So, What's ur question??

Background Info: I am doing a course of ABAP module of SAP in a institute renowned for it's SAP faculty.. The faculty of my batch is Mr. Santosh kumar, a realtime faculty, and a damn good one, i say. This post is particularly about his style of responding to silly doubts when asked (When a real doubtful question is asked, he really gives best explaination leaving no traces of doubt in us).

Just like everyday, today's class begun almost 15 minutes late from scheduled 7.30 am. Today's topic was Variables and Data types that are used in ABAP programming, and my tutor did a great job. No doubt in why he's payed so much for just a 1 hour class, he's really worthy of it.

(Note: The next two paragraphs contain purely technical information, so the non techies may leave them)

Just like every programming language, ABAP has it's own way of declaring variables, and has different keywords to specify datatypes(like c for character, i for integer, N for numeric character etc...). One of the most beautiful features of ABAP is it's built in type conversion, i.e. variable of one data type is assigned to another variable of different data type, SAP converts the value internally (For eg, If we assign a string 10045 to a integer variable, built in conversion routines convert the string 10045 into a number 10045). In process of explaining this, he wrote the following small program..

Data: i1 type i,
i2(4) type c,
i3 type i.
i1 = 100.
i2 = '20'.
i3 = i1+i2.
write:/ 'Sum of ', i1 ,' and ',
i2 ,' is ', i3.

Here, since i3 is of type integer, the character string 20 is converted into integer 20 and then added to i1's value i.e. 100 and the resultant 120 is stored in i3, and all the values are displayed in output using the write statement. One more point to remember here is that Character strings are always left justified i.e. If we declare a character string of size 10 and assign a string 'Hello' to it, it will be stored as H e l l o x x x x x i.e. out of the 10 spaces, the assignment will be done from left. All other data types are right justified i.e. the assignment takes place from right hand side (eg. if 100 is assigned to i4(10), it will be x x x x x x x 1 0 0).

The above program was given as an example to explain about the built in type conversion of ABAP. At the end of the class, confused by the justification of elements, a guy started the doubts session by lifting his hand indicating to sir that he wants to ask a doubt.

Guy: "Sir, i have a doubt."
Sir: "What is it?"
Guy: "What would be the output of above program sir?"
Sir: "What do you think it would be?"
Guy: "Umm... the character string 20 would be converted to numeric 20..." (He stopped here with a doubtful gaze)
Sir: (looking at the whole class) "Isn't that what i've explained from past 15 minutes?"
Guy: "Hmm.. So, it would be a addition arithmetic on two numbers, 100 and 20, so it would be 120.."
Sir: "So, what is your doubt?"

Almost everyone in the class chuckled, including me (i have the least idea that i am going to be the next). This is the way he handles silly doubts. By the time we are done with the question-answer session, the instructor would have asked us twice the number of questions we asked him. But damn, I never know we have all the answers within us. Probably, like the way God is within all of us.

Also, during the class, he explained about Numeric Character type, A datatype which has the combinational behavior of integer and character strings(The integer type holds a number, where as Numeric Character holds no. of numbers.. i.e. just like an integer array. ABAP dont have the concept of integer arrays, only Numeric characters). The class ended with the following disc..

Me: "Sir, can we select a number or a substring of numbers within a Numeric Character value? just like as we do with strings?"
Sir: "Well, if you are writing a program, Will you write a function which has no use?"
Me: "No, sir"
Sir: "Do you believe SAP is a great tool?"
Me: "Yes"
Sir: "When you dont write any useless routine in your program, do you think the people who developed SAP will?"
Me: "No, sir"
Sir: "Is it of any use to have a function, to select numbers within a number?"
Me: "Umm.. No, sir"
Sir: "So do you think there is a function that can be used to select a substring from an Numeric Character value?"
Me: "No, sir"
Sir: "So, what's your question?"

Of course he later gave the explaination that if i really want to do such a thing, just assign the Numeric Character to a Character string, and then perform the position based string operations. You see, my doubt isn't that much silly.

Magnificent Desolation - Imax 3D

Yeah yeah u are right about the title (If u did gave it a thought), it's influenced by Magnificent Desolation:Walking on Moon 3D by Tom Hanks, which i watched a few hours ago. It's being played at Prasad's Imax from past two months, and i heard a great talk about it. Today, getting bored with nothing to do, i ended up at Imax to watch the show.

The show was scheduled at 1.30 pm. Since I tele-booked two tickets (i thought that i'll get my buddy Ramz for company. I booked the tickets without informing him and later smsd him about the plan), I spent the earlier part of day in a meaningful manner, relaxing myself, thinking about nothing. Believe me, It felt good to think about nothing. (It's not that i'm straining myself too much these days, but u know, watching Basic Instinct 2:Risk Addiction on Friday night at Prasads, and then again V for Vendetta on Saturday night in Prasad's Imax, i felt i'm in need to relax..)

At 12.30, i got phone from Ramz that he won't be able to make it b'coz he's still engaged in the personality development programme he's attending, in Ramakrishna Math. Heck, i thought as it flashed my mind that i booked two tickets. Thinking that they wont cancel the extra ticket if i'm late, i quickly got ready and reached Prasads by 12.40pm. I went to the tele-booking counter and said my highly-confidential code-word(just an confirmation code that would be given when we book tickets through phone). I was thinking how to convey him that i need only one ticket, but for my ease the fellow asked me how many tickets i need. "Great!", i said to myself and took a ticket paying 155 bucks.

Still 30 minutes to go for the show, i ended up at the games room playing a couple of SuperBike games. At 1.25, i went to the entrance gate, and there's already a long queue to enter the theater. I spent some time gulping down a chicken sandwitch, and took popcorn and cold coffee thinking that it would be a long movie without a break. As i was doing this, to my disgust, the queue hasn't been lessened, it got longer. I wasn't worried about the time since i felt they wont start the movie unless until everyone's in. By the time they checked my ticket, gave me the 3D glasses and walking through the corridor, It was 1.45 when i entered the hall, and to my astonishment, the show has already begun.

I quickly rushed to my seat, adjusted my Cold coffee and popcorn into the cupholders, and put on the glasses, almost 10-15 minutes of the film passed. The next 10 minutes, i was adjusting my 3D glasses to get a clearer view. The picture was all fogged to me. I looked by my side and my co-watchers seems to have no problem at all and were watching the movie with full attention. They were so deeply immeresed that when i was going through them to get to my seat, i actually landed my foot(no dudes, not on the moon) on the foot of a guy, he did not show any reflex actions(at that time, i thought the film seems to be too interesting.. i had the least idea that it's gonna be not that way). After struggling for some time, i found out that the problem's not with me, but with the glasses. Someone who previously used that glasses made impressions of his greasy thumbs all over the glasses(What was he thinkin? maybe he felt leaving his thumbprints like leaving foot-marks over the moon)

10 minutes passed watching the movie, and i started to realize that it's not actually a movie.. it's something different than that.. that it's... it's.... it's a documentary!! Just like the routine informative documentaries that are aired in Discovery or National Geographic. The movie pictured triumphant moments in history of mankind, short videos of the six Appollo missions to the moon by US. I did enjoyed the 3d effect of being in space and sometimes chuckled when i felt the 3d experience. 10 more minutes passed, and the narrator in the movie started to give closing statements.. 5 more minutes, and the ending titles began to scroll...

Slowly the lights in the theater started to brighten up. People started to leave the theater chitchatting with their fellows about the movie. I was still sitting there in my seat, still trying to digest the fact that the movie's over. Suddenly i heard my inner self calling me, "Aka, aka.. get up. It's ok, the movie's running time is 45 minutes only. The movie's over. C'mon, let's go home."

I call it Magnificent because the 3D experience in Imax indeed is characterized by grandeur, and i call it Desolation because after spending 155 bucks+transport+refreshment costs, what all i'm left with is a feeling that i could have spent my money on something more worthy of.

That's how my weekend movie was, and I, to my utmost satisfaction, call it Magnificent Desolation:Imax 3D

'How did you learn all that stuff?'

Do you get asked that a lot? I do. People are often amazed by what computer whizes can do; from the very simple to the extremely hard.

What baffles me is that they are often uninterested in the answer to their question. I understand if somebody's eyes glaze over when I answer their question about how I fixed something, but they are never satisfied with what I tell them- its too mundane.

There are three things that helped me learn how to work in all the aspects of IT I find myself in.
A) Experience
B) College teaching me little about real world IT problems, but still teaching me how to learn and
C) The attitude that I can find out what I need to know.

Because that is not enough for people that ask me the question, I have complied a list of 5 ways, ways how I learned IT that may sound a bit more exciting...

1. Star Trek. It turns out computers really can talk to you and they tell me what to do. What? You don't hear the voices?

2. I have a photographic memory. I got bored in high school one day and flipped through every computer manual I could find. Things just kind of snow balled from there.

3. During my study of computer sciences in college, I just couldn't get things right. My computer programs erased hard drives. I fried every motherboard I tried to work on. Then one day my professor was working on an experiment involving gamma radiation. I wandered into his lab at the wrong time. The resulting explosion somehow grafted into my brain the ability to instantly diagnose any computer problem.

4. I'm a juggler. Science has proven that learning to juggle improves your brain and thought processes. My juggling has improved to the point that I can now instantly learn and do anything, even computers. (Everything in this point except the previous sentence is true.)

5. Technically, I won't learn anything about computers until 2113. Oh, did I mention that I'm a time traveller?

These days, I find it best to just smile like it's a secret and I can't tell it (leaving it a mystery).

It works.

The one and only serious post..

Note: This is the only post which you can read and actually think of the possibility that I was sober and serious while writing it.

Well guys... Let me introduce myself. I'm Aka (real name withheld) and I'm an KLCian. I'm gonna tell you the reason I've decided to blog. :) Listen up...

The best thing I got from my college is the sheer number of amazing friends. I was outrageously shy in my school days, and its been quite a transformation in the four years I've been in KLCE.

I call these friends great because when we get together, its absolutely amazing the way we keep laughing throughout. Wit, to me, is the best charmer. And teasing your friend is probably the best way to improve the quality of your friendship. :) (Of course sadistic teasing will never do that)

I'm gonna put in this blog some of the amazing conversations I've had with my buddies, the good times which i've been through, and some of my own exceptional pieces of work. In between these, I might sneak in a thoughtful and intense post that'll get you thinking. (on why you ever started reading my blog) :)

This blog is an attempt to portray my small world with a few extremely interesting characters, gifted with the talent of Wits.. and of course some of them reaping great fun with their Dumbness.

Disclaimer: Many of the posts will have exaggarated description of the people and the situations. This is just for sake of reaping more humor out of the seemingly-ok situations and is not intended to hurt anyone's feelings. I'd like to put down here an (un)familiar quote to support myself..

Influence is directly proportional to Intensity.
- Aka

So read on. And have some fun. :)