1. You have  a  farm of your own(who cares even if it’s virtual)
Okay kiddo,we know that you won the race from 25 million other chromosomes to grab that egg and made it to see the light of the day.But that didn’t guarantee you being  born with a silver spoon in mouth(I mean being born neither in the house of the big fat indian politician nor to a zameenwallah landlord).
But thanks to internet,(http://www.facebook.com/FarmVille) you can have a farm of your own !And yes u can toil hard (obviously while clocking ur 9 hrs. in office) and grow all types of crops,livestock on it.Isn’t it amazing?

2.  The 24 hr. “Breaking news channels”

Get all the news you always wanted to extend those tea breaks at your office -
“Yeh hari hari cheez kya hai?” 

GOD  has taken birth in 21st century.
Aliens sucking our cows, save them!! (Aliens sucked away the video from youtube also)
And biggest of all , the now (in)famous Large Hadron Collider fiasco of India TV. Amit Varma also has something to say about it here : http://indiauncut.com/iublog/article/the-end-of-the-world/

3. Smoking is no more injurious to health
Bid goodbye to all those crappy talks, trying to convince you to kick your butt.Latest pic by govt. on  cigarette pack has removed all myths about its bad effects.

                                                                                            
This is the logo which is shown on cigarette pack. And what I really thought when I first saw this pic:

1. Since smoking is so good for your health, the mullahas have forced all burqa clad beauties to take it once per hour.And thats what two burqa clad beauties are doing here in this pic.

2.Since, cigarettes sells much more than anything else,our relly efficient Intelligence dept. has put the secretly taken pics of suspect on the packet of fag.Now, anybody can spot them easily.Really??

But one of my friend told me that they meant to show a pair of lungs , consumed by the smoke.What a pervet idiot,always misinterpret the things.

4. Emotional atyachar-
Bard said that “The course of true love never did run smooth.Love is a devil”.
So, while love is always devil, just to confirm if yours is not an exception, call the agents of “Emotional Atyachar” .

Guarantee, our forefathers never had this luxury.

5. Eating chocolate without guilt
We (I mean all those size 0 obsessed gals ) have a really good reason to eat chocolate

And all credit goes to the mystic AXE deodrant and it’s yummy chocoloate man.

6.Fair and handsome -

All those brown/black bastards or those yellow  mongrels who were living in deep depression since time immortial , finally have a reason to be happy.
Afterall it’s the reason behind the fair skin of SRK himself!

6. The torrent age
Hardcore buff of Movie/Songs/Series. But equally cash stripped to purchase any thing of it legally(or if your iman doesn’t allows to do so).
Don’t worry, you filthy downloaders, internet  and it’s vast resources at your rescue. Mine favourite : here,here ,here……..

7. No nasty incurable diseses will ever kill you
Because for sure, before some disease cath you and you die miserly,you would have either be:

#Killed by a terroist who jumped from a parachute with a “Your neighbour rocks”  tagged rocket launcher.Or,

# You would have believed a fireman and jumped frm the seventh floor of a burning building. (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/9-die-in-Bangalore-highrise-fire/articleshow/5609314.cms)

9.Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar
All those who saw that double bonanza spinning frm his bat would definitely attain Nirvana and their souls rest in heaven.
And for the rest ……….

10. The family
It’s the right time to be on earth , under the sun because otherwise u would have missed ur dear family and frns.
So, yippie, your timing is just perfect.

Switch directly means that it is time to study and open those books which have been abandoned ages before. Taking out time to study and prepare is not very easy as we usually drop that habit some here on the way and with job there is little time shortage also(yes that’s how our mind thinks and u know we might have time to catch that new movie or to check out that superb Upto 51% off sale:P ) That’s okay if you think like this no worries you are part of most.

So here by I am putting some of my observations( I have had few chances to see how the world looks like from the other side of table ) out of my own experiences and some of the inputs from my friends.

I would like to mention that this content is  mainly around the Java Background Interviews but some of the resources are generic and can be used at multiple places.

So here is a recommended war plan:

1) Core Java

This is first and foremost area that should be brushed up.

Most Important slices:  Collections,Threads and concurrent collections, Exceptions, Inheritance and Serialization.

These are the topics which usually form the core and if you are good at them consider half the battle won .

Once you are comfortable with these then next Strings, I/O,Regular expression can be covered.

2) The Bifurcation

Now comes the fork , there are basically two types of companies depending on which type of company you are aiming at the preparation approach should be customized.

2.1) Type 1 :

These companies judge mainly on the skills of first Core java and then Data structure. You might have to face some DS and non DS coding problems and come up with their solutions and their optimized solutions.
These companies check your cerebrum not only for computer science fundas but also analytical skills by posing challenging puzzle problems . Biggies( like Google)  will go for newer and really weird puzzles and they will rarely appear on the web because of NDA(Non Disclosure Agreement)  you are supposed to sign, but some companies a notch below them wont hesitate asking the standard puzzles which can be easily find on the web. So don get surprised if you see same puzzles again and again in diff companies. This much should be good enough if you are around 2-3 years of experience, but if you are more than that there are some more snags for you. You might have to face few of the design implementation problem which requires thorough understanding of design patterns. You might have to draw the class diagrams, write use cases or sequence diagrams for a given functionally. All in all ur design and coding skills need to be A-OK even if you don know the latest frilly- fancy stuff.

Summarizing the topics

• Core Java
• Data Structures
• Programming/Coding Problems
• Puzzles
• Design patterns

2.2) Type 2:

Now comes the second type of companies, quite same as first ur Core Java needs to be deep and strong and then you also know the  whole surrounding package. Good Knowledge of JSP, Servlets , bits and pieces of EJB are required. You are expected to know one frame work at least the most famous ones are Spring (Super high in demand !!), Struts etc. Other than this you should be aware of any ORM tool (Hibernate and ibatis are most popular ones) .

These type of interviews usually don have data structures but can have traces of programming problems( usually easy ones) and puzzles.

Design patterns are very much required here also, but even if you are not able to solve the actual problem but do understand and can explain the need and use of pattern, should be good enough.

Summarizing the topics

• Core Java
• J2EE – JSP , Servlets, EJB
• Frameworks – Spring, Struts.
• ORM Tool – Hibernate
• Coding Problems
• Puzzles

Note: Type 1 companies are usually product based and Type 2 are Service based, but the content asked can vary depending upon the actual requirements and nature of job.

3) The Extras

Then there are some extras which can be asked depending upon the specific need.

• SOAP/XML
• WebServices
• Version Control Tools
• Build and Release Tools

These topics are not usually asked in detail unless you are appearing for a specific need, so even knowing the basics is fine.

4) The Domain

Domain is usually probed in product based companies, domain knowledge is even more important if you are appearing in the company same domain as urs.

5) The Last Project

Last but not the least your last project holds lot of importance, complete functionality of the project(don forget to read your Design docs), your roles and responsibilities, functionalists implemented independently would usually form a major chunk of the interview.

Here by are some excellent resources which will come handy while preparation:-

Resources

1) Core Java

I have seen that people while preparing for Java they prefer Java Certification books, the problem with the same is that coverage of the book is customized as per the needs of the Certification, which may not be applicable for interviews.

I find Sun Java documentation sufficing, the best part is extensive coverage, then up to date content and its Free  http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/index.html

Now comes the turn of a legend, One of finest book available in market about best programming practices is

Effective Java by Joshua Bloch

http://java.sun.com/docs/books/effective/index.html

I recommend the book because of its excellent content and superb depth, just go for it.

Other good books which might not be exactly for interviews, but definitely a good read are

Java Puzzlers by by Joshua Bloch, Neal Gafter

Better, Faster, Lighter Java by Justin Gehtland, Bruce A. Tate

2) Data Structures

I would suggest to first comprehend the basic concepts of DS ( as we dont use them regularly) and then steadily move towards actual problems .

One of the excellent resource to understand what and why of DS is

http://cslibrary.stanford.edu/

and now the actual resource

http://careercup.com/

I would like to add that this web site has perfect mix of questions , impeccably classified. You can get questions company wise Yahoo,Amazon, topic wise like Link list questions, Algorithms and Job title wise.

Also you can enroll for new questions of the day and u will get the questions directly in your mail box.

3) Coding Problems

3.1) http://careercup.com/ is the again the answer. The posted questions on this web site actually are a good mix of DS, non DS  problems.

3.2 ) http://www.premski.com/page_gen.php?puzzles is another good web site. Questions are little easier than careercup.com but good medley of various genre.

4) Puzzles

http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/people/leino/puzzles.html

http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~wwu/riddles/intro.shtml

5) Design Patterns

One of the issue that people usually face with Design pattern is How many are Enough , I suggest that first of all be completely comfortable with the ones you have used urself, then pick up few popular ones from diff categories.

Here are some of the crowd-pleasing ones

Creational Patterns

1) Factory

2) Abstract Factory

3) Builder

4) Singleton( This one is so simple and so popular !!)

Structural Patterns

1) Decorater

2) Adapter

3) Flyweight

Behavioral Patterns

1) Visitor

2) Template

3) Chain of responsibility

4) Observer

5) Strategy

Note: This list is completely out of my experiences and valuable inputs of friends.

Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_pattern_%28computer_science%29

Book:

Head first Design Patterns - by Kathy Sierra , O’Reilly Publication.

6) J2EE

Head First JSP and Servlets - By Kathy Sierra , Bert Bates , O’Reilly Publication.

Head first EJB – By Kathy Sierra , Bert Bates , O’Reilly Publication.

7) ORM Tools and Frameworks

Hibernate -  Professional Hibernate By Eric Pugh, Joseph D. Gradecki

Spring - Spring in Action by Craig Walls and Ryan Breidenbach

Other useful  resources which provides one stop solution are:

http://www.techinterviews.com

http://www.acetheinterview.com

http://placementsindia.blogspot.com

http://placementpapers.net

Useful Blogs:

http://steve-yegge.blogspot.com/2008/03/get-that-job-at-google.html

Complete courses

MIT

http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Electrical-Engineering-and-Computer-Science/index.htm

IIT Mumbai

http://www.nptel.iitm.ac.in/courses.php?branch=Comp

These complete courses are really useful if you are looking beyond interviews and want to good grip on the subjects.

Finally, I would liked to footnote that mentioned resources are the ones which I came across and find them valuable. I am sure there would be plenty of other good resources available so amigos if you are aware of any of them  don forget to share with the us.

Let me know if the content is useful and or if any other details are required.

Wishing You all the Best , May Lady luck smiles upon You.

Love

P

As i enter the main street from one of the gali ,  i look almost hypnotized, looking at the jootis shud i buy this will go so so well with my salwar , shoulder bags oh my God look at the color this blue one is the one for my blue kurta, dress materials no-no these are better in delhi but never mind I should have some from Bangalore also, Ice cream noooo no remaining quota of calories for today . Huh my mind suddenly starts to do multi – thinking (comes from the family of multi processing and multi threading),  i can buy this and use it with that or what i can do is buy that and use it with this … thats a better idea yeh !!

Now I enter the main lane , feeling like an iron block and shops are the magnets pulling me  from all sides. Which side shud I go,okay where is Rocia I saw there is FLAT 50 % off on sandals.   I  feel shopping is strange phenomenon if u like some thing u suddenly have explanation of its need. But why do u need sandals, no-no I need heels, u knw priya is getting married and  I have to wear saree , saree HAS TO go with heels okay okay and what abt the ones at home WHAT  that shade matches nowhere to my saree,  oh is it ?  …. okayy fine Lets go to Rocia.  Head right … woops what is that …  NEW BAG SHOP …. where was I when they opened it.. let’s have a look …. okay I will just have A look no time wastage …. wow this shop has amazing bags.. I am drooling …. u have already bought 2 new bag one for Priya’s marriage and one for Office what else do u want for … hmm .. hmm  I will keep it for u knw some future use like  can use some times(when my dress is of same color) at office ….  shut up and get out.  Oh that feels better as if i was able to survive a deluge of attacks.

. Okay here it is Rocia … FLAT 50 % off wow let’s get in …. so many sandals but what is that why there are lying like some tornado as just pass by …. and these sales man if things are on sale they act as ” service available in Fresh stock  only ” Okay let’s get outta here I don like any thing here,its  rubbish.

Now what  where shud I head oh I am hungry ….. okay there is a Aanand sweets out there but what will I eat how abt Bhel wdt potatoes and sweet chutney(wow  -100 calories ) yes I want that .. let’s go .

Aah….look at sweet badam milk, old memories of it are still lingering on my tongue … no no it must be more than 400 calories don dare look at that .. OKAY .

There comes my bhel, wooh it tastes like medicine , thats what u need to get wafer thin. Okay lets just stand near that table , wow this has good view of bags and bangles .

Hmm … hmm … okay finished ….. now what I am still hungry no believe me u r not it’s just ur mind playing tricks , wait for 20 minutes u will feel full as thats the time tummy takes to signal brain u know *&*^&* magazine said that .. huh damn it why do I read so many magazines.

okay now what .. ya i remember wanted to check out some earrings obviously matching with my saree … u remember right  its my friend marriage okay there is Mahavira mall very cool for artificial jewelery, lets start with first shop  get in ……  what the )**(&**&^*  …..  I don like any earrings. hey wow look at those bangles …. but u don need these…. shut up …. i read u need to sometimes pamper ur self   *&*^&* magazine said that. Bhaiya kharab to nahi hoga na nahi to hum le aayenge apke pas, and naya le jayenge… haan bhehenji kabhi mana kiya hai apko. thik hai de do. kinna hua … yeh lo wow what a relief .

Okay that’s it i am tired … no not so early … see those saree shops and earrings shops … nope i am tired.

Huh okay let’s get back to kine …. oh look at that my kine is so tanned and filthy , parking bhaiya is still there  showing his squeezing skills … oh it’s already 7 , time flies on commercial street.

Finally I am Back on Kine, my fav song plugged on, and VRooooooooooooooooom , I am on my way back.

That’s how my commercial street journey ended buying a pair of bangles(which I didnt needed) and eating Diet Bhel and yes updating my data base for new entries

But I am sure I would come back again … and would have new stories to say on the very same very my street.

Love,

P