Sunday, March 19, 2006
Swan Lake
Picture This!
A small man-made lake.
Swans, ducks and other bird types swimming from one side of the lake to the other.
A nice breeze suddenly interrupts the hot humid air, like oxygen to your skin.
While you are standing outside, hiding away from the sun, the birds look so refreshed out there.
Yes. That is where my team (the automation and test tools team) sat once every so often to have our brainstorming/monthly meeting.
Sipping ice cold Lemonade-Mint ice drink..... mmmmmmm... so refreshing, so wonderful, so helpful to open our minds and think of new tools to impelement for testing...
Those were the days.
tags: memories & short stories
A small man-made lake.
Swans, ducks and other bird types swimming from one side of the lake to the other.
A nice breeze suddenly interrupts the hot humid air, like oxygen to your skin.
While you are standing outside, hiding away from the sun, the birds look so refreshed out there.
Yes. That is where my team (the automation and test tools team) sat once every so often to have our brainstorming/monthly meeting.
Sipping ice cold Lemonade-Mint ice drink..... mmmmmmm... so refreshing, so wonderful, so helpful to open our minds and think of new tools to impelement for testing...
Those were the days.
tags: memories & short stories
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
מגדל
boat on the river
It was a warm day at noon time. We were all at work. Our VP was crappy as usual. There are no windows in the cubicles. But the urge to be outside and take advantage of such a beautiful day, just over took us.
We snuck off, the six of us, during lunch time. Hey, we are entitled to a lunch break.
We uploaded the kayak on the truck, the boys tied it up with a bunch of ropes and off we went....
Driving RT. 95 was not a good decision. We should have taken the back roads.
I sat in the back of the truck, my head turned to the back window, to watch the kayak. The resistence of of the wind, while we were on our way, took its toll on the ropes. One of them got torn and the kayak flew across the road, as I was screaming as if I was waking up from a terrible dream..."It's flying, the Kayak is flying..."
and no I was not HYSTERICAL at all. AT ALL.
We sure were lucky the car behind us kept some distance. Actually, they stopped as the kayak bounce and skidded on the road, and made sure the rest of the cars stop as well, so we can pick up the kayak and tie it back up on the truck.
The rest of the day was great. We took turns on the kayak, two at a time. The water was really cold, only one of us went for a swim (and it was not me! ).
Another on of those great days!.
tags: memories & short stories
We snuck off, the six of us, during lunch time. Hey, we are entitled to a lunch break.
We uploaded the kayak on the truck, the boys tied it up with a bunch of ropes and off we went....
Driving RT. 95 was not a good decision. We should have taken the back roads.
I sat in the back of the truck, my head turned to the back window, to watch the kayak. The resistence of of the wind, while we were on our way, took its toll on the ropes. One of them got torn and the kayak flew across the road, as I was screaming as if I was waking up from a terrible dream..."It's flying, the Kayak is flying..."
and no I was not HYSTERICAL at all. AT ALL.
We sure were lucky the car behind us kept some distance. Actually, they stopped as the kayak bounce and skidded on the road, and made sure the rest of the cars stop as well, so we can pick up the kayak and tie it back up on the truck.
The rest of the day was great. We took turns on the kayak, two at a time. The water was really cold, only one of us went for a swim (and it was not me! ).
Another on of those great days!.
tags: memories & short stories
תפוחים
שני תפוחים על העץ
אחד אדום , שני ירוק
אחד חמוץ , שני מתוק
והרוח מנשבת בין הענפים
התפוחים מתנדנדים משמאל לימין
tags: poems
Friday, March 10, 2006
Smile Check
Many of you most probably never heard that before. What is it? Where did it come from?
Well here's the story. Going back again to my wonderful time in Denmark, when Efraim , Alberto and I were testing the cellular phone. We had lots of tests to accomplish, with too little time to spare. It was tense and intense. But, luckily, I was with two great guys who made the whole experience great.
I don't remember if it was Efraim or Alberto who invented this phrase , but it came out once. A smile check, to check if all is well, if we are all on the same page, if we are all nice and happy.
I tell you, it caught on. Even sending an SMS message with a smile check for testing, or for "testing".
Just a simple check, and it put a smile on our faces.
Today, I use it widely, when a friend is going through some rough times, or if lots of pressure builds up, I just send a smile check. Yes it is that simple. And it works too.
Try it.
Smile Check.
words & phrases
Well here's the story. Going back again to my wonderful time in Denmark, when Efraim , Alberto and I were testing the cellular phone. We had lots of tests to accomplish, with too little time to spare. It was tense and intense. But, luckily, I was with two great guys who made the whole experience great.
I don't remember if it was Efraim or Alberto who invented this phrase , but it came out once. A smile check, to check if all is well, if we are all on the same page, if we are all nice and happy.
I tell you, it caught on. Even sending an SMS message with a smile check for testing, or for "testing".
Just a simple check, and it put a smile on our faces.
Today, I use it widely, when a friend is going through some rough times, or if lots of pressure builds up, I just send a smile check. Yes it is that simple. And it works too.
Try it.
Smile Check.
words & phrases
Sunday, March 05, 2006
לוש, לוש, לוש
לוש, לוש, לוש Knead, knead, knead
לוש, לוש, לוש Knead, knead, knead
את החול הרך נלוש This soft sand we need to knead
קצת ביד ימין some with the right
קצת ביד שמאל some with the left
ומה יצא and what came out is
ארמון של חול a sand castle
לוש, לוש, לוש Knead, knead, knead
את החול הרך נלוש This soft sand we need to knead
קצת ביד ימין some with the right
קצת ביד שמאל some with the left
ומה יצא and what came out is
ארמון של חול a sand castle
Piano Man
Piano was always my favorite instrument. When I was six years old and my mom asked me what instrument I would like to play, it was obvious that I wanted to play the piano. Something about that instrument intrigged me above all else.
A couple of years ago, when I was working in Alphacell, one of the guys there got a few people together and created a band . At first, I was reluctant to join, but a friend convinced me to check it out. There were 8 people there. Two male singers, a pianinst, an electric guitar player, a keyboard player, a drummer, a bass guitarist and a classical guitarist. I joined as a backup vocalist.
The song list was already set, as I joined late, recovering from a flue that knocked me out for three weeks. As we would be practicing the songs, trying to perfect them, I learned more about how difficult it is to be in-sync and attuned to what was around me. Everytime he struck the keys of the piano, my first instinct was to look at him. There was something about how he played it that seemed to talk to me. I cannot really explain this in words. It is a unique feeling, as if he is talking just to me through the piano. Only I can hear those magical sounds that came out.
We ended up doing a couple of songs together (one with the whole band (Stronger/sugababes) and one just me and the pianist (always a woman to me/Billy Joel). They both came out quite good, as I am not a professional singer, as opposed to my dear pianist friend.
The end of the story is, Alphacell went on a long vacation, we were lucky to have a last recording from that time, as I listen to the songs, I feel really lucky to have been in a band, I still remember the paino lingering in my head as if it is burned to my brain as a stamp of beauty and marvel. Piano man and I are still good friends 'till today. I miss that dearly!
tags: memories and short stories
A couple of years ago, when I was working in Alphacell, one of the guys there got a few people together and created a band . At first, I was reluctant to join, but a friend convinced me to check it out. There were 8 people there. Two male singers, a pianinst, an electric guitar player, a keyboard player, a drummer, a bass guitarist and a classical guitarist. I joined as a backup vocalist.
The song list was already set, as I joined late, recovering from a flue that knocked me out for three weeks. As we would be practicing the songs, trying to perfect them, I learned more about how difficult it is to be in-sync and attuned to what was around me. Everytime he struck the keys of the piano, my first instinct was to look at him. There was something about how he played it that seemed to talk to me. I cannot really explain this in words. It is a unique feeling, as if he is talking just to me through the piano. Only I can hear those magical sounds that came out.
We ended up doing a couple of songs together (one with the whole band (Stronger/sugababes) and one just me and the pianist (always a woman to me/Billy Joel). They both came out quite good, as I am not a professional singer, as opposed to my dear pianist friend.
The end of the story is, Alphacell went on a long vacation, we were lucky to have a last recording from that time, as I listen to the songs, I feel really lucky to have been in a band, I still remember the paino lingering in my head as if it is burned to my brain as a stamp of beauty and marvel. Piano man and I are still good friends 'till today. I miss that dearly!
tags: memories and short stories
Friday, March 03, 2006
It's summertime
It's summertime, and the living is easy...
Where has winter gone this year , I honestly don't know. I don't care much for freezing Boston weather but here, this year, almost no rain, nice warm weather, just amazing.
The flowers and the insects have all been fooled into coming out early. We have found some nice trail to walk about, the flowers are beautifying the view. The scents are delicious and the insects were busing buzzing around. The freshness and cleanliness of the air is filled up by woods and dry leaves. No one was around. The quietness, the serinity, the vividness so relaxing. A few hours outside and it feels like a really long relaxing vacation.
