And it happened that...
However good or bad life is treating one, there are always interesting observations to make along the way. Like...

• How important it is to have a sense of humour. Not the variety that is a fair-weather friend that disappears at the slightest thunder, but the one that sticks on in a Force-10 gale. My team has had a rough time for the last three weeks and it has been quite trying for all. Especially, when at 10 pm in the hungry and sleepy night, someone finds a bug that needs to be fixed right away that will keep us all for another couple of hours. Everyone probably realizes it could've happened to them, but they all have a decent sense of humour that keeps them going. Without it, we'd have been goners. To avoid inviting the evil eye on this, let me mention Chasm-é-Buddoor" and put a kaala full stop after this.
  .
• Or how I went to Crosswords today (to look at R.K.Narayan's biography) and ran into this guy promoting Mastermind India 2002 of all things. He waved a card with a couple of questions which also asked "Are You a Mastermind?". Assuming he did ask in reference to the show, I couldn't resist telling him that I was one already. He seemed suitably pleased and so was I when I found that little blot-on-the-record didn't prevent me from filling the card in to be eligible for a book voucher prize. When you're dealt these little cards, you swoop in.
• Or like how on Diwali morning, channel surfing saw some V-J (More like Y-J, that's Why Jockey) say to her viewers (of which I was now a temporary addition):
  "And wish all you guys a happy Dipaa-wali... er ... happy Dipaali... er... whatever!"
  Hopefully, all had a happy whatever as wished by *that* whatever.
  Much to my delight, we didn't have any urgent issues to resolve, so till tomorrow, I have it placid.