Metallica

Managed to attend a concert of a lifetime yesterday. Yup, I got to hear Metallica live on stage. In the flesh right before my eyes for 2.5 hours while I shouted, jumped and head-banged like there is no tomorrow.

Realized that at this age, things that were seemingly cool at 20 can cause severe headache, dizziness and neck pain the next day. Anyway, now I am happy, satisfied and have got that contended smile on my face and pain everywhere else. I managed to just fulfil one of my very long dreams. To listen to one of my favourite artists of all times – live!

Have been running this list through my head for several years – Artists that I would love to hear live. Unfortunately 1 of them is already no more amongst us now (yeah euphemism for Michael Jackson is dead!)

1. U2
2. Yanni
3. Metallica
4. Air Supply
5. Black Sabbath
6. Michael Jackson

I know my list shows my weird taste in music (or rather it makes me look like a guy who has no real taste). But well, grew up with Michael Jackson, Air Supply, U2 and Yanni and then Metallica and Black Sabbath happened during my confused Engineering years. So that’s the list. And I really hope I can see the rest of the 3 someday, very soon!

Laptop Workhorse

Its ironic. The week I was celebrating a decade of working my a$$ off, my company decided to reward me with a new work-laptop. Well, not really a reward. We have these hand-me-down laptops that are passed from ex-employees to current ones or from seniors to juniors. Depending on where you sit on the pecking order you get an extremely old one and sometimes if you are lucky enough they get replaced. And I happened to get lucky.

So for the last 2 weeks now I have been using a shiny new laptop. Its funny that in my entire career, all work laptops that I have ever had are – ThinkPads. Yeah I have used the pre-Lenovo IBM era ThinkPads as well as the Lenovo ThinkPads.

I am consistently impressed by their build quality and sturdiness. I know they look un-aesthetic and not pleasing to your senses. But they do what they are supposed to do, and can withstand a fair bit of abuse. I literally am on the road most of the time and the laptop is almost always with me – many a times running around across meeting rooms.

The ThinkPad brand has been around for more than 21 years. IBM launched the first ThinkPad way back in 1992 (apparently late 1991). Its hard to imagine something related to computers to have lasted so long with even the current designs where much following the aesthetics of the first one.

First 10 years of ThinkPad

I hope they continue making these amazing pieces of hardware with the same build quality for many years to come.

Workplace Decade

Have been overcome with a bout of nostalgia since today morning. Just happened to have completed a decade in corp-hell. I still distinctly remember 10 years ago this starry eyed college graduate walking into a big organization with big dreams in his heart. He wanted to be like his idols – Bruce Schneier and Linus Trovalds. (Now that I look back, I find it funny that I never idolized corporate tycoons like Bill Gates, Larry Ellison or Steve Jobs – though now I have a different opinion about them). As naive he was, he was completely unawares of the long thankless nights, the headaches, the customer complaints, the bosses, the menial work, the backaches and the big hidden beast called – corporate politics.

A decade from then the starry eyed graduate has now turned into a grumpy, cynical uncle. He has learnt to be a part of the big system. The system that makes sure that you perform to your complete ability while dangling the right kinds of carrots in front of you. The system that is like an addiction that you can’t get rid of.

Anyway, luckily or unluckily I am still completed related to software and data warehouses. At least, I love what I am doing irrespective of how the system treats me and what I have achieved. So here is wishing all my batch mates a happy decade and a many more happy ones to come. Amen.