Sprint Retrospective - Sketch your state

Sprint retrospectives

Retrospectives are a good way to reflect on a Sprint outcome. Agile framework is built on the principle of 'continuously improving through feedback'. Every team should take a moment from the delivery mode, look back on the previous sprint, and see how things can be improved. In case you feel the team is doing extremely well, take a moment, appreciate the team and the factors that are making this happen. I don't think this ever happens though, there is always room for improvement.

There is no standard frequency for retrospectives. Some teams prefer to do it once every sprint, some do it in alternate sprints. In my opinion, when we are starting new work or new project, this should happen more frequently so that we are stable early.

Why the blog?

This blog is for teams, who have been doing retrospectives for a while, but are bored of the regular templates. 'What went well', 'Things to improve' have now become 'Things that are boring'. 'Sketch your state' is something that I have used a few times with different teams and they have found it as a good break from the regular models. 

Sketch your state

I know a lot of people love to draw. Drawings bring out the creative side of an individual. Some people are good at it, some are bad, but this art is not something that is visible on the team table. Hence, this adds up as a new thing you learn about your team members.

The idea of this exercise is to ask individuals to draw their feelings about the project. Are you happy on the project/ team, are you excited, do you have enough challenges, are you too stressed or underutilised? Give everyone 5-10 mins to draw. People can draw using stick figures, smileys, box diagrams whatever they are comfortable with. 

Post the given time, each one has to explain what they have drawn. Identify points that are making the team successful or people are excited about. E.g. 'happy on the team', 'following good practices', 'loads to learn', etc. etc. Identify the pain points or the issues that the individuals are feeling. E.g. 'Tech debt burden', 'no direction', 'code smells', etc.

What I like the most about such retros is that everyone gets a chance to speak and it is not hijacked by a dominating person!

Ask the team to vote on the most painful points. Discuss the top voted points and identify actions to resolve them. Well, the success of a Retro depends on identifying the actions to resolve problems and completing them. The 1-1.5 hours retro will help the team feel heard, gives them a platform to raise their concerns, helps every stakeholder understand the problem that the team is facing. But, the most important aspect is what do you do with it? So, remember to follow up on the action items.

Finally, you should always close the Retrospectives on a positive note. Spare 5 mins to do appreciations. There are a million variations for this as well. For one, just create a small space on the wall, distribute sticky notes and ask members to add their appreciations. While you read them, a round of applause would be great.

Follow this up with one or two of the regular retrospectives (Starfish, Sad Mad Glad) and do this one again. See if there is any improvement in the drawing skills ;) and also in the team status. 

Here are some examples:

An amazing Break up!!!

Four years! Almost four years!! After short stints of 2-5 months, 46 months sounds like an eternity!!! TO be honest It actually dint feel like...

Its been such a wonderful journey, from being absolutely naive at personal conduct to being able to conduct training for Business Analysts! When I had joined Nihilent in 2011 I was clueless about where my career is headed. I let Nihilent handle it for me. My first two projects, .... ... ... lets not talk about them ;)

My first client project was Standard Bank Core Banking Transformation and as usual I was pretty late to join or say reach Onsite. There was just one seat vacant, which was, aaaargghhh, right next to Deepak Prabhu, AVP of the company!!! The crime rate in SA and the super chilling weather was not traumatizing enough that this too had to happen... On Day 1, Deepak tried to rag me by asking me to sing a song in the morning scrum.. The ass I am, I sang the national anthem and everyone had to stand and sing along :) :) :) Deepak turned out to be a fantastic manager with great interpersonal skills. There is always so much to learn from him, and I believe I have become more professional, disciplined and financially poor working with him... (Poor, coz there was R10 fine for breaking any disciplinary rule) There was this great story about some Parsi king he told me that the way sugar dissolves in Milk, the Parsis promised to mix in with the Gujaratis n blah blah blah! Still engraved and fresh!! 3 years down, I am still learning the way he speaks, he explains, the way he studies his subject, the way he keeps his audience gripped.

Post that, its all been Synergy for me. I joined as a BA, and was trying to explore and learn the system through some shitty documentation. The good part was I was working with Neeraj Kashyap, Pradeep and others. Quite patient to work with a new BA and had very low expectations initially. For them, I was more for entertainment purpose than work. Slowly I grew and eventually was of some use to the project. I found great mentors in Neeraj and Karim. They are immensely loved and respected within the team, not just coz they excel at their work, but also coz they are unbelievable characters. Almost every friday night they get drunk with the team, abuse, roast and party!!! It always felt like a huge family being together... Although every weekend there were false promises of letting me come back home, but I would love to have them as my seniors again... Over the period, I got to work with excellent individuals, from Holkar n Pandeys to Prasad Kalyani...

South Africa is a very beautiful place and will always remain very special to me. For giving me some wonderful friends and awesome memories... It was scary but loads of fun and adventure... I was also privileged to commute by a BMW with a Gujju chauffeur (Ujjaval Thakkar)!! Stayed in a huge villa with a big swimming pool and garden from all sides... Got an Audi of my own and clocked my highest speed ever!! Roamed all over SA with my gf for our first unofficial honeymoon... SO much explored, enjoyed true adrenaline rush, checked out the hottest and prettiest chicks, worked with super awesome nicest sweetest and bestest clients, Unbelievable experience!!

Time really well spent!! But, the asset I would treasure the most is the friends that I made!!!

My darling Thakkar, who never says No, not even for a Marathi movie!!! I am sure I have seen more movies with him, attended more parties with him, and have been on more outings with him than anyone... Lovely time I had with Piyush, Pradnya and Audi!! Maaz guru Holkar and Deshmukh!!! Redefining Casanova, dance king Sumit!!! Gossip queens Roopam and Garima!! The ones who got me addicted to sutta Mukka Aniket and Bondre!!! the coolest calmest and most humble person on the face of this planet, Rahul!!! Sweetness clients Tracey Mel Sandra n everyoneeeee!!! Geek talks with Praneet!!! Every day good morning messages from Roshan... The man with great capability to make numerous false promises and being the awesomest PM - Neeraj!! Great mentors and friends Pradeep Karim Kurush!!! Full on tp public Yogita, Chourdia, Basli, Ashutosh, Nirupama mam, Nihi soccer team, Binpagare and the Testing NSS community, a lot of ppl who left before me, lots of new joinees and loadsa others who made my stay wonderful!!!

Thank you one and all... It was great working with you!

wait for true love, just seems to be over!!!

I feel lost whenever I think about you!

Lost in a world, where everything is just as beautiful as you.

Taking a walk near a beach... in the light of the drowning sun...

Trembling shadows making their way out.

Schmoozing in a voice, soft and mellow,

As if someone would hear, but there was none, not far nor near...

Smiling at times, looking into each other’s eyes...

Randomly staying quiet and tightening the grip of hands...

Your words are still alive in my ears, along with the sound of the waves...

Can still feel the breeze of the shore, swaying your hair in the air,

at times pushing you near...

Engrossed in the serenity of your beauty,

I am forgetting the world is still moving...

It is one of those instances where mind refuses to hear anymore...

where heart just overflows with emotions...

There is a belief, though the bodies are apart, the soul is just one...

I close my eyes and just step along.

Life seems to be complete...

24 years of wait for love, happens to be worthwhile...

I wish this moment would stay alive forever...

A dream, which gives me the happiness that I had never imagined...

A moment, where time just flies by without letting its presence felt...

I love you my special someone...

Swine Flu!!!

this is my most special poem ever n will always be...written during d swine flu season wen my sis had gone back home n i was missing her....

su m missing u dear,

have no fear, no swine can dare,

to touch ur bro i swear,

tell u m so very bare,

wen u r not here,

want u always near,

here there n everywhere,

m sitting wid appy on my chair,

use lift or come by the stair,

bhagwan ne diye mujhe do pair,

2 kilo meetha namkeen pav ser,

wid u i can breathe without air,

wait n watch or u can stare,

life is like an electronic tower,

luv failure is not an accepted error,

hope u r aware, i love u n i care,

now go n cut ur hair,

i am sorry i dint prepare,

its just my love i wanted to share,

u form d core of my heart-ware,

imli ka buta beri ka per (ped),

imli khatti meethe ber,'

iss jungle mein hum do sher,

aa flat wapas ho gayi der :D :D

love u...

koyal bole ku ku ku,,,

If it has to happen, its gotto be this way…

Well this story is half true and half imaginary but there are lotsa chances of this whole story coming true.

Sitting in my cabin, just had a small party in the office, today being the day when all the birthdays of the month are celebrated. As its my first month in office, this is my first time. Very shy people having their birthday this month, none of them ready to step ahead and cut the cake…Somehow something happens and the celebrations get done. I am happy seeing the always tensed and silent coders getting their share of fun. My cell rings... landline number, with an unknown STD code…’hello’…’hello da…kaise ho’!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that’s ma MEENU…My lil crazy sweet and the most loving sister...One of the closest to my heart coz I see a lot of myself in her… She is in the Defence Academy where even having a cell is not allowed… Her call was a big surprise…’How are you?? Where are ya?? How come you called?? How is it going???’ n barged her with too many questions... Too happy… Good news in the office too, someone just stepped in my cabin –‘mandar sir, we are done with all the tasks!!’ Oh ya finally a software company thats meeting its deadlines…

Ready to leave for home, all set… Music on and m off on my bike… On ma way I see a couple, both aged 70-80yrs, holding hands and walking… Brought a real big happy smile on ma face...few kms ahead I saw a bunch of kids, fully drenched, playing footy in mud…really ignited a spark within…time for a puff…Blowing away the bad incidents of life with the smoke, I moved onto the NH-4 highway… Right music for the right time, the song changed on my MP3… The next track is ‘give me freedom, give me fire’!! fullon fullon fullon excited! Happy! Feeling the adrenaline rush now!!! I accelerated to the max…thinking about messi, kaka, gerrard...wow!! My bike is real good n strong still… A stupid driver of a car driving at 91kph trying to overtake another car being driven at 90kph…Oh I hate these slow overtakes… But there is no space for me to go thru…Oh yes may be I have… Moving onto the centre line, full throttle and zzzzzzrrrrr oooopsey may be my left hand will hit the side mirror, it goes off the handle, more focus on the right and yes I am through…a few kms ahead, another car is not letting me go thru...i somehow manage to move onto the parallel track...both speeding away... zoooiinnnnngggg thru the wind I am racing with a powerful car now… we are on parallel tracks… I don’t slow down my bike but the car does, it had to, there is a city road crossing a few hundred meters ahead…I can cut through the traffic with my slim n less dangerous vehicle… fuck!!! A kid just left his moms hand and is running across the street… damn, instant reaction - take the rightmost track…aaarrgghh!!! wrong decision!!! Some car is waiting to cross the street and is already half way in…olrite, there is no possibility of braking now, its of no use… Close ur eyes and let things happen…

boooommmmm!!! Right leg bangs into the car, fractured - broken - separate, forces me to open ma eyes…rest of the body goes flying off in the air…across the highway… crashes into a truck coming from the opposite direction…sllaaaasshshhh !! on the windshield…body rolls down the face of the truck with one leg missing…truck slows down from 60 to 30kph, eyes slam into the headlights, body clings onto the bumper by the T-shirt… this seems to be the STOP I hope!!! Excruciating pain and very uncomfortable position...Nopsey, this is not the end, my hand just touches the tyres and body gets pulled with great force… Shirt is torn n half hanging on the bumper still… thhhaaddddddd!!! 30 to 0kph… but the body is already rolled over, ribs broken, body blasts and opens up...phhhhaaattt!!!! That’s the end of Maddy… If its ever to happen, its gotto happen this way…fast, too fast and fullstop…

Someone in my life

Always feel something special everytime I think about her..She aint just a sunshine in my life she is my dream...Her voice recordings bring life into me...Gone are the days when I used to feel alone, now even when I go for a walk 'physically alone' I carry a big smile on my face, thinking she is always by my side...Every walk to remember :)...All of a sudden feels so grown up... having a deep understanding of every relation, of every feeling...

i know m not good enough for her but noone in this world is... I wish the tradition of swayamvar still existed, this princess for sure would have been mine... Every morning I get up thinking about her, kiss her pic, text her something and then get up from my bed. I sleep thinking how great it would have been had we both been together. Half the day is spent talking about her and smiling in her awe...Unfortunately the way I feel for her, she doesnt feel for me. GOD isnt that very great as people think he is... Sometimes I feel I would have done a better job sitting atop there...Blithe and spice would have prevailed at the same time with a perfect balance of the two... I just missed the GODship entrance exam by 0.5marks!! aaarrghh!! regret being 10mins late for the exam!! would have for sure nailed it otherwise :(

All my life I was content with the money I was going to get being a computer engineer but now I want to become rich, very rich, just to provide her every comfort she ever wished for..Regretting why I dint go for Marine engineering like my brother. Still have the option of becoming an entrepreneur and making it big but by the time I break-even she will have her kids calling me mama-mama!!!

Feel like doing a few good Hindi movies with her, having lots and lotsa romantic songs, keeping aflame the blaze of our love n blah blah kinda dialogues... too many intimate scenes, pillow fights, long walks holding hands, dancing in the rains, sitting together in some class for studying and 'nihar'ing each other at times, flooding each others mail boxes with love letters, sleeping on her lap, gliding my fingers through her hair, having coffee from the same mug, looking into her eyes for ages, sleeping with eyes open, a smile on the face and each others pics in hand, twinkling at the monitor, laughing at the cellphone, many forehead kisses, I wish I could be hers and she could be mine...forever, till the world exists...next birth even if I come as a tree I would want to stand next to her...

Though I am not the one who will abnegate so easily but I have fought hard against my own.. Now guess its time I relinquish the control of my heart to the divine powers...

At sixes and sevens about what is gonna happen with our relation. I hope wish dream pray she ends up in my arms...

I wish to have a girl like this...

i wish to have someone,

who is as sweet and as cute as she is,

she should be someone,

who is as loving and as caring she is,

she should be someone,

who has a big heart with too much of honey -just like hers is

she should be someone,

whoz one smyl would floor millions -exactly like hers

she should be someone,

who can speak precisely the way she speaks

she should be someone,

who knows me in-out and everything I know about

she should be someone,

whoz attitude wud remind me of Rani Laxmibai,

and her love shud remind me of mother Teresa.

she should be someone,

for whom Mandar is not just a name,

she should be someone,

who is as witty as her with as much grace as hers

she should be someone,

I respect, I love, I adore, I desire, I admire, I WISH

My First Love…Bubbles

Her name always brings a smile on ma face… The most charming person ever to be born in this world  J, Sneha Nair.

I’ll start from the start k!!! J

I first saw her when I was in 8^th… bubbles was a new admission in my school, not in my division thou… She had a very athletic body n a very sporty look but I never paid any attention…we had a small school, n she was supposedly a hot item in school so somehow I heard her name n a few details about her… Bubbles was a schol which we could make out from her looks n d way she walked…she was a stylo as well, half d time she used to comb her hair wid her hands :)…

Finally in 10^th std we got together in the same division…But, something ultra serious had happened in the previous year because of which I had stopped talking to girls. So, finally when she arrived we were not even looking at each other. DJ mam was such a nice teacher that she made me n bubbles sit in the corner seats…well me was on the last bench n her 2^nd last…but it was fun.. My jokes/comments were audible only till the bench ahead…we weren’t destined to be together n I got shifted from ma place :(…I had only two weapons to impress her – maths and football… For a girl shez a huge huge huge fan of football n ronaldo…Obviously I dint know this then as we never spoke but I remember during our sports periods she did watch us playing…I used to get nervous but I wasn’t the worst football players in school as I was young n had swift legs… Maths, I was a bit better than her… In fact, maths is like a nightmare for her… she hates no other subject as much as she hates maths…n me being good at it was a big confidence booster for me…

Just in a months time, I had learned a lot about her. She was a schol  but not the mean kinds…always ready to share her assignments…Very down to earth n always ready to help…v used to play table tennis on teachers desk wenever v had free time n she stood at d door, kept an eye on the corridor to check any teacher is coming or not… very calm n cool n yet so sharp brilliant… n a big turn on for me was her south-indian hindi…I loved it man!! even now she has a south-indian accent n horrible hindi… hehehe!!! Bubbles please don’t beat me for this… n n n to add to it she has a very wonderful voice even in sleep I can recognize her…till 10^th I was by far all my teachers fav but in 10^th I guess I lost to her… we always competed for highest marks in class n most often I lost but never had problems losing to her… SHE was actually that very good…

On a valentines day all her friends were screaming – ‘bubbles aaj toh saurabh 3 red roses laya hai’…I was sure bubbles had a crush on some saurabh but shocked because we did not have any saurabh in our class n I was the only one who had 3 roses dat day :-)..WOW!! is it me dat she likes, but later I did ask her abt this n dere was actually some saurabh who wasn’t me…The year got over, I had never spoken to bubbles throughout and I regretted it more than anything…well no one even got to know abt my crush on her… I got admission in fergusson for junior college n left my school… She was still in school… One of my neighbors, one day went to her n said –‘mandar is in fergusson’…she was shocked that some girl came up from nowhere n spoke something which she had not expected… I got to know of the incident thru a friend n reached school to clear the issue as it wasn’t me who had asked her to tell her so…I said sorry on the girls behalf n she said – ‘its k mandar, noprobs!!!’…well now u know the secret behind mandarnoprobs@yahoo.co.in and mandarnoprobs@gmail.com …I loved the way she said it n I had just got mad for her…

one day dinesh , surinder n a few ex-classmates of mine, who were in 10^th with us, came to my house to talk to me…we spoke for about half an hour and the content majorly revolved around – ‘nair loves u, she will be getting transferred wid her family (her dad is in the army) in a week, wat do u have to say to her…week isn’t long enuf n she will be very happy if u cud be her bf for a week’…I was already on the moon by the thot of getting to talk to her…n dese guys were talking of having her as gf…I said yes, not in first shot thou, thoda nautanki kiya but finally I did say yes….happy I was.. same scene was enacted in front of her as well, don’t know wat my friends told her but it was definitely on the same lines – mandar likes u n blah blah blah…she said yes too….yiipppeeee!!!! I got her no some way, gathered guts to call her up…I dunno wat we spoke, but it was just awesome…’My first ever gf and we r quite fond of each other’…but whatever my frenz had said was all lie, don’t remember the purpose rite now but I was thankful to them..allz well dat ends well :-)..for a month we spoke at length on phone n trust me I had never enjoyed so much talking to anyone...I used to go to school to see her…she always sat in d window seat , I used to see her for a min n get back to my college…we never officially dated each other n finally she along with her family shifted to dehradhun…dat was all…

honestly speaking we were never gf-bf, we were just the best of frenz…we shared almost all d nicest things of life but we weren’t completely open to each other…there were still a few things which were missing between the two…we somehow managed to come to a conclusion, we aint committed, we r just good frenz…

we dint contact each other after that…she came back to pune for her graduation after 2 years, got my cell no thru a common friend and we were back in touch… ahhaa!!! The two yrs break dint seem to change our relationship etal but we had matured wid time n quite open as well…now we could talk on any bullshit topic without any probs…she became my best pal and we spoke for hours n hours on anything…all our bad-habits, crushes, tps,  were known to each other… Finally wen she was going back after her grads to her hometown we decided to meet up…

My first proper date with SN…we met at d McDonalds on J M Road, had some timepass food n as we were about to make a move to some proper place I realized I’ve lost my bike keys…wowstupid gu!! I had to walk around JM with her…we sat at the garden for a long long time very much like the best frenz of dil chahta hai… it got dark n she had to leave, she left with a promise that she will get back to me…I was upset I messed up my first date…

2 days later we met again, same place, McDs…this time I had d keys safe wid me…I took her out on ma bike to a hill away from the city, trust me it wasn’t a trek, I took her to a height on ma bike…around 20kms away from the city n a real quiet place…n trust me no one goes there..noone means no1….we were under d beautiful moonlit sky, industrial lights in front of us, not even a bird to disturb….the scene was beautiful, I cudnt have asked for a better evening…we chatted chatted n chatted…around 9 we came back to the city…I dropped bubbles at her hostel…n dat day is the last time I saw her…baad mein mam went to Kolkata for MBA n m not ready to leave my pune…but we still r d best of frenz n still in good touch…shez d first one to know all ma secrets, she knows wid whom m flirting, to wat extent, who I love n etc etc…

                We r frenz for 8 years now but we have so much of understanding n such a mature relationship that we are yet to fight or get angry or upset…sounds boring but nopes we aint boring, wen we talk therez hardly any dull moment, we keep laughing all time n make fun of each other…I don’t miss her ever coz shez always around me, caring, loving, honest, sincere, charming, intelligent n sweet...

                I have not yet met a better girl than bubbles in ma life…most understanding chic…

I share wid her a few things that I don’t share wid ne1 else in this world…shez more than my love to me…If ever I have a gf, m sure I cant love her more than bubbles… Shez my bestest bestest bestest friend…M very very lucky to have her…m sure she will get d best guy in this world but will never ever stop loving me :-)..

Love you sweetheart,

Keep laughing always…

Mmmmmuuuummmmmmmaaaaahhhh

 

Billu Bhayankar!!!

Priyadarshan Sir, Hats off to you.
As wonderful a movie as Indians would get to see in a long long time. A fantastic, powerful and a sensitive script leading the way backed by fabulous performances from Irfan and Lara makes Billu. Well this movie carries the ever so lasting essence of friendship. I am not sure how well billu will fare on the box-office. More so because of the fact that friendship has not much worth these days as people prefer to watch love stories but it will certainly win some hearts because of its script. The fact that the movie does not showcase the urban lifestyle which people find more comfortable and more realistic might have some impact. HUUHH!!!
Script of the movie is an instant hit, deserves nothing less than a 4 star. Director Priyadarshan is far too experienced and captures a village life perfectly. The movie does not look dull at any moment and all the time it keeps you at the edge of the seat, making u feel now is the time that Billu meets Sahir, ok now…olrite now they have to!!! …but instead of them meeting, the actual story of the two comes up and the moment to savour for a long long time. Shahrukh reiterates the fact that there is no superstar bigger than the brand himself. Shahrukhs power lies in his dialogue delivery and his melodramatic scenes. Akshay Kumar-Mithun could not make the audiences cry inspite of playing son-father in a similar backdrop but Shahrukh Khan made it without having a single scene with Irfan. Well he can make anyone cry at ease. From Darr to KKHH to DTPH to Billu, he has proved again and again he holds the nerves of every Indian.
Songs are good, and anyways Bollywood music sells at any cost. Deepika-ShahRukh song is the highlight though. Superb choreography, add to it Deepikas gorgeous curvaceous body, a peppy tune and the song is a hit . Khudaya Khair is a melodious track, which forms the core of the music and movie. Other songs are honestly not upto the mark including Marjaani and Bhayankar song (which is actually Bhayankar).
The story resembles a lot to the Krishna-Sudama story with a few changes. Instead of Sudama going to Krishna, it’s the successful companion who gets reminded of his ex-schoolmate. A lot of feel is also added to the story, and with Shahrukh narrating the story, it becomes mandatory to visualise the friendship of Irfan-Shahrukh. It was a risk to not show the two as childhood friends and leave it all on the dialogues of Shahrukh and Irfans helplessness act. They pull this one off. With Irfan, Bollywood has an actor, who can make an impact without romancing beautiful ladies and shooting at exotic locations.
Billu is a lesson for todays world where brothers are fighting, politicos change parties like underwears, some want an only MUSLIM world, some want an only HINDU country and some want an only MARATHI state. Well inspite of being a Hindu during the course of the movie I never realise that Shahrukh and Irfan are Muslims, the director is from South, actress is probably Hindu and the people around me are mostly Marathis as am watching it in a Maharashtrian city.
Billu is a winner... Go watch it!!!

Condemn Mumbai Blasts

This is a hypothetical talk between a "teacher" and a "student". Here 
the teacher is a man who has taught how to create terror and a student 
is a young terrorist waiting for an order to execute some "great" 
plans.

After passing out from the training camp his master tells him that you 
will be "on bench" for sometime and then we will send you to the most 
safe place to create terror.

It is none other than India!!

The "student" got amused and wonders why his master said that India is 
"most safe" place to create terror. He then gave the following 
reasons.

India is a place where we have some locals working for us. India has 
tradition of welcoming the "guests". These "guests" can be some 
unsocial elements in the country and many of these "guests" are our 
sleeping modules which we infiltrated through porous borders on 
Bangladesh, Nepal and LOC. Hence we do not need to worry about 
logistics. And it is even much safe for our sleeper cells as they have 
"got Voter Id" cards issued by Government of India. A rough estimate 
says that today the number of illegal Bangladeshi migrants in the 
financial capital is more than the number of Bengalis from West 
Bengal. The political parties in that country are so involved in their 
vested interests that they never take steps against "our men". Even if 
they do there are some small parties which ensure that it does not 
happen. We don't have any religion but political parties in that 
country make the "terror activities a religious or communal" issue. 
This ultimately ensures our safety.

Indian Intelligence Agency is a collection of few "very active" and 
oaf people who wouldn't know we're going to hit them even if we sent 
them an invitation to come and "see the fireworks." Moreover, even if 
"sometimes" they get some inputs, there is so much complication in the 
set up that before they can act on any inputs we would have already 
struck. The state will say it didn't got any inputs or rejected it 
thinking it was "routine input" while center will say that it has 
given the "warning" beforehand. Even if you walk on the street with AK 
47, their cops will not be able to face you. Reason: They are "so well 
equipped with weapons" which were last used in the World War-I.

The chief of the state or the country are busy planning and 
strategizing many vote issues. If they don't get any issue, they "lay" 
their political planks on the bodies of their own people. The blame 
game is so "entertaining" that after every attack we enjoy it on 
television. Their government is bunch of jokers who have demoralized 
their defense forces and bureaucrats. They hold the "world record" for 
ineptitude. Do you want to hear what they would say after you will 
strike in that country? Yes, said the "student" and he heard India's 
ministers "most inspiring" speeches and "great condemnation" after 
attack on a tape recorder. They burst into laughter and the master 
continues.

India is a huge country with some of "good" leaders and "least 
corrupt" people. You can easily smuggle tons of explosives and they 
will never ever come to know till you have used them. The leaders are 
not happy with their own country-men and are creating rifts in the 
society. In a way they are also working for us but good thing about 
them is "they are not on our pay roll", chuckled the master.

As long as they will continue to make their nation weak internally we 
can attack them without the second thought.

They have failed to deal with internal problems such as Naxalites, 
Maoists, ULFA, etc and we are also using them as well. They have just 
fear of loosing their votes and the citizens of the nation must be 
laughed at. Though we have always targeted them, never did they have 
stepped for their "so called rights" or raised their voices out of 
some "in built fear". They call them helpless but I call them even 
more "cruel" and "insensitive" than we are, said master with smirk on 
his face. Their people are so "educated" and yet they have played in 
hands of their "politicians" by indulging over caste, creed, colour 
and religion. These people actually don't have unity and no common 
cause to stand for and hence are so advantageous to us. 
"Unfortunately" , we have to kill them. Sometimes I really felt that we 
need not to "instill fear" in the Indian psyche. They are so busy with 
their life that they forget the gravest attacks on them in 15 days and 
wait "for us to strike again." India is in total mess.

All these "qualities" have made India "hot spot" to "test" our latest 
arms and ammunitions and be "recognized" world wide. And the biggest 
joke is that this country wants to be superpower in next decade. I 
mean, what can be more ridiculous than a country that can't even 
ensure security for its people having these dreams of glory?

So my "student" where will you like to "appear for test": Jaipur, 
Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Delhi, Lucknow, Bangalore, Mumbai or some new 
place?

Lifes Philosophy from some anonymous i liked it thou

A professor stood before his Philosophy class and had some items in front of him. 
When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. 

He then asked the students if the jar was full. 

They agreed that it was. 

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. 

He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. 

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. 

They agreed it was. 

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. 

Of course, the sand filled up everything else. 

He asked once more if the jar was full. 

The students responded with a unanimous "yes." 

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. 

The students laughed. 

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. 

"The golf balls are the important things - your God, family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions - things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. 

"The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. 

"The sand is everything else--the small stuff. 

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. 

"The same goes for life. 
"If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. 

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. 

Play with your children. 

"Take time to get medical checkups. 

"Take your partner out to dinner. 

"Play another 18. 

"There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. 

"Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. 

"Set your priorities. 

"The rest is just sand." 

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. 

The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. 

"It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a cup of coffee with a friend."