cheap. No passion per se. When I got to b-school, my bro bought me my first real one. He took me into this store, walked to the perfume section and asked me to go crazy! Imagine my excitement!!! After almost an hour, I finally picked up Baldesarini from Hugo Boss. It was my most prized possession - A Hugo Boss perfume! I still have it :)

As I got to my first job and more financial independence, which I think was the key, the passion really kicked in: Dunhill Desire Blue, Davidoff Deep, Remy Marquis, Eternity by CK, Gio by Armani, Euphoria by CK & Davidoff Echo. Next on my desirables list is Bvlgari Soir, Ferrari Black and Dior Homme.

This is one passion I wish to continue pursuing in the future. Ofcourse, provided Oracle keeps rolling out those commission cheques! ;)

SAY NO TO DOWRY

'Dowry', as it is known in India, is one of the oldest prevailing so-called 'customs' of our great country. This country, which in the 21st century, is arguably one of the most powerful on the planet, largest democracy and stated to become one of the largest economies in the world some day! Yet, we still haven't got rid of dowry, amongst others.

What exactly is dowry? As stated by a friend on her blog (which by the way is the inspiration behind this post), it is the price of a groom. Period. The bride's family is forced into buying a match for their girl. How cool is that! What is most disturbing is the fact that these dowry demanders are none other than today's bloody youth. Family pressure they say. How can an educated, twenty something male of today's India succumb to that. Why can't they oppose it? What are they risking? Will they not get married if they don't take dowry? Will their families, cast or community boycott them? What is the fuckin problem?!?

Is money the problem? Go fuckin earn it, jackass! Why beg? And if that's what you really wanna do, go hit the streets loser. It's a thriving job for sure. What's the difference between asking for dowry and begging anyway. All the same.

I know of many people, personally and by acquaintances, who have demanded and/or accepted dowry. Isn't the bride's family already giving away their girl to you? First, they give away their girl. Second, they end up paying off their asses for it. And thirdly, that's not the end of it. Repeat demands and if, unfortunately, they are not fulfilled, I can only imagine the hell she has to face by her in-laws.

What is wrong with our fuckin society? Why can't we put an end to this? All hell broke loose when women were beaten up by those rama sena goons in Mangalore. India's youth stood up and made their voices heard. There are campaigns in place to oppose it. But is anyone doing anything about the dowry system?

I proudly state that I did not demand any dowry when I got married. Nor did anyone else from my family. And nor did I give my sister to a dowry demander. I strongly condemn it. I'd just like to ask one question to these dowry demanders. When you put a price tag on your boy, does this mean that your boy is worth that 'x' amount of money only? Can we so easily decide what your boy is worth? How do you decide the price then? For instance, if I am to sell a commodity, I take the cost of raw material, manufacturing costs, labor charges, transporting cost, taxes and then a profit margin. Do you decide your dowry this way? I bet you do! Then why not just put an ad in the paper and sell him off to the highest bidder?

Some families voluntarily give dowry (gifts/jewelery/cash etc) with their girl. Nothing wrong with that. It's their girl and they decide what they wanna give. It's up to them. Resist but, if they insist strongly, respect that.

Others argue that since they paid dowry for their girl, they will demand dowry for their boy. Well, in that case, if someone robs you, do you go and rob someone else? Or if someone jumps off a building, would you do the same? Eye for an eye, eh? Jokers!

It's about time that we put a stop to this. There is awareness for sure; news reports on some one-off cases where the girl refuses to marry the guy and reported his family to cops. But more needs to be done. Guys/Boys/Men/whatever, please put your foot down. You are the one who is getting married. Not your families. You guys are educated. You are the future of this country. Respect that. Honor that.

PLEASE SAY NO TO DOWRY!

(I write this because one of my friends was asked for dowry recently. She refused the marriage proposal. Kudos to her)

What a welcome! :)

I had taken 3 weeks off for my wife's delivery in Jan. This, at a time, when going on vacation or leave might result in a memo from the management asking you not to come back ever! So in that context, I think my boss is really cool. And that too after giving me 12 days off in December as well. Does the fact that I hit my annual sales target in December matter? For argumentative sake, let's just ignore that for the time being! ;)

And was it hard for me to leave my new born baby and wife behind and come back to work? Hell, Yes! How on earth was I supposed to concentrate on work? How would I feel when I sat at my desk?

This is what awaited me when I got to my desk.


Balloons, a big teddy bear, candles, chocolates, sweets, a baby record book, wind chime, small baby porcelain boy, funny messages posted on my cubicle walls, message saying 'Welcome Ibrahim' and a card signed by the whole team - everything in BLUE! And to top it all up, everyone was dressed in blue as well. Here are some more snaps of my desk





It was just unbelievable. My team had spent a large portion of Friday making arrangements. It was perfect. There couldn't have been any other way that I'd have liked to get back to work with. It raised my spirits. Felt so much at home. I was amongst a team where human emotions mattered. We are not working at a sweatshop. They were there to share my happiness and welcome me. I felt happy when I could have felt sad, lonely and depressed. It was so overwhelming that I almost cried. To me, this is a TEAM. And I am proud to be part of it.

Later found out that it was my boss's idea and another member of my team. But in the end, everyone helped set things up. I've been raving about this to whoever I find. Surprisingly its taken me four days to blog about.

A day in the life of Ibrahim

This is what a typical day looks like in the life of little Ibrahim (and thus his parents too!)

12 am: Sweet sound sleep (ZZZ)
Cycle 1 start:
12.30 am: Hungry baby wakes up crying. Feeding time.
12.45 am: Burp burp
1.00 am: Hic hic hic (hiccups)
1.10 am: Potty time! Nappy change.
1.25 am: Potty again. Nappy change again.
1.30 am: Hungry baby again. Quick feed.
1.40 am: ZZZ
Cycle 1 end.
4.00 am: Repeat cycle 1.
8.00 am: Repeat cycle 1 but no ZZZ
9.00 am: Play time with momma and yaba (Arabic word for Papa)
10.00 am: Quick feed and ZZZ
12.00 pm: Potty time. Su-su on yaba. Nappy change.
12.30 pm: Massage time followed by sponge bath.
1.00 pm: Change of clothes and play time.
1.30 pm: Tired hungry baby. Feeding time.
1.45 pm: Burp burp. ZZZ
4.00 pm: Hungry baby. Potty time. Total chaos. All hell breaks loose.
4.45 pm: Finally ZZZ
7.00 pm: Repeat cycle 1.
9.30 pm: Repeat cycle 1.
12.30 am: Repeat cycle 1.

With able assistance from Ibrahim's:
1. Naani (Maternal grand mother)
2. Daadi mummy (Paternal grand mother)
3. Mamujaan (His mother's elber bro)
4. Khala (His mother's younger sis)
5. Nanujaan (Maternal grand father)
6. Phu (His father's younger sis)
7. And others

It's a BOY :-)

Phew! The last few days have been absolutely unbelievable. Life has changed. I have changed. Have experienced something so unique, so special that no other feeling will ever come in the same vicinity as that.

I've become a father!!! My wife delivered a healthy baby boy on 20th Jan 09. After 9 months of anticipation, patience, hope, wait and excitement, it happened. And I am still to come to terms with it.

Every day is a new experience. Every expression of my baby boy is a new story. It's been out-of-this-world. The first time I held him on my arms - oh boy, if only I could describe that feeling in words! His first yawn, first burp, first time his tiny fingers wrapped around my little finger, his first potty, his first smile, his first expression, his first cry - just mind-blowing experience. No other feeling can ever be this pleasant and memorable.

I've been blessed infinitely by the Almighty. Today all I wish for is a lifetime of happiness, contentment, spiritual peace and fulfillment for my baby boy. May Allah always be with him and shower his blessings on my Ibrahim. Ameen.

Life and Death

I’m sitting in the Jet airways waiting lounge at Mumbai domestic airport. Still have another 20 minutes before my boarding starts. It’s been a tough day coz I saw something for the first time in my life. And it was not pleasant. Scared the living daylights out of me. I saw a man dying today!

Just as I got through immigration at Dubai airport, there was some commotion a few yards from where I was standing. I walked to see what was happening. A man was on the floor, hand on his chest, legs and body shaking, desperately gasping for breath. Someone took off his shirt and made him lie flat on his back. Paramedics arrived immediately. He was given an oxygen mask which he kept taking off trying to breathe. And then they stuck some wires on his chest near the heart. I don’t know what they did next as I could not stand and look any more. I’d had enough. The man had suffered a massive heart attack. He was minutes away from death. Not sure if he made it through. Not sure if his family were ever going to see him alive again.

Death is the harshest reality of life. We take life so much for granted that we may not be prepared for the dreaded D looming round the corner. I’ve lost a few friends in my life. I lost one to cancer at the age of 17, and two to separate road accidents during college. These experiences have thought me to appreciate life like never before. Any day could be our last. Live life like there is no tomorrow but always have plans ready for the day after!

So here’s to our good health, love from family & friends, and fulfillment in life. Amen.

Peace.

(I wrote this on 10th Jan but could not post it. Finally got an internet connection today. And FYI - I am in India for three weeks)

Oracle licensing explained (by my bro)

I work for a company that sells software. Our flagship product is the Database. Licensing a database is a little complicated (as perceived by our customers!). This is how it's done.

We take the hardware specs of the server on which is database is to be installed i.e. number of processors, number of cores & the brand of CPU. The calculation is done as follows:

(number of processors) x (number of cores) x (licensing factors)

where,
1. factors depend on the brand of CPU i.e. Intel, AMD, UltraSPARC etc.
2. user minimums & number of sockets to be taken into consideration depending on the database edition.

Last week, my brother (who heads the Infrastructure and DCO Division at Panasonic) wanted some Oracle database licensing options for a new project he is undertaking. I explained the licensing model to him and how the calculation is done.

Yesterday on our way to work, we had the following conversation:

Me: Hey, what about those database licenses you inquired about?
Bro: Oh yes, do you know how Oracle is licensed on virtual servers?
Me: Hmm...I'll have to look that up. Haven't come across any such requirements yet.
Bro: Yeah. Let me know. Probably, we'll need to take the square root of the inverse of the processors, then take factors and integrate it and take the third derivative of the limit of the function at infinity, differentiate it and do a Fourier transform of that!!!!!

LOL

Edited to add: If anyone has any questions on Oracle licensing, please leave a comment on my other blog: http://logicalobscurity.wordpress.com. Thanks.

Main Kab Saas Banungi

Misleading title, isn't it? Don't worry. I am not that desperate. Definitely not to be a 'saas' (mother-in-law). So am I then going through a mid-life identity crisis? Nope. Well...

Main Kab Saas Banungi (MKSB) is a show currently televised on Sab TV. Now, why would I even bother to know the existence of said serial, specially with the word 'saas' in it? As if the 'K's were already not enough! Well, last evening, after I got back home, I turned on the TV and was onto my usual channel surfing, when my mom walked in the living room and asked me to switch to Sab TV. That's my cue to hand her the remote and get my ass out of there! But I decided to stay on. I wanted to find out why millions are hooked onto these endless, useless, senseless saas-bahu sagas. (For the record, my mom is not one of them!)

And I was in for a pleasant shock! MKSB was nothing like the dreaded Ks. This is one hell of a funny comedy series on the relationship between three generations of saas and bahus. No backbiting, no vamps, no scheming, no revenge, no extra marital affairs, no coming-back-from-the-dead stunts, no rebirths, no dramatics, no crap, no no.

On the contrary, this show encourages family values. The bonding between saas and bahus is represented in loving yet mischievous & comic ways. Brings to fact that all saas-bahu relationships are not strained. There are happy families out there who are living amicably together. This series shows the positive side of the relationship. And is funny.

Much needed refreshing change from the utterly disgusting shows that run on national television at prime time. Hats off to Deepti Bhatnagar for coming out with this concept. We need more of this than the K trash by that Ekta whatever.

I don't promise to follow MKSB regularly. More of a HBO-ESPN kinda guy. But wouldn't mind switching to Sab TV every now and then.

What a start

A 'new' year, as the word new implies, is supposed to be...err..new! A new beginning full of new hopes, new dreams and promises of something better.....or worse?

My new year started like any other day or month or year. But it was on the 2nd day of this year that had some excitement in store.

It was 6.40 am and I was obviously sound asleep. I woke up at some voices. There was someone in my room. It was my brother. So deep in slumber was I that instead of asking him if he needed something, I ended up asking, "What are you doing here?". Rude. That moment my sis from the living room yelled out, ' Check out. Someone finally woke up!". Are these guys crazy? It's a weekend for Christ's sake. I could hear my dad and mom as well. I live in a zoo. Period.

Someone then asked me to touch the floor. Zoo for sure!!! They ask again. What the hell. I give up. And reach down for the floor. My hand gets submerged in water. Entirely! Oops. Did I start sleepwalking? What was I doing in my bathroom?

I look around. This is my room. Quickly, I sit up and look around the room and there was water everywhere. Our entire house was completely filled up with water. Not an inch of dry space. Apparently, a pipe burst in the bathroom and it flooded the house. All hands were on 'deck' clearing the water. I pulled up my pajamas and joined the war cry.

"Zor lagage ke, haisha,
Jeetenge hum, haisha"

Took us close to 6 hrs just to get rid of the flowing water. It's gonna take days to dry up completely. My room was the worst affected. Our flat apparently, and thanks to the masons, is sloped backwards towards the right, where my room is located. It's a disaster. We had to dismantle the entire bedroom set and take it out. Thoughts of discarding the (so called new) carpet came to mind but then we thought of giving it a shampoo first and checking it out. Had the shampoo guys over yesterday. They actually had to give the final shampoo with dettol to get rid of the water smell. Assured us 90% dryness. We are waiting for it to completely dry before moving back the furniture. Our new Persian rug is lying outside the flat. Not sure what the hell are we supposed to do with it. All electric connections & electronic appliances are dead (except the wi-fi which we managed to keep running! :P). All in all, right now, our house is in tatters and stinking. And I don't have a room!

What a start to the year!