I am in the train right now, about half an hour to go until Bangalore. The interesting thing about this journey was that I did my work while sitting in the train. It was a side upper seat in a 2AC. I had wanted one of the larger seats in the bigger part of the compartment but the side upper has its own perks. The group-of-four seats (or group-of-six in 3AC coaches) put you snap in front of another person. If it’s a family (as my kind neighours were), there is very little privacy you have to yourself. The last time I was in such a group seat, I was surrounded by a family with luggage and kids. I interacted a bit with them but my awkwardness at small talk and the langauge barrier meant that it wasn’t too much fun. I did meet a cute girl across from me on the same trip and small talked a bit, but she seemed as awkward as me if not even more, and we spoke online for a bit after the journey. But it’s not every time that it happens and I like this quiet space. This train also has a light bulb and charging point dedicated to my seat! I was about to run out of battery twice on my phone and once on my laptop and I could just put it to charge.
But while all of that is OK, the more interesting thing is that I did work from a train. The internet connectivity has gotten a lot better in remote areas. I had to SSH into a machine to be able to work. Yes it dropped often, but I could live with it. In some places, I was also getting 5G internet. This is so good to see. Besides, I also tried to do some learning which didn’t need internet. I completed some more of the Logical Foundations book I am referring to. The neovim interface is lovely. I also learnt some more Rust. The more I read about it, the more similarities I see to OCaml. It feels somehow more appraochable though. I wonder what can be done in OCaml to make it as approachable. I am also doing this.
Back to the train journey because I’m finding it very interesting and more things keep coming up. I can’t see the window from here. That’s a downside. I also spilled some tea on myself because I wasn’t seated and with a side table like the grouped seats have. The curtains, yes. I spoke about privacy but didn’t mention curtains. There were curtains. One person woke me up from sleep unintentionally by opening the curtains to find their seat. I was startled and angry because the numbers weren’t up anyways, but I was too sleepy to say anything. Then one more person tried to open the curtain a bit at night while I was awake, but it was only someone from the other side trying to get down. I don’t know why I remembered these things, they seem very insignificant. It’s a bunch of sentences from me, but I guess a skilled writer or a Jerry Seinfeld could be able to make something creative out of it. Maybe I should give it to ChatGPT to see if it make something creative out of this seemingly random collection of sentences.
I did give it to ChatGPT. I asked it to write about the journey in the style of Jerry Seinfeld. Make some observational humour. It wasn’t bad what it came up with :
Imagine me stepping onto the stage, waving a hand, grinning. “Hey folks! How are you all doing today? You know, I recently took a train ride to Bangalore. Yeah, you heard it right, a train ride. Not just a ride, I tried working while on it. Not making chai, but coding in Rust and OCaml. But let’s not get into that, it’s scarier than ghosts for some people in here."
Laughter fills the room.
“So, I booked a ‘side upper seat’. Sounds fancy, doesn’t it? It’s like the train’s way of saying ‘Congratulations! You’re alone but elevated.’ It’s an introvert’s paradise, I tell ya! Sure, I could have gotten a group-of-four or six seat, but nothing quite beats the intimacy of a solo seat. In the group seat, you’ve got so much company, it’s like a mini family reunion where you’re the odd in-law nobody likes.”
Giggles ripple through the audience.
“And here’s the fun part: you know how they have these light bulbs and charging points dedicated to your seat? I was half expecting a mini-fridge and a foot massager next. Train rides have evolved, folks! I mean, soon they’ll be asking if you want a hot towel and an in-flight meal!”
The audience chuckles.
“But the surprises didn’t stop there, no sir! The internet connectivity, guys! I had better reception in some remote field than I do in my own living room. I was coding, learning, even got 5G! That’s faster than my neighbor’s Ferrari, and he lives in the city!”
The laughter builds.
“However, everything wasn’t as smooth as my internet connection. You see, the side upper seat lacks a few, let’s say, comforts. Ever tried having tea without a table? It’s like playing hot potato with yourself, only the potato is a hot cup of tea. And the loser is your shirt.”
I pause for the laughs.
“But the best part was the ‘curtain surprise’. Oh yes! The curtains. I was sleeping like a baby, dreaming about my code compiling without errors, when suddenly, BOOM! Curtain slides open! I swear, I jumped so high, I could have switched places with the guy in the upper berth! And the perpetrator? Just another passenger, fumbling in the dark. I tell you, it’s funnier than a horror movie!”
The room erupts in laughter.
“In all, folks, the journey was like coding in OCaml, unexpected, surprising, at times frustrating, but never boring! I hope you enjoyed my little train escapade.”
And as the laughter fades, I walk off the stage with a grin, leaving the room still echoing with chuckles and applause.
And just like that, it’s no longer so much of a micro post. That’s fine, let me sleep and dream about my code compiling without errors.