Visiting the City of Colors

Under the dark night sky, I was gazing at the stars, chatting away to glory with Tarun when he suddenly makes a wish. "Didi, mein aapko Rajasthan ghumana chahata hoon." For a girl who hasn't been to the North of Maharashtra, Rajasthan was too far away. But Tarun was not someone to take no for an answer. With a very few months left for graduation, it was a tough ask, next to impossible. But he was quick to compromise. He says, "OK. Let's target my graduation and not yours." I conveniently said yes considering that his graduation was long long away. We continued chatting away to glory till we witnessed the sunrise. IIITB has shown us many such dusk to dawn transformation but this one was special.

He did keep reminding of my 'Yes' atleast once a quarter. I conveniently kept pushing the dates giving inconvenience or deadline as an excuse. After two and a half long years, the day came when we could plan a trip to Rajasthan. Thanks to my partners in crime who accompanied me during this journey. Multiple plan charts were made, flight tickets were booked and we were waiting for the last week of the year.

23rd December 2016 : We reached the airport for our 11:30PM flight, meeting Veena and Manzoor enroute. More than the trip in itself, I was more excited about it being Pradyot's first flight journey. I was curious to know how someone with fear of heights would react to sitting on a flight and peeping outside the window. The plane took off and we had a quick power nap before we were woken up by the landing of the plane at Delhi.

24th December 2016 : It was freezing at 3AM on the 24th of December. We collected our baggage and navigated our way to the Delhi Cantt Railway station only to find out that our train is delayed by a little more than an hour. We could hardly find any passengers on the platform then. The AC Waiting Room came to our rescue where we could get rid of the cold for a short while. Once we boarded the train, we had a good sleep before we were welcomed by the Pink City. The owner at Nahar Singh Haveli was a good host. It was the same stay where Amma-Appa had spent one week and had a very good time. It was really nice to hear Mr Bhoop Singh convey his regards to them each time. With crying tummies, we headed to Kanji sweets where we had some yummy Chola Bhatura and the Rajasthani specials like Makki Di Roti and Sarson Ka Saag. After brunch, we headed back to the Haveli where we were greeted by Tarun. 'There you go, bhai. The trip is finally happening.'

We quickly freshened up and set out to explore the Pink City. We got to meet good people everywhere we met throughout the journey. The tone was set with Mr Mahendra Sharma who was working as a guide at the Aamer Fort. He took us through a tour of the fort explaining the minutest details. A few of the techniques and principles used by people during the times of Sawai Mansingh really impressed us. The guide explained how the queen had different rooms during summer and winter and the principles of cooling and heating incorporated during the construction of the fort were amazing! After spending about four hours at the fort, we headed to the Rajasthan Small Scale Industry shop for buying a few Rajasthan special items to take back home. On spending sometime buying quilts, bedsheets and dress materials, we headed to see the Aamer Fort Light and Sound show. Due to peak season, we were asked to leave since the capacity was full. We were too late for Chokidhani too. Given that we were soon going to have Rajasthan home food in a day or two, we headed to watch Dangal after dinner. A power packed performances by the girls and Aamir. It's 1 Am and we are at an unknown place and all we know is that we have to get back to Kantinagar. We were able to safely reach the Haveli with an Uber ride.

25th December 2016 : After a rich Aamer fort experience, we were to cover multiple places the next day. It's Christmas..We saw an Uber riding around a city with a Santa Claus hat on top of the car. We visited the Nahargarh fort with also had a wax musuem, a sneak peak at the Royal Darbar and Sheesh Mahal. The wax musuem has a few intricate details taken into account of various greats in the form of statues. We saw Gandhi, Bhagat Singh, Kalpana Chawla, Amitabh Bachchan,Mother Teresa, Sachin Tendulkar, Jackie Chan to name a few. Sheesh Mahal was inaugrated a week back and had a few science concepts beautifully implemented in it. We could see our entire self in all the mirrors arranged in a concave manner. We had some time left to cover Jantar Mantar and City Palace. Jantar Mantar was where I was in awe. A few instruments that takes into account geographical concepts in its design and to see it working live was amazing. The guide explained how the king, Sawai Jai Singh, who was an astronomer and astrologer built this place. We also saw a few instruments which were POCs and were later improved upon to arrive at the final working model. No wonder are we always asked for a prototype before getting to a product in the industry. We saw how time is calculated in Jaipur without a clock to the exact precision of less than 2 seconds. Pradyot and me got a few books to understand the science behind these instruments. We would hopefully arrive to the answer of an interesting question. 'Did India understand these concepts from Europe or did Europe learn from us?'. We went around the City Palace in the little time we had before heading over to Rawat for lunch. We had to catch our train around 4pm to Jaisalmer. After our goodbyes to Mr Roop Singh, we picked our luggage and headed to the station. After a tiring two days, we all caught some sleep. Around 9pm, the train reached Nagaur where Tarun's dad and sister got us packed dinner from home. Exotic home made food I have had and the hospitality was at it's peak given Tarun's mother wasn't keeping too well for a few days. After a heavy dinner, we hit the sack only to be woken up by people getting down from the train.

26th December 2016 : hardly did we realize that we have reached the last stop and our destination. The train was sharp on time. It was 5AM and we were in Jaisalmer. After a wait for an hour for the cab, we headed to Tanaut Mata temple which was captured in a few scenes in the movie 'Border'. Enroute to the temple, we halted for a break where we treated ourselves with team and hot gajar halwa at 7AM in the morning. Very unusual but the agenda was to live life like there's no tomorrow and this was one such moment. After a long drive of 124km, we reached Tanaut Mata Temple where we freshened up and went to the temple to pray. The power of the temple is that the bombs planted by the enemies on that place failed to blast and this is believed to be due to the power of Goddess Mata. We also saw the Border Security Force Village setup near the temple. From there, we headed to the Longewala post where two of the armoured vehicles of the Pakistani army that was defeated in the war were displayed. We saw many bunkers on the way and small houses of the locals on the way from a distance. From there, we headed to Patwa Haveli which is a series of 5 havelis out of which one is neatly maintained and a tourist attraction. We got to see the rooms, kitchen, utensils, letters exchanged etc by the businessman who built these 5 havelis as a gift to five of his sons. We then went to Gadisar lake for a brief time before heading to the Sam dunes for a fun packed evening. We started with an adventurous jeep safari which literally lifted us up from our seats during the drive in the sand. We sat and stood to enjoy the thrill associated with the safari. Post that, we got into our respective camels to watch the sunset before we were dropped to Rajputana Desert Camp where we were welcomed with Hi-tea followed by a series of culturals. After our dinner at the camp, we headed to the station to board our train to Nagaur.

27th December 2016 : At 6AM, we got down at Deshnok to head to the Chua waala mandir. It is really fascinating that there are rats all around the temple and not a single one outside event around the vicinity. We tried hard to spot a white mouse which is said to be just two in number but we couldn't spot it. After stretching our eye muscles for a while, we headed back to the station to catch the next train to Nagaur. Around 9AM, we reached Tarun's home. His father came to pick us up at the station. Heading home, we met his mother. She wasn't too well but did not leave any stone unturned to show us hospitality. We were treated like family members. She requested me for a rasam since she was unwell. All she had to say after having it was, 'Teach me how to make this.' I repeated Rasam Round 2 in the evening for her. She taught us how to make Dal Bati. This was the dish we were waiting to have as this was one of the Rajasthan specials! It was tasty with a lot of ghee pouring out of the bhati. In the afternoon, we visited the Goshaala in a nearby place. There were a huge number of diseased cows that were treated there. We saw the ICU ward, maternity ward, operation theatre, a few three legged cows and a few other special wards. The place was neatly maintained. There were a few hurt birds and animals being taken care of there. We were also shown how the cows were treated with so much care. The blankets that they are wrapped with were washed and packed into bags. The food given to them were produced in huge quantities. We were told that the average spend per day was around 3-4 lakhs and the foundation was purely surviving on the donations received by people. We were also shown the first cow to be treated there at the Goshaala. It is now kept in a shed where people come and worship the cow. Free tea and snacks were also offered to the visitors, though we did not take the offer. We left with heavy hearts back home. Palak paratha was on the dinner menu. After a sumptuous dinner, we hit the sack.

28th December 2016 : Next day, we quickly got ready and headed to Pushkar. Pushkar is said to be unknown for having hte only Bhrama temple in the world. On going here, we were right on time to get the darshan at the temple. We did make an offering too. We were asked to take the offering plate from the shop where in return, they took care of our slippers. After a good darshan, we headed to Radheji ka restaurant which was recommended by Tarun's father. It was around a one kilometer walk along the streets of Pushkar to find this place. But the walk was well worth it. We could get a sneak peak of the Pushkar lake but had to rush to the next location. After a sumptuous meal at Pushkar, we headed to the dargah at Ajmer. The dargah is believed to have a great power and people from far away places come to visit it. I understood the difference between a masjid and a dargah. A dargah is open to people of all religions and is said to have a great person's samadhi. But this is against the belief followed in a masjid which does not believe in any form of idol worship. After the darshan, we boarded the train from Ajmer to Sansad which is Tarun's native. It was pretty late when we reached there. His family was looking forward to our visit and a great variety of dishes were prepared for us. After dinner, they sat with us talking about our trip and then some short games of cards. After a journey filled day, we went to bed totally tired.

29th December 2016 : Learning how to use the chulha to heat water, of course with some help from Pradyot due to his physical advantage, was a learning. After a hot water bath in the chilly weather, we headed to Udaipur after a light breakfast. We stopped midway to have rabdi from a place known to Tarun's family. We headed straight to Kani Mata temple in Udaipur where we had to visit the temple through a ropeway. There was a long queue for us to reach our slot. We quickly spent sometime at the Pichola lake which was a t a walking distance from the ropeway. On returning, we made our way to the temple. There were a few white rats caged and kept but this was the same Goddess that we visited in Deshnok. After a good darshan, we headed to the city palace of Udaipur. We got a great view of the city of Udaipur which is also called as the city of lakes or 'The White City' since most of the buildings are all painted white. We were taken through a tour of the entire palace explaining the history of the palace. It made us wonder, 'What a time it would have been being a King or a Queen?' The architecture of the palace had narrow corridors so that only one man can go at one point in time and the corridors were not too tall. We were told that the soldiers of the palace would hide above the corridors and cut the head of enemies since one has to bend and put their head down to exit from one room to another. After a detailed tour and a couple of pictures, we headed to Fateh Sagar Lake for a boat ride. The timing was perfect given the dusk was on. We were able to witness the sunset from the boat and the scenary looked beautiful. After the ride, we headed to Shilpgram which literally translates to 'Village of Arts'. There were cultural events happening since it was the last week of December. Also there were multiple stores set up like an exhibition where clothes, furniture, antiques etc were being sold. We got our nameplate made from there. A variety of snack stalls were set up. Also small museums inside the place were set up to display the work of the artists there. We witnessed the cultural brilliance and look a stroll around the snack corner munching on some delicious delicacies. We met Tarun's cousin and on his suggestion went to Ranaji's restaurant for dinner. The food was yummy and the ambience was good. After dinner, we headed to Tarun's chacha's house. We spent sometime talking to them before we hit the sack for the day. We had one more day to experience Rajasthan during this trip.

30th December 2016 : With multiple places to cover, we had to prioritize to be on time to pick our luggage before we board the train to Delhi. We started off with Sajjangarh Biological park. We took a golf car to take us around the place. We saw leapords, lions, elephants and bears from a relatively close distance. The flora has been beautifully set for the fauna to stay in a semi-natural setting. We took a round around the biological park and went to Maharana Pratap Memorial. The city view was beautiful from there and we saw robes, weapons etc used to the king during his time. We went to a Kalamandir to see the local Rajasthan art like music, art, tribes etc and also witnessed a puppet show. We had sometime to pick a few items from a Rajasthan Small Scale Industry in Udaipur befire heading to Nataraj to have a full Rajasthan meal. There would have been atleast 15-20 varieties of dishes and each of them very very tasty. After a great meal there, we headed to pack some sweets to get back home. We went to a nearby ghat to see the lake view of the place where we picked a few souvenirs to get home. We then went to Tarun's chacha's home to pick up our luggage. We were bang on time and Tarun's chachi has packed some yummy food for dinner. After a warm good bye, we headed towards the Udaipur Railway Station. This is some sort of end to the Rajasthan Diaries. Our train was to Delhi from where we would board our flight back to Bangalore.

31st December 2016 : Last day to this year and our last day to this trip. Our train reached Delhi four hours late due to the fog. We couldn't see anything beyond a few meters which caused the delay. And this meant we were not going to cover many places in Delhi. On reaching Delhi, we hired a cab to take us around the place. We started off with Humayun's tomb. The place is said to have about 130 tombs of various rulers. After strolling around, we headed to Indira Gandhi Musuem. This was one of my personal favourites since it had the entire life of Indira Gandhi displayed there for us to witness. Her rooms, her clothes, her kitchen..Everything was displayed with some description and detail for us to see. A few snippets from Rajiv Gandhi's life was also displayed. We were then led to the spot where Indira Gandhi was supposedly assassinated by one of her own security guards. After watching the Rashtrapati Bhavan and Parliament House, we headed towards India Gate. This was the most dignified part of Delhi as it holds the reputation of being India's Rajdhani. The preparations for our 68th Republic Day had already started in Delhi a month early. We went to Connaught Place for lunch. Sridar Mama had suggested lunch at Kake Da Dhaba and a few specials that we should pick from Haldirams. Haldirams was a great place to be in. There was a variety of sweets, chats and desserts each very tasty. Post lunch, we went to the Lotus Temple. Due to the rush, we could just see it from the entrance. Since it was 31st evening, the traffic was unpredictable. We headed to the airport paying quick visit to Sridar Mama on the way. Veena's last khwaish of eating Jalebi in her dream was fulfilled at Sridar Mama's house. From there, we headed to the airport. Our flight was delayed by two hours due to the fog. We boarded the flight around 8.45pm, only to reach Bangalore by 11.50pm. We spent the new year at the Airport. Since there was a cab strike in Bangalore, we headed to Frazer Town by bus. After spending the night there, we came back home on the first day of new year of 2017.

And hence we ended our Rajasthan Diaries, something that was pending for about three-four years now. Special thanks to Tarun and his parents for planning and executing this trip for us so comfortably. And to our travel buddies Veena and Manzoor for making the journey special.

Flying for the Google I/O 2016...

Tensor Flow -Josh Gordon @random_forests

About Tensor Flow
-Machine learning library
-Open Source
-Powers hundreds of products at Google


This talk
-Apples vs Oranges
-Demo
-Hello World


Solving an "impossible" problem
-Can you write code to tell the difference between an apple and an orange?
a. By Color
def classify(pixels):
#Compare orange vs apple pixels


What can possibly go wrong?
Green apple, black and white picture etc


What next?
#Try detecting texture
#Write code to handle pears


New problem?
Start over again

We see a picture, the computer sees pixels


Problems
Vision, Voice Recognition etc

Learn from experience and examples instead of manual rules
Deep learning, supervised learning
Programming + Statistics
Example Label
1.jpg Apple
2.jpg Orange


Collect examples -> Find patterns -> Classifier

Demo : Tensor Flow Playground --> Explore

How do you classify them/differentiate between orange and apple?
Draw a line between them that clearly separates the two
#Machine learning finds the best parameters

What if the points are distributed differently?
Draw a circle around it

More layers and neurons = More complicated

Tensor flow uses neural networks
Input | Hidden layer | Output


Deep learning - What types if problem can we solve?

Input | Output
Pixels : A lion.jpg | "lion"
Audio : xyz.wmv | "see at her"
query, doc |
Translation | Translated sentence
Pixels : picture | Caption for picture(Microsoft has a product for it)

Growing use of deep learning at Google

Introduction to Tensor Flow

Tensor - Multidimensional array/matrix (n-dimensional)
Scalar,Vector,Matrix, Cube..
s=7, v={1,2}
Flow : Graph of operations (like +) to do with data


Hello World
import tensorflow as tf
a=tf.constant(2.0)
b=tf.constant(3.0)
c=tf.mul(a,b)
with tf.session() as sess:
print sess.run(c)


Higher level APIs
Classifier - Using scikit (TFLearn -> Scikit)

Motivation
Using many CPU and GPU to train model


Problem
Writing optimized, distributed code is hard. Can we make this easier?
Analogy : NumPy - Performant numeric code with a high level API
import numpy as np
a=numpy.array([1,2,3])
print np.dot(a,a)

Python Frontend | C++ Frontend
----------------------------------------
Tensor Flow Core Execution Engine
----------------------------------------
CPU | GPU | Android | iOS | ...


#Look out for Content Bundles

Vision, Voice ---> Solution is Tensor Flow

Business Applications
Finance(Risk Modelling), Medicine(Diabetes) etc

Firebase LegoWorkshop

goo.gl/rkqcrd

Google IO Keynote - Sundar Pichai
#Search - Supreme and improved with time
Connects People -> Places -> Things

#Images and Videos -- Customized video search, searches from your gallery,activities etc

#Translation -- Dynamic tranlation, Place your phone over English text and see it converted to Hindi

#Machine Learning and UI - Google Assisstant (a 2-way dialog with Google, help to get things done )

#Conversational services - Getting things done in context
Each conversation is different and billion users can use this assisstant in different contexts

#Getting the Google Assisstant home - Google Home

Presented By Mario from Chromecast team
Google Home - Hands free, with voice/remote voice, wifispeaker, device available by the end of this year

Music,Entertainment, Questions, Manage everyday tasks -- Ask Google + Customizable

Voice Recognition Technology used -- Building on from the Chromecast audio

MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT
Access podcasts,music,send music to google cast, can control other speakers Eg. "Play XYZ in the living room"

EVERYDAY TASKS
Alarm, to do tasks, connect to smart home seamlessly, control lights, controlling tasks beyond home etc

ASK GOOGLE
Organizing questions, retrieve travel itinerary, daily schedules, delivery etc. Answers complex search questions

google.com/home

Future scope - 3rd party developers interacting with the assisstant.

Photos - Computer Vision - 200M active users per month
Communication being the core usecase; Sharing life's moments

Erik Kay -- Introducing Allo and Duo

Allo - Smart Messaging Apple
#Expression
-Whisper Shout (Slider for size on smileys to express emotion levels)
-Adding motion to pictures
-Suggesting replies on pictures (Machine learning/Unique to you)
-Smart replies with pics


#Google Assisstant (Presented by Rebecca)
-Brings out Google Cards(eg restaurants, its reviews, reservations etc)
-Don't need to go out of the app(Open table)
-Understand context @Google - chatting with google/online friends

#Security
-Icognito chats
-End to end encryption
-Private notofications
-Expiring chats


ALLO - Fast, Smart, Secure ; Brings richness of Google to your chats

DUO - One to one video calling app
-Performs well on slow networks
-Even before we pick the call, we can see the video
-Team that build WebRTC

Allo and Duo - Avaialable this summer

Dave Bruke - Android N Release android.com/n

What's new in N?
#Performance - for game developers, game API
-Modern 3D Graphics
-VULKAN
-Android Runtime
* Added JIT compiler
* Reduction in compiled code size
* Makes install faster

#Security
*Enhancements in N
-File based encryption instead of block level
-Media framework hardening
-Seamless updates - latest version of system updates
* Services from Google
-Safe pricing
-Google Play Security Testing
-App security improvement program
-Safety Net

#Productivity
-Multitasking - Clear all button
-Quick switch (Double tap recents button, right most)
-Multi window
*Split screen(long press recent,double apps in the screen)
*Emoji(72 new emojis, skin color tones, unicode emojis, women)
-Notifications
*Direct reply feature
*Long tap notification to customize

Data Quality Release of N android.com/beta

Clay Bavor - VR Team
Cardboard in 2014 -> Mobile, Approachable for everyone
DayDream - High quality mobile VR experience
#Smartphones
-Sensors,Display etc
-VR mode in N - Performance, low latency, VR System UI

#Headset and Controllers
-Comfortable headset
-Motion,flexible controllers
-Available this fall

#Apps
-Games
-Google Play Movies
-Street View

David Singleton - Android Wear 2.0
Access to info,people,health, customizable view
-Smart Reply
-Handwriting
-Keyboard
-Watch face
-Messaging
-Fitness

*Phone at home, wear a watch : Still works out

Google Fit API -> Streaming music -> Activity Recognition

android.com/wear

Jason Titus - Developer Product Group
-Shift to mobile
-Progressive Web Apps
-Accelerated Mobile pages

Stephanne - Android Studio 2.2-way

-Speed
*10x faster build with speed
*3x faster test with emulator
*New layout design
*Test Recording

-Smarts *APK Analyzer
*Layout inspector
*Expanded code analysis
*IntelliJ 2016.1

-Platform Support *Enhanced Jack compiler/Java 8 support
*Enhanced C++ support

g.co/androidstudio

Firebase - Develop,Grow,Earn
-Free and Unlimited
-Analytics
-Built for Apps
-Cross network attribution
-Integrated across firebase


*Analytics
*Cloud Messaging
*Notifications
*Crash Reporting
*Remote Configuration
*Dynamic links

firebase.google.com

Ellie Powers - Android Instant Apps
-Click link, goes to app without install
-Install only if you want it on home screen

Tensor Flow - Embedding Machine Learning
Goolge Cloud Platform
-Cloud Machine Learning
-Computer Vision
-Speech,language and translate API

Tensor Processing Units - Customized internet hardware (Leverage using Google Cloud Platform)
Machine learning - Diabetic Retinopathy

Other booths
-Nest : Smart bulbs, smart lock etc - Camera, Smoke detector,Lock, Thermostat(Energy Saving) are the hardware required
-Spaces
-MDL

Firebase Analytics

Some challenges to build apps
-Capturing Data
-Spotting trends
-Using data across stack


Firebase - Integrated Platform
#Develop - Realtime database authentication, could messaging, storage, hosting
#Grow - Notifications, App Indexing, Dynamic links, Invites, Adwords
#Earn - AdMob

-Free and unlimited
-Automatic event reporting
-Seamlessly integrated

Firebase + App = Configuration
Growth engine for your business

firebase.corp.google.com

TENSOR FLOW - Data making decisions
Resources available on tensorflow.org
Anything humans can intuitively decide. Image classification, voice recognition etc

Building Billions on the Web, PM of Chrome team - Tal Oppenheir @taloppenheir
-Way we access the internet has changed
-Reach ALL the users
-New users are from around the world goo.gl/YwybkJ
-How do I reach them?
-We all started using internet on desktop only. But we are now moving towards mobile only
-Different connections, connectivity types, Connectivity quality, Connectivity cost, connectivity frequency

goo.gl/x1kp03 and goo.gl.qjmom

Development challenges
-Installs
-APK size
-Up to date

The mobile web - APP
-Accessible without install
-Storage constraints
-Always up to date

Progressive Web Apps
-Discoverable by all
-Fast and smooth
-Loads quickly, even on 2G
-Web offline
-Progressively installed
-Easy to re-engage with
eg Flipkart - Great impact

Leveraging PWA for billions
#Cost
-Data server
-DPR,width,viewport width etc
-Saving data on ?
-modpagespeed.com // Page Speed Module
-3x data savings

#Connectivity
-Speed varies between request and response
-downlinkMax
-Service Worker (Client side proxy in JS)
-Works offline

#Complexity
-Time and Money
-Add to homescreen
-Notifications using deep learning

-Progressive Web Apps ensure UX is seamless even if you are offline. If you are offline, call to order mechanism after basic product information is shown offline.

TRY IT YOURSELF
Mini Mobile Device Lab - Download from github
-Understand cost(data) and time
-Simulating htrottling/ 2G etc using Developer tools(Ctrl J)

developers.google.com/billions
developers.google.com/web/billions

What's new in Android Wear 2.0?
-Tethered + Untethered
-Personal Expression + Utilty
-Quick replies + Conversations
-Activity Tracking + Insights


Developer Preview
1. New User Interface
-Various watch face on swipe left (Customizable with settings)
-Hardware button = back
-App launcher (Hardware button once in the watch face)
-Scroll up on a watchface for notifications

MDL for apps
-There was swipe left and down in 1.0. There is only swipe down in 2.0
-Wearable action drawer and wearable navigation drawer(left <-> right)
-MDL - Choose your primary color
-Wear apps are "real" apps
-System UI and mobile

2.Standalone Apps
-Cloud and Data - Bypass phone app, talk directly to the cloud
-Standalone apps must manage authentication
-Notify users directly from your wearable app
-Apps are downloaded from PlayStore

1.0 - Download app from PlayStore on phone
2.0 - Download app from Playstore either through phone or device
Data <-> OS <-> Watch face

3. Watch face
Short text type, Icons, Ranged value

4. Messaging
-Message in the stream; Auto predict, all in one screen
-Content intent for launching to an app
-Expanded notifications for app-like experience
-Launcher for quick access
-Partner to watch face
-Inline accress, reply, conversations, content intent, faster launcher

5. Fitness
Real time data update notifications
-Suggestions on contextual conversations
-Recognizing activities like deadlifts, squats and pushups
-Automatic activity recognition

g.co/wearpreview

Material Improvements - Nick Butcher

Principles
-Material is a metaphor
-Bold,graphic,intentional
-Motion

plaid.app.io
github.com/nickbutcher/plaid

Material Surfaces
-Tangible objects(layers, collapses over other screen, state pinned = true) - Hierarchy - Interaction cues
-Elevation on tap
Begin delayed transitions
Set action visibility
Set activated state

Patterns - Navigational transitions(nested scroll)
-Plaid translucent(status window)
-Window transitions

-Bold graphic design (Typography, Color, Style etc)
-Pallette color library
-Grids
-Layout - Metrics and keylines
-Style - typography - Different presentation
-Leaving tabbed spaces to prevent content cutting
-Material Meaningful Motion
Raises on tab, background expands, image moves and grows, content enters, animations with buttons

25 Principles of Mobile App Design
1. App Navigation and Exploration
2. In-app search
3. Commerce and conversions
4. Registration
5. Form entry
6. Usability and Comprehension


1. App Navigation and Exploration
Find nearby hotels, May want other options -> So give both options #Google Places API
-When app to web transitions, make them frictionless #Chrome Custom Tools


2. In-app search
-Prominently display search field
-Search icon instead of search text (User capture)
-Search Pattern - Material Design
-Creating a search interface
-Provide filter and sort options (Clarity)
-Adding custom suggestions
-Adding recent query suggestions

3. Commerce and conversions
-Enabling comparison shopping features
-Compare feature
-Making it easy to add and manage payment method
#Android Pay developers.google.com/android-payment

4. Registration
-Differentiate between sign-in and signup (Instead say sign in and register)
#Google Identity Platform
#Sign in for Android Pay bit.ly/android-payment
-Make password authentication a frictionless experience
#Fingerprint authentication bit.ly/fingerprint-authentication
#Smartlock passwords
#Sign in hints

5. Form entry
Build user friendly forms (with help text/title)
eg Moving form up as user fills the form
#Textfields MDL
#Places API - Place autocomplete
Match keyboard with required inputs(Numeric keypad for DOB)
#Specifying input method type

6. Usability and Comprehension
-Provide text labels and visual keys to clarify
-Visual information (show little labels)
#Text for icons and buttons
#Making applications accessible
-Ask for permission in context
eg Allowing permission in context etc. Give find places(Ask in context)
#Requesting permission at Runtime

bit.ly/BetterMobileUserExperience
thinkwithgoogle.com

Technology in US Elections
-Federal Commission Dataset
-Reddit comments
-Wiki page reviews
-GDELT(Global Data) Knowledge Graph
#Google Big Query
redash.datafondue.com/queries
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Women Techmaker..An Experience!

Women Techmaker.. A phrase that I can closely connect to for more reasons than one. Here's my learnings from the Women Techmaker Event conducted at the Google, Bangalore office as a part of the International Women's Day celebrations on the 28th of March 2015.

The Android Wear Design Sprint Experience

Though a Design Engineer by profession, there are a very few design challenges that I have found more interesting than the Android Wear Design Sprint Experience @ WTM15. Taking up the challenge with other Women Techmakers, in the process networking and looking at things from other's perspective were key take-aways from this design challenge.

The entire experience of designing a wear was introduced very beautifully to us. The picture of colleagues at a coffee table busy looking into their phones got etched into my mind. That's the scene we see at so many places these days. It's the most awkward in an elevator when people find it difficult to smile and prefer unlocking their phone to look into the menu instead of getting to know the other person. Yes, we are all beneficiaries of technology, but I would say technology has taken a toll on us to some extent.

I liked the idea of getting notifications on my watch which would just allow me to take an action on it or leave it. This reminded me of the phones that existed about decade ago, where we could either leave a text message or make a call. Let's not even get into what our phone can do for us today. Designing for the wear was a great experience. Notifications had to be crisp and short. I would hate reading a paragraph of instruction or notification on my wear. This was one aspect that we needed to bear in mind while taking up the challenge.

The intent of the design sprint was to make us experience the idea of talking to our wearable and taking actions based on what it has to offer us. A few key characteristics of any wearable device are it launches automatically(you cannot expect to unlock your watch to get your notification), it is glance-able(you cannot read an email on the wear but get a notification that you've received a mail), suggests and demands(a continuous accept-reject cycle) and zero or low interaction(Ideally, a tap to accept and a swipe to reject).

Diving into the details, there are five prime stages of the Design Sprint.

1. Understand : Understanding involves two key areas. One, the challenge in itself and two, the user. Understanding the challenge : To get to any solution, we need a problem at hand. And here's where the design challenge comes to play. The design challenge tells us our intent for the sprint. "Build to come alive on the wearable." Identify the service that you are going to offer through the application that you are designing for the wear.

Understanding the user : Before any design, it's essential we put ourselves into the user's shoes. Identify personas of those, most likely to use your app. Having an insight on what they would need and expect, is essential from a design perspective. It's recommended that we dive deep and list down the probable location, time, activities, devices and sensors that the wear device would have of the personas identified. A great metric that will help us understand is a graph of user value vs technical complexity. Having a good balance between the two would be a great bet.

2. Diverge : It's necessary that we brainstorm into a variety of solutions that we could offer to the user and pick the best one for grabs. Do not get into the "how" details of the solution. Let's put our thoughts on the "what" aspect of the solution leaving the implementation to be done after the design.

3. Decide : Once we have the list of solutions that the application could offer for the wear, it's not very difficult to pick the best one to deliver. Pick up one solution that we can deep dive into for looking into the design nitty-gritties.

4. Prototype : No great product has ever evolved without a good prototype. Invest time in thinking about a few key moments that your application would offer. Key moments are the kinds of features that our app has and a few that will set it apart. Once the key moments are identified, we could navigate through its depth and look to design each screen flow that you would like in our app.

5. Validate : Show it to our stake holders, present it to them and get feedback of the various prospective user perspectives.

The entire activity was done in about two hours. Eight teams demonstrated various services for the wear based on identified personas. The time boxing meant that we would think how a task could be done in such less time, but eventually would complete each chunk of the task well on time. The learnings were plenty but a few I could pick out were team-work, listening to others' perspectives, collectively arriving at a good feasible solution and most importantly, network.

Some more wisdom by the women techmaker leaders...

Shibani Sanan -Director of Engineering, Google

Being self aware and breaking stereotypes is the key! You're not alone!
Journey of hardwork,perseverance, dedication, passion and intution.
Follow your dreams.
Don't underestimate yourself.
Speak up and let people know that you want to move ahead!
Grab opportunities as they come instead of waiting for validations.
Try a little bit more everytime.
Don't try to be perfect at everything! Just be best and good enough at what you do. Enjoy and stay motivated!
Find the passion at work.
What keeps you motivated?
Have a successful and rewarding career.
Focus on what matters!
Save time on travel.
Support at home + Motivation at work = Fulfilling life
Don't try to solve every problem. Focus on what matters! Become more efficient at work.
Have a role model and be a role model to someone.
Have a mentor, coach and sponsor!
Mentor - Close to you, the same level, helps and guides you.
Coach - Makes you think deep into yourself. Makes you find your own answers. Makes you think of a solution for yourself showing you the path.
Sponsor - A senior executive who is going to look out for you. They think of you to put their hand up for you, in your absence.
Take a leap of faith..YOU CAN!
It's very difficult to change, but it's important to change.
Take disruptions that come by and look to overcome the tide!
Never imitate anyone.
Domain knowledge is so crucial!
Spend more time on planning and design...Coding comes much later.
Team and technology is important!
I am where I am because of the people around me.
Sell your ideas to people who can sell it further!


Design - Another crucial area in computer science in addition to programming!

Vidya Laxman

Don't wait for permission.
Ask for it. And just say 'yes'.
Your career is your responsibility.
Articulate your goals.
Strengthen your strengths.
Just say "no".
No, your work does not speak for itself.
Guys are your friends.
Network, network and network.
You can lead without a title.

Pavithra Kanakarajan, Product Manager, Google

You share other's shoes.
You speak multiple languages - Customer, Technology and Business.
You wish to download your food.
You ask a lot of questions.
You make mistakes.


The day ended with us getting loads of goodies which included a pen drive and a cardboard tool to use the cardboard app and appreciate the world of 3D among many others!

The perfect balance of rivalry and revelry!

Very few relationships in life allow us to juggle between rivalry and revelry, effortlessly. And the one with our siblings definitely goes into that list.Call it balance or the bell curve, we all enjoy the pampering and the bantering with our siblings. Here's how life, in many ways changes after you have the little sibling in your life!

Being the first child of the house, I was pampered royally at home. And it took some time to digest sharing that privilege with someone else, especially when I was young! When all the eyes always looking at you, pulling your cheeks and carrying you all around the house is suddenly transferred to the new entrant of the house, it sometimes hits you hard!

When the little one is in your mother's tummy, you eagerly wait to welcome her into this world. You are delighted to have an addition into your life who is quite your age and can be a potential partner in crime. You are happy to imagine having a little sister to play around with you! You think this will be the end to the little occasional boredom you have in your life! And the day comes when she enters the world. You see a few jumping around to welcome her. A few shed tears of joy. And you, smile all along to have a new companion with you. There are new toys that come at home. You sometimes get a few new clothes while they buy many for the little one.

A few days pass by. Perhaps, a few weeks. And then you suddenly feel your importance going down. The frequency of people lifting and cuddling you exponentially reduces. It's probably an illusion that the innocent in you feels. An illusion that may probably last for a few years when you grow up. The thought of having to share your mother's love or your father's pampering does not go too well with you. There are times when you just feel like fighting with her not realizing that the tender kid has no clue what's going around and what is going through inside you.

Over time, the two of you grow up. The rivalry soon turns into revelry. There comes a stage where you enjoy picking up a fight with her, pull her leg, tease her but the moment a stranger raises their voice at her, the over protective elder sister in you wakes up and you probably make that voice heard! It's even worse if it's some bully in school who tortures her. Over time, may be you do not even realize, but she secretly starts looking up to you. She learns from the scolding you get at home and that saves her from being a victim at home. She probably never gets reprimanded or beaten as you've probably taken her share of them too a few years ago! She's usually smarter since she starts reading your novels very young, much before she gets to your age. She hates it when teachers at school compare her with you. It's even worse if you were a teachers' pet. She gets famous in school because of you but she wants to be known by her identity. The thought of being called your sister does not go too well with her. She may hate to wear your old clothes or old shoes but as a consolation, she gets a personal tutor to help her with her homework. Slowly, she consults you for life's decisions because she knows you've been there and done that! And she finds out that you probably understand her the best!

I guess the bond further strengthens as life goes towards coming a full circle. She'll fight for you with your parents for you to get permission to go out for dinner. She will be your most honest critic and one of your best friends. One, that you can confide in, for life. You start sharing small secrets with each other. You start telling each other your priorities, your likes and your tastes. There can be differences in opinion but then you are mature enough to now discuss it out and appreciate each other's point of view. There are times when others try to get the rivalry in you two by asking who's better among the two of you. And you'll find each other pointing their fingers on the other one with a smile. You need to be her chef, care-taker, chauffeur and cleaner. All of it, when your parents are out of station and have entrusted the responsibility of taking care of her on you. And you really don't mind it then because you get to the boss of the house. You can command her to do things and get them done easily. There are times when you team up to fight with your parents explaining to them how times have changed and how we must keep moving forward. In addition to all this, the two of you become each other's shopping buddies, street food partners, beauty experts and above all the go-to-buddy in times of crisis.

We soon reach a state when the bond gets really special! This love, care and affection erases all those memories of fight and jealousy from our childhood.. And, we silently thank god for giving us this partner-in-crime in life. Once a rival, but now you revel in each other's company!

Role of Youth in Social Service

Not very long ago did our Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Central Park address the youth while speaking of his plans for India. Prime Minister Modi said, "A hundred million youth joining hands to transform our nation, to put the light of hope in every eye and the joy of belief in every heart, lead people out of poverty, put clean water and sanitation within the reach of all, make healthcare available to all, a roof over every head." - That's his vision for India. This summarizes the herculean task the youth of this country have on them to ensure that India's vision of being a developed nation by 2020 becomes a reality.

The United Nations reported India to have the world's largest youth population. Statistics say that our nation has 356 million 10-24 year-olds. In this nation of high diffidence, it is the youth, who could bring about a change. The youth can induce a sense of confidence in the society and join hands in ensuring that we, as a society, are getting better and living a more peaceful life.

In a nation with such huge numbers of resources in the form of this country's youth, it is very essential that the youth is aware of their role in the society. In this era of rat race and competition, we are generating millions of professionals, months after months. But then in the race of achieving fame, earning money and being at the top, the youth often compromise on giving back to the society. This is where understanding the role of the youth in social service becomes the need of the hour.

The reason we are talking about the youth is, one, because of their existence in large numbers and two, because of the new ideas and energy they bring to the table in addition to the knowledge that already exists in us. In the times when we are always fighting for our rights, let us sit back and think about our duties towards the nation.

There is no dearth of distractions for us in this age of technology and gadgets. Our smart phones can never be separated from us and a few of us, I am sure, would get into depression if they are asked to put away their smart phones for a few days, forget about few months. Why can't we think of taking time off on weekends and volunteering to teach in a government school or teach a group of illiterate Indians? Educating multiple sections of the society on regular basis can soon result in a literate, educated India. In the recent past, we have managed to achieve many feats in fields of science and technology. But it's certainly a matter of shame when many rural parts of the nation do not have basic sanitation facilities.

The youth can get involved in matters of public interest playing their part in spreading awareness on cleanliness, helping in times of natural calamities or helping the less privileged in whatever way they can. It is for us to break the trend of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. It is for us to join hands in helping the poor either through education, vocational training or by just instilling the right sense of direction in them.

It's essential that we alter our priorities and look to contribute to the nation, contribute to the society in solving problems of high impact. The problems of the society are way too many to list out. But a sense of enthusiasm and energy from the youth of today can soon find solutions to many of them and help the country in more ways than one. The primary goal of every youth must be to serve others in the society. To serve, lift the other and grow forward together. Social service, certainly does not mean, leaving all the routine activities of an individual and devote yourselves only towards the society. But it's essential that we include giving back to the society in the best possible way to our priority list. Starting changes as small as not littering the society and making others aware of the same is a great start. Touching more lives through our daily work is another way. If we are working towards making someone's life better either through the software we write or through the services we provide or through the lessons we teach, we are on the right track.

There are numerous initiatives started by the Indian government for the upliftment of the weaker sections of the society. Actively getting involved in it, contributing to the implementation and betterment of these schemes can help the nation progress faster. The "Brain Drain" hits the nation quite often with more educated individuals venturing abroad to pursue their careers. Bringing down its count and having more educated minds into the system can trigger ripples of change into the nation, at large.

If each of us do our bit of social service whenever possible, with nearly 80% of our population being less that 40 years of age, we can together transform this country into a developed nation where basic factors like education, sanitation and healthcare are not deprived to anyone. Let's work towards making Former President APJ Abdul Kalam's vision of Developed India 2020 come true. I would conclude with the quote by the American President, John F. Kennedy. "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."

Five little things that really matter!

Little things in life can transform a gloomy day into one that makes life worth living. A pat on the back is sometimes way more difficult to get than a Vera Moda gown. Appreciating the things that can brighten our day is a great way to move forward. Yes, we all have our worries but watch out for these small things and life would seem beautiful, for every sunset is followed by the sunrise.

1. Knowing you are the reason behind someone else's smile There's no bigger pleasure in the world than reversing a frown on someone's face. Not only does it make you happier, it ensures that there's enough endorphins in the air. Sadly, in today's world, a smile has become a luxury that not many people can afford!

2. Watching the beauty of Nature We've always watched the trees, the sun, the moon et al. around us. But the day we start consciously noticing the beauty in these little things around us, we've started appreciating our creator's masterpieces. Watching a sunrise or sunset sitting on the beach with water kissing your feet or watching a rainbow smile onto you adding some colour all around can really make your day.

3. Having a perfect moment and having it perfectly captured There are very few times in life that things fall in place exactly the way we want. Be it a promotion, a propasal or just a random moment that we've been waiting for. Having it perfectly captured for us to re-live that moment more than a hundred times after it's gone is truly special. No wonder, the photographers at weddings and occassions charge us a bomb!

4. Getting complimented when you least expect it Who doesn't like compliments? Getting one when we least expect it can really make our day. Something as simple as "Nice shirt" or "You really made my day" can do a world of good to us. So, next time, don't be stingy on giving those compliments!

5. Spending time with the people who make life worth living There are loads of people around, but a few really make life worth living. We miss the water when wells go dry. And we miss our dear ones when they are no longer around. Making them feel loved when they are with us or gifting them a small token of love for keeping us going to achieve more can be a great way to show them how much they mean to us.

You've been awesome, 2014 !

Jumping away to glory in a circle with family... That's how I welcomed 2014 after bidding goodbye to 2013, a year filled with many goods. But then, looking back now, I just realize that 2014 was much merrier and thanks to the universe for that! I believe better things are yet to come. The first day of the year saw some fun with family and friends. A couple of friends from hostel had come home for lunch and that was the first time amma-appa got to meet them. Once the lavish lunch settled down in our tummies, the chit chatting started and after a while, we went for a round of evening snacks before I bid goodbye to them. It was a fortnight since I had joined GE Healthcare as an intern and I was getting used to working in the industry during that period. The seven interns from IIITB had our share of fun at GE, whether it was running for the bus asking someone to make the bus wait for us, or occupying a long table at the cafeteria having breakfast and lunch like we were having at college, or the new intern additions to the group with very few being able to bear with us the next day. We had some great fun! With a minor make-over, the new hair-cut and new pair of glasses, travel was calling. The year started with a memorable trip to Pondicherry in the second weekend of the year with the Fab Five :) Probably, one of the first few trips we have been to together till then, but after that there has been no looking back. They've been with me through ups and downs, joys and sorrows and that rendezvous hopefully continues forever. Pondicherry was memorable for more reasons than one. Booking bus tickets at the last moment and managing to get seats in a bus introduced for the festival season was a lucky start. The bus broke down mid-away at 4am and we were clueless about the route to proceed. Hitching on a truck was a fantasy, but then saving my back for the next few days seemed more important. Walking to the nearby tea shop and finding out how to head to Pondicherry taking a local transport, we got into a bus that took us to Tiruvanamalai. From there, another bus to Pondicherry allowed us to discuss on 101 theories thrown on us by the society and how we have fallen prey to it. On reaching the accommodation, the most exciting part of the trip was the bike ride. Over the next two days, we roamed the city on the bike around Pondicherry to the list of tourist places that I had neatly printed out from the tourist guide website. Riding around 100kms with a pillion without a helmet seemed weird at first but then it was normal for the people of Pondicherry. Breaking the traffic rules and giving the policemen a reason to smile was a cherry on the cake. The Matir Mandir left us amazed and the option of getting back to the place to meditate in their halls that needed prior permission is in our to-do list now. Riding on the bike as a pillion sitting reverse, getting a thumbs-up from a rider on the road for it and then Humpty Dumpty having a fall were certainly humorous moments of the trip. The Paradise Beach was more like a paradise on earth. I do not remember the last time I have stayed in water for so long fighting with the waves. The view, the sea and the moments were priceless. Two days passed rather quickly and it was time to pack our bags and get back home. The Fab Five Connection certainly strengthened after that trip and cheers to that!

February, they say was a month for love and to the couples. But for once, being single seemed great. After attending the Spicmacay concert by returning early from office and then having a specially cooked meal with the girls with some great music playing at the background set the tone with some love in the air. With all the fun around, there was some level of insecurity around placements and preparing towards it had to become the priority. And, thankfully, there were people to give me periodical reality checks to get me back to having some rigor in my preparation. One such day, that I clearly remember, was certainly Morgan Stanley placement day. That was the day I set my mind to serious systematic preparation not just to clear exams but to appreciate the concepts that exist. Consistently sitting with Vee and solving Karumanchi problems religiously in about a week or two was one such turning point. It was a tough choice to choose between Raajay's wedding and the VMWare interview. I certainly missed being in all those selfies with cousins because of my decision but then attending the VMWare interview was a confidence booster for certain things. I got my program perfectly right for the first time, thanks to Karumanchi, Vee and Sir. The two rounds of interviews were good and a call sometime in the next few weeks was intimated. So far, so good!

March, after joining IIITB, became the month for sports. Spandan is the biggest event here and taking part in it is always special. Defending champions in Basketball and new rules for the girls this time got that urge to win the gold again! Though, we had to settle for silver this time, we played good basketball against a good team of opponents. That was the consolation. Games like carom with Piyush and TT with Manzoor were played for fun in the spirit of games. Loads of cheerleading for the Vanarsena was as exciting as playing a game of volleyball, football or cricket. Badminton was more special this time because of the practice hours I had put in for it this year. Playing with Sandeep and Ayushi was fun. Playing with a pro like Sandeep was more special than going till the quarter-finals of mixed-doubles. Spandan also saw me preparing for my interview that was scheduled the next day under strict instructions of my gurus. With an interview scheduled at 11am, I was busy playing and watching games till 2.30am. It was impossible for me to get back to the room without seeing Spandan close in my last year as a student at IIITB. The interview was special because I entered the room half asleep, thanks to the toll that sports had taken on me, but I luckily seemed to know the answers to all the questions that were asked. Thanks to those books given to me by a friend for preparation. It also saw me starting my super-awesome hibernation mode which raised a million eyebrows but then my determination to do it to perfection won in the end.

The first week of April was when I got a confirmed placement offer from MaFoi Analytics. It was one of the easiest interviews I have attended which tested my skills but at the same time kept me interested and excited in answering the questions, whose answers needed to be attacked by thinking from various perspectives. Entering the next quarter with April meant another trip was round the corner. It was a short trip planned to just get a break from work and stress. This time, it was a one-day trip to Hogennakal. We booked an Innova to take us there and planned to return back the same day. The drive and the water at the pseudo-island summed up the trip. Not to forget the juices overdose that I had that day to keep myself going. The coracle ride was amazing and at its best when the boatman stopped under the falls and let us drench ourselves while we were sitting on the coracle. We spent around 3-4 hours in the water and came back home tired. Getting back home the same day was the strict instruction given and it had to be adhered to at any cost. That was the only time I travelled in a KIAL bus from Electronic City to home in my two years at hostel. Vishu followed with the excitement of arrangement left to the kids this time and collecting the Vishukani is the awaited moment, no matter whether you are earning or a kid. Preethy's wedding was around the corner and we had to travel a day before to attend the Mehendi and the wedding. The wedding was special because the first from the four of us was getting married and everyone at her home were sweet enough to excuse me from eating at the wedding. Meeting and talking to people is always special and getting to know so many people during the wedding added to it. From picking up the Vanarsena from the station in the morning, to distributing set mundus, to getting dressed up for the wedding was special. I learnt that weddings are not only about food, but about winning hearts. Attending a wedding with family and friends together is rare unless it is your wedding. But this one was one of a kind where I got to stay with Amma during her birthday. Getting back to hostel and having very few days left with the chillar party was difficult. They were off for vacation and would return back only after we graduated. So it was the time for treats and some fun with them. All the fun was great but it was the time I decided to take up the stretch of learning web development after office hours and understand various aspects of designing and creating a website. It took perseverance and great support to get back from office and code learning a bit of Springs, servers and bootstrap but there was always motivation from Sir to do it. The learning that started then seems to continue even today.

May was the month where my visits to the Kanavalli increased. This was the time when I stopped cooking in the room and started going out for dinner. Regained back my appetite in the little time that I got. I learnt to ride a gear bike. Thanks to my buddies for teaching me to do that with great ease. Yes, it was risky to teach two girls with no experience, to ride the Caliber but you guys took that risk. Learnings were on and more interviews with managers and HR at GE followed before I finally got a confirmation from the HR that I would join GE Healthcare as a full-time employee. The place, the people and the product that we deliver made it easy for me to make the choice of continuing with GE in the years to come.

June was the month of nostalgia. Internship tenure came to an end and six months in the industry seemed to have passed so quickly. The month was more for finishing formalities in the hostel and vacating the rooms as soon as possible. The two years had been so special that I had planned to leave the hostel only on the last day given to us. For the first time in two years, I had taken my bike to college and it saw many joy rides. Short trips around Electronics City and long trips to shop in Bangalore ensured that I put the vehicle to good use for the short period that it was in college. Graduation shopping for the girls at commercial street, taking sometime out to roam around the city marking the end of the hostel freedom, getting the guys book their new homes and experimenting with variety of eat outs as diverse as the local family dosa center to the authentic food at Jalpaan and chill-out time at Guzzlers, we did it all. I cannot forget my last game of basketball just before vacating the hostel on the last day. Frustrations vanish after a game and celebrations always call for a game. But this game was different. I played decent basketball but then the intense game caught onto to me and I fell down with a thud. I had my hand injured for a week post that not letting me to ride back home.

July was special. Period. If June was the month of nostalgia, July was the month of more nostalgia. Bidding goodbye to the place and people with whom you have spent two cherished years was difficult. The dress rehearsal at Vee's place before graduation, the last dinner outside together as IIITB students with Chinese cuisine, the grand farewell we got from the juniors on the 5th of July...They are all clearly etched in my mind. Then came The Sixth of July. I knew graduations were always special but then it felt even more special to be there and to live that special day. Getting into the robe, forming straight lines after years to walk from the reception to the stage, receiving the SAC certificate from Director Sir and the Chairman, taking that degree from the Chairman and having your family laud your efforts were all moments of this awaited day. The greatest support was to have my support system, my family, right there for me watching me getting graduated and beaming much more than me for my accomplishment. After all the fun with friends that afternoon, it was time to leave my Alma Mater only to come back again as an alumni. The next day was my joining date at GE Healthcare. The first day was not very interesting with the routine induction program but then the coming days turned out to be good. People were much more welcoming and ready to help me learn the internals of work. It was a little frustrating to not have my account activated for more than two weeks after joining, but then with a target system setup in a couple of days, I was able to learn about the system and start looking into small issues. There was one treat pending for long. That with the cousins. The Mysore brothers had always given us amazing memories when it came to giving treats. We've had the best of things in the best of places. It was payback time. After too much brainstorming on where we must go for a catch-up time, we decided to hit RoadHouse at Indiranagar. The "brethers" were happy listening to the music that they have grown up listening to playing on the background. Six hours at the place meant solid fun. It is ironic how we tambrahms are customized. After a wholesome dinner, we felt the pasta and the pizzas were good but then we missed our thayir saadam. After getting back home at 1pm, we made some rice and had it to our heart's content before going to bed.

Come August and the trip of the quarter was the much awaited, Munnar trip. Right from the long weekend rush and not getting accommodation, to the four hour wait at the reservation counter for tatkal tickets, it was a quick planned trip. Everything happens for a reason and on recommendation, we got in touch with River Rock Homestay which I would rate as one of the best home stay in terms of the ambience and location. After being directed by Mr Varghese on how to reach Anachar from the railway station, we had our mouths open on reaching the place. Lavish rooms with balcony facing the river was way more than what we expected. We quickly got ready, had breakfast and had a cab booked for us to roam in and around Munnar. The scenery was at its best in Munnar and the photographs were infinite. The four of us had two days of good fun visiting some great locations, having a rickety jeep ride to Eravikulam, watching the brave Kalaripayatu, a martial art in Kerala and above all, exposing my Malayalam speaking skills. We had no tickets to return, thanks to the full bookings due to a long weekend. We had to do a break journey to Bangalore. It took us more than twenty-four hours to get back home. We managed to do some quick shopping before taking a bus to Udamalpet followed by one of the yummiest budget lunches ever. I can still how my friends dropped their jaws on seeing me break the papadaam, tambrahm style. :P We travelled from there to Tiruppur and from Tiruppur to Bangalore, all in local state transport.

September celebration began with Onam Sadhya at home for friends. A mini re-union with the Vanarsena at Meghana Foods, Marthahalli after a few months brought back memories of good old times spent eating, laughing and pulling each other's legs. Foundation Day got us back to college to listen to the experts from the industry sharing their wisdom. It also meant going back to college after a long time with friends. My first 12'o clock birthday surprise for a friend came true. Dinner at Chettinad followed by birthday surprise before heading to Nandi Hills after eating hot poha at 4am was fun. The second innings of hibernation came in. Deciding to join GDG Blrdroid was a tough choice since it needed commitment to work hard for the community. But looking back, it was a great choice. I attended their first meet up on 27th September at Intel.

October saw me joining as an energizer at office and being allotted my first task of helping in release train planning arrangements. It was not tough as this is something that I have always done in school and college. Regarding the life outside office, the four of us have attended many musical concerts together but this one was special. Our first over-night musical concert with many artists giving some mind-blowing performances and getting back home at 6am on a chilly morning will be a hatke-experience. Ethnic day at office to celebrate Diwali was one of the many celebrations that I witnessed this year at SWPE. Frequent lunch outs and meet ups with friends were always happening as days passed.

Closer to the year end, November bought in some time for celebrations. First, it was the Google Women Techmaker Workshop that took place at Google Office, Bangalore. It was an honor to be with nine other women from the country who have bought in some change through technology. We instantly connected very well with each other helping each other to get the best out of us put us all at ease. The team from San Francisco had Sammy, Antony and Melissa who did a fantastic job in coaching us throughout the workshop and the mentors from Google who were great guides for us through the journey were rocking. The Improve Thinking session, the story telling from random slides session, small talks and the actual recording which meant we were in charge of the scripts, sound, camera, make up, timings etc. gave us a great exposure to video recording, understanding the importance of little things and improving our stage presence. It was a real feel good factor after interacting with such amazing people over those two days of the workshop. The first of the twelve from class X at Kensri was getting married. Vrithika's wedding was fun where we connected with batchmates and juniors from Kensri. A lot of preparations went into Veena's birthday celebrations and we had a grand children's day together. A great dinner with so many people felt nice. A lot of fun was added in life at office through Xbox, foosball and energizer events. Quarterly team lunch at Bakasur followed by Interstellar at Phoenix Mall gave us a lot of bonding time with the team. The family outing planned at Golden Palms for CSER 4.0 release was a grand success. I had a blast with friends organizing, playing, dancing and chilling out. The families found it extremely refreshing and a great time to catch up with our colleagues at work. The last weekend of the month was spent at Mysore attending Bharath's wedding. The trip was well planned, well executed and above all had some great arrangements made for us. Two girls taking four hours to get themselves ready for a wedding. Sounds normal right? It's great fun too!

A celebration ended while another started. We had a team outing at Marriott with Jamling Tenzing Norgay as the motivational speaker followed by some interesting minute-to-win-it games and the super car challenge. The next day was the big day. I had my slot at 10am for the video recording at Google Labs. This was the final product of the Women Techmaker Workshop. I nailed it at the first take after a small trial shot. It was a great experience to face the cameras and having all the limelight on you. It would be great if I can keep myself engaged with such videos every quarter. The next celebration was for my birthday. It was certainly more special than I expected. With a pleasant morning walk with Aditi followed by a surprise visit from friends followed by cake cutting was nice. But the bigger surprise was the video compiled for me by the Fab Five! It had some amazing moments and really warm messages from people wishing me. After a two and half hour ride to office as a consequence of missing the office bus, the day seemed hectic with work but that gave the others time to decorate my desk with balloons, flowers and what not. It certainly felt special. Post that, we got a mail from the managers to collect our year end gifts from their cabins. Post that, we made our way to MG Road not knowing where we can have dinner to end the day with a special dinner. And then as we were walking through MG Road, figuring out where to go, we hit the Barton Center. 13th floor it was!! The view was amazing and the weather could not have been better. With the moon right over our heads, we had a great dinner at Ebony. I visited the Free Enterprise Day with Vee, met many people from the community and got to hear the work they do. The next week was for the event that I had to put together to bring in more women in Technology as a part of GDG Blrdroid. Assistant Organizer at Blrdroid meant that things had to be arranged to perfection. The agenda was set, the speakers were ready and it was 20th December that we put together WomenDroid. I gave my first talk in front of an audience walking them through my journey with technology. It was an opportunity to meet folks and network more. There was an alumni meet scheduled in Kensri calling upon 10 years of alumni. We had some ice breaker sessions, music, dance and food. The last trip of the last quarter was a lone one. I wanted to venture out alone to some place and the first place that came to my mind was Mumbai. I spent a good five days in Aamchi Mumbai with Appa visiting tons of places and living the small fantasies that I have in life like shopping, cooking and travelling. The last group dinner of the year was at Fenny's Koramangala. More cherished memories piled up to the already existing list. Three hours of laughs, food, talks, and teasing ended rather quickly. The last few days of the year were spent in working and playing. There was cricket, basketball, table tennis and my favorite, foosball. With nearly the entire team at office on vacation on New Year’s Eve, we could afford some time for games post work. With a peaceful year ending with family, life, just like the earth, had come one full cycle in this year.

2014 was a grand year for more reasons than one. As I bid goodbye to this exuberant action-packed year, hoping that 2015 bring us more smiles and more love, care and affection.

Happy New Year 2015 :)