In Scrum, we call it Retrospective

In Scrum Process(an agile methedology for Software Development), after an iteration(a cycle of development) comes to end ,the entire team sits together to discuss the positive and negative aspects of that iteration. We discuss the plus points like learning experiences, improvement in process or technology in order to leverage the same for the coming iterations. We also discuss the issues we faced and come up with action plans to avoid them in the future. In short , we list out our past experiences as a learning to carry forward as we step towards the future.Now that 2009 is coming to an end isn't it a good idea to conduct a Retrospective?Now you must be wondering what a damn software methedology has got to do with the end of a year. Lemme draw an analogy(dont worry ..it would'nt be a long one). Every year that passes by in our life is similar to an iteration,a cycle in the lifecycle of a project.Am I making sense..Hope I am:).Now that this Iteration I-2009(as per our project naming convention :) ) is coming to an end, lets start with the Retrospective for I-2009. Lets deal with the -ve ones first so that we can end this post with positive cheerful note. Lets list them first(as is done in The Scrum Retrospective) and then
we will draw the action plans:

• With Global economy hitting all time low and pink slips flying everywhere we experienced the fear of losing our livelyhood
• The climate change crisis

The above two are, I think (and feel you will also agree) are the 2 major problems that the entire world faced in the year 2009. Now lets move on to +ve points,what we learnt from problems and the action plans

• Recession-It was predicted(when i say prediction I dont mean tarot cards or crystal balls.I am referring to statistical predictions made by economists) that the world will take an awful lot of time to recover from this Global Economy Crisis. But as we can see, the economy is reviving much earlier than was anticipated . We faced big crisis , been through tough times but have finally found our way to recovery and success. This success has given us a renewed energy and spirit so we can meet any challenge with the attitude "All Izz Well...If not..Fikar Not... All Will be Well"
• Its being said that we need resources of two planets to meet the current consumption level of our planet. This is one problem which needs immediate attention.If neglected no renewed energy or spirit will be of use because its our doing ,our exploitation that has bought our planet to such an irrepairable stage. CopenHagen Summit ,inspite of being a fiasco, did convey an important message and bought attention to the point that Our Planet needs attention and the need of the hour is action not just discussion. Folks ,we need to act. Simple things can make difference- We can save power. We can avoid using automobiles unnecessarily. We can make maximum use of public transport so that we don't block the roads and pollute the atmosphere by using personal vehicles unnecessarily.

These were the two important things that , according to me were crucial aspects of I-2009. To me, this year had been a great learning experience...From Spring 2.0 to losing fear over geometry(Now I dont find Geometry elusive) to some crucial life lessons.....Some interesting ..some painful,yet inevitable....It had been learning all the way.....

Some words that struck me on my way back home today..Thought i would jot it down here

Kuch Rahe Na Rahe..

Zindagi na rukhthi hai na thamthi hai..

Bas chalthi hi jaati hai..

Kabhi hasathi hai..Tho Kabhi rulathi hai...

Aur Chalthi hi jaati hai...

Life moves on,years pass by and we can make the most of it and enjoy it and live to the lees by flowing with it and experiencing the ebbs and tides of it .Is'nt It?So lets bid farewell to I-2009 and welcome the new iteration I-2010 and create a milestone in the project called Life

Wishing you all a very happy and prosperous new year

P.S: Now I am wondering ...has this software industry turned me into a geek ? :)

Mann Ka Radio..Signal Nahi Mila??

Yes and No.Yes , I am talking about music-director turned singer turned Actor's new movie "Radio". No,I didn't dare to see it. The trailers of the movie were good though they did not serve the purpose of attracting the audience. Infact they gave us a clear picture of what misery is in store for us if we dare to step into the theatre to watch the movie. In that sense i would say the trailer was good..infact honest. The first trailer where Shehnaz asks Himesh "Whats Your relationship status?" and gets a reply "Complicated" is outright hillarious though Himesh has tried his level best to give a serious answer. You cant stop laughing at his expression when he says "Complicated" - as if all the girls in the world are running behind him - something not remotely possible, even if he is the last man alive on the earth. As I said , the trailer itself conveyed the fate of the film - that it would be a disaster. Neverthless i wanted to find out how big a disaster it was (Ofcourse I could not pluck up the courage to watch it) . I confined myself to review instead. Masand's review -"an unintentionally hilarious film that unsuccessfully tries to tap the youth and its preoccupation with current fads - from social networking sites like Facebook, to idle chats in coffee-shops. " Trying to tap the youth uh? But did anyone find slightest trace of youth in the movie?? Only saving grace about the movie according to me was Himesh being cast opposite people who seems to be in par with his age instead of playing leading man to girls half his age. What say?? In times when people are making sensible movies there are still people who make totally dumb movies.Probably trying to strike a balance :)

Spells,Charms,Enchantments...if they were real??

Thanks to my obsession with the Magical world of Harry Potter, I often wish that these Spells, Charms, Enchantments-in short MAGIC did exist beyond the pages of Harry Potter.

Only if a memory spell (Obliviate) existed , we could have used it on ourself to forget the things that hurt us.

Wouldn't have bothered about being caught in traffic only if we could apparate or use a floo network or had a FIREBOLT ..The Fastest Broom(NIMBUS 2000 will also do).Messages written on Parchments ,sent through Owls would have been wonderful than an electronic mail right(Nothing can substitute a hand written letter even if it takes time to reach the other person).I have been raving about all these to my friend Vinay(Another soul obsessed with the World of Magic and HP ).The reply i got seemed way too philosophical .He replied to my mail saying

"You believe in things that don't exist.But you don't believe in the will power a person has within them.You believe in the power of a spell like Obliviate even though you know it does not exist.But you don't try to do things which you can do..Like trying to ward off the thoughts that affect you though you ."...Philosophical right(Thanks To Yogananda).

But when i thought later I found it was actually true.My favourite Spell "EXPECTO PATRONUM" triggered me to dwell more on Vinay's Words.I found striking resemblance between this Spell and a stress management technique about which i had given a presentation during my Satyam Training Days. That particular stress management technique was about the power of "PERCEPTION" to manage stress, depression.It was something like this-"Whenever you feel low or when you are clouded by negative emotions you need to think about things that make you happy,recall happy memories,visualise places which you like the most".

People who have read Harry Potter would have noticed the resemblance between Expecto Patronum and this Stress Management technique.Is'nt it??For those who have not read HP let me give u a brief intro onto this spell.Expecto Patronum is a spell cast to repel dementors.Dementors are soul sucking creatures that fill your brain with depressing thoughts and memories.The spell in itself doesn't do much to repel the dementors.It is the power of caster that fights the dementors off.The person has to focus on happy thoughts (despite of being surrounded with -ve emotions) and these thoughts needs to be overpower the -ve emotions and when this happens a silver form-Patronus is produced that wards off the dementors.Did u find an analogy??Dementors are the -ve emotions we are surrounded by and Patronus is the positive force produced by us to fight off those -ve emotions.Mind you its not easy to repel dementors..It is very difficult to charge yourself with positive attitude when everything seems to go wrong...But its not impossible either.It needs Strength of mind and as Vinay always says we will get that by practice.Hope I didn't bore u with my Monologue.

As a Final Note -"Fight your dementors off.You can if you think you can".Cheers!!