Aman's Blog….ANYTHING goes here!

Alright so my short vacation is over and in less than 2 hours, I shall be on the road again. Its going to be again a long and tough tour. I have been running like anything since past few weeks and I must admit, its not as much fun as it appears to many. Anyways, if one has to do something, he should do it happily so its okay. I am going to give a last check of my stuff than will have an early lunch. Hope I shall get internet access this time. Pray for me guys and wish me luck!

We humans are best known for the ability of ours to have emotions, to have feelings which we express,which we share! Feelings and emotions are the only two things which makes a human being a true human being because if you don’t have these two attributes, you are no good than a stone or an animal. And when it comes to feelings and of their expressions, there are numerous ways which people choose, writing, painting and of course music! I won’t compare any medium with each other as each is best in its very own way. But out of all three, music travels much longer distances and connects all who can hear it. It doesn’t matter that one has to understand the lyrics completely. As long as you can feel the expression of the music, you can enjoy it as well. And if you can understand the lyrics that go with the music, you would just enjoy the power of music to express human emotions to its fullest!

 

Though music is a very powerful medium but as its still a medium, a tool, a way which must be handled properly. Its just like cooking some food where ingredients remain the same, its just the way one mixes them, prepares them, which makes the difference. If one is a bad cook, he may ruin even the best and purest ingredients as well. And so is the case with the music. Even when the music is excellent, bad lyrics would just spoil the taste. So is the case when the lyrics are just great but the voice who is singing them and the music which is being played with that voice, if being bad, will just kill the whole thing’s taste! And there are not many at the moment who do have that capability to sing a song while keeping its essence alive. It needs a lot of precision and not many have it now a days. Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan  ( you can check his official website as well) is one of those very few singers who have been able to balance between the modern singing while keeping music’s true values alive with the incorporation of traditional chords along with it. He is one of the most well known singers world wide and when he sings, its just so happens that the song becomes alive! Any time when I listen anything from him, it sends goose bumps inside of mine!

 

I always say that out of all the emotions, pain and sadness is one such emotion which we all share equally. We all have the same color of tears, we all want someone to give us a hug when we get hurt, have our heart broken and we all feel the same pain when someone whom we love, betrays us, gives us the worst pains that possibly can be given to anyone. Music expresses all of these emotions so nicely that if done correctly, a good sad song can even bring tear to those eyes even who have nothing to do with that pain. And if that song is sung by someone like Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan, its the best that one can ask for. I am sharing one such song today with you all which expresses the pain, sadness in the best possible manner and with singing of Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan, the entire package has come out just so well! The song’s title is “Ik Sitam Aur Meri Jaan” which means,”Just one more punishment my love, there is still life left in me”. The song is in Hindi and I shall do the translation of it in English as well. This is a song which can be taken as a song being sung to express the emotions of a guy who is asking for that last pain from his love who has already given him pains till eternity. He is telling his love that she must give him one last punishment because he is still having life left inside him. A beautiful song in every aspect if you ask me! You can hear and watch it here on You Tube. I am posting the video here as well.

 

And here are the lyrics of it, first in Hindi,

 

 

 

 

 

And here is the translation of it in English,

 

 

I just got the following in an email and I just loved the twist that it took towards the end. Needless to say that it did make me smile so thought would share with you all. Have a read of a letter of recommendation written by some manager for his team member. I am sure I never want to have such letter for me ever and I am quite certain, you too won’t ever want one. Why, well have a read and see for yourself,

 

 

 

So, do you need one such letter of recommendation 😉 ?

I have just got back home this morning. I have been traveling since last 3 weeks continuously and I must mention, this wasn’t a comfortable tour at all, both mentally and physically. I was supposed to start travel again tomorrow as well but the schedule is bit rearranged now and I shall be starting in next 2 days. I definitely need this break because  I am finding myself really blown up. I don’t know what’s the reason of this but its true and I can feel the mental and physical fatigue very clearly over me! Hope this short break would help (if not much but just a little bit too) me getting myself recollected. Let’s see!

 

I had been traveling to all the places where  there never is any winter season. So it was little uneasy for me (and especially without any woolens) to come straight into a temperature of 18 degrees. And this became much worse when I started in the bus when I had to face the chilling wind without any woolens. My mom mentioned to me that it would be a tough travel and she indeed was right. I just hope that I won’t fall sick before my travel. So I guess, lots of tea and woolens are needed and I am going to get both of these things asap 🙂 .

 

The program went fine( I guess) . The delegates were great and did participate really well in the program. Its always a great pleasure to discuss about Oracle database with the people who are really willing to listen about it. It was a mix group of delegates where some already knew about it very well and were even certified as well and some were just starting. I hope for both the categories of audience, things went well. I always realize that its a short world and this time too, this saying just came true one more time when I came to know that one of the delegates is a former colleague of another friend of  mine, Sabdar Syed. Surely, its a short world! I hope I was able to say few words which would help the delegates to understand oracle database in a little more better way and I thank all of them for being so patient and helpful. Thanks guy, I had a great time and I hope you would say the same!

 

I am going to take a short nap before I get back to prepare for the next tour. There is a lot that I need to do, including a writing assignment work as well whose deadline is approaching quite close for this month! Wish there were just few more hours in a day and/or I just could have 2 more hands and one more brain 🙂 .

 

If you are thinking that I did a typo by writing “!back” than no, I didn’t! If you have not worked with computer systems and are not aware about the terminologies used in computer systems than this symbol “!” signifies negation, in simple words, not 🙂 . Yep, I am not back. I am back to India though but I am not at home still. I have another 3 programs lined up which are starting from tomorrow onwards. And just like the last trip of mine in Colombo, all are going to be real tough ones! Let’s see! I am on the road since last 2 weeks and I don’t see it ending any time soon as well!

 

One thing which I came to know just while coming back from Colombo that the training that I have conducted there, this happened for the very first time in Colombo and I am the first ever guy who did that! Now, it may not matter to anyone else but it does matter for me a lot and it has made this trip special for me in one more way for me as I have sort of created like history! May be a very tiny thing for anyone else but it means a lot for me as fortunately, couple of times before as well, I have got chance to be the first time starter at many places! There is one more program, and that too at overseas location, is now added to the list and only very few people how much all this is close to my heart! One more time, I would say thanks to all those who were involved, especially the delegates who attended it! Thanks a lot guys! Without your support, it could never have been possible!

 

I am not at all  a good photographer  but it did try to put my Nokia E71 on test and have taken some shots! Here is a link to the album. Have a look and tell me that did both me and E71 do some good job with pics or not 🙂 ?

I am done with the program. I can’t say that how did I perform yet because I still have to see the official evaluation report. But I know I worked hard, well to be honest, really hard! I can’t say that I am happy with the performance of mine but I guess, I didn’t do a bad job either. Guys are happy and smiling and its always a good sign. They have shown great interest in finishing up all the lab sessions which shows that they understood what’s the module is actually? You can only be interested in doing the lab sessions if you have understood the theory lecture IMO. Also they told me that they are going to come up with a local Oracle users group as well which I believe would be a great thing for them and for the rest of the oracle community over here! So as like Noor asked to me today over chat, am I happy and satisfied? Well, no to be honest! But I am thankful to the guys for their patience, support and co-ordination! It takes a great effort to listen to some one for continuous 8 hours trust me!

 

I have got 3 programs aligned next for me. All of them are going to be as hard as this was! Let’s see what happens? I really doubt that I shall be able to get internet access which if happens would be a pity. Let’s see what happens as that’s the story for the next coming week. At least for today, I can have some sleep and relaxed moments because my head is hurting like hell and I really need some rest! Bed, where are you?

Yes, just in case you guys have thought that I am dead, unfortunately not 🙂 . I am still alive and surviving in my session. That’s another story that I am almost alike dead only with no dinner  and sleep from last 4 days! Just in case you don’t know, I am here  and I am staying at Taj Samudra, Colombo, a really BIG 5-star hotel! Its a good hotel. Yes you heard me right, I just mentioned “good” only about it as I simply don’t get the idea of spending so much of money( that too in foriegn exchange) just for about 13-14hours of my time which I spend there in the night. There is so much of staff which is almost all the time when I see, is standing idle or either wandering around with no real business or need whatsoever! Or may be I am just not fit enough for these kind of hotels where people just come to show that they can spend buckets full of cash on things which otherwise don’t really cost that much at all! And to make things worse, I had carried very less cash with me so I can’t really spend any dime on anything, not on my food as well. Why did I do this stupid mistake? No, let me again clarify, I am not on a holiday trip here. I am working here and been sent by my company here who thought that staying in a 5-starred hotel wouldn’t cost more than 100$! Yeah shoot me if you want! Now you know the reason for me not having dinner right? Alright enough of whining about things.

 

To be honest, I am really not worried about the hotel, place, weather, world , anything at the moment as I am spending all the time that I am having with me on preparing the module that I am delivering here. This is one of the most toughest and biggest modules that are offered in Oracle database technology stack and yours truly is handling it ! I don’t have any idea how things are going though I am putting my best of the best efforts to make them go in the right direction. There were some small hiccups which I managed to resolve. Then there came a big one for which I needed some one to raise a service request(SR what we call it) and it got resolved today. Two days are over and its the 3rd day going on. Delegates are busy doing their lab sessions and I am sitting here writing this blog post because in my hotel, the category of room in which I am, doesn’t get free wi-if access and otherwise the cost is good enough to give me a heart attack! I have just finished one of the toughest and most core chapters and I hope I did deliver it okay, if not well! But I can’t be relaxed and say, WOW yet as there is a lot more still left to be done! Hope all goes fine!

 

One thing which I am really feeling here is of being alone. Not the loneliness of being physically alone but of being mentally alone. I know it shouldn’t be there as my family and few of the closest friends like Ashnoor, Saini are standing with me but still, I am just remembering the time when I had to go to Hong Kong and then to Philippines , there were so many issues happening at home, with my mom being unwell and tons of other things like these. I was striving to hear just few words of support but didn’t get them, thanks to, not sure what reason I should put here! Heck,  the person I called, he didn’t even bother to answer despite knowing that I am calling because of being scared that my mom is probably leaving me at any moment! It hurts so much to see when you need someone the most, the person gives an excuse of being busy and just leaves saying that he has to be selfish for himself as this is the best thing to do! May be I need to learn the same lesson, I need to learn to be busy and selfish for myself as well, some thing which I couldn’t never actually do and I doubt that I shall learn to do so in the future as well. Anyways, back to the reality, I am going back to see what the delegates are doing. More updates later!

I haven’t written anything since quite a number of days. Well, actually I did write but it was all only about my travel, telling that I am going. This is of no exception either. I am sitting over the New Delhi domestic departure terminal, waiting to catch first of two flights. I shall be going to an international program and if you are a regular here, you must be aware about that I have mentioned a “tough program starting” many times. Yes, that program starts from tomorrow. I have spent yesterday’s entire day trying to make myself as much comfortable as I could be for the program by doing all sorts of technical stuff about it. I have asked lots of questions to my friends and colleagues as well. Both, Guru and Pavan have helped me a lot, especially Guru who with so much of patience, helped in setting the things up and describing the smallest details. I have no words to thank both! All I am wishing and praying now that their efforts( and a little of mine as well) are fruitful and the program goes fine! Let’s see what happens. Its been 2 nights and days of me traveling without any sleep or rest so I am just dead tired and sleepy. I hope I get some rest once I reach to my hotel. Tomorrow morning starts at 7.30am which means its must for me to have some sleep at least. Pray for me guys, I am going to need it so very much!

Well, I didn’t write anything since my last post which was a travel post of mine. I haven’t written as I am on the road again today and if all will go as told to me, I shall be here only for the next quite a number of days. And this is not going to be just any tour, its going to comprise some of the toughest programs that I am going to handle. And to make things worst, one program is completely new for me and is among the toughest programs of all what is offered in the curriculums of oracle database anywhere globally. Needless to mention that I am scared to death! And this is not going to get eased up at all by anything. I have no idea what would happen and all I can do is pray and hope that it doesn’t go wrong and I shall be able to put things at their right place where ever needed! Pray for me guys, am going to really need them all!

 

There is still time for my flight and I am sitting here in this big hall using the wi-if service. There is this strange chaos in the entire hall as the cricket teams of Australia and India are also here to catch their flight to Chandigarh for a match. Almost all are getting crazy to get a snap with all the players, making me feel surprised what’s that picture is worth of? There are two lines written by Debi which fit here perfectly. Here they are,

 

 

And its meaning is, you should get  a snap with that person who also is going to remember you and your name. What’s the worth of getting one with that person with whom entire world takes one and he doesn’t know even the name of any of them? True isn’t it?

 

Am going to grab a quick lunch and than will try to read some stuff for the upcoming modules. Eating and then reading is best way to kill waiting 😉 !