Slang Hindi phrases used by Dev and QA

something broke on UI :- फट गया

an exception thrown :- गाली दे रहा है

shutdown a machine :- दुकान बंद..

something is really buggy or erratic :- क्या त्रास है...

read up/go thro some thing new:- चाट ले...

a query taking too much time or timeout :- लटक गयी..

a server goes down :- शहीद हो गया...

if a bug keeps rolling continuously between QA-Dev :- टेबल टेनीस चालू है...

Will update as and when i rembr more...

Please post in comments if you use any other.. ;)

Borivali Khadi Fest 2009-10

Today i had gone to Kora Kendra, Boriwali. There is a KHADI FEST organized by

KHADI & VILLAGE INDUSTRIES COMMISSION (GOVT. OF INDIA). Its open from 11AM - 8PM. Upto 10th Jan 2010. You will find all types of eco-friendly KVI(KHADI & VILLAGE INDUSTRIES) accessories and that too at affordable prices and upto 20% discount. When you enter that place you would find so many attractive products that you would be confused and will end up in a confused situation what, what to buy... Same happened to me. The best thing i found was, there were stalls for most of the states from India. Khadi clothes, shirts and kurtas from Maharashtra, sarees from Chattisgarh, Orissa, West Bengal, Jaipuri chappals and mojadees. Amla herbal products from Bihar and many more. My mom found the sarees a bit costly as compared to the market rate, but the shirts were really good and so do the kurtis. Even the shoes were good. Apart from the north, there were stalls from South, Saree and dress material stalls from Bangalore. Participants from North East had very good artifacts made from wood and clay. The stall owner muttered the clay name, but my ears could barely understand it. There are also furniture and household items like chaarpayee, chairs made from bamboo, tea set, mugs made from bamboos drew my attention the most. Trays made from bamboo were neatly decorated and were eye-catchy. Show piece items like the enlongated faces which we find in Archies and Hallmark galleries for which we spill out over Rs. 250/- were costing only Rs. 100/-. Small dhoopstick stands made from clay, Ganesh idols, fusion idol made up of half Sun and half moon was the most amazing one. There were many other things which i have forgot now.. i l be visiting that place again tomorr...

You all also go and visit asap. Hurry.. before products go outa stock ;)....

Merry X'Mas

"Our school will be conducting Christmas party on 23rd of December and i need 5 ppl to decorate

the classroom for the Christmas party."

Everyone of us might have heard this announcement during our school days.

Those were golden days. We used to fight with eachother to get into the committee so as to come to school during off-hours and in civil dress.

Everyone used to shinofy in front of the watchman uncle and butter him to get into the premise if teacher hasn't approved. Buy color chalks from the stationary

store just outside the school. Get all decoration material from the same store.

the frills, ballons, thermocol sheets, masks, fevicol, sello tape, etc..

Now decide upfront who gonna decorate, write on the board, who gonna help in blowing the ballons.. as that was the most tedious task. lol.... There used to be couple of sniffers amongst us who used to go and checkout what other guys have done in their respective classrooms and then copy that in our room as well.. Also stop other students from wanderring around our class so as they dont copy our ideas and creativity. After lotta of fun filled masti finally the classroom used to made ready for party day. Things neva used to end there, catch hold of housekeepers and get the room locked so that no one else comes in and screw our work..

Really..... those days were amazing... The childish enthusiasm... the dedication... the mischeifs.. the curiosity to see school-time crushes from our own or other classes...

Golden days... really... neva gonna have them back....

Star Majha's Blog Majha Results

It was friday morning. Usually i dont open my lappy early morning. But i did yesterday and what i saw was a mail from Prasanna Joshi of Star Majha. After lotta hurdles and hiccups they had managed to declare the much awaited results of Star Majha's "Blog Majha" contest for Marathi bloggers. But why am i telling this?? Yes, coz i had submitted my blog for this contest. Sadly i had a very few Marathi posts on blog. But there was a hope somewhere in the corner of my mind. I opened the mail and was a bit disappointed not to see my name in the list. All the winners had very nice blogs and were purely Marathi blogs. It was feeling great to know that so many marathi blogs are live and kicking on the web.

Following is the list of winners and their blogs:

Top three

अनिकेत समुद्र http://manatale.wordpress.com
नीरजा पटवर्धन http://aatalyaasahitmaanoos.blogspot.com
दिपक शिंदे http://bhunga.blogspot.com

Consolation blogs
हरिप्रसाद भालेराव http://www.chhota-don.blogspot.com
देवदत्त गाणार http://maajhianudini.blogspot.com
मेधा सकपाळ http://medhasakpal.wordpress.com
सलील चौधरी http://www.netbhet.com
प्रमोद देव http://purvaanubhava.blogspot.com
राज कुमार जैन http://rajkiranjain.blogspot.com
मिनानाथ धसके http://minanath.blogspot.com
विजयसिंह होलाम http://policenama.blogspot.com
दिपक कुलकर्णी http://aschkaahitri.blogspot.com

आनंद घारे http://anandghan.blogspot.com

Congrax to all the winners and thanks to Star Majha for such events which promote Marathi.

I have moved all my marathi related posts to a new dedicated to Marathi blog here.

Please feel free to visit this new blog of mine and keep your suggestions and comments coming.

Rodeo & Me

Today is such a beautiful day..... I am saying it after (my rodeo got towed of yesterday... my Nokia N95 got wet in the rain and today there is no display on the mobile...pls dont call on my mobile...I am reachable @ 67766307 (office) and 24043257 (home)...

Its me and my Rodeo....

I only have a Learning driving liscence. In the 30 day driving class I have attanded only 11 sessions and friday I am going to get Liscence...

Here it is....

Today I left for office early in the morning at 9:10 sharp. It was raining heavily...My mobile did not work...I put on my new Jacket which I bought on Sunday and picked my Rodeo...(Route :- Sion Eastern Expressway to Vikhroli and then Powai - my office).

I was bit scared first and was driving very slow in the rain..., as these are my Baby's Day Out with my Rodeo. I reached Godrej Compound signal @ ghatkopar...then..there were 4 bikers standing next to me on the signal...Guess who goes first....when the signal is green...0-40 in 3-4 seconds...I saw the reading on the digital meter 55 kmph...at 55 KmPH in that rain...each droplet is like bullets slapping you....and wind speed (i dont know how to calculate it..) believe me its like somebody is pushing you really hard backwards....at somepoint you feel its all stopped and see the meter @56 kmph..

Now, you all wonder why take such risk in rainly season (I know u all care for me)and that too when it was pouring down... Come on...
It is the eastern express highway...10 lane road...I was on that lone signal...I couldn't see a bee on the road..(obviously bees dont come out in rainy season)...

All you people get yourself a vehicle...its fun....

I reached office and I am totally wet believe me TOTALLY..500 rs. new Jacket is worthless...

--ur Tilak

[Contribution by my friend Tilak]

Thankyou Saab

After a long shopping day, we decided to rest our butt and legs for a while.

While we were searching for a hotel, ma friend Vari, went to the IDBI ATM at Malad(W). A watchman in his late 60's who was reading newspaper stood as Vari reached near the door. Vari minted out as much he needed from the 4feet-minting machine. The watchman stood still until Vari finished his transaction. They both smiled at eachother and we left from that place. Since then, i noticed something was going in Vari's mind. He then stopped by a general store, bought a dairy milk and asked me to wait until he comes back. It was very difficult for me to digest Vari's sudden change in behaviour. He took a u-turn and went near the old watchman sitting outside the ATM, i too followed him. Vari whispered "Uncle, Happy Diwali" and gave him that dairy milk. That old man looked at Vari for few seconds, smiled and offered his hand to Vari and said "Thank you saab". I could read the happiness on that Uncle's face. I guess that was the best thing happened to him that day, infact in the recent past.

Vari immediately, left from that ATM, winked at me asked, "Ab chale??".

We didn't have any discussion on that topic after that.

When everyone was celebrating diwali with family and friends, there are people like that old watchman busy at work. I am sure, Vari has brought a smile not only on that person's face but also touched his heart.

Real Estate World

Some facts and figures for buying property in a metro like Mumbai where the pool has become dirty with many different types of fishes. Jotting down some of my personal experience. There was no one to guide me :(. So i thot y not put it here so that some other naive person may find it useful.

# Brokers : The most dirtiest fish in the pond. I couldnt even find a single genuine estate agent in two years. Now-a-days every bunty bubbly wants to become an estate agent. They know how to sell a property of 5lacs to 10lacs. They will show you all possible gud things about the property, half of the features of the property they are showing are not even known by the property owner.... Yeah a bluff!! They wont hide the demerits of any property but they will present the merits in such a manner that u will completely forget the down points. These guys now-a-days own a license of estate agentship.
>> check the genuinness of that person.
>> findout the marketvalue of that property. if you find it lower than what the broker has told u then All the best! u have found a greedy broker. Ideally, the brokers increase the value from 5% to 10%.
>> ask him whether he knows everything about the property registration tasks and formalities to complete.. @ the Registrar office.
>> For paper work, never ever go to an advocate where the property agent suggests u. Instead find some gud advocate, ask ur frnz, relatives, etc.
>> The market value of any property can be found out from any advocate. There are many clauses, and the value depends on the area, location, the building premise, whether the apartment has a lift, a playground.
>> make things clear about the brokerage charges (%) before he opens his cards in front of u.

# Banks and Finance Companies :
>> look for a good agent who can complete the bank formalities for u.
>> In case of public sector banks like SBI and Maha bank, you will get pissed off by the regular visits and insufficient details provided by the loan managers and Service managers. Everytime you visit the bank with ur file you will be asked to bring some new document.
>> In private sector banks, the loan related work is given to the agents who work on commission basis + %age from the customer. The agent is the one who does all the dirty work for u and all settlement related advices if any of ur documents are pending/ missing.
>> Rate Of Interest(ROI) depends on the PLR of each bank. There are various interest types as well.
$$ Fixed :- The ROI will remain constant throughout your loan period. It is slightly maybe 2% to 3% higher than current ROI according to the PLR
$$ Flexi-Fixed :- The ROI will be fixed for a specific period of time and then will change after intervals. Say for ex : Fixed for 3 yrs and then again change according to the PLR and fix for next 3yrs and so on..
$$ Floating/Flexible : The ROI will change according the PLR.

# Documents normally required for a house loan :
>>Personal
$$ Last 3 months salary slips.
$$ Income Tax Form-16 for last 2/3 years.
$$ Last 6 months bank account statement (primarily the one with ur salary account)
$$ PAN No. (Permanent Account Number)
$$ Company Identification Number (In case of pvt sector companies)
$$ Appointment Letter
$$ Employment Certificate on your company letter head.
$$ Residential Address Proof :- Electricity bill, telephone bill, bank pass book zerox, etc
$$ if in case u stay in a rented house most of the banks provide an affidavit which you have to get stamped from any bank which provides franking facility and then get it notarized from any advocate.
>> Related to property
$$ Sale Agreement duly registered from Registrar Office.
$$ If its a re-sale property, then prevailing agreements right from the builder to the current owner of the property. (Chain Agreements)
$$ If the society/apartment is registered then Society NOC certificate.
$$ Tax -Receipts and Maintenance receipts.
$$ Property Card which can be occupied from the Society.
$$ Occupancy certificate of the property, this can be occupied from the Society. Its the duty of the construction company to obtain the occupancy certificate from the Municipal office.
$$ Share certificates (for all owners of that property till date.) Apart from this, there are few other documents which can prove your trustworthiness and eligibility to the bank
$$ Qualification certificate : If you are post graduate or Ph.D. then you can even bargain with the loan manager on the basis of your degree.
$$ Tangible Assets like Gold, Vehicles, Real estate, etc.
$$ Intangible Assets like Insurance policies, Mutual funds or any other investments.

# Every bank charges processing fee for your loan application. It depends on slab. I mean for
every 10lacs the processing fee vary.
$$ Upto 10 lacs => Rs.5060/=
$$ Upto 20 lacs => Rs.6742/= and so on..

# Advocates/Lawyers :
>> Find a good lawyer who can complete all the registration related work for you.
>> Before buying any property you can even go to your lawyer and ask him to evaluate the cost of the property.

# Some terms used about property :
>> Builtup Area : Total area before the construction is done. It includes the total area which the flat has occupied.
>> Super Builtup Area : Builtup Area + corridor and lobby
>> Carpet Area : Actual area available for use once the flat is ready for possession.

Will keep on updating this post as and when things progresses... and as i find more information.. :)

A lost kid...

Vishal dropped his mother @ his cousins home in kankavli and came to Kankavli ST depot. Though there are not many buses @ 9pm, he was confident enuf that he will find some other private vehicle if not ST to Talere. Kankavli to Talere distance is 22km which takes around 30 mins on the Goa-Mumbai National Highway. Vishal let go one Asiad ST which was jam packed and waited for the next bus. Soon he got another Panji-Vijapur bus which was quite empty but still he dint get a seat. Just when the bus was heading towards Talere and the bus conductor was busy punching the tickets a man tapped on his back and asked him whether the bus has passed Fonda phata. Even Vishal was not sure so he asked the bus conductor, who said it has already passed Fonda phata. The man who was enquiring turned to the kid sitting on the seat next to him. The kid whose age was not more than 10 yrs looked worried. Vishal asked the man about the kid. The man replied, his name is Shubham and he wanted to go to Fonda but accidently got into Vijapur bus which doesnt go to Fonda atall. The only option which was left in front of Shubham was to get down @ Nandgaon and from there find a truck or some private vehicle to Fonda. Shubham almost about to turn into tears but somehow controlled his emotions. The conductor punched a Nandgaon fata ticket and gave him. Vishal asked the kid whether anyone from his home knows whether he has come to Kankavli. He replied "no". Vishal made his mind and decided to get down @ Nandgaon wd Shubham. He dint let Shubham know abt it. Shubham asked Vishal where he wants to get down. Vishal replied, "Talere". Shubham lost whatever little bit of hope which had cropped-in in his mind when he heard "Talere". The ST stopped @ Nandgaon phata, they both got down from the bus. Vishal asked Shubham to wait for a while. Mean while he enquired @ the tea-stall whether there is any ST @ this hour going towards Fonda. The guy @ the tea-stall suggested to take any truck or any other private vehicle coz there was no bus going towards FOnda @ that hour. Immediately an autorickshaw driver came rushing towards Shubham and started asking him something. When the guy saw a man near Shubham he went rushing towards him. Vishal neva wanted to give Shubham into unsafe hands. So he started looking @ the auto driver with suspicious eyes. But even that driver was very generous and he too started looking for any possible vehicle which cud drop Shubham till Fonda. At one point Vishal thot of taking that kid back to Kankavli and spend nyt @ his cousin's home. God forbid, but who will be responsible if anything happens to him and his parents will also be worried for him back home. Vishal rang up his uncle who stays @ Talere and told him about the situation coz ppl were waiting for him @ Talere. He wasnt worried abt how he will reach Talere but was worried abt Shubham. Vishal cud have even gone all the way to Fonda to drop him and come back in morning but he was tied up since he was staying @ his uncle's place and dint wanted to create problems for his uncle's family. Meantime, the auto rick driver asked a truck driver who had parked his truck since long time. The truck driver was from Fonda and he was going back home, so he readily agreed to drop Shubham till FOnda. Vishal still was bit worried abt Shubham since he was not sure whether he has given that kid in safe hands... He quietly pushed a small chit in Shubham's pocket which had a mobile number and told to give him a call, wdout fail when he reaches Fonda. Accidently he wrote his uncle's number instead of his, till the time he realize his mistake the truck had already left. Vishal thanked the rick driver for his support on which the driver replied, "Ultimately, i was going to drop him, that was the last option i had in my mind." Vishal then got a truck which dropped him till Talere. His uncle was ready with the bike keys and was about to come to Nandgaon to pick him up if he wont have reached Talere in another hour.. Soon when he reached Talere, he got a call from an unknown number and someone said "me pohochalo".. i have reached.. There was happiness in those two words which travelled over the wireless carrier and reached Talere till his uncle's house and brought smile and a sigh of relief to everyone @ his uncle's home.