Having an elder brother can be Awesome!!

The relationship between siblings is by far the coolest relationship ever. Besides being more flexible, there is less drama and hell lot of fun. Fights, patch ups, support, care and a lifelong unconditional bond of trust- it has all the best things. Having an elder brother feels great I must say. It's like having a 24x7 customer support guy at your service, always available for your absurd queries, career advice, emergency money lending or any other big or small issue.

The peculiar species called "big brother" or "bade bhaiya" is actually a hybrid between your father and own self. They are protective and corrective like your dad but crazy and prone to errors like you. So, they will always guide you through tough times, prepare you for what is coming but will also be the best hangout buddies too. Your relationship with your elder brother changes gradually with age. During the first 10-15 years of life with them is full of fighting, running around, biting, scratching, complaining and stealing chocolates. But as you grow up it all becomes casual and brothers become the most important support that can ever be. Not that fighting, running around, biting, scratching, complaining and stealing chocolates stops, but yes, it all becomes less personal and more fun.  

They teach you the secret tricks for survival in the world; having been faced their own set of challenges without much support from anyone they are full of strength and experience. They will help you to choose the right path, warn you about the pitfalls and appreciate your small achievements. You become stronger growing up with them and the bloody sibling fights prepare you to easily beat up anyone. They are awesome secret keepers, only if you hold on to your end of bargain which can be anything they want or any of their own secrets. If you try to double cross them they will surely take revenge in some way or the other coz they are smarter. 

Anyone reading this, having an elder brother might be recalling those vivid childhood memories like old vines playing in the head. I have some vines too. I remember the time when my brother used to come to my school to pick me up when it was raining heavily and all the roads were flooded. I remember him making maggi for me, giving me extra in the beginning knowing I wouldn't be able to finish it and and would give him more than half from my plate at the end. I remember the fights, exaggerated complains to mom to get me in trouble, those endless carrier discussions with him acting as "Arnab Goswami" and me as "Meenakshi Lekhi". ("What did you say?", "Please answer the question, you are not answering my question.") :D    

So, love him, fight with him, abuse him, but you surely can't ignore him. He has many names- your guiding light, protective shield or emergency fixed deposit. 

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"He is the hero a sister deserves, but not the one she needs right now. So, she will fight with him. Because he is not her hero. He is a silent guardian, a watchful protector. Bhaiya!" 

(Batman lovers will kill me after reading this :D )

My first few days in a software company

I joined a Software company as a trainee in January, 2015. I must say it took me some time to get used to this environment. Being an engineering student I have my own speed and preferred way of doing things. Anyone who is also an engineering student will understand that we have a habit of working under pressure. This is how we pass our semester exams with presentable marks. We can't just be consistently working and complete a scheduled task well before time. It's the work done under pressure of deadline or fear of losing that extracts the best out of us. That's who we are..we are engineers. 

I must say things here are weird as I have never been to a software company ever. No one in my family has. Rather it was my first ever "office experience", excluding the casual trips to my parents' offices. Coming to office every day, sitting 8-9 hours facing an emotionless knowledge box (the computer in my cubicle) and figuring out C language codes… it doesn't attract me yet.

Although, this wasn't unexpected but finally being here as a part of this lifeless air in the cubicles amidst the random "tick- tick" of keyboard and faint mouse clicks, I now understand the value of "having interest" in one's work. Why I am saying this? May be I don't have interest in programming. Or it's the unfamiliar and workaholic working conditions. In college, it was all about handling things as they come, life was uncertain and exciting. Now it's just long C language codes (by long I mean around 800 lines only in the main function), data sheets and command prompt screen.  

While sitting in my cubicle I crave to rush out of the centrally cooled, sealed and corked building, see the world outside. The only relief from the damp environment is the fellow workers who are like me, just with more experience and capacity to work here. I have observed people around me; they all work and joke around often. Sometimes I hear chatter and laughter from the next cubicle discussing about a new movie or a prank played over a colleague by sending a fake invitation to every team member announcing his marriage. Such things restore my interest to this changed life. 

It might take a while to get used to a professional life. I do miss the days when I could just lie around doing nothing, ROFL-ing with friends and planning a day which may or may not include attending lectures, sleeping or texting during class and tensions didn't stick along for long. 

College days won't come back, what can happen is me getting used to the new life, accepting the change and be a part of it. I am a fighter, won't give up easily!