Duniya zalim nahi hai, bus lOg bahut kameene hain!!
31st March is the day when Swati gives incremented salaries to all our employees. This year the average raise has been 53% the highest is 75% – this is in line with what we have been doing for past 6 years, the %ages have varied but there never has been a year with 0 raise. Amongst other things since several of my boys and girls are getting married this year we have implemented a policy of wedding gift. This is equivalent of 2 month current salary and a 3 week holiday – provided he or she has been with us for more than a year.
Of Course! apart from these are the *additional salaries* which Swati distributes to her whims, they are equivalent to a month salary usually given out about 3 to 4 times a year.
And before any of you pop the question! no there are no vacancies as yet but there will be soon – keep watching this space.
Phew! we have been at it for almost 6 hours now and probably be still here for next 2 hours.
We (myself and Swati) are in Bangalore sitting with all the old friends and faces having the first major meeting for planning foss.in/2007, Lots of discussions amazingly no one has killed anyone as yet, and we have actually got a fix on several things…
So to used a cliched phrase keep watching this space.
Our Coppermine Picture Gallery has been chosen in to the Google Summer of Code(tm) 2007 program.
So if you have been reading what GSoC is all about and are a PHP programmer good enough, feel free to apply. Don’t ask me the details, you should be smart enough to find that.
Yeah! I am a potential mentor – you have been warned.
Most of the things are now revolving around getting a fix on the final budget for the house. We don’t want to compromise on things but at the same time the budget is not limitless and damn the things we are liking are expensive….
Saturday evening we had a barbecue party with some friends coming over. Lovely King prawns, Fish grilled wrapped in Banana leaf, Malay fish curry, Chicken satay and of course the regular fav marinades from Swati. It was supplemented by some excellent wine which one of our friend got.
Yesterday morning we took about 25 kids from Aasim’s school and an equal number of adults for bird watching. Did not spot anything unusual but the kids were thrilled.
Rest of the day was spent doing… Nothing.
Last year was dominated with the construction project, we still have about 4/5 months before we can shift there and everyone is looking forward to that.
The last quarter however saw both me and Swati suffering from Chikungunya, the after effects of which are still lingering, my doctor also put both of us on Anti Cholesterol medicines.
New years resolution? I usually don’t make any but this year I would like to – “Code More”
How so ever hard I may long for the days when programmers were opinionated and they wrote code for software which “just worked” I know it is not happening fast, at least for me. So the option is to reverse the paradigm and have the code based on “opinionated software” and somehow make programmers “just work” with a set of guidelines. Yes, this is dangerously close to “de-skilling” the programmers but I do hope to pull through this and create a better team.
On a somewhat related note – “Do as I say and not as I do” – with whatever riders attached is hypocrisy.
I could see it in his eyes as he dragged himself to get ready for school. So I had a small talk with him… his lament was he has nothing to tell to his friends.
Surprised I asked him “Why? did you not enjoy??”
“I enjoyed a lot but none of my friends at school will understand any of that, they don’t know what PHP is how can they know Rasmus, what do I tell them about Blinkenlights? Jaya Kumar tried to teach me juggling!”
I really had no answer for him other than that school is one thing he *has* to finish (he knows that). I feel his pain and it is very much akin to that girl Netra’s frustration who wants all her friends to understand FOSS instead of M$, for her several people (including myself) had answers…
Now that Aasim really contributed his bit to the event this time I feel that something more needs to be done I don’t know what as yet but now it is a pressing selfish need / itch which has to be satisfied
Pictures from my Cybershot – https://tariquesani.net/thumbnails.php?album=74
My taking steroids for my arthralgia was in vain, not only in vain but detrimental, the medicine has just about been tapered off and I can feel all the aches and pains returning add to it an inch and a half around my tummy.
So life goes on. We have decided that all three of us will come to Bangalore on 21st rather than me and Aasim following on 23rd, things at office, by amazing stroke of luck are tranquil for now.
Since past few days I have taken up learning to dance – just a bit of jiving nothing much. But for once I am not on top of the group in a chosen activity… I knew this was going to happen. While my hands and body can be rock steady when holding a scalpel or for that matter a camera I cant move in rhythm even if the sky was falling.
I am doing this not only for myself but also to show Aasim that even his dad has to struggle and does not give up so easily.