CONTEMPLATIONS

The Power Of Positive Thinking

2011-03-19T22:49:00.003+03:00

In this fast paced world, where do we stand? Each of us have our own lives, our own journeys to make and in our journeys we might find ourselves struggling to crack a homework problem, making a weekend trip with friends, spending quality time with family or just having a quiet supper after a day’s toil. In this endless reel called life we create a thousand thoughts every day but when do we ever pause to think what we are thinking?
Surveys show that a person on an average creates around 30,000 thoughts in one day. Thoughts come to us so spontaneously in such an uncontrolled manner that we never realize when one fades and another arises. Hence, in the hustle bustle of our everyday life, we forget to pay attention to our thoughts and fail to realize what ‘kind’ of thoughts is created in our minds.
Thoughts, as defined by Raj Yoga Meditation, are of four different categories, namely positive, negative, necessary and waste. Positive thoughts include happiness, love, peace, hope, mercy. negative thoughts are mostly anger, stress, egoism, criticism. Necessary thoughts are related to work, family, career, routine and waste thoughts are the most prevalent and include those of past, future, brooding, worrying. If you pay little heed to your mind, you will know what type of thoughts are being created in your mind. This reminds me of a very nice quote,
‘Eliminate the negative, Accentuate the positive, Act immediately on the necessary and Clean up the waste.’

A very interesting research carried out by Dr. Carolina Leaf, a communication pathologist from Johannesburg, South Africa, says, ‘Every negative thought degenerates the cells of our body and every positive thought regenerates the cells of our body.’ The research showed that fear, all on its own, triggers more than 1,400 known physical and chemical responses and activates more than 30 different hormones. Consequently, toxic waste generated by toxic thoughts causes the following illnesses like diabetes, cancer, asthma, skin problems and allergies to name just a few. Now, you can imagine how much negative thinking a person must do to develop cancer! The study gives us a very subtle message that we can be the healers of our own body by creating the right type of thoughts.
A question that often arises in our minds is how to remain positive all the time. The answer is to take control of the thoughts. It seems to be very simple but is not especially because we are so used to our thoughts flowing that we do not really know when to add a full stop. How many of us believe that we are what we think? This simple but accurate statement indicates that what we say, what we do, and what we feel – all have their origin in the mind. Once we start realizing this, we start watching ourselves and hence try to modify our thoughts to make them positive. We will gradually develop a positive attitude and a positive outlook towards everything around us. However, one area where we tend to fail is with negative and critical thoughts such as anger, worry and pessimism. Such situations are our testing times. So, if we try to keep ourselves calm and cool on the face of the situation and try to look at it positively, we are actually helping the situation heal and also ourselves by not creating negative and waste thoughts.
As we know the ever so powerful SOS signal used as a distress signal, we can actually adopt it in our everyday lives when there are chances of conflict, distress, discomfort. The only difference being, we slightly modify it to expand as:
S- Stand back i.e. step back from the situation
O- Observe i.e. study the situation carefully
S- Steer i.e. take the right course of action

By doing so, we are not sending distress signals to another party but communicating with ourselves. Here in we first try to withdraw ourselves from the situation so that nothing influences our thinking, then observe and analyze the situation carefully and finally take the right decision. In this way, we come to a better understanding of ourselves as well as others without really giving away the power to control to anybody or anything else. So, is this not as effective as the Save Our Souls signal used to save people?

As we start thinking positive, we start becoming positive and begin to see more positive in the ordinary. We will then be able to make clearer and more definitive decisions. So, detach a little, become centered within yourself and then nothing and no one will be able to shake you.

-Beautiful Mind

Weblink: http://www.thebatt.com/opinion/the-power-of-positive-thinking-1.2011384

Green Energy May Be Closer Than We Thought

2011-02-28T07:24:00.002+03:00

The sun shines, wind blows, tides hit the shore and now our eyes have opened to a new today and a better future. Innovations in renewable energy have began to rapidly advance. With the latest global events like the recession and the Copenhagen Summit, the focus on renewable energy in the world has increased exponentially. May it be global warming; choking air pollution, fossil fuel addiction, high utility bills or creating job opportunities, the world is now speaking about a single common solution to save the planet - GO GREEN! Novel ideas like solar roadways, solar islands, solar powered cell phone towers, fuel cell based waste water treatment plants, electric vehicles, HVDC wind power transmission are exploring newer areas where conventional fossil fuels could be replaced by clean energy.

According to a new study, coauthored by Stanford researcher Mark Z. Jacobson, the world can be powered by alternative energy using today's existing technology in 20-40 years. The research provides interesting and thought provoking results and gives us a new direction to start thinking. Today, the main factors prohibiting the use of unconventional energy in the conventional manner are its cost and variable nature. The research proposes ‘bundling up renewable energy sources’ in order to meet the ‘base load’ energy, the minimum amount of energy that must be available to customers at any given hour of the day. As we know, solar and wind are complementary as wind often peaks at night and sunlight peaks during the day. Using hydroelectric power to fill in the gaps allows demand to be precisely met by supply in most cases. Other renewable sources such as geothermal and tidal power can also be used to supplement wind and solar power.

The study found that to meet the world’s energy demand with wind, water and solar resources, the footprint needed is about 0.4 percent of the world's land (mostly solar footprint) and the spacing between installations is another 0.6 percent of the world's land (mostly wind-turbine spacing). Jacobson said, "The actual footprint required by wind turbines to power half the world's energy is less than the area of Manhattan."

Looking at Texas, it is a well known fact that Texas is number one in installed wind capacity touching 8,800 MW by the end of 2008. However, Texas lags far behind when it comes to solar energy. Interestingly, the State Energy Conservation Office (SECO) of Texas evaluates, ‘The energy from sunshine falling on a single acre of land in West Texas is capable of producing the energy equivalent of 800 barrels of oil each year.’ Why is Texas nowhere close to California when it comes to solar even though we have the highest solar resource in the US? Most wind farms in Texas are located in the south west and surprisingly, solar footprints are concentrated in the very same area. Why not integrate the two and use land more wisely?

With the winds of change and an aroused interest in pursuing Renewable Energy in the state of Texas, Texas A&M University is steering research into different renewable energy technologies. Whether it be integration of renewable energy to the grid or achieving cost parity of solar power, TAMU is working in every facet of renewable energy.

The ground is set, resources are at our disposal, now all that remains is our contribution. With an interest and new ideas to contribute we are surely not far from making a difference. New ideas when explored and realized can find better solutions to existing problems. Renewable energy is still in its adolescence compared to conventional energy. It is ideas, innovations and implementation that will take this technology from adolescence into maturity and finally make clean energy a dominating force.

- Beautiful Mind

Weblink: http://www.thebatt.com/opinion/green-energy-may-be-closer-than-we-thought-1.1978209

Back in life !

2011-02-28T07:11:00.002+03:00

Heyy there !!

I have woken up to the world of blogging once again and I hope to be regular now. I am pursuing Masters in Power Electronics in Texas A&M University. Amidst classes and research and cooking, I am devoting time to write a column, 'Opinions' for the college newspaper'Battalion'.

I will be posting some of my published articles in my space and please do not forget to leave a comment.

Thank you
Beautiful Mind

Rescued finally...

2009-07-26T00:40:00.010+03:00

I'll stop vowing to post often because it never seems to work with me.

My last Saturday here.. in my small messy room overlooking the big garden of someone very big.
And next Saturday, I'll be back to where I belong.

3 months back, I came here... and today I stand transformed in a way I never expected or imagined. And in this sojourn, I met a beautiful friend, an understanding roommate and a person to look up to for advice. Tias. She is from Indonesia. Doing her second Masters in Political Science.

Right from the day I arrived, I have found a familiar something in a totally unfamiliar face. And she has taught me much more than she herself realizes. Teaching me basic things like cleaning the apartment to something much subtle like expanding my views about what MAY be possible that my constricted mind does not allow me to think, we grew a strong bond. Her urge to know about India amazes me! Till now we have covered discussions ranging from the dhaba outside our college to Tata moving out of Singur, over the small kitchen table. And what has awed me beyond anything is her inclination to learn how to use the pressure cooker to cook khichdi. Any now, I can proudly say that I have successfully taught her the recipe of khichdi and she can pick up the right dal from the Asian shop and make khichdi with the right proportion of water, rice, dal! And what worries me now is that I’ve been too much of an Indian influence on her. And now her eating habits stand transformed. Pancakes (Indian parathas) and sabzi cooked in oriental style and not to miss dal has become her daily menu leaving no space for her once beloved tuna fish, tofu and curdbean cake. LOL

Last Thursday, we decided to celebrate my birthday, our friendship and my last week in Kassel together. I was looking forward to it for a very long time. And in all the excitement and our desire to stay out for long, something had to go wrong! Unknowingly, she left her key in the keyhole while I closed the door. And both of us stood outside and realized!! It’s Germany, where security is beyond words. Once out, you have no means to open the door. Even though you might have a key in your hand but a key hanging from the other end traps you. Handicapped! And all the fun that we had planned stood crippled.

Yet, realizing the foreseen and the unforeseen miseries to be incurred before we entered our ‘Home, sweet home’, we decided to still enjoy the evening and contact the Studentenwerk office for help the next morning and spend the night at her friend’s place. I agreed.

And we set out.. under the partly clouded sky with a sunshine smile. And sooner or later, we completely forgot about what had happened or rather what was to happen the next morning and enjoyed walking in the streets of Kassel having ice cream before dinner, clicking picture, taking wrong trams.. we arrived at a small European restaurant for dinner where we sat until we were the last ones to leave. And at 11pm, homeless in Kassel with keys right down my jeans pocket, our beautiful evening came to an end and we took refuge at her friend’s place.

The next morning began with a struggle, RAIN! Being adapted to the uncertain European climate, we went back home. We tried opening the door with a plastic card as her friend had taught us the night before but in vain. We went to the Studentenwerk office and waited for it to open but were denied help. Finally, being left with no option, we called up a private service to open the door. Price? 70 euros . Speechless! We had to solve it on our own now. We went back again. This time, we asked the neighbour with the big garden for a ladder. Tias, had made up her mind, she would climb up and get in through the open window. But how was a question? Thankfully, our kind neighbour had a long ladder. And there.. our plan neatly worked out. Tias boldly climbed up to the 2^nd floor and slid in through the window.. And we were rescued!!!

An experience I call it and Tias, the star :)

Lin- The Savior !

2009-06-09T20:05:00.006+03:00

Nothing has ever troubled me more than my laptop! Very recently, when my laptop is out of the warranty period, and I'm away in a new new world where I know not about HP repair centres, my lappy, very artfully choosing the right moment, decides to trouble me! And that too in the most irritating way you can think of.. it shuts down every 20 mins!!!

I was thoroughly alarmed when I saw this happen a couple of times. On further investigation, I realised that it was getting very heated and every time it reached its maximum temperature limit, it started hibernating. But what alarmed me was how could the temperature shoot up so quickly. Hence, finally realising that the CPU fan was to blame for all my worries, I decided to buy a cooling fan for the laptop.

Meanwhile, my laptop created quite a scene at ISET (place im interning). Everyone seemed quite perturbed with my lappy's condition. Finally, Lin suggested the idea of using a table fan to cool it down. Well, i must agree that it did work until today. Today, my lappy went out of control...became so stubborn that it would shut down in 10 mins... Thats it, I already started imagining what was about to happen.. CRASH !!!! End of documents, gmail, skype...end of communication!!!

......not yet done imagining......

After quite a while, I got transported back to reality ! And I saw 2 or 3 people inspecting my lappy. Finally, they came to the conclusion that they'll inspect it with a thermal camera!!!! I was like WHAT??? Then Henrich seeming to be deep lost in analysis explained that he could take thermal pictures and then we would know the temperature of the processor and what to do next. I just nodded. Deep within, I was thinking, 'Maaaaaan, my lappy needs immediate cure, it cant wait for your hifi technological analysis!!!!!'

Finally, Lin stepped into the sitution and said, 'Poor, I think its very simple. For all you know, the CPU fan might have a layer of dust over it.' It did make sense to me but I wasnt ready to believe that the problem could be this SIMPLE. But decided to listen to Lin. Lin took me to the secretary and got the vacuum cleaner from the store room. He cautiously, vacuum cleaned it. And he was right. There was a whole layer of dust over it!

Finally, I turn on my lappy and it survives... without table fan.. without noise... ! And it is 5 hours now, and is still surviving.

Lin says, 'Poor, I give you a year's guarantee on that'.
I smile and reply, 'Lin, the savior!'

... Fullstop

2009-06-08T21:33:00.002+03:00

There she goes- Sixpence none the richer
Random blogging, finally stopped at: A walk in the clouds
'Where two dot ellipses are the norm'
daylight still..
surviving a headache
tired of facebook, gtalk.. seek no more
want to put an end to thoughts..
i retire

Stadtfest Kassel !

2009-06-04T21:33:00.010+03:00

Kassel, a small city guarded by hills is where i dwell. Its no big city like Frankfurt or Hamburg but still has something about itself. Its calm , submissive, homely aura is what I love the most. But last weekend my very own Kassel stood transformed! The annual cult festival, popularly known as Stadtfest Kassel was celebrated last week and Kassel didnt look like Kassel anymore! It had a magical glamour about itself and I was left awed!

Deciding to be a part of Stadtfest with an Indian look, I got all enthu to wear a kurta and a shawl. And there!!! I go out on the streets and all eyes on me!!! I was awed again !! For a moment I thought i dressed up like a clown seeing the hard stares! With some courage I decided to go ahead till the city centre where I was supposed to meet my 'Kgp Losers' :P LOL (Pradeep and Mayank are my Kgp Losers.. They've been friends ever since I landed in this unknown land and we've been together for the most part and I've had a terrible time with them and they love irritating me and pulling my leg.. hence, Losers! Not literary ofcourse! They are IIT products! Still I dont care :P) Finally, they confirmed that there was nothing wrong with my appearance, only that I looked very Indian! Well, now thats a fact to be proud of so I stopped worrying.

The fest covered a large area and was hosted in 4 different places. There
were mainly German, English, Arabic, Red Indians bands. We had a
great time strolling in the streets, stopping to listen to instrumental pieces or songs, some familiar and some in wholly different languages.

At times tired of walking, we would sit down in front of the huge Rathaus (meeting hall) and observe the changing mood of the city! It was lovely.

Also, along the streets, there were stalls of everything you would want to shop! We looked around.. I wanted to buy earrings for my roommates but then I felt awkward in a guys company. LOL But it sooo turned out that these guys seemed more interested in picking earrings for my roommates! I was awed again! But this time it was a very mischievous awe! lol I had fun pulling their leg for a change! And not to forget.. beer shops and food stalls of all types filled the streets. We tried some of the most unknown stuff there having no clue of how they would taste!

A long evening filled with fun, awe and mischief ended my day. And the next morning, while travelling in the tram on my to ISET, I saw the empty streets and felt the old shyness of Kassel. And I finally realized that I was back from a magical world!

To live with an anomaly

2009-05-21T22:20:00.005+03:00

Guess what time it is???
7:45 pm !

Now living with the reality that sun sets at 9:30 pm is such a misery! Believe me, I feel it steals away the darkness of the night or the beauty of the evening twilight from you. Whenever you wish to quiet down and be left alone, you see the sun happily smiling at you and you feel so discovered. And it is a very disturbing feeling!

And how can I not mention.. I go to cook in the kitchen at 8 pm and see the kitchen flooded with light and greeting me. First day, I assumed I was cooking lunch!!! But as time passes and you come back late after a loaded day and hope to have a quiet supper, you dont quite get what you want!

May be this is the only thing Im left to adjust to in this new country!

HIiii !!!

2009-05-16T23:17:00.004+03:00

I'm back again after a long long long break! It has been almost a year I suppose. And a year's span has seen a lot of events... some very good and some not so good. Third year has been the most hectic year so far leaving no time to sit back and relax! Oh god! I feel weird writing after so long! Im just not getting the flow.. but Ill try :)

Yaa so after a year full of events filled with fun, adventure, uncertainty, responsibility, disappointment etc etc I reached a point where the semester ended before my eyes and I was left crying! Ooppss I shouldnt have made this confession here.. but since it has come out I dont wish to erase. Crying because my dearest seniors were leaving. Through the 3 years I got very close to a few of them and shall truly miss not having them around! One very special group Ill miss is my Writers' Circle.. I loved all my seniors though they had all the fun pulling my leg, imitating me, making nicks, teasing me with possibly anyone under the sun (including Dr Loren Acton) LOL.. but how can I disagree I had my fun throughout being the centre of attention :P
Ohh I just hope that any of them is not reading it!

Okk.. after all the emotional stress, I end up here in Germany! Its been a week now that I have been here.. and I truly love it! My research guide says, "A small small girl in a big big world" Lol i guess Im the youngest at my workplace. And all I can say is that its beautiful here!

I think Germany deserves lots and lots of posts!
Now that i have time and content.. I vow to post more often :)

Guten Tag
Poornima
lol.. Im called Poor here :(

FOOD FOR THE MIND!

2008-10-25T20:24:00.006+03:00

One of the nicest things about telling the truth is that you don't have to remember what you said.

If you have happiness you have everything, and if you don't have happiness, you have nothing.

When you think of yesterday without regret and tomorrow without fear, you are near contentment.

A bitter tongue makes life bitter; a sweet tongue makes life better.

Be nice to people on the way up, because you will meet them on your way down.

The happiness you give makes you happier than the happiness you receive.

Instead of being afraid in a delicate situation, learn a lesson from it and make yourself strong.

Talking comes by nature, silence by wisdom.

Singur Moods- Politics beats Industry!

2008-10-06T10:38:00.003+03:00

Yesterday, the last attempt to reach an affable solution between the CPM and the Tatas' failed. Why? The opposition parties.

It saddens me to think that in a country of immense talent and resources, politics holds redoubtable power to an extent that it hinders economic growth. That too more pronounced in states like West Bengal and Kerala.

I am a Bengali who has never really stayed in Kolkata. I had never been a part of the real Kolkata like its bandhs or Durga puja to even comment on it. Hence, I’ve never felt for my motherland. Coming to think of it, I do feel uncomfortable. But there is nothing i can do about it.

But today I’m surprised to discover an emotion that I’ve been completely unfamiliar with. This Singur episode with its final blow of the Tatas waving good bye to WB and resolving to move away to a more prosperous location has somehow distressed me. I somehow, out of the blue, feel bonded to Kolkata. I somehow feel at a huge loss by the turn of events. It must not really affect ME, a person who lives far far away to even feel its aftermath. And more so because i always thought that i don’t really fit in the picture of this state. I am obviously happy about the fact that the innovative project of the Nano car isn’t abandoned. I’m glad about the fact that it will be implemented in my very own country but in a more peaceful and cooperative location. What pains me is that it is NOT West Bengal anymore.

I don’t really understand what the opposition achieves by doing this... is it a show of power or is it really aimed at relieving the farmers? Whatever this game of politics is aimed at, what really matters is that in the end of the day only common man is affected.

The development of Singur comes tumbling down, dreams of myriads of educated unemployed get shattered, the dream of moving an agricultural economy towards industrialisation remains incomplete and the worst of all, this one episode serves as an indication of stagnation of economy due to repulsion of investors from entering the state. And needless to say, political unrest will see new heights now!

Ratan Tata said, Bengal will see many such Nano projects taking shape in Bengal. But with such a display of turbulence and disorder will anyone even spare a look at Bengal?

Sudoku Blues

2008-07-13T16:22:00.001+03:00

It has always been a routine affair. Everyday morning, after breakfast, i would sit down with the Times Of India and solve the everyday Sudoku before reading the paper. Honestly speaking, I’m not really good at Sudoku but yes I am addicted to it. Hence I never fail to devote 10 long minutes breaking my head on the medium level Sudoku puzzle published in the City Times.

But yesterday, my ever notorious sister smacked my custom. Anyway, I knew such a blow was coming soon. Everyday, she would wake up late and open the paper to see the Sudoku already solved. And the expression on her face! Oh, I guess that made me feel more jubilant than solving the puzzle without mistakes. However triumphant I was, her looks insinuated that a crafty plan was fabricating under her skin. And poor me, I was left anticipating the day of revenge.

I knew it wasn’t far but i also didn’t know that it would be YESTERDAY. I miscalculated. Anyway, it was my usual morning but she woke up with me astonishingly. And at the breakfast table, she nearly gobbled her food. I was wondering what’s wrong. Stupid I, so much of a clue failed to alert me. And my unscrupulous sister, judging the right moment hopped out, washed and grabbed my precious precious paper. Seeing this, I too jumped out and without even washing my hands tried to snatch away the paper from her. Well, my sister is a very violent one. Sweet words and compromise is not in her dictionary. Hence, abandoning any alternative of a peaceful solution, I decided to fight. Well, it was a very aggressive fight. In the end, the paper was in two halves and smashed like a toilet roll, I couldn’t move my left hand and my sister was crying. My mother, still sitting at the table, totally bowled over, was too overtaken for words. But, the most disheartening thing was that my sister got the precious half. I lost. I decided not to speak to the little devil.

I sat right there like a snob while my sister sat down with the paper and a pen. And in less than 5 minutes, she left. Finally, summarizing that my sister probably gave up on the puzzle, I decided to take it. And there, the puzzle was neatly solved! Now I was shocked. That little devil that could only think evil and do evil, could solve a medium level puzzle in such less time! 8 minutes is the average time for a medium puzzle recorded my Web Sudoku. And I have always struggled to reach that mark. Overtaken by admiration, I patched up with her. Well, I’ll never forget the expression on her face. It was a mixture of awe, pain and thrill.

Today, it was different. We both sat down together with the Sudoku. My mom was surprised. Little devil has changed. The everyday custom has changed. But most of all I have changed. And I like it better now.

I coloured?

2008-06-25T00:15:00.006+03:00

The following is a poem by an African. It was nominated as the best poem of year 2005.

When I born, I black

When I grow up, I black

When I go in sun, I black

When I scared, I black

When I cold, I black

When I sick, I black

When I ill, I black

When I die, I still black

And you white fellow

When you born, you pink
When you grow, you white
When you go in sun, you red
When you scared, you yellow
When you cold, you blue
When you sick, you green
And when you die, you grey.

And you call me coloured? Who is it Now?

What is so striking in this poem? Surely, neither grammar nor language. Then WHAT makes it so hard-hitting is a question i ask...

Cant think of a heading

2008-06-17T20:17:00.005+03:00

Well... i really really cant think of a heading!!

So if you are expecting a quality post or anything close to it...i suggest, close this window. Because this post is going to be messy. Im just typing whatever's on my mind and thats a relieving act for me and a very dangerous one for the reader.

Well having cautioned you... even if you have started reading this entry then im sure after reading the pointlessness of the first para, you could have made a decision to go ahead reading or not.

Okay! so back to my pointless point, my mind is swarming with stuff to pen on and its all a big mess in my head, hence this post :D Im just not able to arrange all my thoughts to make perfect sense, so i decided to give up thinking and start typing... and that really feels a hell lot easier !

I went for a long evening walk today, after ages with a close friend whom i've met after ages and i feel ecstatic! Maybe its because we could get to talk after so long, about old friends, school, teachers, writing, college... or maybe its because i finally got to go out of home today and explore our little Awali! Well, we have gone for long walks before also and each time we explore the same Awali, there's something new about it... the roads, the park are all the same but time always does its little magic!

This time I had in my mind to read th Fountainhead and was pretty disappointed when i didnt find that book in the library. Then i went in search of The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari and that too was unavailable! i was majorly disappointed. And as usual i filled up a request form to get The Fountainhead as soon as possible. Nevertheless, the librarian told me that it will take atleast 2 months as it has to be booked oversees. I sighed! Went back to the shelves, and as i was browsing through the books, I found In Custody by Anita Desai. Well, i remember i had filled a form for In Custody last summer. And there it was... quite many had issued it. I felt elated! Brought it home and started reading and what a bore... I never feel tired of books but i dont know what happened with that particular book... i tried reading it 3 times but couldnt proceed. It was so slow! And i cant believe that i had placed an order for that book last year! But now im happy cause im happily settled with We, The Living by Ayn Rand. I've just started reading it and it is unputdownable! Hoping to write a review soon.

Talking of something really provoking...Orkut! You will laugh im sure. Recently, i ran into a few of my long lost friends' profiles. From there profiles i couldnt make out that they used to be my friends someday! I was thoroughly awed! I sometimes wonder what time does to us... A lapse of maybe 6 or 7years changes us so completely. Recently, when one of my long lost friends told me that she got commited 3 years ago...i could only stare! Her vivid memories flashed in my mind... she was just not the type! She used to be so nonchalant each time the mere topic of "Going out" used to come up. This got me thinking whether i have changed...whether my friends would say the same thing seeing my profile... But everyone feels that only he/she hasnt changed with time... maybe even i satisfy myself with the same explanation.

And my most recent adventure...COOKING... naaahh i think it deserves an entire post!!!

Maybe this entry was really messy and pointless but i console myself saying its fine to be pointless sometimes!
Maybe i should put a fullstop now!
signing off
Beautiful Mind

Lackadaisical Me !

2008-06-13T22:56:00.006+03:00

music, crosswords, In Custody, Orkut, photographs, blogging, comments, photoshop, timeless sleep, food, meditation, sister, news, day-dream...

wanderer, whimsical, eccentric, jobless, irritation, silent, pensive, preoccupied, sober, reflective, matter-of-fact, prosaic, mundane, wistful...

but not always :)

It all started with Youth Curry!

2008-06-10T23:51:00.005+03:00

Three months back in college, for my department's symposium, we had the popular JAM editor, Rashmi Bansal coming over as a guest speaker for infotainment. Amidst technical gyan, paper presentations, tech-quizes, robotics workshops and all other techy techy stuff, an hour on blogging by rashmi bansal sounded like a heavenly pleasure! For one, i was happy to treat my ears with something totally "non-tech" and two, i am a blog addict!
Well, i thought i was a blog addict and had the bloggers disease generally known as "blogmania" until this particular day. It was pretty disheartening by all means. After her interesting discourse, she wanted to see a few of our blogs. Many showed, she commented, questioned and was answered. I didnt intend to show mine... but thanks to the audience! Shouted Poori so loudly that i didnt have a choice but to walk up the dice and show her my fateful blog. My last post that time was, A thousand splendid suns.
"Book review is it", she asked
"Not a review, just a personal write-up.", i answered.
she scrolled a bit... i dont think she liked my blog.
Anyway, she went on, "3rd jan, 2008, your last update? you dont blog regularly?"
"I dont get time in college actually. I generally blog during holidays."
"Then what are you so busy with?", she asked with a teasing smile which almost conveyed, boyfriend, is it?
I almost wanted to blare out that it wasnt what she was thinking but one look at my HOD and i kept quite.
"College life, pretty hectic." thats all i could say.
"You know what, you dont have to blog, if you dont want to. Its totally your choice. But if you choose to blog, then you must update regularly."
I wanted to shout, "I love blogging... its just the time that i dont have and also internet!!!" But how could I with HOD sitting in the first row. So i silently walked down, but my mind was still revolting.
Till now, those words ring in my head and i feel as if someone is trying to push a dagger through my thought hub each time i recall THAT DAY. I feel helpless and hopeless! Such a thing happened today also. But today is different from other days. I had time today. So, i quitely sat down and looked through, Youth Curry (Rashmi's blog). Read articles, comments, and then the blogroll... went on and on... It was like an eye opener. I saw a variety of blogs by writers, analysts, economists, professionals and ametuers, students and elders... and a spectrum of topics so beautifully and effectively portrayed!
And finally i learnt my lesson, one thing that each of the bloggers had in common was that they updated pretty regularly. And then i realised how dumb i was to veil my discrepancies with a the most easy excuse called TIME. If all such bigshots with a high yielding career and a family life can find time to blog, then where do i stand? Oh my god!!! i dont even want to think about it.
Here are a few links to a few nice ones i visited today...

Youth Curry, http://youthcurry.blogspot.com/
The renegade of junk, http://curiousgawker.blogspot.com/
Domain Maximus, http://sidin.blogspot.com/
A time to reflect, http://www.indsight.org/blog/
and ofcourse... you can link and link and unravel a lot many purposeful insightful blogs.

Laws Of Success

2008-06-09T12:53:00.003+03:00

The greatest mistake - Giving up

The greatest crippler - Fear

The greatest handicap - Ego

The most potent force - Positive

The greatest thought - God

The greatest victory - Victory over the self

DELAYED!

2008-06-07T10:43:00.009+03:00

UL 201 Doha via Bahrain delay until 11:30 pm flashed on the screens. For a moment, my mind went blank. i looked at my watch, 3:30 pm... 8 hrs more, what will i do in this alien airport. I took time to recover from what i just saw... meanwhile there was a big commotion around, some enquiring, some regretting and some hopelessly appalled like me. A plethora of thoughts filled my mind and a paucity of advice made me feel so vulnerable. Finally, after i had quite recovered from the shock, i went to the information desk and found out that the delay was because of an operational problem and that Sri Lankan air would be providing dinner for all the passengers. I went to a booth and called my parents. They were shaken. I could feel how my parents tried not to sound worried before me. Its not like i hadnt traveled alone before... I had since a very small age but never did i face such problems. Moverover, there's unrest in Sri Lanka, there was a blast some time back... that multipied my parents anxiety and also mine though i tried not to think about it.
The lady at the counter asked, "What currency would you like to pay in ma'am?"
I asked whether they accepted rupees to which she said no. I finally agreed to pay in dollars.
"$4 ma'am", she said.
Another stare. My mind was rapidly calculating... just 4 mins, $4? 4*40= Rs 160! WHAT THE HELL !
"If im not mistaken, i just spoke for 4 mins, are you sure its 4 dollars?", i said.
She gave an understanding smile, "Yes ma'am, rates in airport are high."
That even i knew but i didnt know that the prices were quadrupled! anyway, i didnt argue.
I collected my token for food, roamed around a bit in the duty free and then finally settled down in a place where i saw a few co-passengers. I opened the Sunday's issue of The Hindu to solve the Sunday crosswords. I had just started doing crosswords in the daily Hindu papers and had found it tremendously interesting. But i had never tried the one on Sunday's issue so i thought carrying it for the flight would be a good idea. But it was not for i didnt have the dictionary nor the patience nor the mood and nor Jovie, who used to sit with me everyday in the mess table and help me with crosswords! What a waste! Still i tried for an hour... got just 2 answers... and finally getting bored, I gave up.
I think i felt hungry. It was just 5:30pm and dinner would be open only at 8:00 pm. Trying to find occupation, i got up, walked around until i spotted a food store. I picked up my favourite choco chip Hide and Seek biscuit and asked for the price.
"$2 ma'am", he said.
Another stare.
"WHAT?"
"I say, $2 ma'am."
Now i was pissed. I wasn't ready to take this anymore. I shouted at the poor fellow. I showed him the price tag which had the price in INR, converted it in dollars and then asked how was he justified to ask for 2 dollars! That guy was taken aback... he meekly said, "Ma'am its different in airports."
I gave him one rude stare and left... went back to my seat which i had abandoned some time back. But what to do... i was hungry... severely hungry... and was foolish enough not to keep any food in my hand lugguage. So finally defeated, i went back to that cold store and asked the guy whether there was anything for one dollar. He was very polite, showed me what all was available. I felt very bad. I shouldnt have lost my temper like that. After all its not his fault that the prices are unreasonably high. I picked up ginger biscuits, paid a dollar and went back.
After i had spent a generous amount of time having biscuits, walking around, discerning the environment around, people, their style and pondered enough, i was still left with 5 odd hrs!!! God!!! I never knew time ran so slow. I reluctantly opened my laptop, after 2 failed attempts to connect to the net, I gave up. I started reading an e-book. That was one thing i enjoyed doing in that alien airport where everything was so unreasonable! Didnt realise how time passed by until i saw the low battery warning. Damn. Now what! I reduced the brightness of the screen but soon it was time to close. For a moment i actually wished that there was wireless power to charge up laptops... but the idea seemed stupid. I quitely shut it down.
Now what to do? I was stupid enough to pack up The Midnight's Children in my main lugguage. Me the over prudent fool was scared of being in trouble if someone saw me reading the controversial Rushdie in the airport. SIGH!

PS:Those hours seemed to be the longest hours of my life.But as all unpleasant things come to an end... they upgraded me and a few others to Bussines class... i still couldnt find a suitable explanation for this altruistic act! I think i was just too shocked! I had too much for a day!
Finally being back home... all the discomfort, anxieties and the pleasures of bussines class were soon forgotten. All i felt was an eternal bliss to be back home :D

Adios
beautiful mind

THE FINAL ANALYSIS

2008-05-13T13:31:00.005+03:00

People are often unreasonable, self-centred: Forgive them anyway.
If you are honest, people may cheat you, but be honest anyway.
What you spend years to build, someone could destroy overnight. Build anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow. Do Good anyway.
You see, in the final analysis it is between you and God;
it never was between you and them anyway.

PS: Picked this up from my mom's letter today :)

A Thousand Splendid Suns

2008-01-06T20:47:00.000+03:00

Holidays over. One month and 7 days to be accurate. Quite a lavish holiday i should say... and now im back in college, peacefully typing out my thoughts.

Holidays passed by so swiftly, i can hardly believe they’re over. This was the first time i didnt feel like returning to college, to experience the adventures ahead leaving back a blissful home...

I didnt do anything much though i did only things i love to... ravenous eating, shameless sleeping, reckless rambling, mindless blogging, photoshoping, endless pondering and how can i miss reading. But this time there was a difference. I didnot tear upon the library reading every book in hand, instead i just read a few classics and they were impactful. You can already guess that from the title! Lolz I experienced a state of something , im sorry i really dont have words to express it, for the second time while reading The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, first time was when i read To Kill A Mocking Bird. And that something just made my day!!!

Im keen in photoshop also. I remember,i learnt it through the tutorial pages just a year back, whenever i would feel bored i would go to the lan and try out stuff in it. Devoted a nice amount of time to designing, so much that every advertisement board i would pass by on the streets, the hotel menucards, sale brochures, magazine covers, all somehow arrested my attention to look through the design dimension. I was surprised to realise myself staring at the design of a menucard and not really noticing the menu itself!!!

And in the midst of everything, all the tidbits of my ‘holiday life’ where blogging occupied the maximum time, i did an ipt. Thankfully, it was a bit different from what seniors had portrayed for i actually did something. And coming back to blogging, dont ask!!! I read through a hundred blogs, arbitly left comments where ever i felt like, people might already be thinking im a lunatic. One guy had written a very short and powerful ‘about me’ in his blog- Life is too short, and im on a Ferrari. I had agreed with it that time, but now something makes me feel, that ‘time’ is on a Ferrari, and that too a Ferrari whose engine never fails!

Every day at home had been a new day, a special day, a gifted day. However, my mind was divided into two... one part of me, though a small part, wanted to return and experience the thrill and adventures of college life and the other part didnt wish to leave the esctatic state of homely pleasures. Alas! Time passes, and now im in college already! Bound to the non stop, ever lively campus life, i wonder when shall i post again!!!

Adios
Beautiful Mind

And the camera flashed...

2007-12-28T15:53:00.000+03:00

I dunno what makes me write on this today. It happens to me quite often. Some faint symbols bring back old thoughts, thoughts about events which might not even bother anyone. But somehow, small incident just sticks to my mind and i keep thinking it over and over again.

Today as my dad drove through the busy streets of Manama, I heard the siren of an ambulance just behind our car. And that itself was enough to remind me of an incident i heard a long time back which had stolen my thoughts for quite a while.

Here, goes the incident as told by my friend about her father...

Like any other person, driving a car, he was held up by the traffic signal. The siren of an ambulance buzzing right behind his car. Being left with no other choice, he crossed the fatal yellow line to give way to the ambulance. And the camera flashed...
He didnt realise what happened until he was fined BD50 (INR 6,000)

Why???
The radar had caught his number plate for breaking rules. For crossing when the traffic signal was red.
And when it was his turn to explain the situation which led him to act like that, nobody listened. No proof. Therefore pointless.

This incident might seem too small, too insignificant but still somehow it provoked me to think.
How discouraging!
How unfair!
How ridiculous!
How hopeless!

Yes, hopeless... isnt it. When will technology learn to understand the cause and the effect? But again... should we blame technology for this? It had dutifully done what it was programmed to do. Then was it his fault to give way to a dying patient? No way. My conscience refuses. Then why such an immoral, unfair judgement for a genuine noble act is all I ask...

I havent found an answer still. Wrote this in search of an answer.

Beautiful mind

Why politics???

2007-12-28T00:36:00.000+03:00

"Benazir Bhutto assassinated", my mom read out from the laptop. Stunned, i shut The Kite Runner. My dad immediately switched on the news channel to know the details. For a moment, my mind drifted to an episode of The Rendezvous by Simi Grewal. I used to love watching it with my mom years back. Benazir Bhutto was the guest in that particular episode. I still remember the way she related her father's execution... And today, her death was carved along the very same lines. Interestingly, The Indian Express calls her The daughter of destiny.

I asked my dad, why did she ever get into politics? Didnt she see her own father get killed? She was Harvard educated, she could have definitely chosen a better life for herself. It was then my dad told, how many people could become leaders today? How many people took the responsibility to bring about a positive change by overlooking the risk factor? Very few take the challenge. And very few are rewarded.

And those words left me pondering.

Flashback # 2

2007-12-16T19:13:00.000+03:00

I guess its time to wield my pen to pen again... its been quite some time since i've posted anything. And i surely cant do myself justice if i dont record the memories of last sem which was the most significant sem so far, before the memories start fading...

Last sem started off with enough bossing around over my roomies for the very unforgivable fact that they being my roomies forgot to wish me on my b'day. A crime never to be forgotten or forgiven i enjoyed exemptions from making coffee or maggie or doing the dishes or even cleaning the room :p

Well, my new class, 2nd yr, eee, room no-3 in the CLC. First day i was awed to see the number... a class of 74!!! But thankfully due to Horizons, i came to know my class very well. I never realised my class had soooo much talent. And finally, in the midst of untimely practical exams and many other untimely events, my very dear class came out glorious in mano and grabbed the second overall position!!! How, dont ask... none of us expected... but there was "talent"!!! Im sorry if this is putting you off to sleep or if you think im boasting too much... but where else can i boast other than my very own blog!!!

Then came Festember, our cultural fest and along with it came Pirate Radio... True was the tagline of Festember- An epitome of joy, a swirl of creativity... swept us off our feet... hogging away to glory at dominoes, sipping cool blue to our heart's content, running around attending events and sitting all exhausted in the cad cam lab writing endless reports, taking pictures of the arts exhibition, attending workshops with friends, or even dancing to the tunes of O humdum suniyore with KK singing live on stage!!! Wowww those were the days... and before i could relish them with all my heart, they were over. Sigh!!!

The seoson of giving treats and getting treats never closes (thankfully) may it be in the dhaba outside the college gate or in meridian or even the very newly opened mc lawrance. And in the midst of everything, exams just come and go like an eternal reality. But thanks to the "Who cares???" attitude developed in college which helps one see through all these difficult times and never complain.

And there were those small instances which fail to grab our attention but somehow affects us... those long walks with friends, sharing the most insignificant detail with roommates and then making a big deal out of it, our mess boycotts, getting scolded my profs in labs, attending classes when all my friends were busy snoring in the hostle and poor me!!! I came a week late to college and thus my bunkscore counter started from 3 in each subject :( :(

I guess this has been my most unorganised post, but how can i help when all memories come rushing at the same time :)

signing off
Beautiful Mind

Sigh!!!

2007-12-09T18:01:00.001+03:00

Scene: 3rd day of Festember, at the PR desk

I was sitting at the pr desk, doing my usual slot. A big pile of Pirate Radio , issue 3, was lying neatly folded on the table. I was kind of disappointed seeing the huge pile lying there...

Meanwhile, a middle aged gentleman comes towards the stall asking me for all 3 PR issues... I was kinda surprised, someone actually showing interest in what we wrote and that too asking for not just one issue but all 3, that was a WOOWWW!!!! I cheerfully handed him the day 3 issue and told him we that we didn't have the day 1 and 2 issues at the moment. He looked a bit dejected and walked away.

I looked around a bit. Finally, I saw a few day 2 issues lying on a chair at some corner. I promptly picked up one and ran out, my eyes searching for the gentleman. Thankfully, i spotted him near a stall, went upto him and handed him saying, "Sorry sir, i couldn't get day 1's issue but here we have day 2." He smiled back, took it happily, and said, "Actually, im an alumni. I just wanted to keep them all with me." I just stood there. I didnt know what to say... I could clearly see in his eyes how much he wanted them and valued them. I quitely went back to the stall, lost in deep thought... how much we tried publicizing what we wrote, running behind people asking them to read when they were least bothered, leaving piles of issues outside the art exhibition, with the faint hope that someone or the other would pick it up and to the extent that i made sure everyone at the pr stall had a copy of PR... and there someone comes and asks me out of his interest and i failed to help!!!

I sat down at my place, my eyes discerning him...how well he blended with the rhapsodic crowd, though he didnt look even remotely close to the age group of the crowd!!! And why shouldn't he, isnt the spirit the same...!!!

Beautiful Mind

"To send scrap to all your friends at once CLICK HERE"

2007-12-04T12:09:00.000+03:00

Does this text look familiar to you???
Just open your orkut accounts for a moment, and check your scrapbook...atleast one of the ten scraps displayed will have the deadly blue bar saying, "To send scrap to all your friends at once CLICK HERE"

Im not a regular visitor of orkut. Only during holidays when i have nothing better to do... i resort to the pleasures of orkut. And these days, i dont know dating back to precisely when, these "deadly" blue bar messages seemed to have picked up amazing popularity. Not talking about my scrap book alone, I can't stand the sight of those, thus i keep deleting every such scrap... but even in others scrapbook, they are full of those.

Agreed, few are forwards, which can be still pardoned but scraps like-
XYZ: hi
"To send scrap to all your friends at once CLICK HERE"

or even worse... I couldn't believe there were those hopeless souls existing who sent scraps like-
ABC: happy birthday
"To send scrap to all your friends at once CLICK HERE"
Can you comprehend the heights of lunacy involved in such an act!!!

And now the latest buzz... you might be well aware of the "Diana, director of orkut..." message. Well im not commenting on those... its hopeless!!!

Imagine, just with the push of a button, you send a "hi" message to your entire friendlist... however huge it is. There might be one or two of those characters in your friends list whom you dont really know but simply added cause he or she is a friend of your friend's friend. And when the person receieves the scrap, he/ she will be actually wondering who the hell is this person???
Im writing on this today cause such a thing has actually happened with me and it is really very annoying!!!

But isnt it saving time??? Sending a "hi" message to all 250 of your contacts with just a click... is a pleasure that only modern technology can bestow on us. But by succumbing to the thriving technology... we are losing out on friends, feelings, in short life.

Lets keep technology at its place...
Let technology strive and lets help technology strive...
But lets not give up ourselves completely to it...
lets not trade on conscience!!!

PS: hope i didnt make it sound err so over serious :)

Is This Topic Crisis???

2007-11-28T14:17:00.000+03:00

Im pretty jobless today... you may go further reading but do it at your own risk :p

OMG!!! Its been six whole days since i've come home after an eventful, roller coaster like semester where i hardly remember giving myself a moment's time to sit back and ponder over what i was actually upto and now before my gray cells could process, im already sitting at home, fiddling with my computer and listening to my evergreen Bryan Adam's songs.

And now i cannot pardon myself for not posting atleast one article in all these days that i am at home. Specially, when i've cribbed how many times i really dont remember, in the entire semester, as to not have the time to post a proper article in my blog. And now when i have all the time to kill, I hardly seem to remember my blog. GODDD!!!! im feeling badd already, hence this post. Believe me, today i have absolutely nothing in my mind to write on... just want to be happy seeing an article posted on my blog :D

Believe me!!! just before starting to write this post, i have stared blankly at the screen to think of some little something that i could pen on... but no my mind seems to refuse to cooperate. Anyway, i can't go on feeling bad right, and now that the harsh truth of me suffering from topic crisis is already known to you... i shall prevent all attempts to mask my pathetic state right now!!!

But dearest reader please dont get mad at me for wasting your time, i shall definitely make up for this one by coming up with something a hell lot better next time...

Till then adios...
Beautiful Mind

PS: Im sorry, this post was a desperate attempt to post something... so pls forgive and forget :)

LOSING MY FESTIGINITY

2007-10-16T06:21:00.000+03:00

(This article is taken from "The Pirate Radio" , the college newsletter for Festember. It talks about Festember, our cultural festival.
Due to reasons enough, this article is my favourite one though humbly speaking i contributed only the last 5 lines to it)

I wake up. I brush. I eat. I sleep. Then i go home during Festember. I was just some arbit frustoo who went to Bamboos once a month and had five square parathas and a PBM. But everything changed this time. The darn train reservation wasn't confirment and i was stuck here, just me and the other frustoos without rail reservations. Ofcourse, we found a better way to describe our position. We thought we're really smarter ones since staying here was rebelling against the fickle minded flock that flew north every winter, autmn rather. So we called ourselves the pirates. We went to Chatram to get eye patches but they'd run out of them, so we grew our hair long enough to cover our eyes. We rented an air conditioned old vessel where we took an oath of secrecy through the ip messenger and called ourselves the Writers Circle/ Media Team. And so I lost my Festiginity.

So here it was, Festember '07. Now you'd imagine what mood has been associated with that statement. Do i sound excited? Or nonchalant? Well i haven't the faintest idea, partly because i read last year's newsletter brought out by the WC. That's what this society (read: evil brotherhood) does to you, it takes all the fun out of life. Reading artciles like wake me after Festember ends' don't exactly gear you up for the Fest you're supposed to remember. Frankly speaking, this Festember wasn't very different from the image portrayed by those who had the courage to brave it to the last time around. Definitely, a few events like Power Cut and ChoreoNite were worth watching, but a large portion of the crowd was rather interested in the food stalls. So was I. When i was not devouring the pizzas, i was locked up in Cad lad preparing reports and articles for pirate radio.

I gained a lot, mind you. Three days of fun, frolic, festivity and Iced Eskimos. And it was fulfilling. Am i getting obsessed with the F? But in its varied meanings and diverse views, the F met the K, not one mind you, but two. And that really enthralled the enraptured audience. Yup, the memories of Festember will remain ingrained in my mind forever, or atleast as long as the flavors of the Triple Bar Sundae and the Cool Blue of CCD do. As i look back down the road of drifting memories, conflicting emotions and suppressed nausea, the vivid images of my screaming, red and grey coloured hair, my white painted face, the voices of the radio- jockey- from -Bangaluru- who- assures- that- radio- is no- match- for- TV (which ofcourse is no match to print), the magic of the creative fire lit by the arts exhibition, the lits events which got our rusting grey cells working, our never- quenching thirst for more and more of DT numbers, stays on. Phew! And thus i move on experiencing over and over again the epitome of joy, entwined in a swirl of creativity... and waiting for the next fest to arrive...

By- The Triumphant Perv with an Ulti Khopdi who has a Beautiful Mind that spurts Lava.

"Pirate Radio" editors :)

SOMEWHERE IN NIT TRICHY...

2007-09-27T07:53:00.000+03:00

10:10 am… Seems like a moment students wait for to get out of the sleep inducing classes and run to either Bru or Snacky and grab a cup of coffee to revive themselves after the long monotonous never ending lectures. Meanwhile, the attendance at Bru or Snacky is something any prof would be more than glad to find in his own class but unfortunately it is a hypothetical situation.

Talking of “hypothetical situations” in class, is it one where a sir actually won’t induce you to sleep or you actually understand everything he tries to teach without even suffering from OHT (Over Head Transmission) for once or is it when the sir cancels the class and is generous enough to give full attendance???

Imagine if they served good coffee, pastries, gulab jamuns in the mess. Then what would happen to the swarming crowd in Bru or Snacky or even canteen? But as long as it is NITT, such a thing would never happen, because then how will the college do justice to Buhari, Classic foods??? Tactfully the mess food should be dreadfully bad or else no sales in snacky or canteen might lead to their disheartening close down.

My very mind wished to wander more, when suddenly a nudge from my friend brought me back to reality. Timely enough, I heard sir say in his same monotonous voice, “Roll no 39”. Promptly enough did I reply, “yes sir” as a sincere student and smiled at myself, only if he knew the world I was touring…

Beautiful Mind

WALK TWO MOONS

2007-09-21T04:34:00.001+03:00

“Don’t judge a person until you have walked two moons in his moccasins.”

In the moccasins of “The clock Tower”

Tick tick tick, I go day and night, ticking away in my own rhythm, right there, up so high on the tower. Aahhh!!! there’s something really grand about my position, a large number of people actually spraining their necks to look up to me isn’t a small deal.

Seasons come, seasons go, through the rains and summer I stand there, erect at my position, generously showing time to anyone and everyone. There are times I particularly remember when time seems to fly, (I’m not joking, I’m well aware of the system running within me).

Festember- a celebration of moods, an epitome of colours is one of those times when I too sneak in the opportunity to have a bit of thrill and excitement in my otherwise so monotonous life. Festember brings with itself a tide of enthusiasm, new faces and a fresh touch of sparkle to the campus. And somewhere in the midst of the joie de vivre of the students, I too find my own happiness- proudly showing time to new faces, seeing people loitering around all confused in the campus, love birds making their most in the food stalls, the barn indefatigably hosting events endlessly from dawn to dusk, the general “NITT” bovines finding their way through the herd of people walking around...

And there I stand up so high, silently discerning the whole spirit of Festember, trying to walk two moons in every student’s moccasins when my eyes catch hold of this very new face sketching an overview of the campus where I inevitably occupy the most esteemed position. That alone makes my day!!!

A Flashback

2007-08-17T21:49:00.000+03:00

A whole semester in college seemed to pass away in a wink... Can't imagine will be in second year next time i return to college. Time seems to be racing, and to keep up with it, we all seem to be racing against time!!!

Second semester in college was pretty eventful, filled with activities... never seemed to find time for studies until the week before exams. Many would raise a brow reading this statement knowing what big a nerd i am, but lemme be truthful, i hardly found time to study or to spend time in the library reading books.

Right from Jan, it started, one after the other, club activities, Pragyan, Nitfest, Section dhamaka... went on and on covering a span of 4 months. With each new "occasion", may it be Pragyan or Nitfest, would come a tide of excitement. It was fun to see seniors busy at work, students loitering around all confused in the campus, love birds whiling away time in the food stalls, and we first years making the most out of it. No classes, unlimited sleep, hanging out in the stalls in "jeans"... well jeans had to be in quotes since then it was a very big deal being in jeans... don't forget we were STILL under ragging and anything like jeans and top were simply unimaginable. One thing i got to agree, guest lectures were truly amazing covering a wide diversity of topics ranging from nanotechnology to Indian economics. I had my best time attending the lectures...:)

Then finally our good old seniors realised its time to free the first years from ragging (here lemme mention, this realisation came after eight months of college... but im thankful to god, ATLEAST they realised). All that ragging consisted was usual chaat sessions and doing seniors work. Here i ought to mention, i had a terrible time writing seniors records and assignments cause my handwriting GENUINELY sucks and my great seniors thought that i was acting a bit too smart by not writing their records properly. But they still don't know that i spent more time writing their record than i spend for mine just to make it look OKAY OKAY and unfortunately they were never happy. God!!!! now when i think of it, their threatening remarks once actually made me cry. Now i realise how dumb i was to cry on such matters like ragging and that too SENIORS... Back to the point, we went for our freshy cum farewell to Yercaud, a small hill station on Kerala -Tamil Nadu border... It was nice... something cooler than trichy is anyday welcome!!! But the best part was we got to know our seniors really well which we wouldn't have otherwise. Maybe now i realise how important they are...

God!!! Not even a week in home and all these college memories are already overflowing... maybe i should stop cause i don't wish to start missing college right from the day i arrive at home...

(original post May, 2007)

I miss the "..." :(

2007-08-17T21:28:00.000+03:00

"...", a three dot follow up, after almost every sentence had been such a part and parcel of whatever i write. It comes so spontaneously, so without thinking... see again i end up putting the three dots. It seems like a silence which can speak. A silence which speaks whats already in the writer's mind and the reader just knows it.

Recently in college, a senior who's really good at writing was reading one of my write-ups, overfilled with dots, as if most of it was was on the reader to comprehend. This great senior did a kind job of telling me that the three dot follow up isn't a good writing practice. Well, since then i've been trying my best not to use the dots but they seem to come up so often, so spontaneously, so reluctant to leave me... Each time after wriitng when i discover that again unknowingly i had filled it with dots, i would trail back, trying hard to replace every dot with a coma or a full stop or anything but whatever maybe the dots seem to look so perfect in its place, so unreplaceable! I have tried to do the same with this entry too but couldn't resist using it in two places. :(

I donno what made me write on this today...
again i use but console myself, "Its unreplacable" :p

Original Post: May, 2007

Phase 2: Life at NITT

2007-08-16T22:08:00.000+03:00

Leaving behind those school days…
Those days…

Carelessly spent with friends,
Sincerely studying like a perfect bookworm,
Always ready with a dozen of doubts to ask teacher,
Parents always there through every problem, every decision.

Now stepping into the college days…
These days…

First class happened to be math…a complete OHT
OHT: Over Head Transmission
An experience never experienced before,
And then accumulated some guts to stop sir outside class and ask doubts,
A perfect flop cause he wasn’t ready to come down to my level,
And I was too adamant to go up to his level,
Only solution: no more asking doubts to professors.

Took time to actually realize…
This is not school anymore,
Where we’ll have teachers ever ready to explain until the concept is completely drilled,
And that professors will never come down to our level,
Somehow we have to make the effort to reach their level,
No more of the “spoon-feeding business” of school works here,
Slogging out through “self studies” is the only funda that works in college.

College friends…
A topic by itself…
Someone had told me: college friends you will remember forever,
Don’t know how far it is true...
Have to pass out college first to judge the consistency of the statement.
Takes some effort initially to strike a cord with roommates…
But if everyone gets roommates like mine, then life becomes simpler.
Today nothing can we do without each other: The Trio
Even while entering the icy, a place strictly forbidden to first years,
We have to be together, our policy: Do masti together and get screwed together.
And ya there are friends you just happen to meet “by chance”
And will remember all your life.

Ohh Ragging…
How could I forget that
Even after finishing one semester in college,
Cant really decide whether we were ever ragged or “chaated” according to nitt dictionary,
For the first time happy to be a girl: no scores…
But ya seniors work is not to be spared
And their usual chaat sessions,
Used to get me thinking how jobless one should be to chaat ME:
ME… the most boring person in NITT.
Hats off to the seniors who actually have eyes
To spot you entering the icy, juicy or snacky
When you are 200% sure that not a soul will catch you entering.
But ya they are our great seniors
And we have to life with them for 3 years until we become seniors
But somehow… though seniors screw us for the most “arbit” reasons
They do help us in someway, somehow that I am yet to figure out.

Mess Food…
My apparent favourite cuisine
A perfect good bye to the yummy home made food
And a warm embrace to the mess food cooked my our great akkas,
Variety is what we get over here…
That will actually make one learn the entire menu list from Monday through Sunday,
Cause it never changes…
Science says “Every phenomenon is dynamic”
But anyone who has been to our mess,
Will me forced to modify the statement to “Mess menu is static.”

This is a just a glimpse of college life
As seen by me…
In just the first semester
Another 4 years to live in this place
“Home away from home”
Well is it really a home???
Is a question I always ask myself
And I think I found the answer in these holidays
Cause I already started missing college life terribly!!!!!