The Blog

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Work life balance

  • Week 7
  • Sat Sep 13 2025
  • travel

Enti ra?

Year of linux

Every now and then, for the last 5 years, I hear or read someone on the internet say that this year is going to be of linux. It almost sounds like an epic, how the open source warriors will topple over the evil big tech oligarchs and world peace will be restored. Windows will be used by complete degenerates and anarchists. Apple will be banished to Ghana and forced to use electronics from the dumping ground they helped create, so that they can finally keep their promise of recycling. It sounds comforting, but so far the only thing linux has done is give me more mental breakdowns every year.

Few days ago I removed the battery from my laptop so that I could clean this old piece of plastic. I didn’t even think how that could be a problem. It’s just a battery. It’s just a battery. What could go wrong. Right? DON’T REMOVE THE BATTERY. Linux has refused to display anything to the secondary output. Yeah sure man the two are completely related to one another. I don’t even know what combination of hardware and software configuration has led to this. I have gone through every display guide and read all the documentation there is to read with no luck. I have lost the count of number of times I edited some config, restarted my laptop praying to Linus Torvalds and Terry Davis, telling myself that this edit will fix it surely, only to see a black screen.

At this point just hand me an open sourced gun so that I can shoot myself in the head and free myself of this agony.

Trip to Hyderabad

I decided to go visit Guchi on a whim last Thursday. I don’t know why do this but I had been meaning to go to Hyderabad and see him for a while. I also felt that this might be a good time as any since I have nothing to do on weekends anymore and why should I plan for something for the next weekend that can be easily done now without any planning. I left the next evening. I reached the bus stop which was barely a bus stop. Just a bench next to a temple. A kind stranger offered me a seat on the bench. We spoke for a long time. My bus was late. It was fun to hear his stories and tell him mine. I never thought I’ll enjoy sitting next to a very busy road and waiting, but it was nice doing nothing and just looking at people come and go. Observing the shops around me and thinking where all these people are coming from or going to.

Being in Hyderabad was like being in college but with a lot more money. Guchi picked me up 6 in the morning on his bike. Brother was so excited that he was going to hit something (Free of linux at last) but he brought me home safe. We spent the day walking around aimlessly because of most of the things were closed on that day. I spent the day mostly complaining about the terrible state of another metro city. I wished to see the Tree House in NTR Gardens however, which was kinda granted. I saw it from the outside since the garden was also closed.

2/2 times I visited NTR and could not see the tree house

Between all this there was the usual stuff. The college. Calling each other names. Deciding what to do doing the complete opposite. Talking about our taste in women for the 500th time and plenty more that I can’t recall. Guchi also showed me his spot.

The Spot

We also visited Charminar the next day. I enjoyed walking around Charminar the most. I think I really enjoy busy places, to explore not to live in. Looking at people shop for little things and haggling, The call of auto drivers for destinations I don’t want to go to. The smell of kebab and incense sticks and the small shops selling things I have never seen in my life all within twenty meters. It feels nice, the place has a soul, and just beyond this chaos there were alleyways completely empty. So silent it was hard to believe that I was struggling to find my way and dodging the crowd of tourists less than a minute ago. It reminded me of the time I walked around in Delhi 6 with Guchi few years ago.

Hustle n Bustle

Empty streets around Charminar

The walk back from Charminar

Workday IKEA

I roped in AK-47 to “work from home” with me at IKEA. I was in no mood to go to work but being home is just torture because of all the construction noise. Very good working spot. I was way more productive than my normal days and honestly I would have just slept all day had I actually worked from home. We (my friends and I) also bleached AK-47’s hair that night.

Posing with neovim to look 10x at IKEA

Song Segment

Misc

I decided to find some pictures from the time I wandered in Chandani Chowk (Delhi 6) with Guchi and friends and realized they are live photos, so I am sharing the small videos from the live photos instead.

Getting paan somewhere in Chandani Chowk

Patch Notes

Changed the font
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