Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Testing the blogger

Testing the blogger plug in for MS- Word.
If this works then my blogging blues are over since Im not able to save my posts on the web.

Saturday, October 01, 2005

Kite

Rock band U2 has always intrigued me. They are allways there in list of Tops. Top annual earners, popularity, even guitar world’s most important people blah blah..... What is wired about them is that they are not your traditional blues based rock. Hell, there is hardly ever a showcase shining long guitar solo which make gives rock and rollers most of their guitar gods!!

"So what makes U2 great!". I asked this question to Oliver, the most vocal U2 fan I have ever met. He said for one they are great because they managed to stick together for more than 25 years. I’m sure he had told me more but the conversation got washed in Beer and come to think of it, its more than 5 years since we had this talk.

Personally I have never been a U2 fanatic but you'd always find U2 songs in my play lists. Over the years I managed to come out of Joshua Tree fixation and got more of their music. One reason I love them is same as most of other people in world: BONO, The way he writes and sings the songs, there is simply nobody else like him.

Aah the songs.....Which brings me to the question what’s your #1 U2 song?

For me for a long time it was With or without you. Then it was One from Actung Baby. Really awesome song. If you disagree then just sing along with it and you will see my point.

..And then The Kite flew in, and blew me along with.Here's how the song goes ..
from the Album: All That You Can Leave Behind

Kite
Something
Is about to give
I can feel it coming
I think I know what it is

I'm not afraid to die
I'm not afraid to live
And when I'm flat on my back
I hope to feel like I did

And hardness
It sets in
You need some protection
The thinner the skin

I want you to know
That you don't need me anymore
I want you to know
You don't need anyone
Or anything at all

Who's to say where the wind will take you
Who's to say what it is will break you
I don't know
Which way the wind will blow

Who's to know when the time has come around
Don't want to see you cry
I know that this is not goodbye

It's somewhere
I can taste the salty sea
There's a kite blowing out of control on the breeze
I wonder what's gonna happen to you
You wonder what has happened to me
I'm a man
I'm not a child
A man who sees
The shadow behind your eyes

Who's to say where the wind will take you
Who's to say what it is will break you
I don't know
Where the wind will blow
Who's to know when the time has come around
I don't want to see you cry
I know that this is not goodbye

Did I waste it
Not so much I couldn't taste it
Life should be fragrant
Rooftop to the basement
The last of the rocks stars
When hip-hop drove the big cars
In the time when new media
Was the big idea
What was the big idea

It’s unfair for me to try writing anything about this soaring giant. I will rather quote what others are saying (Taken from www.songfacts.com)

The Edge considers this his favorite song on the album. In an interview with Charlie Rose, Bono also mentioned that "Kite" was his favorite song on the CD. He also referenced the death of Michael Hutchence, former singer for INXS while discussing the song.

On the the Elevation tour of 2001, Bono said this was "about saying goodbye to somebody you don't want to say goodbye to."

On their performance at Slane Castle in 2001, a few days after his fathers dead, Bono dedicated "Kite" to him... And in the line "I know that this is not goodbye...", he was crying. I'm sure everyone had a lump in his throat at this time.

Paul in alt.music.u2 calls it greatest U2 song ever, I can’t agree with more. Here is what he has to say:

Well, my soft cell has never been so affected by a song before (And perhapsI said the same thing with the Fly back in 92:), but nonetheless.It's raining in Tucson today, that drizzly non-stop Seattle kind of rain,not that normal Tucson monsoon stormy kind of rain, "Rain without Anxiety":) Took Kite out for a spin, and all I can say is between the rain, the citylights, the memories of all I can't leave behind, I cried tonight listeningto that song for the first time in a year.
This song once again reminds me of that evocative journey that I used to betaken on with U2, and all I can say to the guys is thanks.You have started to turn a year of my life haunted by sickness, death andpain, and made me believe it all wasn't so bad in the end.
Kite is magic, there is no doubt an enchantment was imbued on this song.
It is Glorious! I cannot think of a better word in my vocabulary to describe it.

So true!!!
Recently I came across this nice video for the song and I just had to add it to the post.. kewl


Saturday, August 13, 2005

DocNRoll

Ndoc is a nifty tool to generate documentation for .net projects. It is very easy to install and equally easy to use. Here is what you have to do:

  1. Download the installer from http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/ndoc/
  2. Install the program. You need to have HTML Help installed in you machine. You can download it from http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/htmlhelp/html/hwMicrosoftHTMLHelpDownloads.asp
  3. Start nDoc application.
    You can open a new project. There is option of opening a visual studio project as well.
    Use add button in Select assemblies to Document section to add assemblies. I did not user Visual studio option and manually added the assemblies I used in my project.
  4. Set properties of documents as you want them. You can change HtmlHelpName property to set the HTML Help Title. I chose the document type to default MSDN.
  5. Control + Shift + B will build the documentation.
  6. Viola you have a .chm (Compiled Html File) as well as Web version of Documentation.
    Ctrl + shift + V will display it for you.

That’s it fellows. Rest of the time can now be whiled away in writing Blogs :)

Sunday, July 24, 2005

The House of the Rising Sun

The song was surely on my mind when i had seen this building for the first time.
It is located at the edge of Hill leading to Powai facing east. I always imagine seeing sunrise from this place. I have seen Sun rising from far east from top of the hill at IIT and it was something i will always remember. The building is appropriately called Sun City
Recently my friend Rohan brought a flat in this building. Last Saturday I went to hang out with him and oversee the work of fitting accessories to the flat. His flat is on 12th floor. The view from nice french windows was fantastic. It faces west and overlooks glowing Heeranandani.
We then went to the Top Floor which is still under construction and the views from the TOP is nothing short of mind blowing.
I only had my cell camera to take the pictures. These pictures have been published in previous posts.
One of these Mornings will find me there with a nicer camera very soon. Inshallah!

Here the proud owner of the lovely flat :)
Bird


Bird

Over the Hills and far away
Bird

View From Rohan's Terrace
Bird

Can You See Powai Here?
Bird

Friday, July 22, 2005


And guess what happens at the basement of such magnificient buildings:
I was pleasently surprised yesterday to see my collegues holding makeshift school for the slumkids ever since the rain started
Bird

Thursday, July 21, 2005


This magnificient building is where i work ..
Bird

Wednesday, July 20, 2005

New Urdu?

Saanson mein laakhon karodo ki saansein khuli
(Ghut raha hai dum ghutansi ho rahi hai)
Phir bhi savere akeli hain ankhein khuli
Koyi aaj, mil hi jaayega, chehera jaane pehne kaunsa
Dar se, nikle dhhundhhe ghar hai kaha
(Kya din kya raat hai yahaan par, ki saala dono baraabar
Na raaste kabhi ho khaali, na bandh hoti hai gaali)
Kya din, kya raat


Kiske liye raah chalte ye jhoothhi hansi
(Chhod na kissi ko kuch nahin padi)
Kaise sahe telephone ki khaamoshi
Sune, bistaron par so rahe, bhooli khushboowein ko ro rahe
Neeche, sadakein, kehti hai aa kud ja


Kya din kya raat hai yahaan par, ki saala dono baraabar
Na raaste kabhi ho khaali, na bandh hoti hai gaali
Maa behan ki yaad sab ko aati har paher
Halla gulla shor gul ye kaisa hai shaher


-Paanch the movie
(whenever it gets released)

Interesting. For most of my friends the entire passage above will make complete sense. Words written in English while meaning and sounding in hindi.
T9 dictionary in my cellphone and in cells of most of the people around here is full on words like this. Even people who understand the basics of English use it in SMS, emails etc where they cant type in Devnagri script.


Is this new Urdu evolving?

Monday, July 18, 2005


Powai in full monsoon glory
Bird

Sunday, July 17, 2005


Mumbai NightLife at 3 AM
Bird

D'Addario strings are AWSOME!!!

Yesterday i replaced my old Karuna strings for a barnd new EXL110 - Regular Light. My friend told me that im going to enjoy playing on it.
It is awsome. Loved playing it like anything. It is so easy and smooth. My aching shoulder reminded me its 3 hours since ive been playing without a break. I never knew changing strings could make so much difference.

Saturday, July 16, 2005

At the End of the Passage

The sky is lead and our faces are red,
And the gates of Hell are opened and riven,
And the winds of Hell are loosened and driven, And the dust flies up in the face of Heaven,
And the clouds come down in a fiery sheet,
Heavy to raise and hard to be borne.
And the soul of man is turned from his meat,
Turned from the trifles for which he has striven
Sick in his body, and heavy hearted,
And his soul flies up like the dust in the sheet
Breaks from his flesh and is gone and departed,
As the blasts they blow on the cholera-horn.

Himalayan

Tuesday, July 12, 2005


Me Posted by Picasa

Monday, July 11, 2005

Pocket Expense Tracking Program

This Blog attempts to chronicle my learning and development efforts in realms of mobile computing, specifically with Microsoft compact framework.

Pocket Expense Tracking Program

Premise: Benefits of expense tracking are very well known. It helps to keep finances tightly controlled. Moreover one can study expense data to quantify spending habits and this can be used to cut down expenses. Certain reoccurring wasteful expenses can be identified and dealt with in suitable manner. A mobile enabled program in which a user can punch in exact details for each and every transaction can be very helpful as it removes the drudgery involved with writing down expenses later when the details might be lost. Features:

  1. The Application should allow user to quickly punch in the Item on which expense is incurred. Ideally this information should be available in a drop down with options of adding new Item.
  2. The application should store date/time of transaction.
  3. User should be allowed to add some notes to each transaction.
  4. This information should be stored locally on the device till the Application 'synchronizes' it with the main central repository. This central Database can exist on a Desktop and sync may occur using a web service or active Sync.

Application Architecture:

The Pocket Expense Tracking Program is a microsoftCF based application. It will save the expense in an XML file. It will use active sync to synchronies the data.

UI

  • Item input comboBox: On change a new window will open. This window will allow user to choose expense.
  • New Item check box:
  • New Item Text Box: if checkbox is selected then new textbox should not be empty. This value should be added to items table on submit a new row will be added to table.
  • Date Text Box: By default current date/time will be displayed.
  • Amount Text Box:
  • Notes Text Box: Multiline memo field.
  • Left Menu: Submit
  • Right Menu: Cancel

On submit thank you window will be displayed. Thank you window will have two options new and close. Close will close the application.

Synchronization

Synchronies with active sync. This will connect to server application. Server application will add to excel file. This will use active sync. to upload

Sunday, April 03, 2005

Getting feet wet...
Never before created a blog. Infact I had this account for quite some time but i could never get enuff time. Too much work pressure no pc at home. Im planning to keep it as my crib post. I think i should have more time for myself.