Saturday, July 6, 2013

Socializing in Bangalore

Last weekend, I visited a friend's house. Her brother got married last month and due to my accident; I was not able to attend the wedding. So made it up by visiting them last week at their home. Now, any chat up generally brings up work related stuff and then it occurred to me. I mean in a flash!

Why didn't it occur to me all these days? Maybe it was so normal and obvious. Any kind of meeting; be it with friends or family; or distant relatives or even a social gathering with strangers. You'll find they are all engineers; most of them if not all. The topic of work never stops to creep in at these gatherings. And without even realizing; you have started a whole plethora of talks that may seem to a layman that here is a mad group!! 

For one, when we talk about 'reproduction', don't assume that we are planning our family. It may give you a heart attack when you hear things like "I reproduced a dozen times" by a frail looking unmarried girl. And yeah we try to 'reproduce' 'bugs' all the time. We don't want a healthy baby; just bugs. Bugs when we talk are not crawly creepy insects. What we are discussing here are 'reproducing the issues in software'

We will be a bunch of faded-jeans and loose T shirt wearing folks; with very few of them giving any attention to fashion. But the gadgets will tell you a contradicting story - smart phones, sleek notepads, tabs and what not from the US of A. And yeah; the must have accessory are the dark circles beneath our eyes and the fat around our belly. Gift of working as a techie I say!!

No gathering will exist without having a person who has just returned from 'onshore' and another one waiting to go in that group. The 'onshore' is most time US of A. It can also include Europe and Oceania. And yes, we will draw comparisons towards anything starting with "In America......". Don't get confused if you see someone struggling to use a fork and knife to eat his pizza; he is preparing himself to go 'onshore'. You will be shocked; but we are the only ones who are excited about the sliding rupee!! More rupee in hands when dollars are exchanged!

We 'churn' codes and 'heat' maps. And if you hear us talking about Jar, Cookie, Beans...no its not about food. We are talking softwares. We keep processing; day in and day out; an we upload and download once in a while. What? Don't think naughty now! We purge and make things obsolete at whims and fancies. Today its a bug, tomorrow its a feature and we file a IP!!

If you give us a warning, we aren't really bothered you know. We just look for errors. So if you are amidst such a group; which you will most likely be when you are in Bangalore; just switch-off and switch-on the way we techies do!! Thats what software has taught us.

22 comments:

  1. We talk about finance, commerce, economy, IB etc. And at times law. It's anything but codes. We don't know shit about it. I know a very few engineers. I can count them on my fingers. So talking about that stuff is next to rare.

    Most of my friends are married, some even have kids. They are usually talking about who stay awake at night.

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    1. Hmm it would be interesting to keep someone who is non-IT in such a group and let them comment later. You know, what I was trying to say is; we are so holed up in the way we talk; our life and ways that we think its normal dan obvious. Which is not

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  2. I could only smile and then laugh about what you have written here. The essence has sunk in though!
    Social Robots of Blore.

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    1. :) Anil, I am glad you got it. Even as I wrote this; it was nothing off the track to me; everything seemed normal. But its not to a layman. Anyone would think we are from a mental asylum

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  3. Comparisons is something that really irks me. What they don't realise is that we are happy in the present surroundings.
    Yes just switch off and on.... erase all that has happened in the recent past.

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    1. It would be as easy as that isn't it? But it hardly works that way

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  4. At least these are codes I understand. What really maddens me is when people speak in abbrev./jargons specifically used in their owns companies, and expects you to go along!

    But yes, I can manage to coexist with this "tech-savvy" species :)

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    1. Haa I am reminded of an incident. Giving instructions while driving "align left or align right" since "realignment to business" is the current activity going on in a company

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  5. The techie world is fraught with such dangers of the conversation agenda being hijacked:)

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    1. And yeah when you realize it you feel so embarrassed.

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  6. What you have written is true. the discussion is always related to grp..when techies meet topics are as you have mentioned..do not know A, B C of it..when home makers meet it is all abt home ,food , kids, when jewelers meet they speak of beads and related materials:)
    Long time Bindu..Never knew abt ur accident too. Hope u are fine now..I got so immersed in my world of beads..Now trying to get back to blogging. Somewhere I lost my organisational skills Must check among the lots of bead stock:)

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    1. Ma'am, welcome back. Long time no see. I am doing good how have you been. Hahaha as long as jewelry is keeping you happy and occupied :)

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  7. Interesting! Whenever I'm surrounded by Computer Geeks, I rather not let them utter a word about their job!! The codes,bugs and client talks really bug me, especially if its a social gathering!!

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    1. Its not a good thing if there are people from other area of work. But its a techie gathering; save you!

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  8. This tech talk really 'bugs' me. :D
    When my techie friends are with me, I see to it that they don't switch to gobbledegook mode. I really, really don't get any of it. :)

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  9. I fear the techies.I don't understand the codes or their abbreviations.But,one has to learn from friends and I am trying...will keep trying

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  10. :-) See the fellow sitting in that far corner of the room, hiding his face behind the large beer mug as you techhies go on and on on reproduction and - I have to read you again for other phrases - java? churn? heat? phew, I am feeling hot - Hey thats' me, the total ignoramus!

    Guess that's what happens when birds of the same profession get together, any where. For the non-belonging, its cacophony!

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    1. Haaa a mug of chilled beer is any time a preference than a techie-talk :) The phrases were very very minimal so as to not to overwhelm Balan. We use so many such funny and maddening phrases.

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  11. And then... you think about weekends and getaways as a break from work.. you go out with fellow techies expecting yourselves to a time 'away' from work.. and then you are reminded of the very thing you planned to stay away from....

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    1. Hahahaha exactly! And you talk and crib about the same thing :P

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