Nike Running

I've taken my running activity to the next level now. I ran only on Sundays in these last few months and now it's been more than couple of weeks and I'm running like every alternate day. Thanks to my new job that I can afford sometime for running in the morning comfortably. Will try to keep this way for next coming months and would like to join in any 10K or half marathons soon. Well, that's the whole plan and let's see how it goes from here.

Well, what's different this time is I'm logging my runs through Nike Running app. To be honest, I haven't tried any of these kinda apps before, but with this week's trials gave me a good impression about this app.

Few features of the Nike Running app which I liked are:

•  Along with the distance ran and calories burnt (not of my interest) it gives the track/trail map along with the indicator or pace/comfort level. Provides options to pick the shoe worn during the run as well.
• Divides the whole run into kms with details of time taken for each km and how it progressed.
• Has facility to add friends to form a group and run. This would indirectly helps to keep up with the plan and motivates to improve.
• After each run, lists down the achievements like ran the farthest, longest and fastest km. Basically some details to keep you motivated.
• Has facility to play music on the go. This is for those who are particular about playing music while running. At least I'm not so keen about it so have not tried it yet but surely something to try in coming days.

Sure there is more to explore in this app and on different aspects of running to achieve the goal of half marathon or full. Hoping for the best.

#ChennaiRains

Past few days we have been getting updates about the rain and flood situation in Chennai and other surrounding places. It's very heartening and sad to see so many lives lost and the havoc the rains have caused in these parts of Tamil Nadu and nearby places. Just imagine, the life would have taken a harsh twist in the lives of people affected directly or indirectly in a matter of few days.

At the same time, it is encouraging to see all the help pouring in from all quarters of the country and beyond. Indian defense departments, NDRF, NGOs, companies and volunteers are rescuing those stuck, evacuating danger zones and supporting in whatsoever manner possible in this dire circumstances.

All citizens should come forward to help in whatever ways it's possible, be it the donations in terms of funds, clothing, necessary commodities etc.

And at the same time, other states or city elected representatives should introspect, assess, analyze and plan keeping these kind of adversities in mind. We are sure there are many other states and cities growing(developing?) in haphazard and unplanned ways ignoring all the standard norms while carrying out projects, constructions etc. It's kinda wake-up call for others as well.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the affected and with those who are still fighting the calamity.

Book: And Then There Were None

Title: And Then There Were None

Author: Agatha Christie

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Rating: 4/5

First and foremost, this is the first book I've read written by Agatha Christie.

The story is about 10 people with all different backgrounds being invited to a private island. The host is someone they knew about vaguely but were given valid and just enough reason for them to agree for the visit.

Upon their arrival, they were shocked to witness something of their past being revealed. Their past had something in common; some secret which led to someone else's death. The host plans to kill each one of them on that island and provide justice to all what they have done in their past.

The story gets interesting immediately after few turns of pages and the plot never takes off readers' attention. There are many twists and turns as each one of them is confronted with death. They try to find who the killer is but it will be too late. They will be dead before anyone finds out. Yes, the mystery is not solved by the investigating police as well. And don't worry, the book never ends with no answer. It does reveal the killer (or should I say, the author?!) through a smart way which the killer had devised in the plot.

Frankly speaking, during the narration I found few faults in the story like:

- Even in that dire situation when they know all of them will be dead, Mr & Mrs Rogers, the cook and help, continue to provide their service to all others obediently. And that I find very strange.

- And even in the scene where the Justice Wargrave was killed. I mean, how can a person be sitting on a chair when everybody else ran to Vera's room to find what happened there.

Till the very end, the reader is kept guessing as who is the killer and how could it happen. A good read and a different way to end as well.

Kiddo's Q&A

Before starting the details of this post, I would like to introduce my wife, Varsha and my 3 years old son, Nivaan in my blogging space.

Like many other kids of this age group, Nivaan asks a lot many questions and never gets tired. Varsha and myself try very hard to keep up with his chain of questions by providing accurate answers. The process of answering grow longer and time consuming as one answer leads to his next question and this continues until we end up short of appropriate answers or when we lose our patience, well, whichever comes first :) Believe me, our limits of patience has been stretched to the maximum extend by Nivaan by now ;-)

Here are few questions he has asked and few witty replies from him during my hometown visit this Diwali.

- Why is the lamp (Diya) hot?

 During Diwali time, we had lit few lamps at our main door and on windows. He accidentally fell near the door with his hands on the burning lamp. Poor kiddo burnt his hand a little, cried a bit and continued with his business of questioning, even in that state of pain. He simply asked "Dad, why was the lamp hot?" ("Appa, deepa yaaka bisi itta?"). I answered him, just like cooking vessels, it gets hot when we lit fire. He further asks, "And why is that?" ("Yaaka?") to which I answered, "Fire has this tendency of making things hot or burn things when in contact". Before he could further ask the physical and chemical reactions that happen due to fire, I changed the topic!

 Before anyone inquires as why the lamps were kept at the door when the kid around, let me tell you, it didn't occur to us and it was a genuine mistake :)

- Why are Tom and Jerry not running around?

 Nivaan was looking at the Tom and Jerry cartoon on the wall and asks "Why are Tom and Jerry not running around?". Well, I reasoned out that since he is used to seeing the cat chase the mouse all the time in TV out of curiosity he asked as why the characters are stationary in this photo on wall. I had to tell him that this is just a photo on wall like other photos of family members and not a TV screen where they will be in motion.

- Time out : Time come

 I was playing cricket with him in our house and after few minutes of running around getting the ball which he was hitting left and right I was tried.  To get few minutes of breather time, I said "Time out" gesturing the break signal with T symbol using hands. He was super excited hitting the ball at that moment so wanted to continue it and he immediately says "Time come". I had to ask him to repeat that and he responded again, "Time come". I understood that his opposite phrase for "Time out" is "Time come" :-D I was in splits listening to that :)

- Stomach saying Fries-Fries

 One night, while driving back home, I told Varsha and Nivaan that we will stop at McDonald's for dinner. After few seconds of silence Nivaan says "My stomach is saying Fries-Fries" ("nanna tummy fries-fries annatethi") :)

- Jogging in Car or Bike

 After telling him a bed-time story I told him that I will be going for jogging the next morning so would like to sleep now. He immediately replies, "Even I will come for jogging. Will we be going in car or bike?" ("Nanu barteni jogging ga, car daga hogunu yena bike daga hogunu?") :-D

- Pronunciation and teeth connection

 One night, Varsha was giving some medicine to him and she casually asks why he used to pronounce the word for medicine as "Audh" instead of "Aushadha" when he was younger. To this he replies that he had only 2 teeth then so he used to say that way and now that he has 8 big teeth, he is able to pronounce properly :)

So these days at home, he continues to surprise us with his answers, puzzle us with questions and equally make us laugh :)

I would like to quote below lines from this link:

“In school, we’re rewarded for having the answer, not for asking a good question,” Wurman pointed out. Which may explain why kids—who start off asking endless “why” and “what if” questions—gradually ask fewer and fewer of them as they progress through grade school.

"Preschool kids ask their parents an average of 100 questions a day. By middle school, they’ve basically stopped asking questions."

The Martian

It was quite sometime I hadn't read a science fiction book. Thanks to my friend Archana who gifted me this book.

This is a story about Mark Watney, an astronaut who is left stranded on Mars by his fellow astronauts, who mistook him to be dead, during a dust storm. He finds himself all alone with all the NASA R&D equipment and setup, and just enough food to survive for few more weeks. The book talks about how he motivates himself, plans for survival and also to establish communication with NASA back on earth. There are quite a few accidents and action which keeps the narration exciting. 
The best part of the character Mark Watney was his humor. Even in moments of great danger and low, Mark's character and his humor keeps things very interesting and makes you lol at many occasions.

I read initial few pages and due to many activities couldn't continue. But after a week, I could get hold of book and finished the remaining 90% in 2 days time frame. Just couldn't keep the book down.

There was the same movie running in the theaters as well, so decided to watch it as well. As expected, the book turned out to be much better. However, there were few scenes and the climax which was done differently in the movie.

A good read and would recommend if science-fiction is what you are looking for.

Trip to Rajasthan & Agra

Finally the time had come to plan for a small vacation as I had got a 4 days off on the occasion on Dusshera.
New job preparation, shifting and later finding the right school for my kiddo had taken it's toll. I wanted a break and this holiday season gave me just that. Of the available options Jaipur-Delhi-Agra, Delhi-Agra-Gwalior and Jaipur-Agra-Ajmer, I decided to visit Jaipur-Agra-Ajmer covering Pushkar and FatehpurSikri as well and here is my summary of my trip.

First day: Agra -

Immediately after landing at Jaipur, we headed towards Agra without stopping anywhere in Jaipur or Fatehpur Sikri as it was a Thursday and Taj Mahal is  closed on Fridays. Visit to Taj Mahal was something I had in my mind since a very long time. The history behind it and the sheer crowd it pulls from different parts of the world always amazed me.
So here was I in front of Taj Mahal on an October afternoon. The first impression when I was right there in front of The Taj was 'Wow'. The beautiful marble monument against the blue backdrop was a great sight. The first thing that normally comes to mind when we visit such a place is the amount of resource, effort, time, and planning that went in to build something this spectacular. Red sandstone walls stand in front and to its two sides, and Yamuna river flows behind it. The tomb, pillars, walkways beside the pool at the front, the inlay art on the walls, the carvings, everything is treat to our eyes. It takes at least 2-3 hours to go around the place. And it will be better to visit early morning during sunrise time to maximize the experience, as the color of Taj Mahal changes during the course of the day.

Few tips to consider:
1. The guide did not provide any details apart from what we have in Wiki, so you can plan without him if you can take time to read.
   Audio guides (downloaded or rentals) can come handy as well.
2. Don't be fooled by guide or anyone w.r.t entry fees or shoe-cover rates. It costs just Rs. 20 & Rs. 10 respectively for Indians.
3. The battery powered vehicles run from parking lot to the actual Taj Mahal entrances to reduce pollution in the area.
   They charge Rs. 10 or 5 (based on the size of vehicle) only. If you have time and patience, you can have a stroll of 1 km instead to avoid the crowd who run towards the vehicles.
4. Do not visit any place/workshops which claim to give your inlay marble work souvenirs or items unless accompanied by trustworthy contacts.

Second day: Fatehpur Sikri -  

We arrived at the Agra fort the next morning. This is a big fort surrounded by tall and think walls, of course. The fort consists of multiple gates and was planned to avoid and slow down the intrusion attempts. Inside the fort we have quite a few places built and upgraded by multiple Mughal emperors. Taj Mahal is seen across the fort a little away next to Yamuna River. Audio guide tapes helped us to know few aspects about each blocks in the fort. I liked especially the palaces at the terrace where Shah Jahan spent time with his family and the Diwan-E-Aam i.e. the Hall of public audience.
Soon after fort visit we reached Fatehpur Sikri after a drive of around an hour. This city was the capital of Mughal empire for sometime and the city, palaces were build under the supervision of Akbar. The fort, palaces, courts show a great deal of planning and mix of cultures.
There are many buildings and structures in the area surrounding which includes the 55 meters Buland Darwaza, Jama masjid, Tomb of Sufi saint Salim Chisti and Panch Mahal.
Buses run from the parking area to the main fort. Rs. 10 is the general fare for each passenger. Many guides mislead in buying the holy blanket or flowers while entering the masjid which needs to be presented inside in order to get our wishes fulfilled. Well, if you are not there for actual prayers or anything then you are ignore all and just visit the main masjid and back. There is nothing wrong in going empty handed. Make sure to have something like a cloth or a cap to cover your head.
 
Third day: Jaipur -
 

 
Once from Fatehpur Sikri, we decided to go for shopping in Jaipur. Sarees, embroidery etc are Jaipur specialty.
The next morning we visited Jantar Mantar. This is a place of architectural astronomical instruments built by Rajpur King Sawai Jai Singh. Even with the audio guide few of the instruments were difficult to be understood :)
We quickly moved to Jaipur City Palace, the main attraction in Jaipur. This palace mainly consists of Mubarak mahal (see pic above) and Chandra Mahal. Currently Mubarak mahal is converted into a museum which features royal costumes used, shawks, sarees etc. Chandra mahal is the residence of the descendants of former rulers.
Other attractions include the Diwan-I-Aam and Diwan-I-Khas which showcase different aspect of royal armoury and art gallery.
This palace surely takes up considerable time to cover completely.
 
Forth day: Pushkar & Ajmer -
 

Once done with City palace we headed towards Pushkar city which is around 4-5 hours drive. Early next morning, we had a nice 2 hours camel ride to witness the sun rise. This was our first camel ride and had nice time along with few other foreigners. Brahma temple and the Ghat are the attractions here. This is the one and only God Brahma temple in the world and the Ghat is the place to pay homage to our ancestors.
Ajmer was the next city where we visited the Jain temple and golden model depicting the city Ayodhya and Mt. Sumera (see pic above). Later we visited the famous pilgrimage center of Sufi Saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti. Make sure to have something like a cloth or a cap to cover your head. And if not planned for any prayers or offers of holy blanket, then you can ignore the requests by many.
 
We headed back to Jaipur to board our flight back to Bengaluru.
This was once of the fast paced trips I had so far. Taj Mahal, the forts and the places are something which will remain in my mind for long.

Job hunt

Beginning this year 2015, I somewhat lost interest in my job because of many reasons. No challenging activities, flat learning curve, no work road map being the important ones. That's when I decided to search for an opportunity outside my company.
I started with the resume update. Believe me, this is an equally important task not just because a recruiter takes only few seconds to scan the resume and move on with the next one but also for one has to consolidate all the work or project handled during last many years. Update and review cycle went through few iterations and thanks to my friends who took time to provide valuable suggestions in the process. Here are few pointers one can take while coming up with resume:

• IMHO, 'Career objective', 'Personal Information' sections are unnecessary. Of course the contact details needs to be mentioned but information like marital status, languages known etc can be avoided, unless it's really required for the profile you are looking for.
• The first page of the resume should provide the important aspects which includes the contact information, your skill sets and your current role and responsibilities.
• Once the resume seems to be complete, verify the overall construct of it using the 'tag cloud' mechanism. This helps to verify which words are being emphasized and whether any repetitive words needs to reduced. Online tools such as tagcrowd.com can come handy. 

 Once the resume was uploaded to job portals and in LinkedIn, I could get the sense of the market and the demands. With that I started my preparation which covered the basics, previous projects, coding and other aspects. I took calls only when I was 75% confident of my preparation. After my first unsuccessful telephonic interview followed by face-to-face discussion, I filled in the gaps in my prep. It took couple of months for this cycle and in couple of trials I got an offer from a company which provided opportunity which I was looking out for. I gleefully accepted.
Few things to take away from this phase:

• Be ready to provide actual reasons for the shift. Try to be completely honest with it even if the reason is your not-so-good manager.
• There are many sites which provide you huge list of questions one can expect during the interview. Go through few and be mentally prepared. These are equally important to your technical preparation.
• Ask questions during the process so that you can get enough information about the job profile, company and team. 
• At the final stages, if you feel you deserve more than they have offered you then do not hesitate to negotiate. Remember negotiation is also a skill!

I've joined my new company now and looking forward for the new learning and new challenges.