Nirmal Jayasinghe

(photo via wikipedia)

This photo of central park simply is great. It’s on my work desktop, and thought i’d adorn here with it ;)

This Sunday morning was plain boring, so I decided it called a familiarization sortie from Luke AFB to prime up. I expected to go up on 28R as part of a familiar four-ship F-16 formation (of which I’ve waxed lyrical before) but then I met those two sexy and powerful F-15s lined up for takeoff. It was plain intuition to thrust the throttles to military from taxi and rotate in formation in their trail. The following is a brief photo-documentary:

It’s pure sky and thunder as we race down 28R with lungs seizing from acceleration, and then mutter ‘jeez’ as the base angles at a rushed 20-degree-plus rotation to trail the F-15 into the wild blue yonder.

To keep formation, climb is at max. reheat, and as they level, roll right over your back and level behind them. They’ve already gained good ground. The guys at McDonnell knew their business…

Once I catch up, still the power at (my) military, things look like this:

As always, it’s a bit outta place to keep up with an Eagle in a Falcon: you almost always need nearly 100% outta your P&W. The Eagle is built for speed and power and is ultimate air superiority, something beyond the politics that started out on ‘multirole versatility’ which basically in other words is being unable to buy Eagles in required numbers. USAF officers were reputed to ask “Why VWs when you’ve Cadillacs?” but that was what ultimately happened. The F-16s a fine airplane, but to me never exuded the same supremacy as the ‘15.

I looked kinda like this, all rushed up and in full burner after losing ground in an unexpected turn with the ’15s, and was hurrying to catch up. Perhaps hugging the shame to look down on my APG-68 multi-mode to locate them as well..

While doing that, I noticed some unfamiliar buildings on desert floor which I guess I’ve seen about once before, and turned to take a look. This was shot as I pulled up in quite a haste after a high-speed dive. They seem to be some curious storage buildings set up there in the middle of nowhere by the developers. Later I STRAFEd some…

Finally, I hear that unmistakable ‘bingo’ in my headset, and it’s time to turn to go home with the throttle really low. I’m starving by now, and look forward to sampling mom’s excellent chicken biriyani for lunch of which the irresistible smell is already wafting around the flightdeck.

Messenger 9 sporting Graffiti theme

Can’t believe I’m writing a testimonial for Y! Messenger, but it’s true and worth a mention. Around last Thursday I got Y! M’s 9.0.0.922 Beta version, and it just fitted in. I was stuck with the production 8.1 rubbish. It was bulky and resource intensive and crash-prone. But this is more like GT. Sleek, lurks under and works.

I started off with Y! 8.1 the days I came in, but there were problems with it and I got GAIM. It was cool but then again had file transfer probs and compatibility probs with other engineers who were all Y!. Then there was this one friend I wanted on my list who wouldn’t budge an inch from Microsoft Network, and those buddies were invisible in GAIM. I had MSNM for sometime actually but it was quickly replaced by GT. So I had to somehow endure with 8.1 for Y! and Microsoft Network, til last week. Glad the Purple Brigade engineers from Sunnyvale came up with something this qool. Ode Messenger 9!

(reflections from last time)

Yesterday has been campus reunion 2008. My first since graduation. And probably may be my last atleast for quite a bit of time time, perhaps a time that might be enough to miss on the beat of everything. That aside, yesterday was awesome and better than, come to think of it, the couple of reunions I attended last. Pretty bad it got held in March madness and D couldn’t make it.

As usual I arrived way early although by my own standards I was late, and had to checkout on others. Also as usual booze was in unofficial abundance, and everyone was like ‘havin’ a half/quarter’ in their backpack :) Music was kinda OK for an amateur outdoor event, but could’ve done with a bit more balance, really felt it. The Mr event was already over when I landed, but didn’t regret. I can imagine the scarce audience :). In the Ms event they gave it away for the wrong contestant; guess that’s what you can always expect from a panel of pure academics, all D’s and P’s. Anyway it used to be dead boring til everybody showed up.

It rained, and I stumbled upon our gang in a steaming entrance foyer. Almost all were there except D and V. We couldn’t really ‘get out’ cause the suburban showers that intermittently broke down, but about an hour later we made it, swayed around a bit, and then got hungry and went for a munch. The ‘dog’ was worth every penny as N and I concluded. We topped it up with some collective kottus and drinks. I couldn’t remember whether I asked mum to leave dinner and was glad to gulp something. N was in the other end: had ordered dinner at home but was wondering how to eat it now :). He was happily clicking away with Laks’ Cybershot. I can’t wait for the self-proclaimed “shameless pics from others’ cameras” to emerge in daylight.

Things wound down after about 2230, and we sat down and tried to regain some strength. Some of the people had classes right away this morning and I dunno how they managed it- I woke up past 0830 today, and that was given I had lost some sleep during the last few weeks and I had work. TDR trio had the cars brought in and I guess everybody had something to hop in. DoS picked us up as usual. But now I wish I didn’t have him to, cause in the middle of it he had to witness that one thing I’d need him to see last; and he filled up mom. Oh well..

For me, reunion is ain’t about dressing up, ain’t about music, ain’t about booze or dates or anything. It’s just about catching up. That’s almost about what I miss from good old undergrad school, and that’s what keeps me coming back. Thanks for being there boys. And send out those pics.