Isn't it ironic, don't you think?

It's like filling petrol in your car, to discover the petrol prices have slashed down the next day!
Its like getting a phone call from your boss when you are ready to leave for the day!
Its like fasting on your Birthday!
Its like running out of battery when your favorite song is about to play!

- This might surely sound like the song "Ironic" by Alanis Morissette...the way it goes:

A traffic jam when you're already late
A no-smoking sign on your cigarette break
It's like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife
It's meeting the man of your dreams
And then meeting his beautiful wife
And isn't it ironic...don't you think
A little too ironic...and, yeah, I really do think...

I have been having far too many "Ironic" moments at work and I am no more surprised why it happens to me always! Have you ever had a high-priority-customer-ticket to resolve exactly the same day when your project is about to go live??! Isn't it Ironic..don't you think?

KT Problems!

As a part of my job, many a times I am asked/required to provide a "knowledge transfer" to either a new joinee, or an old team mate who is new to the project. I have absolutely no issues in teaching somebody or even learning from someone. In fact i learn more while teaching, cos every new person has a new way of looking at things. I am usually open to a lot of questions and I am usually patient in answering them. Ok, I guess i made my point far more than clear that I can teach and I am patient enough for it, but there is a problem here and without further delay i would just get to the problem statement :)..So here it is..

Problem Statement 1: You are in a new team, you are little more experienced from the rest of the team, however the team is new to you. You are just trying to get a hang of things and the do's and dont's in the team. After about 6 months of self learning and lot of practical knowledge, you are suddenly found in this situation where: You are no longer new, the old team thinks you are doing something new (which is actually not) and you are supposed to give KT to the old team members on what you learnt from these 6 months! Weird isn't it? Weird but true!!

Problem Statement 2: You are again new, you are new the team and the team is new! you are learning things from scratch from some stranger 7 seas apart! And finally you are the one and only owner of the project, when suddenly, somebody is introduced in the project and you have to give a KT! Always happy to have helpers, you give all the KT you need to and take the help from him/her in return. This entire process happens once, twice and thrice. Fourth time you are like: Oh my God! when will this end??

Problem Statement 3: You have taken KT from an old team member, learnt almost everything from him/her and took over the project. After few months, you fall back on him/her for help in the project and the reply is "I have forgotten everything, give me a KT". What do you mean forgotten? If you are on fast for a month, do you forget to eat? Do you forget to pay your monthly bills? Do you forget your own mobile number cos you never dial it? GRR!

Problem Statement 4: Nobody is new here, everybody knows everything and is doing the same thing. you are just asking for "backup" when you wanna go out for a short vacation with your family and your manager comes and says. Please give KT so that your backup is not blocked due to your absence? @#!$@%#$

Last but not the least, Problem Statement 5: You have resigned from your current company and you are on notice period. After 2 weeks of torture you finally get a replacement and you are expected to transfer the knowledge in one week. You stay late, take shorter breaks, write pages and pages of wiki for your replacement and leave the company. After a week you find out your replacement has left!!!! WHAT A WASTE OF TIME and EFFORT!! GRRR!

Tumbling...

This was not my idea. My friend suddenly came to me and said "Lets do Project 365". At first, I had no clue what it meant! and then this is what his explanation was "Its a photoblog. You should take pics of the most significant event of the day, each day, and post it. The project goes on for a year and that's why it's project 365"

Well, interesting for sure, this project not only required me to have a decent camera with me all the time, but also the presence of mind to click a pic at that significant moment of the day! Moreover, post it on the same day! To add to it, I had a stream of questions on my mind before I could say a "Yes" or a "No" to him.
1. What if I don't have a decent camera?
2. What if I don't have net at home?
3. What if there is no significant moment on that day?
4. What if I am on a vacation and no access to technology?

And the quick answers to these were:
1. I have a blackberry with a decent camera, what more do I need..
2. Zimble, use office net :)
3. Take my own pic and post it ;) I am significant enough for myself :)
4. Who cares, post after you come back!

The final answer was "YES!" in CAPS and with a BIG GRIN! (don't imagine me doing that)

So, next day I created this new blog and promised my followers that there will be a post a day, sorry a photo-a-day in that space starting from TODAY!

Check it out: http://sak365.tumblr.com

Still wondering why the tumbler pic on the post? ;-)