Precaution is better than cure

Off late I had been visiting a few doctors in Bangalore with my mom. My mom has chronic back pain. The initial tests revealed that there is slip disk and a deep indentation to the nerve resulting from the same. A couple of second opinions confirmed slip disk from MRI reports. A BMD test revealed that she is having Osteopenia.

I then googled for the same and realized that Osteopenia is nothing but less bone mass density and a predecessor for Osteoporosis.

Both of them are pretty common in women post menopause and it just needs a good attention and enough care. It seems 1 in 3 women have Osteoporosis (courtesy wiki).

Its good if we can talk to our parents on these and convince them to take necessary precaution.

Interesting Decode!

If you have written SQL queries for Oracle database, you must have used Decode 'n' number of times.

SQL> variable x number;
SQL> exec :x := 1;

PL/SQL procedure successfully completed.

SQL> select decode(:x,null,1,:x) from dual
2 /

DECODE(:X,NULL,1,:X)
--------------------
1

Now what if you pass in a char type to x ?

SQL> variable x varchar2(3);
SQL> exec :x := 'A';

PL/SQL procedure successfully completed.

SQL> select decode(:x,null,1,:x) from dual;
select decode(:x,null,1,:x) from dual
*
ERROR at line 1:
ORA-01722: invalid number


SQL>

Wait!, whats happening here ? This because the SQL engine recognizes the decode function to return a number (because of presence of 1 which is the only thing which can be determined during parse) . So when you pass in a char value, Oracle internally tries to convert it to number by calling to_number and thus ORA-01722.

Slight change in the SQL and it works like a charm!.

SQL> select decode(:x,null,'1',:x) from dual;

DECODE(:X,NULL,'1',:X)
--------------------------------
A

SQL>

The bottom line being, just be doubly sure about what goes into a decode at the runtime, and have your decode return the same type by default. Else, you have a bug in your code which is ready to pop up anytime. You don't want to get a call on a weekend saying that there is a P1!!.

Luka Chuppi

After yet another long day of work, I thought I will watch/listen to Luka Chuppi song from Rang de Basanti before I turn off for the day. I watched the video and song on youtube for yet another time. By the time the song ended, I had wet eyes yet again. Its one of those songs which brings tears. Great work A R Rahman, and hats off to Lata. The song just brings in so much emotion, that every time I watch it when I am alone, I end up in tears.

Slogan of the day!!

Today when driving back to home from work, found an interesting one liner written behind a Tata Indica cab. I am so stuck by it that I thought I will share it!!. The one liner read as
"Do not fall in love, Rice in love" !!

KDE for Ubuntu!!

On a lazy second part of yet another Saturday, a thought came into my mind. Why don't I try KDE instead of GNOME for Ubuntu!!. So with that started the download and install. The KDE interface is much more advanced and has tonnes of features. The UI is appealing and pleasant.

This is how the desktop looks like.


Havent really used KDE long enough to comment on performance. So no comments on that part yet!

Ride to Shivagange and Madhugiri.

After much deliberation, emails and phone calls we decided that we will go for a trip on this Saturday (13th June, 2009). We were not sure where we will be going, but we were sure that we will definitely go!. Finally at around 10:30 pm on Friday night we zeroed in on Shivagange and Madhugiri. It was decided that we meet at around 7 am at Rami's house and proceed from there. We comprises of me (Sudheer alias Bhatta), Ramprasad (aka Rami) and Vinay M (aka Vichu aka Svichu!).

I woke up at 6 am and there was slight drizzle. But it soon stopped.
We set off from Rami's place at around 7:30 am after enjoying hot cuppa coffee served by Rami's mom. We had a light breakfast (One plate Idly and one plate Kharabath!) at Raghavendra Stores, Malleswaram Railway station. Next we filled up some gasoline and got the tire pressures checked and the ride was started. Till the Tumkur road toll gate, there are quite a few diversions and signals.

The first pit stop was just after the toll gate. Vichu had tea there. Rami handed over the keys of his bike to Vichu and he became the pillion on my bike. The toll road is pretty well maintained. Suddenly riding was fun!. The 350 cc, 19.8 bhp engine is silky smooth at around 2500 rpm (around 65kmph). We dint speed too much. As the whole idea was to enjoy the ride. We took a deviation at Dhabaspet and took deviation to Shivagange. Its another 6 to 7 km's to Shivagange.

We started the climb after Vichu offered a small prayer at the temple. Initially the climb looked pretty easy. It was sunny and bright. Word of caution for anybody visiting Shivagange: There are lot of monkeys around. So be very very careful about what you are holding, Camera, mobile, bag etc. Locals say that quite a few people have lost what they are holding to monkeys. As the climb went on, there were couple of steep stretches. Vichu was having little trouble coping up with the hot sun and climb. We stopped at couple of places and proceeded with the climb. The last stretch of the climb is little testing. Its pretty steep and at someplaces you definitely need the support of railings. We managed to ward off monkeys and reached the top of the peak. There are a couple of temples up there. There is a place similar to Tippu drop called as Shantala drop (for the curious, Shantala is the wife of King Vishnuvardhan of Hoysala dynasty). We found some shade underneath a rock and we thought we will munch some snacks as no monkeys were around. As soon as we opened it, a monkey came from no where!!. We stuffed everything back into the bags and warded off the monkey. We spent some time out there looking at the endless landscape, enjoying the light breeze. We roamed around a bit on the top, rehydrated ourself with 3 glasses each of buttermilk and started the climb down. On the way down, we had a cucumber, and some more buttermilk. Before we started to madhugiri, we purchased couple of more bottles of water and a bottle of maaza.





We set off to Madhugiri via Koratagere route. We stopped on the way to munch some snacks and rehydrate. The road is pretty good. But do watch out for road humps. There are quite a few unmarked road humps. did another 30 km's and stopped for another 5 minute break. The drive is quite pleasant. We started off again. Probably because of the snacks and maaza, vichu who was pillion on me, dozed off!!. Initially I felt him hitting my helmet. I thought either I have accelerated(or decelerated) suddenly. But he again hit my helmet and I was pretty confident that I am riding at constant speed!. The rearview mirror gave away that he was napping!.



We reached the base of Madhugiri fort. Parked the bikes there and started the climb. We were really happy to see that not many people out there. Its pretty secluded. The initial climb is pretty easy. But as the climb picks up, its really demanding. Its a single rock and one small slip of tired legs, and you are sure you will hit the base of the mountain in quick time!!!. We took a breather almost midway. Vichu somehow managed to twist his knee!. There was one final stretch to the top of the mountain. Rami and Vichu gave up there. Because we have to drive back around 110 kms to Bengaluru, and we had lost quite some energy since morning. I was adamant that I will hit the top of this one too!. I started to climb further up. But soon I hit a roadblock. There was a patch of about 4 mts which was completely wet. There is nothing to support you through that too. There is another crude away along the fort. But that needs support of hands at couple of places. I sat there for few mins thinking what I should do. I was reluctant to get back, since I was so near to the top, and equally reluctant to take the climb up since it was way too risky!. Commonsense prevailed and I decided I will do it some other time!. I joined Vichu and Rami and we relaxed there looking at the Madhugiri landscape for sometime. Vichu had difficult time getting down owing to his twisted knee. But posed a brave heart and did manage to climb down without much trouble. It was time for us to start our journey back. We got another bottle of water and started back.



The story is not over yet!. I guess we had done around 20 km's and suddenly there clear cut signs of rain gods!. The dark clouds were gathering and we can see the lightening. Suddenly the sun went into background and the entire scene turned very beautiful. Soon the rain started and we were forced to shelter in a bus stop near Koratagere. We started a conversation with a localite of Koratagere in the bus stop. The conversation helped us to realize that we can do another two day trip on this road as there were quite few good places around. It was a nice conversation. As the rain stopped, we started off again. But soon, we were caught in another storm. This time it took around couple of kms' to find a shelter and we were drenched!. Few more stops on the way and finally we made it to Mahendar Dhaba near Dhabaspet. Totally drenched, we needed something really hot to warm us. We ordered 3 special tea. After a nice dinner followed by the lassi we were really reluctant to drive back another 50 kms. But at around 9:15 we started back. Probably we would have done just 10 km's and rain was again there!!.This time we were on a highway and chances of finding proper shelter was difficult. For the first time, I realized, how difficult it is to ride on a highway, during rainy night!. From there on, I was just concentrating on the roads. Few places were literal blind spots!!. It was very cold and we got drenched head to toe!. We did 50 km's non stop and finally reached Rami's place at around 10:30 pm.



A great experience altogether!. A day well spent. The day started with the rain and ended with the rain!!

Windows xp off my laptop: Its Ubuntu 9.04 now!!

I wanted to get windows xp out of my laptop for quite some time now!. Finally I did it today. Entire hard disk is formatted and is handed over to Ubuntu!!.

Few statistics (Just for the records).
Entire install process did not take more than 30 minutes!! and I dont think I clicked more than 10 times. Its so simple and so friendly. All the basic things are already setup and I am good to go in 30 mins!. The UI is appealing and light weight.



This is how the default desktop layout looks like:

Few sign boards which I found interesting.

This was the best so far I have captured in my camera!.


This one I got from Badami!

Am I religious or an atheist?

Of late I am wondering whether I am an atheist. Some how I feel very uncomfortable at most of the temples, where majority of the people feel blessed. Very few religious places still appeal to me. Ramakrishna Ashram is one among them. But very sadly, I can count number of such places. As I recollect my faint memory down the line, I was never very religious. But I still recite few shlokas everyday, and would love to hear the chanting of mantras. Whenever I hear the chanting of mantras, I just get involved in that.

One of the main reasons why I feel very uncomfortable at most of the temples is the very atmosphere in and around the temples. Everything seems to be so commercialized, so unnatural and so mechanical that when I go around the temple, I feel I am doing a grocery shopping at a supermarket!. Recently I had been to Banashankari Temple in Badami, and I should tell you, it was such an unpleasant experience. As soon as we were nearing the temple, the pooja material vendors were upon us to buy from them. The offer was, you buy from them and they will look after your footwares free of cost till you come out of the temple!. This whole thing reminded me of the Alankar plaza (a shopping complex in Majestic, Bengaluru). They were literally man handling the people who have come to visit the temple. I dint buy any of them, for me I was just accompanying my friends. As soon as I entered the temple, I was welcomed by very unclean, slippary entrance to the temple. After that everything was just a mechanical motion to me. Interestingly it was only me who was feeling out of place, everyone else seemed to be at ease there.

This is just one example. I feel most of the sacred places are more or less similar. Gokarna for instance has turned into a business hotspot for the priests and people who arrange darshana's and poojas!. I might stop visiting all these famous religious places if I face couple of similar experiences. I am not questioning the very existance of these businesses, rather I would prefer some sort of order in them.

I should find more places like Ramakrishna Ashram, where the serene and calm atmosphere soothes ones soul.