Planning and failing

If you fail to plan, plan to fail.

I don't know who said this, but this quote has made a lot of sense to me, since the time I first heard it from my ex-boss. The quote is deceptively simple and yet packs a lot of wisdom in a few words.

Here are some not-so-random thoughts on planning:

• A plan is somewhat like a map. It tells you where you're going and if you're off track. It makes a great deal of sense to have a plan.


• However, planning is not something that most people do very well, especially in the software industry. I've found that asking someone for a plan is like asking them to have their teeth pulled. They resist (and so do I sometimes) and will do it only when push comes to shove.


• Planning may be considered by some as time wasted as well, especially when you've got to start showing results. As in, I don't have the time to plan.


• Some people don't know how to plan their work.


• I can't recall one class during my education that's taught planning. Or estimating for that matter. Maybe that explains the relationship most people have to planning.


• I planned to say a few more things but they slipped my mind.

PS: Sometimes it's okay to do unplanned tasks, like write a blog.

The Interpreter

Okay, so I've been a little behind on the times. I saw The Interpreter a couple of weeks ago and I actually liked it. It was a tense, interesting kind of movie and I kinda got pulled into it. Nicole Kidman was pretty awesome as a tense, interpreter. (Yes, I know I used the word tense twice thrice in the last couple of sentences).

The story? Nicole Kidman's an interpreter at the UN and she overhears a conversation to assassinate the President of an African country (that she's originally from), who's scheduled to give a speech at the UN. Sean Penn is the Secret Service guy who's on foreign dignitary detail and gets the case. He's dealing with a loss, Nicole Kidman's character is dealing with her past, and you get drawn into the story.

I can't put my finger on why I liked the movie. I know I was a bit disturbed by it, because it made me think about violence and genocide in Africa, things we normally don't want to think about I guess.