Junkyard

2010-08-07T18:33:00.001+05:30

This blog has been permanently shifter to my Wordpress Account.

Check the following link:

www.akminerva.wordpress.com

Of Exams and Me

2009-05-07T10:41:00.002+05:30

I hopelessly stare at the book. And all that is running through my mind is :

Container contentPane = getContentPane();
contentPane.setLayout(GridLayout());

For the non-fellow-classmates, let me make it clear that, there is nothing to tap my back about the above lines of code, since this is NOT AT ALL good, because tomorrow’s paper is AWT and all I am recalling is lines of code from Java (yesterday’s paper!)

Well, I completely realize that I shouldn’t be sitting before my PC and typing the junk out of my head. But, I just couldn’t bring myself from refraining.
On a personal note, I am totally aware of the fact that, this is my final year of the Diploma exams and it’s a “critical exam” (just like 10th or 12th Boards) because "the score" this time decides my admission to a Graduation college. (Wow! Graduation sounds BIG! )

But, nevertheless I am writing this. My mum just called me to tell that, the two round eggs laid by the female pigeon that had chosen one of our plants for the process, have hatched. They are soft and are barely moving legs. But, it looks kind of weird.

I know. I know. I am drifting away from the post’s title.
So, the point is, I am trying hard to memorize (mind well that’s not what you we call mugging up. It’s the random set of ways I try to remember "ALL" the important points! )

The moist air of cooler is chilling me. And I am thinking... will they change the seating arrangement at least tomorrow! I just don’t like the classroom that they have presently allocated us.

Alright! OK! I am going back to that big-bad-book of 400 pages of Nirali Publication. (Well, Nirali literally means “Wonderfully Different”…this is just another of my stupid translations. So Don’t Mind!) But, there is nothing wonderful or so different about it.

And for a leaving note: I just gulped down half a glass of Mango Shake in one go!

Got some work today. Please not today.

2009-04-28T19:38:00.000+05:30

Jostling streets. Crowding people.

Every single person engaged in a talk or an activity.

I walk past all such people, everyday.

Be it on televisions or newspapers, all people are doing ‘some’ thing.

Something worthwhile. (Well, not always worthwhile rolleyes)

The world full of thousands and thousands of people. All busy.

But I am not. I am never busy.

The above statement made by me just simply means:

I do nothing. Or I never have ‘something’ to do. But, that’s not true.

I have time for simply everything. Arrange a get-together or just a casual meeting; I will always be ready to be present for the occasion.

I am struggling to learn “stick-to-it-ivity” (that’s a word from my own dictionary biggrin). But, I am never engaged in a task for more than a designated time. I don’t have any long term activities. All that I do in a day is short term and ends “soon” enough. And I am left, wondering, what next to do.

Being BUSY is GREAT.

And I hope one day I will be ‘so busy’ that I would have a sophisticated social or professional calendar, which I would check 5 times before saying a ‘yes’ for an appointment (Does that sound good? mrgreen I don’t think so.) And meeting or talking to others won’t be ‘that’ easy job!

Well, I am desperately waiting for that day.

But I hope that day, my friends and family don’t have to wait to meet me ‘desperately’…the way I wait for them today.

Time holds all the answers. Baghu kaay hota.

My NewFound Interest

2009-04-27T08:09:00.001+05:30

The college has ended ‘officially’.
And exams are due in May.
So, I have loads and loads of time, all by myself. :D

And to while my time away, I found a new way.
I am painting my T-shirts. ;-)

I found some old Japanese Traditional Art and modified (i.e. creatively changed them to suit my needs) and in the process, tried my hand at something really new.

I always got B or C grades in my drawing & craft exams at School.
So, now you know that I am not ‘that’ good when it comes down to showing artistic skills. :-/
Thats why, I tried it on some of my old tees.
And seeing the results, believe me, they are way above my expectations! :-)

Check them out:
My T-Shirt Designs

I will be doing more. Just let these goddamn exams end! :P

Soaring in the wind

2009-04-21T21:13:00.003+05:30

You sit at the edge for a free fall.

You are so much scared that, you even forget to swallow the lump in your throat.:-? All you can see around you are clouds, clouds and more clouds. Nevertheless, you jump. ;-)

And all of a sudden, you are AIRBORNE. That’s what I want to try. At least once. :-D

Parachuting, also known as Skydiving, is an adventure where a person jumps from enough height so that they can deploy a fabric parachute and land safely.

Imagine, You are there. At some unimaginably stupefying height. And you can only see air around you and green and blue terra firma kilometers away down below you. Wind brushing hard against your face.:-o Your body pulled down by the gravitation. Nothing (on earth) can be compared to ‘that’ feeling.

I have done parasailing once, 2 years back, in Malaysia. In this, you are given a life jacket and a parachute and you run on a platform in water, and a motor-boat is connected to you, which is responsible for the direction in which you move in the air. And as you run, in a fraction of a second, even before you realize what’s happening to you, 8-O you are there, above in air.

But, Sky Diving is different. There, you are on your own.

There is no assurance about: Would the parachute open at right time? For how much time would you be sailing in the air? Would you have a safe and perfect landing? ….And that’s what makes it all the more exciting. :-D

The latest Mountain Dew ad says:

Dar sabko lagta hai. Gala sabka sukhta hai. Par Dar ke aage Jeet hai. :-P

So, it must be worth experiencing. And (I hope) :roll: we can always depend on the safety measures and backups.

A line that may make you feel, exactly the way I feel -

Only Sky Divers know why the birds sing. :mrgreen:

The girl who lived

2009-04-10T21:02:00.009+05:30

Yes, the title is inspired from Harry Potter’s famous tag line:

“The boy who lived”

Let me begin,

I had heard that, the only ones who took admission here were here because; they couldn’t ‘get-in’ anywhere else.

I hated being a part of this. I could get admitted in any college of “my choice”.

I opted all the best ones out and joined the college which I least wanted to be in.I thought I’d made the wrong choice back then!

I called this place names! I would say it out loud, even in the premises that I want to ‘just get out of here’ as soon as possible.

My favorite line last year was, “I want a button for a fast-forward this year.”

I was horrified by the ugly looking faces of other students in my bus every morning. The seniors (both students and other elderly people) were such that, there was no trace of smartness or a single glimpse of a scholarly or extra-curricular act on their almost-always painted clothes or faces.

About the Lecturers, I think, most of them (not all, but most), never knew the subject well. Sometimes, they confused us. They could never answer our queries. Well, eventually we stopped asking them any. (May be because asking them queries was like challenging them. And that would annoy them. And if we did that, we would not have left ourselves any chances of getting good ‘internals’ and we would be rather the target of constant humiliation , taunts , dark looks or what we call ‘khunnas’ )

What about the infrastructure? If you ask me that, the answer is: They promised us world-class infrastructure in those ‘glossy’ brochures. But, the building wasn’t/isn’t even painted. Sometimes in initial days, while entering we even had to make our way, on one leg, through bricks, big stones, cement and sand. And the Accounts Section, Students Section or Library facility almost would threaten/haunt/harass/bully us.

What else is left? The atmosphere was good only when it rained. Rest whole year we would be ‘ever shining’ with the scorching Sun rays.

Apart from this for past three years, (Yes! I have stayed (or should I say somehow survived) in such place for 3 long years), if someone inquired about my college and if I said polytechnic, their faces would invariably be ‘the look when one is disappointed, but doesn’t what to show that, and says, “oh!” The face is sympathetic.

So, It’s hard to describe in words, but I still am unable to resolve how did I manage to survive in this place, where I would be, for 6-7 hours each day, each week for about 30-36 months or what my friend calls : “1095 days”. In short nothing was, ever ‘cool’ or ‘nice’ about my college.

But, I don’t have second thoughts, while saying, Now that it’s all about to end,

“I miss it. I miss my college. I miss it all.

And I won’t mind spending some more time here.”

See, Datta Meghe ji, we are willing to stay here, but please don’t ask for more money. We have paid enough. But, we never have had enough.

Back from Wordpress

2009-04-09T18:30:00.004+05:30

I shifted from blogger to wordpress a few months back.
And now I shift back.

Reasons?
Many.
Many technical, Some personal and some emotional too!
(Just kidding )

But, this time I shift and at the same time I don’t leave.
And now how is that?
Because, I will be updating on both the places.
For those, who won’t remember my other url:
Don’t worry, when The author is here, why fear?
It’s : www.akminerva.wordpress.com

Read wherever ‘You’ like.

My Grandpa

2009-04-04T21:24:00.002+05:30

I must have been 5 or 6 years old; when we went together each evening to play “dukaan-dukaan” (I don’t know what we can call that one in English!). Invariably, I used to be the seller, almost everyday. :razz: And he used to come and buy things from me. He never even once showed me how stupid he thought the game was! But, each time he used to come with a serious face, even bargain on some items and buy something.

Every summer, we (his grandchildren) used to gather at his place. He has a big garden surrounding the house. I and my sisters used to fight on who will water the plants. He would divide the area for us so that we could water the plants turn by turn! :grin:

Whenever we got bored, he was ready for playing cards with us ‘anytime’ of the day. He would team up with my youngest sister and play against the rest of us.

He was a doctor by profession. He lived in remotest areas in Maharashtra and served innumerable poor people. And though he said that his knowledge is outdated (compared to the new technology antibiotics), His medicines always worked for me.

His life was full of adventures and breath-taking encounters. And unlike many of us, He remembered all the incidents clearly. He had an amazing ability of describing his stories to us, as if they were happening right in-front of your eyes. What can I say; we could almost feel those stories.

Apart from his knowledge of science, I always thought of him as a great-thinker. His knowledge about Politics, Economics and History was fantastic!

He always said, “If I had not been a Doctor, I would I have liked to be a professor of History.” :shock: He would tell the ‘exact dates’ of any historical event accurately in no time at all.

There is one more thing, about which I have always wondered since I was a kid. It is his skill about analyzing things and convincing it to others.

Elders in the house would always sit and discuss any current issues or some past events (like why/how this happened?)

While playing nearby, I kept my ear to those discussions. And I don’t know how, but he always analyzed the thing so properly that his side only proved convincing to me.

For e.g.: If asked, why would the saints in India, thousands of years ago just did yadnyas (light a big fire and say mantras out loud sitting beside it) the whole day?

On this he explained, “The TV Serials are idiotic people. They take the meaning of the written words as it is. Why would those people sit whole day and put ghee in the fire? By ‘yadnya’ our fore-fathers wanted to say that, the saints did deep thinking and focused on developing new technologies.”

He always said that, our ancestors were much advanced in every aspect than what we are today. And the wisest part was that they knew which knowledge to pass on to coming generations and which not to!

That’s how my grandpa was. Though a bit ‘backward’ for 21^st century, but way ahead in thinking capabilities of any of us today.

Sadly, he passed away yesterday and is no more with us to give us that kind of teaching.

I will miss him a lot.:sad:

Dear Aajoba,

Though time has left us being slightly apart,

Just know that, you will be remembered always by heart.

High on profile. Low on attitude. Why so :-?

2009-03-30T22:43:00.001+05:30

Now I have been on the social networking sites for a quite a good period of time. (Actually not for very long, just for a few months after I turned 18) And I know it will be hard to digest for any OR all of you, but I am unable to figure out what am I supposed to do there.

Well keeping those things apart and getting to the point:

Once I log on to my account on any of these sites, I see my home page. And then I see a big collection of “profiles”. I know many people on these sites personally. But, when I see their profiles, I feel there is not even slight similarity between their original self and the ones they desperately try to portray on the profile. Be it their display picture or the tags to support their names. :neutral: Be it the “about me” section or their personal likes/dislikes. :neutral:

I think these people have real dumb personalities in real. :eek: :eek: But, they try real hard to get that, ”cool” factor on the display.

And, not-so-surprisingly, they terribly fail at doing so. :razz:

I laugh uncontrollably when I see one of the following:

1. A display picture or tag line such as : “Down to Earth, But Above you all!!!!!” OR “My attitude in LIFE: Say ‘Try me!!!’ Not ‘Why me?’

(Thanks to ctrl+c - ctrl+v, or what would these people have done! :cool: )

(Note: Give special attention to the exclamation marks above. :wink: )

2. In a section:

First thing you will notice about me : My eyes or that I am a ‘straight-forward’ person.
OR In the images : the ‘dashing-pics’ of their favorite Film Stars (invariably from Hollywood)

3. A page full of description about their persona! Like:

I am a nice and sweet girl (but in reality she is the one who creates *helluva* problems! :mad: )

I hate liars (And this person lies before you/to you about 10000 times :mad:)

Well, I can go on and on about these profile observations! But, there is no point in jotting them down here.

I just have one question! Why the hell is this longing in your minds to be called as or recognized as Mr. / Ms. COOL fellas! High but fake attitudes in virtual world. And a load of garbage and rubbish in reality!

Just think boys and girls! Doesn’t a calm person, who is good in thoughts and well in manners, appear COOL to you? :???:

If not, then I think, may be, I should have been born in the 18^th century! :shock:

Are you an entrepreneur?

2009-03-28T22:32:00.001+05:30

I just completed the last assignment of my current college. It was a report on the topic: "Access yourself: Are you an entrepreneur?"

It's idiotic. We have to write all sort of theoretical stuff which has nothing to do with either entrepreneurship or business. But at my college, the motto for students is "Mind your own business!" :mad:

I wrote 6 pages full of non-sense about: If I have so-and-so skills, I will make a good entrepreneur! The blame does not go to the folks at my college. They are doing their job (i.e. minding their "own" business)

But, as I was over the last few lines of my assignment...
It occurred to me that I have a one month long vacation before my final exams,
And a break of about 3 and ½ months before I take admission to a graduation college.
And I started feeling terribly bad. :cry: I hate vacations.

I don't yet know if I am a workaholic or not. But, I am surely scared of being idle for so long time! I have no plans of outings and I have made no arrangements to keep myself occupied. :cry:

These thoughts started to drift away as I again looked up at the monitor screen.

And suddenly, I smiled. :grin:
And I wrote the conclusion. :grin:

(P.S. Entrepreneurs don't take vacations.
Because they LOVE what they do. And so they don't need breaks!

Accessed myself: I am a wanna-be entrepreneur.) :cool: :cool: :cool:

If you can!

2009-03-24T22:15:00.000+05:30

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you.
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting you.
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies.
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating.
And yet don’t look to good, nor talk to wise.

If you can dream and not make dreams your master.
If you can think and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same.
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make trap for fools;
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken;
And stoop and build them up with worn out tools.

If you can make heap of all your winnings,
And risk it on one touch of pitch-and-toss,
And lose and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss.
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they’re gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you.
Except the will which says to them, “Hold on!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings-nor lose the common touch.
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds worth of distance run,
Yours is earth and everything that’s in it,
And- which is more- you’ll be a Man, my son!

Rudyard Kipling

BRIDGES

2009-03-12T03:46:00.001+05:30

My fascination for bridges has been for years.

I don’t know why, but somehow I always find myself having a great deal of interest on the issue of bridges.

Bridges not only connect two pieces of land, they are according to me Man’s greatest adventure.

Discovery Channel once featured a documentary by the name “Man Made Marvels” On that day, they showcased the world’s most famous – The biggest, the tallest and the highest bridges.

I watched the show for 60 minutes without even once taking my eyes off the TV Screen. (Ignore the boring commercials)

I have huge collection of photos of bridges.

My Desktop Wallpaper most of the times has one of them.

It just feels BIG and NICE to look at a Bridge.

Have a look at some of the Best Ones at:

Bridges

I want to write something

2009-02-26T03:51:00.001+05:30

And I am thinking hard about what to. This is one of those days when we really want to write something. But are unsure of why we feel so.

So, today before opening this word document, I sat and thought why & what do I want to write? Then after a few minutes, as I was unable to control my urge, I succumbed to my gut-feeling and opened this blank word document, spent some time on selecting my favorite font and font-size, and then began typing. As I wrote the names of the headings that came up to my mind, I didn’t know what I am going to write under that title.

So I typed, “I want to write something…” And this is how this article began. But now that I have written almost a paragraph about what I am feeling, I have begun to think that this whole idea was stupid and a bit of ‘crap’ that occurs occasionally in my head which again, is most of the time jumbled with random thoughts. And slowly I am realizing this page isn’t worth posting.

But I still badly feel that I want to continue pressing the keys which are right now, visible under my palms. I am continuously thinking if I should just press the red button with a white cross at the top-right of this word document and when the message box appears, if I want to save changes, I would just click no, and move away. But, I cannot bring myself to do that.

I think, writing this article is a waste of time for me. And I am sure that you, as a reader are feeling why I am reading this. May be, some of you will feel that, there might be something interesting at the end of this post. But let me assure you my friends, this is just another idiotic act of mine, the author of this blog to spend my time doing absolutely worthless things. I required approximately 3 and a half minutes writing this post. My head is empty. And I think I have had enough.

Now I feel it would have been better if I had done a little practice of Java or .Net programs, instead of whiling my time away in this manner. But, still somehow I feel satisfied by typing a page full of rubbish.

It was fun. Try it sometimes. Now, I feel sleepy.

So, I let go off the desktop (of course after publishing this post on the blog) and straight way I hit the sheets (i.e. the informal way of saying I am going to bed!) [:)] Have fun. And Do Keep Reading me.

Chao!

Certified Fools – The saga continues…

2009-02-17T16:56:00.001+05:30

Whenever the “euphoria” of competitions grips my surroundings, if I ask any Tom, Dick or Harry, “Why are YOU taking part?”

I invariably get the answer, “I want to see where I stand (at district/state/national/international level!)”

(In my mind internally I feel, don’t you even know where you stand now?)

Well, forget it; the other answer which is more common now is, “Because I want a certificate!”

I have observed countless number of students asking to the in-charge, “Do you give participation certificate?” OR “Will we receive certificate immediately?”

And all I can say is “What the heck?” :-x

Damn it! Is this like some kind of a fad?

I want be surprised, if in a few days time, people start mentioning “Collecting Certificates” as a hobby :shock: (as if it were something similar to stamp/note collection, is it?)

Is that all what my generation craves for? “A Certificate” ? And what good it does you?

I spotted a novel on a book shelf in a shop, which had following words on its back cover: “We want things and keep wanting more things, without necessarily knowing WHY we want them!”

You ain’t fooling no one. You are yourself fooling you!

Give it some thought friends!

It will help. ;-)

Life full of “Setting” always works?

2009-02-12T03:26:00.001+05:30

In my town, Nagpur, this word has been adapted in our local languages (be it Hindi, Marathi or whatever you speak around!)

Now what does this word mean?

As I know, Setting in normal English means situation, locale or surroundings.But, where I live, this word is used in an altogether different sense! 8-)

For e.g.:

“Abey, tension nako gheu. Mi setting jamavto/jamavte.” :neutral:

“Itna costly liya kya? Mujhe batana tha, Maine setting se saste mein jamaya rehta!” :neutral:

“Abey, Mehnat se kuch nahi hota, apni har jagah setting rehti hai.” :neutral:

Somehow, these sentences can be heard in every nook and corner of the crowded streets and we can easily find these words slipping even from the mouths of our own dear friends!

So, my question is, Do you think this kind of setting works…always?

And my despair is that, the people (like me) who are unable to do / haven’t tried setting yet, lag behind to the ones who live a life full of risky settings? :-?

If I pose such a question to the “setters” (i.e. the people who do setting :P), they will undoubtedly say that, it gets done things quicker, so why not?

May be!

But I think it will MOST probably land you in trouble, some fine day!

So, watch out! :roll:

Chokar Dhani

2009-02-08T17:28:00.001+05:30

That’s the place where I had been this Saturday night.

A complete Rajasthani Experience.

The foreigner’s who visit such places in search of “True India” find such places very exotic, interesting and a reflection or taste of the real India. :-?

Well, that isn’t completely false.

And about my experience there, I did all sort of ‘ajeeb’ things (the most unusual of me)

I danced with a small kid and two Rajasthani ladies on their folks songs. ;-) (The small kid dragged me to dance with him.) And our group took video clip and photos of the same.

Right now I have heena (Arabic mehendi ) on my left hand and its smell is going inside my nostrils.

This may not sound ajeeb (i.e. weird at all). But, it is. And now for the weird things that I saw there…

The two ladies that I danced with, later on picked a needle and a blade with their eyes. 8-O (Can’t describe this more. You have to see it to believe it) Then, a man put off a big fire (on a mashaal) by putting it inside his mouth. 8-O

A small boy did all sort of acrobatics on a thin rope tied on two poles (while his father was playing dholak and his mother some other instrument) 8-O

Some people were laughing and jeering. (Some were even showering 10 rupee notes)

But, I don’t know why, I had goose bumps. I couldn’t see it. I felt terribly sad looking at the boy. His face looked pale and he was so used to do all these things that he had no trace of fear on his face and his moments were terribly swift. I could not look at it for long. So, as I walked away.

It was sad to see the family, making their son to dance and act to earn money.

(Some may say that’s their way of earning money. But, if it is, it’s horrible)

Later, we ate food. And boy! It was so delicious. I took a lot of photographs.

There were a lot of charpoys laid there. I slept on one of them and stared at the night sky.

It looked beautiful! :D

We returned with a lot of good memories. :D

My textual world!

2009-02-04T19:05:00.001+05:30

Alphabets, letters, numbers, special characters, words, sentences and more horizontal or vertical lines…Nothing else.

In short, everywhere text surrounds!

Text on White-board. Text in SMS. Text in Emails.Text on Hoardings. Text in Textbooks. Text in Novels. Text on Television. Text here. Text there. Text on my screen right now!

Talk in Text. Walk in Text.

More alphabets and more numbers!

I don’t why but I can suddenly sense that I have become aware of all the text that has engulfed my world.

Every few hours my cell phone buzzes so that I read a new message which is again in “text”. Again you have to send a reply in “text”. Because calling is costly. And I don’t know why but all of us are big balance-savers! I have to even remember the toughest terms for all my theoretical exams.

It’s kind of nice to be able to converse in text. But, it’s sometimes irritating. I feel it’s better to go and speak face to face.

But, I give my heart-felt sympathies towards all my fellow youthful citizens, who like me, waste their precious time in messaging & encounter these alphabets and numbers and are not able to detach themselves from this, what can I say, habit!

It’s a tradition now.

2009-01-26T16:59:00.001+05:30

Today is 26^th January, 2009. The 60^th Republic Day.

I came back from flag hoisting at my school.

Whatever you do, wherever you go, there are some things that one holds dearest to the heart. Among many such things, what I hold dear today and will do so forever is undoubtedly “My” School. :razz:

When in school in spite of being in my school choir group and always interested in taking part in extra-curricular activities, I never realized the auspiciousness of these days.

Now almost three years have passed since I left the school (physically! Because I still imagine myself roaming around in the corridors of school :P), and I have never missed a single 15^th august or 26^th January till today.

And I want to continue.

In so many years of my school’s existence, nothing has changed.

Teachers clad in white & red saris, screaming at late appearing students, some curious, some tired/sleepy faces in the primary classes, our music teacher playing patriotic songs on the synthesizer, the NCC cadets (girls & boys) getting ready for the march past and our old English teacher doing the comparing in the most soothing voice I’ve ever heard. :grin:

This is the exact scene what I see every time I entire the gates of the school ground.

My eyes search the crowds for the glimpse of my favorite teachers. We show them a familiar gesture. The chief guests arrive and the flag is hoisted. The national anthem echoes in all directions. And without being instructed, almost mechanically we salute the Flag.

And I am sure, the most unpatriotic person present there (even though for a second) feels pride in his/her heart as one for nothing else but our nation, our country,

:-o INDIA :-o

As I see the flag flutter & wave, I just feel nice. Flag hoisting can be done anywhere. But I will always prefer school.

This can be a debate topic whether the young generation feels patriotic only on these two days. Some think it’s just another holiday. And consider it as a punishment to wake up early morning. :-?
Well, it’s your wish, after all. But, I think there is nothing much to argue on that.To me, it just feels great to be present there.

Anyways, hoisting is followed by some cultural program, felicitating students and speech by the dignitaries.

What we await the most is the sweets distribution! :mrgreen: Then we meet our beloved teachers and leave the school while promising them to reappear the next time too.

And believe me, it’s a tradition for me now. Whatever I do, wherever I go, I will keep returning to “my” school whenever in city. :wink:

That lowly feeling!

2009-01-22T14:12:00.000+05:30

It’s with me for years now.
However hard I try I am unable to get rid of this weird of feeling.

I think too lowly of myself. :sad:
I never feel that I am superior to others.
I just think I am capable of doing this.
JUST that.
I never even once think that I can/will do “it” better than others. :???:
I don’t know why, but I always find myself feeling that people around me are able to perform things in a more efficient manner than me.

I am writing this post early morning because I woke up just now and could clearly remember a dream (or a nightmare) while brushing my teeth!

(Another weird thing about me, while sleeping I dream almost daily.
And unlike many, I remember most of my dreams clearly! :P
If I write about my dreams I can write another BIG post.)

So I remember today in my dream I was back in my trekking shoes.
And our madam was shouting at me to climb the hill as fast as possible.
The hill was full of big rocks. And I tried really hard. But my foot was slipping continuously. All others who were with me, had now reached at the top. And were showing me their sympathetic faces.
(Boy! That was scary!) :neutral:
The dream ended with my ‘ultra-screaming’ alarm!
(Boy! That’s scary again!) :shock: :shock: :shock:

So, in all dear readers, you must have realized that the ‘lowly’ feeling doesn’t leave me while sleeping too!

I even do F9 twice on my post to check if anything is wrongly spelled.
If anyone says I am doing something wrong more than once, I take utmost care to avoid repeating it.

I don’t know why I am like this.
In spite of all my achievements till date, I wonder will I ever, for even a day, feel that “I am the best and ignore the rest!”

My folks say I am just plainly too modest. (That sounds cool :cool: )
May be that’s true.
But it’s still kind of weird when I see people with mediocre talents or nothing-extraordinary personalities behaving as though they are the Kings & Queens of the World and go on pretending to be best and throwing tantrums at others. :mad:

Thus, the lowly feeling does nothing ‘bad’ to me.
But, it surely disturbs…

Now I am sipping the hot coffee and thinking...Main aisi kyu hoon! :wink:

A big “bad” world out there? Please...not again!

2009-01-07T02:59:00.001+05:30

Being 18 years neither seems old enough, nor mature! :P Till now, it has happened endless number of times that people say, “Bahaar ki duniya bohot buri hai.” People also say, “Abhi tumne dekha hi kya hai!” .... :(

What these people want to point out at is that, we live in a protective shell and we are not ready for the horrible things waiting around for us. Once we move out we will experience things so bad that we won’t be able to believe them be true.

In newspapers & on television, all that they show is crap! It gives me a feeling that in world all that is left is hatred, treachery, non-cooperation, jealousy, corruption, violence & war. While, I believe & want to continue believing, exactly the opposite of that! :)

I discussed this with Aai. (Aai always sounds better than “Mom”) :P And as always she has the perfect answers to all such questions. Aai says, “Why the heck should we believe that the world is bad. If we believe at heart that everything & everybody is here for good, then the world appears that way to our eyes.” She says, “Consider that all the bad things are not meant for me.” :)

And if we really start thinking that way, it chases away all our worries & gives our mind, some space to think more of GOOD. :D

Really! Try it, it works.

And Aai...

:) You Rock! :)

As JK says in Harry Potter, if bad things are happening to you, believe that they happen, FOR THE GREATER GOOD! :)

Does it always have to be a big “bad” world out there?

2009-01-07T02:41:00.000+05:30

45 minutes in the Operation theatre :)

2008-12-26T21:23:00.000+05:30

I & Dad were sitting in the waiting room.
It was just 5 minutes before the surgery.
Dad assured me that it won't give any pain (after all the doctor had mentioned that he would give local anesthesia)

Alas! I was admitted in. : P
A nurse asked me to lie on the bed.
A variety of electronic devices were situated beside me.
I was made to roll over and face those devices. (Frankly, it’s no treat to watch them because they remind you of any classic Hindi movie…where some heart patient’s heart beats are shown!)

So, I lay there for some time.
I sensed that my cell phone was still in my pocket.
I thought I should have kept it outside the room.
A nurse and a ward boy were discussing with each other that:
In such surgeries all they do is cut and pull and stitch. (That’s ‘exactly’ not the words one would like to hear, seconds before surgery!)
I wished they would somehow shut up!
Then, he said something sensible – “Let’s switch on the radio.”
And it was hard to believe, but the whole operation was performed with Radio Mirchi as ‘background music’.

The radio played: “Goli maar bheje mein..!” : (
And that’s when I felt, “O What a GREAT Song!”

The surgeon entered, and I was distracted from the radio because of the clanking sound of knives and scissors. : P
The surgeon re-assured me that, “It won’t hurt.”
He gave anesthesia and left the room.
And the radio played, “Nagada….Nagada….”
What the heck!

I strained my ears to listen to something else. But failed at it.
The doctor re-appeared looking, a bit more, what can I say, Confident? : P
And then it finally began.
I suppose, the local anesthesia had worked. The portion went numb.
I couldn’t feel anything.

And the radio played, “Haule Haule…”
I love that song. But, it’s funny how the RJs play exactly the wrong songs @ the wrong times. I wanted to get out of the room as quickly as possible!
But it continued, “Haule Haule!” : (

Everything went well.
(Well, it had to! Or how else would I be typing here right after coming back home.)
I could feel that he was putting the last stitches.

Later on, when I was leaving the room, the radio shouted, “Chak de…Chak de India!”
And I grinned : O

Mom’s worried face became visible. And I felt relived.
Dad said that the surgeon was appreciating that I didn’t scream during those injections or cuts! So brave of me! : P

All’s well that ends well.
But, I want to wish that this would be my first & last surgery ever!

Notions about or against girls

2008-12-18T02:11:00.001+05:30

Being a girl, I can go on & on about how “girls” are. But being a girl, I feel hurt when people hold any kind of assumptions against girls. These notions do not correspond to any particular country, creed, race, caste, color or gender. In fact, people from any combination of above factors believe this without verification. And I think it’s horrible.

Not all girls are similar. There always are exceptions.

Sometimes, these people should get to know that they know only ‘half-the-story’.

When I hear someone repeating one of the following statements, the mercury in my body shoots up to the brain and is about to explode. But, I prefer to keep cool. What’s the point in pointing out, eh?

No.1: Girls take hours to get ready.

(I have been on tours & camps. And I can remember how every morning I sat outside all packed and ready to leave. But, waiting hopelessly for that 1 kid, guy or uncle to turn up!)

No.2: Girls are ‘beauties with no brains’.

(I have heard boys saying this 1000s of times.) My advice to all the boys, who believe it as if it were a ‘law or rule’ is: Shut up Idiot! Don’t you have anything better to do than making these all-shit statements?

No.3: Girls are not tough. (Or not tough enough)

They can’t stand challenging situations or tolerate horrifying scenes. That’s exactly what you think, isn’t it? Next time check thrice around you before saying it aloud so as to prevent getting your eye blackened.

No.4: Girls are very, very sensitive.

In short, give her a shoulder to cry on & she will surrender. That’s a bluff. That point wasn’t even worth mentioning.

No 5: Girls love flowers.

She can’t get a bit about stunning bikes or sports or repairing machines or what they call ‘Boys-Toys’. Come out of it friends. It’s the 21^st century we are talking about, where everyday we see girls getting doing the feats making the nation ‘proud’. Do you think that they do it dreaming about flowers?

No.6: Girls are difficult to understand.

One can never make out what’s on her mind. (Can you believe people say that? Is it so easy to read the boy’s mind?)

No.7: Girls always get all kinds of privileges.

(For e.g.: The traffic police never stops a girl for not wearing helmet OR The teacher won’t ask her to kneel down for incomplete homework OR They always provide separate queue for women.) Considering all this to be true, I can say only one thing, “Thank you!”

No.8: Girls like love stories.

(This one is the worst of all. I don’t know what to say about this. It’s pointless. On the counter part: I know so many boys who have watched ‘Hum Aapke Hain Kaun’ about 30-40 times! And I can’t manage to watch it even for half an hour.)

No.9: Girls can’t drive properly.

Why then have I witnesses about ‘n’ no. of accidents where the boys go smashing their already empty heads on cars, trucks or fellow bikes.

No.10: Girls gossip day-in day-out.

This gossiping all-the-time thing has become rotten. Why don’t we try something new?

I’m sure our fertile brains can think of many other reasons to abuse girls. Come on people, Look to your own flaws! And GIVE US A BREAK!

They call it: The toughest string instrument to play 8-)

2008-12-16T20:32:00.001+05:30

I took basic violin lessons some 5 months back. My batch was the early morning one. The worst part was, I had to balance my violin between two legs on my saffire carefully (so that it did not fall :P) And make my way through to my class. Nevertheless, I enjoyed them to the fullest.

Gade sir was and is the best music teacher around. He taught the 'Basics'.

From observing him, I learnt the small but the MOST important things like: Holding violin in correct position, the bow position & inclination etc.

And it was the gloomiest feeling to leave the class. (Hell lot of reasons, things occurring all at once :( )

One of the very important things in the learning process is t o know how to tune the instrument. I had not yet learned it. :( That was a horrible mistake.

But, I didn’t know back then, that I won’t be able to rejoin my classes soon enough.

The violin stood for many days in its usual place (a corner of my room) Sometimes, I used to stare at it and wonder if I will be ever able to play it. On very few occasions, I took it out from the case & tried to play tunes. But, all I could do was, produce loud (often shrieking) sounds and screeching due to the friction between the bow and the strings.

I felt offended & hurt. :(

Days flew by. My Dad (himself a real good instrument player) more due to my ignorance and less out of his usual habit put it on the loft. It lay there for months untouched and full of dust. :(

A few days back, I woke up and I don’t know why, but I felt like now I could do it. (Strange things happen :P )

I climbed up the loft took the violin out. Cleaned it & started tuning it. It must have taken about one hour. But, somehow I managed to tune it, all on my own! :D And I seriously think that this is bound-to-sound like magic. :)
But for last few days, I am trying all possible songs I can think. And to my utmost surprise, they are playing fine. I mean, (That’s an achievement!) people can recognize what I’m playing. :D
I feel GREAT!

Many people think that violin plays only sad songs. :-/ (Even I thought the same way) But, I have been always attracted to violin and felt respect towards people who play it fantastically. When I listen to some tunes like Ave Maria by Schubert or the Japanese orchestras, I feel that the notes reach directly to one’s heart. In other words, I think it’s very soulful and expressive music. And now that I am able to play it, I like it even more!

Excitement makes (things) or breaks (things)!

2008-12-13T21:58:00.001+05:30

Keep your nerves cool.It helps. But, it is not working for me.

I am always very excited.Or should I say, I get excited very easily. Most of the times, it shows on my face and in my behavior. Sometimes, it doesn’t.

But, at all times, I am all excited. :D

Now, does excitement mean that I lose my mental ability to think & act & decide normally? I really don’t know.

But, excitement enters my head almost naturally.I can’t prevent it. Like, when I see something very huge, very beautiful or very terrifying, I get excited.

I vividly remember all those events, when I am or was super-excited.

When I had the first glimpse of the night-view of the illuminated “Petronas Towers” in Malaysia, my jaw dropped.

When I saw the snow-clad mountains, the valleys and the gushing river all-in-one shot, my ever excited mind’s joy knew no bounds.

When I watch a horror movie or scene (essentially comprising of ghosts) my face goes white, eyes bulge out and I am about to start nail-biting. :-P

When my dream of having a tour of the Big Animation Studio came true, I can’t describe how I felt. But, surely I was dumbfound.

When at the Bhonsala military camp, I desperately wanted to do a physical activity (that was crossing a river valley with a single rope by hanging on it upside down.) When asked, I shot my hand up, almost out of sheer excitement. I did it. And later found that I was the only girl to do it on the camp!

When I got my only precious gift on my 18^th birthday, I was so excited that my mind went blank on how to express my feelings to the friend.

When I am really inspired by reading a book or find the suspense or thrill of the character actually inside me, I am lost of words for a long time after keeping the book away.

When I was able to ride bicycle at full speed without anybody’s support and felt the wind blowing by my ears, my heart was about to explode with happiness.

When I get a new idea about some plan or project to be an entrepreneur, I am so excited that I choke up my throat while drinking water. :-P

When I am doing nothing but suddenly my mind flashes memories (happy or sad) to me, I drop objects in my hand, I stumble, I fall or sometimes even hit objects nearby!

Well, these are just a few things in my long-list of exciting things and memories.

At home, whenever I don’t talk for long, my mum comes to inquire, thinking that something is wrong with me. :-P

Well, she is right most of the times.

But, what comes after it is that, she keeps me telling that if I don’t talk or make faces, or describe events or tell my ideas (or just do something in excitement) for long, she feels that the house becomes quiet and the so-called ‘charm’ fades away. So, according to her it’s OK to be excited.

My brother says, whenever he calls me he feels good on hearing my excited voice over the telephone (& even says that I am his chief-motivator! Am I really Dada?)

So, that’s why however hard I try to keep my mind cool, it always seizes to listen to me. But, I have experienced that excitement works. It gets things done with passion & I enjoy doing them more.

But, still is being excited all the time right?

Enough is enough: India's 9/11

2008-12-01T17:53:00.001+05:30

Yesterday I watched NDTV’s famous journalist Barkha Dutt’s all popular,
one hour show WE, THE PEOPLE.
(Ignoring the fact that I had my semester paper a day after :-P)

It was a special episode on the current terror attacks with guests from different spectrums be it television, police force or just another celebrity and of course the common people.

It was named:
“Enough is enough: India's 9/11”

This show has always been providing loads of information and has been a thought provoking one for me. :)

On the show, people not only shared their grievances being the victims (like most other channels) but wanted to find a solution (by hook or by crook)

Many interesting facts were laid down.
People talked openly about their anguish regarding politicians.
They openly stated that India really has had ENOUGH!
People criticized as well as gave an open ear to others views.

I have always found an amazing charm in the way Barkha Dutt conducted this show. :D

This show surely brought about what needs to be done.
Though nobody speaks about “How it needs to be done?”

Within the last few minutes of the show Simi Garewal (a guest) says something like, “Last time America was attacked (i.e. the actual 9/11) they showed with proper tactics that they are ready for a war. They proved that their lives cannot be meddled with.
And see, they never suffered that kind of a terrible situation again.”

She meant that we don’t have to be sufferers all the time.
The image of our country has been like: “Come. Kill us. We are open 24 hours.”

But to my astonishment, a young man sitting on the show got agitated.
He criticized her saying,”War is not the solution. People like her are responsible for such thoughts.”

Well, He later apologized.
But that leaves many unanswered questions. :|

The show is available here:
Enough is Enough

Nima

2008-11-29T09:58:00.003+05:30

When I started this blog,
I have always followed a rule
to refrain from mentioning anyone's name in any of my post.
(Check if you don't believe!)

But, here's a slight change.
The name is not in the post...it's a title. :D

Words from Dumbledore :
"It is our choices that show what we truly are, than our abilities."

"Nima" is the best choice I ever made 9 years back.

As it's often said...
"Destiny is not a matter of chance, It's a matter of choice."
And I wonder how true it is!

If there is a thing called luck in this whole world,
I say it with pride, I am the luckiest.

It must be happening rarely in ages that there is a person who believes in other person's abilities, more than the original person.
And I will perhaps never know, why do you Nima, believe in me SO MUCH!

What makes a person special?

Ask this to people and you will get hundred different answers.
Ask me.
And I will say that,
Even if you are the dumbest person around,
It's only people like Nima, who can make you "special".

God can shower you with a hundreds of shooting stars.

He can grant tens and hundreds of your wishes.

But only once in your life,
you are gifted with the most precious person in your life
which is a 'TRUE FRIEND'.
And in my life, it was, it is and will always be
THE ONE AND ONLY:
NIMA

No matter how I put it.
No matter how I decorate it.
No matter how I express it.

What matters to me, is Nima, you to know that...
You always shine in my heart like a THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS

I turn 18

2008-11-29T09:49:00.000+05:30

I turn an year older and in the best possible way it could ever happen.

Worklessness sucks!

2008-11-21T12:14:00.000+05:30

Believe me, it’s the worst thing that can happen to you.
It’s a ghost that can haunt you at almost any moment… and like a dementor (reference…read Harry Potter :-]) it sucks all the “good” in you.

Being a workaholic may be treated or termed as something bad…actually the word “workaholic” alone sounds boring & bad.
But, it’s nothing compared to being out-of-work!

Imagine sitting on a chair, with almost nothing (nothing new*) on your mind, staring in to a distant point and doing absolutely nothing.
When I imagine myself… I get the same dizzy feeling one gets, when someone forces a cough syrup down one’s throat. :D

A friend of mine (I won’t mention her name…coz she knows it’s her) once mentioned to me that she can sit idle for hours.
Being workless for about an hour now… I am in a position to throw an open challenge or declare a competition to all those who love being workless to try it on for a whole day....I assure you will give up…and start looking for work.

If I am to define worklessness, I will say, “It’s a disease of the worst kind.”
This disease is equally harmful for people of all ages.
Young and old alike can suffer a lot after being its victims.
Trust me; sometimes the suffering can be equal to a torture- mental as well as physical.

Empty mind is a devil’s workshop…they say.
And they say it as correctly as possible.

Don’t let it ever happen to you.
Being busy doing something (just anything) is the best prevention.

See…I had nothing to do…so I wrote this post ;)
So, keep yourself engaged and Keep Rocking!

Anyways

2008-11-10T21:35:00.000+05:30

There was a discussion at home on the topic that if ultimately anything that we do/create is bound to get destroyed, why do it?
If we are happy and/or satisfied with our current situation, why move ahead?

Well, the above statements contribute to a debatable topic.

But, according to me, following is the answer to those questions.
Once, my friend gave me this poem to read.

It's name was..

"Anyway..."

People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

If you do “good”, people will accuse of selfish ulterior motives.
Do “good” anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

Honesty & frankness may make you vulnerable.
Be honest anyway.

The great deeds you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Work out them anyway.

The greatest people with biggest ideas can be shot down with the smallest people with smallest minds.
Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs and follow top-dogs.
Fight for some under-dogs anyway.

What you spent years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build High anyway.

Give the world the best you have. Still you may get kicked in the butt.
Give your best shot anyway!

- Readers’ Digest.

A good read

2008-11-06T21:46:00.000+05:30

Read the new book by Richard Branson:
"Business Striped Bare"

I found this poem after the epilogue.

If you can...

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you.
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting you.
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies.
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating.
And yet don’t look to good, nor talk to wise.

If you can dream and not make dreams your master.
If you can think and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same.
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make trap for fools;
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken;
And stoop and build them up with worn out tools.

If you can make heap of all your winnings,
And risk it on one touch of pitch-and-toss,
And lose and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss.
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they’re gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you.
Except the will which says to them, “Hold on!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings-nor lose the common touch.
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds worth of distance run,
Yours is earth and everything that’s in it,
And- which is more- you’ll be a Man, my son!

Rudyard Kipling

Diwali is over. Days aren’t safe anymore!

2008-11-01T09:52:00.000+05:30

Only a few years ago, I am sure nobody thought that television was synonymous with reality shows. But, today scan all the channels and what you are bound to come across are only reality shows, one for each: dance, song, comedy and stunts on every channel.
We have got so used to them that, we will not be surprised if someday we get to know that some guy or girl in neighborhood is participant in one of them.

Just like all other things we, Indians have readily got “used to” one more thing. And that is undoubtedly “Bomb-Blasts”.

Does that term make you shiver?
Does cold-fear grip you, when you read that “64 killed in serial bomb-blasts in Guwahati”?
I know, the answer clearly is, “No. I am so used to reading this. That I just see those headlines or Newsflash and shuffle to another channel.”

But, I know some will agree with me, when I say that I get that prickly feeling when I see those dead bodies, blood all over, and people running around to save others or their own lives.

This is not the first time that such serial blasts are happening.
Any one (terrorists) who is behind this is sure to think that; “We will stay among you and kill you. Let’s see, who can stop us!”
And the truth is that nobody can/is doing anything.
The terrorists indeed create terror.
In Assam, after 11 blasts, red-alert had been declared, still 2 more blasts occurred. I think that proves their prowess, isn’t it?

What I am trying to say is that nothing is safe anymore.
Stay at home or move out, anybody can kill you.
Go to any public place: bus-stands, railway stations, parks, malls, temples…anywhere, you never know that you might just become the victim of just another disastrous bomb-blast.

So, hold your breaths, dear friends, Days aren’t safe anymore.

Dumbest staff at my college. (Lesson learnt: Always return the library books on time Or you are about to have the best time of your life)

2008-10-21T17:09:00.000+05:30

I have been assured by my college's clerical staff that some mistakes are not to be forgiven. :( A week ago, I have committed a horrible mistake….or that’s what they have made me feel about it.

For the first time in past 2 years, I forgot to return my library book before it’s return date.(I have always returned the books prior to the scheduled date) But, somehow this time I forgot.
When I went to issue some other book, I was notified that I have to return the previous book (about which I was clueless) along with a fine of Rs. 80/-
Some of my friends had told me that such types of fines are to be paid at the end of the session.
So I didn’t bother. Then the next time, when I returned some other book, the librarian started screaming at me, “Go and pay the fine first. Jab tak fine nahi bharoge, book issue nahi hoga.”
Seeing his rudeness, I thought had there been no glass wall between us, he would have practically kicked me out of the library. :P

I was calm that day. I told him that I will go and pay the fine. (Because…I needed the book desperately. I had the paper next day!)
This being the first time for me, I asked him where was I supposed to pay the fine?
After being polite I expected him to be cool. But with more bitterness in his tone, he simply said, “Accounts Section!”

I quickly headed towards the office. In the office, I met another sir, whom I told about my condition. Much not to my surprise now, he replied coldly, “To pay the library fine, you have to bring a written note from the librarian.”
Now, I went back to my so-very-kind librarian. This time, I don’t know what made him so upset…more than before. As I asked him to give me a note, he almost shouted on the top of his voice, “Ye humara kaam nahi hai. Aap pehle fine bharke aao, phir baat karo!”
I was helpless. They neither did let me pay the fine nor issue the book. :(
What to do?

I decided to go to the head librarian. I went to him and told my story.
Thank goodness! He wasn’t rude or impolite at all. Instead he quickly started writing a note for me. Just as he had begun, some other ladies from our library came there talking in the shrillest voices and complaining that they needed a day-off. I was staring at their faces. The dumbest of them all was in the forefront. Now, he left my note and started solving their issue. By now, my head was almost spinning.

I waited and waited. Finally, the “madames-e-sdmp” went away and he just wrote 3 words “Pay 80rs fine” and signed on a scrambled paper. I left his office thinking…what if he would have written that note 15 minutes ago!
Now, I went back to my dearest section in the college – The Accounts. I quickly found the sir. He said, “Oh! You’ve got the note. Go to the sir seating in the that office.” pointing towards a cabin.
For the first time that day, he welcomed me with a bright smile on his weary face.
And said, “Don’t you know I don’t deal such jobs. Go to the queue outside. And pay the fine to the madam sitting inside the Accounts window!”
I left his office without uttering a word over this.

The window was closed. I opened it. It was the same lady who takes our annual fees with a lot of fuss and chaos. I thought, “Yeah!” 
I showed her the note and the money. It was hard for me to repeat my sad-story before her. But I didn’t give up. I repeated with a lot if “enthusiasm” this time.
She looked at me for a while. Then said, “I don’t have the receipt. I have sent a boy to bring it. But he hasn’t returned yet. You will have to wait. Or else come tomorrow.”
See, now you can know why I think that this was the most horrible mistake, I ever committed at the college. :P

My friends were getting late because of me. I gave up this time.
I issued THE book on one of friend’s library card. Thanks a lot for that friend!
And I left college….cursing the staff, imagining myself writing at this blog and with a question: Can’t my college authorities employ some kind and intelligent staff?

And remember, no matter what,
RETURN THE BOOKS ON TIME!

Watch out! Copy cats and dogs all around!

2008-10-06T12:47:00.000+05:30

While writing these lines I am unable to control my laughter.
It just happened that I got to know one more thing that people are copying from me.
So I quickly began to write this post.

If I start writing the list of things that I find people copying, I am sure of myself getting bored, because I think it’s really horrible that people simply and blindly try to copy someone or pretend something else, which is far from their original self.
Initially, I used to get irritated when I noticed that, if I do something one day, the same thing is done by someone else, the another day.
But, now I feel different. I am actually amused at the fact that people actually want to actually copy 'MY' stuff. :)
Many might have encountered such people around them. Because after experiencing this many times, I have started to think that these copy-cats are on a "search" or a "quest" where they keep looking for something they could possibly copy. :D

"Copying is so un-cool and just anything....but original is so cool."
Why can’t people stop being Xerox machines?
Why don’t they behave as they are – the true self?
Can’t anybody tell them that when they copy, they make a fool of themselves and appear more stupid than what they actually are?

To put in my GenX lingo: I’ll say: Come on people, get some life for you and even for me.
At least try to be a little original!

Every moment is really precious, isn't it? Now I know.

2008-09-29T21:47:00.000+05:30

What happens when you see that a person you really admire behaves abnormally?
What happens when you realize that "All that you want is, the person you really like should be alright"?
What happens when you begin to understand that you are ready to do anything for that person if it helps?

That's what I felt in an incident, two days back.
That incident taught me a lesson about time.
(So less we have and So much we have to do)
We read so many things about importance of time.
But, now I know because of an experience that this is serious business.
People don't write blah blah blah. They experience. They think. They know. So they write.

Every moment really is very very precious.
We all know, that we really don't know what's going to happen next.
But still we seem to ignore this fact and take things for granted.
Somewhere inside, we always believe that no matter what, the next moment is bound to be secure
and that nothing bad can really happen.

I have a friend whom I have admired for a long time. She is a gem of a person.
But now I know that she is in the true sense a genuine person (true at heart, true at words, true in mind and true in soul).
On a trip from college, she became seriously sick. Though now she is very well.
Only I know how much I have prayed (only because I felt so) to God to make her a normal and healthy person again.
We both know that we are good friends.
But now I know that a person like her is very rare and special.
Anything for her.... a thousand times over.
Get well soon friend.
After all, we have to do a lot of maahol together. :)

Dilemma in those Group Discussions.

2008-09-14T10:09:00.000+05:30

Dilemma is a situation that requires a choice between options that seem equally unfavorable or mutually exclusive.
We had a group discussion session in our college a few days ago. My GD went well.
But, after listening to every person's GD, I was left in a dilemma.

Some of the common topics of discussion were:

Corruption in Democracy.
Professionalism v/s Family.
Love Marriage v/s Arrange Marriage.
Bringing Religion into Politics etc.

Now, my issue over dilemma is that: In any sort of GD (i.e. either job-related, competitive, or general), what are we supposed to speak?
Should we choose the topic that has more sub-topics to shoot, the ones on which the others can't possibly argue or contradict? Or should we choose the topic that we strongly believe in?
Is the discussion only for winning over others or to impress the interviewer or for superiority among friends?
I just don't get the whole point behind it then.
According to me, the interviewer or the judge would like to watch and listen the clarity of one's thoughts, the language, the moral values etc. in a job applicant or a GD participant.
What's the use if one starts discussing about things that he/she personally opposes, but is supporting that idea in a GD just for the sake of getting more points or because he thinks that doing this will put them on forefront?
This is rubbish. This is cheat.
For e.g: In one GD, I heard students of my class supporting Corruption because they thought that they had more points to speak about. The worst part was that, the teacher concluded it saying, "Listening to the GD, I draw a conclusion that corruption is good at individual level i.e. It gives a short-cut to do some jobs and after-all everyone has certain selfish motives.".........and I was left spellbound.
Some of the students were told in a Workshop on Aptitude Development(WAD), that if you see that the other group members have chosen a certain topic, try to choose the other or one more contradictory.
Because that way, one gets more examples and more input of to speak.
(May be, this is not what they told at WAD, but, that's what the students extracted out of the workshop.)

My dilemma still continues because I am confused about what to speak, where and when? :D
But, I know a thing for sure: When I build my organization, I would never give a job to a person who has:
"Dakhwayche daat vegale aani Khanyache daat vegale!" :)
I think, in any kind of GD, we should speak out the truth at heart.
That way, we cheat no one and make sure that the conclusion of any GD ends on a good note!

Chimp - The Champ :P

2008-08-29T13:35:00.000+05:30

On this Rakhi, Dada (Big Bro) gifted me a soft-toy which is a black monkey. 8)
The monkey has the best ever smile on his face.
Looking at the monkey, one starts thinking that,
"Nothing is ever a big trouble after all...hehe"

Staring at the monkey the other day,
I noticed that the chimp shows some of 'my emotions' perfectly.
Here are a few:

Thanks Dada! It's a really cool gift.

चूक

2008-08-22T20:58:00.000+05:30

"चुकून चूक झाली कधी तर चूक म्हणुन सोडून देशील,
चुकीच्या गोष्टी चुकुनच घडतात, मला माहिती आहे तू समजुन घेशील.
चुकीच्या चुका करायला कुणालाही आवडत नाही.
पण काय करू चुका केल्या शिवाय माझा एक दिवसही जात नाही!

चुकत-चुकत चालवत राहतो आपली ही होडी सगळे आपण,
म्हणुन बहुतेक आठवतात आपल्याला नेहमी हेच ते चुकीतले क्षण.
कितीही टाळलं तरी घडतेच हातून एखादी तरी चूक,
म्हणुन डोंट सी इट एज अ चूक, इन्सटेड जस्ट चेंज युअर आउट-लूक!

खरं तर चूक कधीच नसते एक अती भारी चूक.
ती तर शिकवते आपल्याला बरच काही, जरी स्वतः असते मूक.
भविष्यात या चुकांचा संग्रह केला तर बनेल एक मस्त नवीन बुक.
म्हणुन बिंदास होऊन मी शिकते रोज नवं काही तरी,
करते दररोज एक नवीन चूक! "

- अंकिता

If you ask me, actually even I don't know why I wrote this poem.
I am not at all a Marathi or English poet at heart.
I just like to play around with words.
I made this one yesterday and showed it to my mom.
She really liked it and insisted that I put it here.
That's why it's here. :)

For those Big Souvenirs! :-)

2008-08-19T21:48:00.000+05:30

To celebrate the launch of our first magazine, the team byte of our magazine went for a party. :-)

After having food, we went to a nearby gaming zone in a mall, almost unknowingly. :-P (This was the first time I spent 3 hours at such a place.)

I enjoyed a lot & I got to know a lot more.
I was "amazed" at the brilliant idea of the owners of the game zone to draw huge amount of money from the masses.

The basic idea behind it was that: once you enter the zone, firstly you have to buy a card (worth Rs. 100 to 1000/- cash)
The card looks just like one's regular credit/debit card.
To play any game, you have to swipe that card in a slot on that game machine.
Every game has different rate like 10 Rs, 25 Rs, 40 Rs. etc.

When you complete one game, you get a strip of tickets.
The no. of tickets is equal to the points you score in the game.

You have to collect such tickets to get the souvenir of your choice (that essentially consists of teddy bears, pencil boxes, crayons, stuff toys etc.)
The bigger the souvenir, greater the no. of tickets you need to exchange in order to acquire it.
What a great idea indeed!

I bet, the owners must be "Really Rich" by now.

Because, the crowd that it pulled was countless. Age no bar.
All poured a generous sum of money from their pockets to get those gifts.

We got 133 tickets in the 3 hours we spent there. But, we were 11 people.
And the smallest souvenir was a pencil worth 10 tickets.
Nobody agreed to take it. All wanted to have something larger.
My group decided to keep the tickets and come again next time to get more tickets.

So, now you see, the greater idea was this one:
When we asked them if these tickets can be used later, the girl on the counter answered that, the tickets are valid for a life time.
That was the trick. It's simple. They know that out of the greed for more, people would come again & again.
And we have fallen for it.

I just can't imagine how much money these people might be making in a single day.
Not just the game zone owners, but even the managers of the rest of the mall.
I can make this out because, after playing there for so much time, its usual for anyone to become thirsty.
And we had no source of water. We inquired if we could get some drinking water around. We didn't find any.
So, we had to buy the water bottles at higher rate than usual. :(

That's the way they rob you, infront of your eyes, even when you are completely cautious.

Just Kidding! Anyways, but this is how they make so much amount of the Precious $Money$

But, serious thinking apart, I had loads of fun their today.
Still, I haven't decided yet if I am going there again....for those big souvenirs. ;)

I spoke from my heart!

2008-08-14T16:31:00.000+05:30

I have been working on creating a magazine for my computer department for the last one and a half month. And I proudly mention that I was the editor.

Today was its inauguration day.
And this was my speech, which was appreciated by all.

“Hello friends,

I am Ankita Katdare, a member of the team byte. As my team-mates mentioned, I am here to share a few experiences of the process of creation of The Byte with you all.

All of us have gathered here today for the inauguration of The Byte. But let me tell you, our team was never sure that we would really make this day happen. But today, I am very sure that the collective feelings in the minds of all my team mates can not be put into words.

In fact, our experience is just like reading a novel which is full of different incidents. Each chapter has a different story to tell. Each holds a special memory. Each chapter was a fun-filled learning activity.

The story of this novel rolls back to the initial days of our 2^nd year…

It was our H.O.D, Jethwa sir’s 1^st official lecture in our class. We expected that he will ask for our introductions and brief us about the syllabus. But, instead he started telling us about the various activities that he wished to conduct in the department. All of us were surprised. This was the first time he mentioned about a something called a technical magazine by the students, for the students. From that very moment, it was the beginning of what I can call a new voyage, a new journey………

The team wants to give a heart-felt thanks to Jethwa Sir for so many things…. Right from igniting our minds to think creative, he guided us in every single stage.

He gave us both: the opportunity and the platform.

For all the times we kept disturbing him to ask little doubts and queries.

For all the times we stood in his office to discuss new ideas.

For always being there when we needed him.

For teaching us the practical ways of dealing with things.

And even for bearing with our immature ways, really sir, the word thank you seems very small to express our gratitude towards you.

As I mentioned earlier, this idea was put forth in our third semester. And it took almost a year to accomplish what we had dreamt of.

In 2^nd year, we faced many obstacles. It was like a hurdle race. Back then, we never thought that this was practically possible. But as one of our team member says,

“Hum to yuhi chal padte the,

unjaani raahein thi,

lekin log judte gaye….

Aur Karwan banta chala gaya!”

We think, These lines describe this journey perfectly.

Now, we had landed in our 3^rd and final year. But, This time with a new enthusiasm and a determined attitude to fulfill the long-held dream. We all know that, in final year all the students are pretty serious about their academics. We too are. But just the idea of trying something new, somehow tempted us. We were inspired. And literally, the past 1 month was like a Roller Coaster ride, which was full of thrill and excitement for all of us.

At this point, I want to convey a message to all of our lecturers. Thank you sir and ma’am for letting us do the editing and designing work between your lectures. Without your help and co-operation, this was just not possible at all. And We assure you that, from this day onwards the so-called “magazine committee” will attend all the lecturers regularly.

Coming back to the story, Initially, We began with lot of brain-storming sessions. First and foremost issue was the naming the magazine. We wanted it to be young as well as technical. And as you can see, the name Byte served both the purposes. So, the name became, THE BYTE.

We proceeded further with deciding the sections and collecting articles for the magazine. Though, it was fun to be working with a group of 12 individuals. You may happen to know that when there are 12 people and all are working on a totally new task ….each one has something new to offer. When so many heads meet, everyone starts having a point.

I think…I am unable to count that how many times we have had real big debates while editing, designing and things where the question was who will do what?

What the team feels is that….the next time we watch a 3 hour movie, we are not going to find the flaws in it. Because now we know that why does the director need 1 or 2 years just to create 3 hour entertainment?

I remember how, we STARED at the monitors for hours while designing the inner pages. We had some real head-ache in settling on for the different page-formats, the borders, the alignments, and what not. Sometimes, we lost lot of data due to those scary viruses in pen-drives or simply due to load-shedding. We always scanned all the pen drives and we constantly reminded each other to keep pressing ctrl s, every few minutes. Sir has taught us a new lesson: Always have two things: Back-up and Buffer.

Once we completed this. We had another very important job. That was of printing. We have gone for a countless no. of times to the printing press. Deciding the best, but low-cost press, the right paper, the proper format. It was all so new. If not for The Byte, It was something we would have never experienced.

Just a couple of days back, finally the 400 copies of the magazine came fresh out of the press. And believe my words; the team’s joy knew no bounds. All the hard work seemed worth it. Infact, It’s a dream come true. As it happens commonly in all the stories, our story too became a success.

On a concluding note, I would say I feel honored to get the opportunity to stand and speak here today. Because if you ask any one of the team members to share their experiences, each one will willingly tell you this story with a different point of view. But, ultimately, all of us are a part of the same story or the same team, the team byte. All the things we have learned in this process will help us throughout our personal as well as professional life.

On behalf of the team, I urge the upcoming batch to be a part of this journey and contribute everything you can. Because friends, trust me, this is worth spending all the time in the world. You will learn while you enjoy. And lastly, when you see your own creation, you will realize its true value.

This is the first time that something like this is happening in our department. For the magazine, we believe, it’s just a beginning. It will improve with every next issue. We need to continue the story…with a greater spirit. That way, It will definitely go a long way.

This was all about our experience.

The team byte wishes all of you a good time reading The Byte.

Thanks a lot.”

Am I living in a Credit Co-operative Society? :-P

2008-08-11T22:05:00.000+05:30

Lots of cool new things are happening around. But something keeps me pricking: Why are people less interested in actually doing things and more inclined towards just getting the credit? Nobody wants to share the work. But everyone wants to share the credit. I just can’t understand. Why do all carry such attitude?

What’s more important for the person is that his/her name should appear in BOLD letters, regardless of how much quality work they contribute. Anywhere I go, I find the most common phenomena and that is: No matter what job I do, people should remember my name and appreciate my work. I have to be in the lime-light. All should see me in the fore-front. And I am left bewildered. I can only ask “But why?”

These kinds of people don’t even bother about the person who really deserves to get the applause. They are just bothered about marketing themselves. They keep secrets. They try to somehow make their presence felt. They pretend. They look artificial. They don’t help others thinking that if I help him/her; he/she might get better remarks than me. (What the heck!)

My personal experience says that the one who happens to be the real star prefers to remain quiet. For example: When people give a standing ovation to a dancer, the choreographer standing back-stage feels as if he is on cloud nine. He not even for once feels that he should be getting all the applause. “The man behind” believes in the old saying “Empty vessels makes more noise.”

They say public memory is short. People forget things very soon. If all believe this, then why are some so cautious of making sure that, “My name should be projected.” According to me, doing the work that you don’t think of as work, and enjoy doing it to the fullest is what really matters. The praises or popularity will eventually follow.
But this mind-set is so rare to find. People keep craving for selfish motives. Nobody does anything. I feel sorry for such people. To be precise:

• Can’t we be happy about the rich experience we get in the journey of creating something?
• Can’t we do things out of pure interest, merely as a pleasure or to just learn something new?
• Can’t we live in a co-operative society, rather than a credit co-operative society? :)

All in a day’s work

2008-07-29T09:13:00.000+05:30

The institute OBB behind the camp that I recently attended had arranged a felicitation program. For this event some of my group members decided to do a skit which would portray the things we learnt at the camp and all the fun we had. Sir gave us precise instructions. But, we found that due to “space constraint” we will have to video shoot the whole thing. So this way, began our new adventure. Yeah, it was kind of an adventure.

One of my close friends at the camp came up with a fantastic & a comic idea for the play & we began working on the whole thing. This idea of writing the script was a really cool experience. I wrote the dialogues and the voice-over between the scenes. Though, we made lots of changes in it before finalizing.
The most wonderful experience was that of the video shooting day. This time we had a “time constraint.” We had to complete the shoot in just one day. And all the worst things that could happen to make us quit, did happen on that day.

We had to meet at 10:30 a.m. sharp at the OBB Office to collect the ruck-sacks and other things that we required for the shoot. But due to all the late-comers in the group, we reached there at around 11:30 a.m. We hastily collected all the stuff. Then the question arose as to how would we carry so much of load to our friend’s place. There were four of us and only 2 two-wheelers. The other was a bike. So I had to somehow manage to put it all on my scooter. It was pretty difficult to balance that between my two legs and drive the vehcile all the way without letting anything fall down.

After we reached the spot, we found the home locked. Our friend was at her college. We called her in desperation and she told that she is leaving and will reach there in a jiffy. We had already lost so much of time. So the other two guys said that we should wait outside the gates for our friend and they will go and bring the costumes on rent. And there we stood on the road, with a pile of rucksacks outside her home. (It looked as if someone had told us to abandon the house on a one-day notice) People moving about gave us strange looks.

After a while, I got a message from a friend which read: “The costume on-rent shop is closed. So we are going to some other place to find costumes.” We were in a fix. No costume meant No play. The so-called “other place” mentioned in the message was about 15kms away. We sat there wondering when they would return. We were again losing lots of precious time. Our hopes were dropping.

We planned to go ourselves to find some shops nearby her house. But to our bliss, that day, all shops either were closed or did not have the costumes. We came back home. We felt irritated. I suddenly got a message from this guy: “We‘ve got the costumes. We‘ll be there.” And I felt this line at that moment: “Hey ya, My joy knew no bounds!”

We began looking for the locations. Near that friend’s house is a small forest-like area. It’s really beautiful and we found it perfect for some scenes. We started deciding the locations. When we returned at her place again, we were admiring the weather and were thankful that it wasn’t all rainy that day.

By then, it was around 2:15 p.m. The guys who went to get the costumes had come back. We wasted no time in getting dressed. But by this time, little droplets of rain had began to fall down. We still thought that this was not real heavy rain and it would stop, once we reach at the forest to complete the outdoor scenes. When we left her house, people started to gather in the gardens or balcony because of our old-fashioned clothes. We made our way through it as fast as possible. We dreaded getting any further attention.

Later, when we had just entered the forest, it started raining like hell. We took a shelter of a tree. But it was useless. The rucksacks and costumes were getting wet. And we were all drenched. We were so idiots that we forgot even to take the umbrellas. We came back to her home half-walking and half-running. You can say, that then all our hopes of completing this were nearly shattered.
I was so wet that I thought why did I spend so much of time this morning ironing these clothes! I had to change in new clothes. I borrowed them from the same friend. After that every single person in her drawing room was thinking, “Why are we doing this?” All were exhausted. No one wanted to talk. I wished I had not bunked my college that day. Was this all worth it??

Just then the friend’s mom offered us tea. The tea was a treat at that moment. All drank non-hesitantly. And I should admit, that this tea thing is hot man! We decided to start working again after 15 minutes.

The rain was losing the grip. It was 3:40pm. We started the video-shoot. The process of arranging the handy cam on the stand and deciding the right-angles was cool. Everyone were excited for the first-shot. Soon we began to realize that when we watch a three-hour movie, we don’t understand why the film-makers take a year or more to complete it. We almost took 15 re-takes to complete just a 1minute scene. Every time some person busted out laughing. Well, It wasn’t their fault altogether because the dialogues that we wrote were simply hilarious. This way we started progressing.
Scene after scene, after every final take, we hi-fived and shouted. It was all fun. At around 6:30 p.m. all became terribly hungry. So some of them bought hot samosas. And we ate to the full extent. I don’t know why or how, but after eating, one gets a lot of energy to start with a new enthusiasm and spirit.

Another problem was that of the honking horns. There is so much of sound pollution in this city. I didn’t care about it before. When any shot was progressing so well, some stupid zooming car or an auto-rickshaw would blow loud horns and distract the whole scene. At other times, a cow or buffalo would make noise or a two-wheeler with no silencer would pass by. And we waited there making pathetic faces.

By 10:30pm at night, we had made it through. All were dying to do two things at that moment. 1.View the video shoot.
2. Go home and go to bed.
But, we chose the latter.

The felicitation ceremony went on very well. All our fellow camp participants (some of them had come from other cities just for a day) enjoyed the movie to the fullest. We were very proud of our work or should I say “ALL IN A DAY‘S WORK.”
I agree that getting medal or a certificate as a topper in academics is cool and great. But, the joy of doing something without any reason, seeing people enjoying and appreciating our work, when we are the showmen is even greater. It’s truly worth experiencing. (and yes truly worth bunking one day at the college.)

The ones who turn dreams into reality!

2008-07-15T22:26:00.000+05:30

I have started liking fiction more than ever. Whenever I go to a book-store or library, I look for the non-fiction section. I find it more interesting to know about the real-life stories of real-life people.

I have read quite a few autobiographies. And to my surprise, I have always found a common-link in most of them & that thing is that, in all such stories, there is an “ordinary” boy/girl who has “extra-ordinary” dreams. This boy/girl is different from the crowd right from his/her young-age. Many-a-times, this boy/girl does some things casually or normally, that people think are abnormal. When the story moves on, you get to know that there is this boy/girl who describes the different events that he/she faces, which become the experience of a “lifetime” later on!

All of them are great tales, I must say. But, I still wonder why every story has just the same facts. Well I guess I will get to know when I write my own autobiography! :-P
Till then I hope that I get to find something different in other books.

They Say. I say.

2008-07-08T15:40:00.000+05:30

They say, “That’s un-cool!“.
I say, “That’s so cool!“.

They say, “High speed on the road is thrill.”
I say, “Who’ll pay your hospital bill?”

They say, “I’ll see which career has better scope.”
I say, “Keep finding, you’ll only stay on hope.”

They say “This thing is “in-style“.”
I say, “I better make my own worth-while.”

They say, “Quotas are for the backward class.”
I say, “Who‘s more backward: the caste or the unemployed mass?”

They say, “Go and get yourself high heels fast.”
I say, “I would not prefer to fall over comfort that’ll last.”

They say, “I will have more opportunities abroad.”
I say, “Stay there and listen to your i-pod.”

They Say, “You gotta study whole day to get big score.”
I say, “Try quality work. You’ll get more.”

They say, “You haven‘t listened to this song?”
I say, “How could I care about every single ting-tong?”

They say, “You know my first crush was…..”
I say, “Give me a break. What‘s this all for?”

They say, “My son or daughter is now an NRI.”
I say, “Do they often call or meet you even to just say Hi!”

They say, “How can I do it all alone?”
I say, “Never mind. Charity begins at home.”

They say, “You don‘t have to be Jack of all trades & master of none!”
I say, “Then why do you want me to be an all-rounder known?”

They say, “I use the f-word almost 50 times a day!”
I say, “I know. You can‘t get better at something else, anyway.”

They say, “You are too sentimental & In controlling emotions you lack.”
I say, “I hate hiding my feelings. I reduce the possibility of heart-attack!”

They say, “Let’s flaunt a tattoo.”
I say, “It’s more of a taboo.”

They say, “It‘s a tough rat-race that firmly you have to face.”
I say, “Chill down. I will either run at my own pace or create a big mess.”

They say, “Grow up. Be mature and take responsibility.”
I say, “Stay young. Be smart and instill creativity.”

They say, “Funky clothes and accessories make one look cool.”
I say, “With that attire and the cheap English, you’ll look a complete fool.”

They say, “Why does your opinion always have to vary?”
I say, “What? Really? I thought I was ordinary.”

Actually, “They say” so many things to which I turn a deaf ear.
The good ones I pick. The rest I just let go.
Because, you know I had and will always have a “I say”. :)

Confusion surrounds and grips me hard.

2008-07-01T19:13:00.000+05:30

It’s monsoon here.
Being confused is just another state of mind which I am unable to overcome since the rainy season has begun.

I find myself as the most confused person.
Sometimes, I do things completely out of reason.
I don’t think before doing. I ponder after it’s all done.
I like so many things. But if asked for a passion, I reluctantly say none.
The days and nights pass by. And I rise again to face the morning Sun.
It is all good to write. But, sometimes it’s no fun.
So you see, I am a totally confused person.
For now, I just wonder: How will I do in the long run?
(Note: Notice the usage of rhymes.)

This confusion always surrounds me.
Many-a-times I just don’t get how to behave with others or how to act and react.
When I am moving out, I don’t know what should I be wearing. (Actually, sometimes I don’t even know whether I should be moving out or not!)
At other times, I just pass my time wondering: Why am I doing this?
Because I realize that I should be/could be doing something else.
Sometimes, I am sitting in my room and I don’t know what should I be doing next.
I am unable to judge a person, whether he/she was/is/will be good. (Some people I know can tell this right away they meet someone new).
I precisely can’t tell the list of “my favorites!“. Huh!

I have read that this happens with so many people.
It may happen due to various reasons: Teen-age, Peer-Pressure etc…
So, I may not be the only person with these things on mind.
But then it hurts me to know that I think just like someone or somebody thinks just like me.

As I come to the end of this post , I am unable to decide whether I should really be publishing it! Heck! I am sick of this mental “dis---ease”.
But, I guess, it’s over-time now. I am on, to make some changes in my mental processor.
The processor’s speed is highly good (considering the pace at which thoughts get inside and leave my mind). But the internal circuitry has a serious problem.
May be it’s just that the rain-water is getting inside and damaging the whole thing.
I hope I get over this thing soon enough....

The ultimate experience

2008-06-19T22:55:00.000+05:30

When I am typing these words, I can view the snow-clad mountains right before my eyes. I can still hear the gushing sound of the river in my ears, I can feel the cold wind. Yep, that’s the impact it has made on me.

I had been to 15-day trekking camp with a group of over 50 people in the Himalayas along with an organization called “Outward Bound Bharat”. Our final destination was Kafni glacier. But, even though the destination was the coolest place I have ever seen, it’s the journey up till there, is something that has made all the difference. As I try to jot down my experience, I feel, “Why did it all have to end so soon!”

Firstly, I encountered the feeling of being really far away from the house. No! Not because of the physical distance. But, due to the fact that all you get to know, when you are amidst those mountains, is that "Now, you are on your own, no matter what!"

We began our 104 kms long trek (Read again: Hundred and four kilometers trek!) at a place called Tsong. I can’t call it a village because all that place had was a small shop…the only landmark. As we started heading up through he hills and valleys with those BIG rucksacks on our backs, I felt, “Hey, where have I come? What am I doing?”

People normally get paid for carrying luggage from one place to another. And here I was pushing myself ahead with so much of weight on my shoulders, even after paying a huge amount of money. But strangely, I didn’t complain, I moved on.

And then, even though I was so tired that I was unable to put a single foot forward, the view almost took my breath away…. I stood there facing those huge mountains, some green, some brown, some white with snow & I was left spellbound.

The vastness, The greatness, The magnificence that the scene offered can’t be described here, in words. I have heard people say that when you stand facing an ocean, you realize how small and tiny you are. But this is not what I felt. I saw before my eyes the Nature in it’s true and pure form. Though I was far away from my home, I felt being really close to it. That was the moment when I thought, ”To come to the camp….is one of the wisest decisions I‘ve ever made!”

Later when we had completed a huge part of the trek, our Sir declared that we had a 1km down trek to one of our rest houses situated at Dhakuri (about 2,700 meters above sea level). My legs were aching so badly and I was clearly able to hear the sound of my own fast and deep inhalation. I was unable to make out how much distance we had covered or how much was left. Just when I was rushing down on my toes down the road between the thick green forest, I remembered the lines from a famous poem by Roger Frost:

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.”

I have always doubted my physical strength since childhood. I was never sure whether I could do something that needed a lot of physical strength. Thus, at that moment when I was losing the confidence in myself, when I wondered about will I make it till the end that day…I saw the faded view of Dhakuri getting clearer through the space between those huge trees, I practically ran up till there!

I was so overjoyed at the fact that I had made it, that I was helpless to control the tears rolling down my eyes. Though I quickly wiped them off to make sure nobody had seen them, I definitely had learnt my lesson that day.
I heard the little voice in my mind repeat the lines:

You never can tell how close you are.
It may be near when it seems so far.
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit.
It's when things seem worse, That you must not quit!

Return Journey on the train

2008-05-20T14:48:00.000+05:30

Today, I returned from Mumbai by a train journey. I brief here a small incident at the train.
We entered our compartment & looked for our seat numbers. I had the side-upper berth. But, the lower berth was occupied completely by one fat lady & her two sons. After discussing with them, we found out that they had a RAC (Reservation against cancellation) ticket. The remaining four seats were occupied by a family of four, who for no particular reason were continuously chit-chatting in English-cum-Marathi(Their mother tongue being Marathi). I really don’t know why, but I hate all those people who think speaking in English in public places makes them look smarter.
After a while, I sat opposite the lady I mentioned before. The lady was engrossed in reading a certain magazine and her son was reading a comics digest. The other co-passengers talked with each other on all the topics like: Oil prices, M r. Obama, Weather changes, Foreign life for Indians, Meals form pantry car etc…. But, these guys were reluctant to talk with us. So, I started doing everything I could to entertain myself. I read a whole book. I listened my favorite songs. I ate snacks. But time was not moving as fast as it usually does.
So, I did a really dreadful thing. I asked the lady to have me take a look at her magazine. She gave a warm smile and handed it over to me. After that I had one of the most astonishing experience of my life. I scanned the pages of the magazine & returned it to her instantly. It was a woman magazine (or whatever you call it) & I found all the following.
It had titles like:
How to make your skin shine in four days?
How to control a child who is naughty and arrogant in ten steps?
How to gain attention or make your presence felt in a social gathering?
How to remove pimples & wrinkles?
How to make your ignorant husband love you in easy-to-implement 15 steps?
How to get your dream figure (without dieting) within a month?
How to update your wardrobe with the latest bollywood styles? Etc..

I was lost in thinking. Why do all think that these are the most important issues for females?
How is it possible that women are only concerned about how they look? Isn’t there anything else that these women (who enjoy watching saas-bahu soaps) think rather than reading latest gossips about the Actors and Actresses? Do these girls or women realize how their head stinks with the bad smell of junk they are putting in their garbage-bins (read: heads) ?
Anyways, I had nothing else to do. So, I kept pondering.
If these women start doing something far more creative and innovative than going through these magazines, they can create a revolution. At that moment, I thought that this topic was as important as the global warming issue!
Just then, my mom asked me to soon go to sleep on the upper berth or I wont wake up on time.
I felt empty. May be I could feel better when I wake up. I fixed the alarm & said “Good Night!”

Should I call them all “My Gurus“?

2008-03-08T22:13:00.000+05:30

Earlier in India, i.e. back in the age of Ramayana or Mahabharata, the concept of “Gurukul” was followed.(Gurukul is a place where, the students reside at their teachers Ashram or Cottage and complete their formal education.)
In this Gurukul, the student learnt the four Vedas (Authoritative Hindu sacred texts, composed in Sanskrit and gathered into four collections)

The Indian-origin word “Guru” has been adopted by the English dictionary.
The definition of this word, as given in the dictionary is:

A teacher and guide.
A trusted counselor and adviser; a mentor.
A recognized leader in a field .
An acknowledged and influential advocate.

But, sadly this has become just a matter of good-sounding words.
The above mentioned definition completely contradicts with our current teachers.
Now-a-days, ‘good teachers’ are a rare-sight.
As per my opinion, a good teacher should not only be well-versed in the subject that he/she teaches, but he/she should possess the basic teaching skills.
Teaching is not everyone’s cup of tea.
Teaching in such a manner that you quench the thirst of student’s urge to know more, inculcate creativity and make this learning process interesting is a god-gift to just a handful.
I think, teaching is one of those jobs, that cannot be treated as just a means of earning money. A teacher, as put earlier, is an adviser, a second caretaker and a guide to build the foundation of our thoughts……

I completely agree that, we as students are fully equipped with information resources like books and internet. But, nothing on earth can match the way the process of ‘Teacher-Student’ interaction and query solving happens.
In my span of education till today, I have encountered a lot of ‘simply great!’ teachers. But those are just a few to be counted on finger-tips.
I wish to meet more brilliant faculties in future.
Wish me luck!

Which one are you?

2008-02-29T21:08:00.000+05:30

I came across this poem a few days back.
I enjoyed it.
I hope you like it too....

Which one are you?

There are two kinds of people on earth to-day;
Just two kinds of people, no more, I say.

Not the sinner and saint, for it's well understood,
The good are half bad, and the bad are half good.

Not the rich and the poor, for to rate a man's wealth,
You must first know the state of his conscience and health.

Not the humble and proud, for in life's little span,
Who puts on vain airs, is not counted a man.

Not the happy and sad, for the swift flying years
Bring each man his laughter and each man his tears.

No; the two kinds of people on earth I mean,
Are the people who lift, and the people who lean.

Wherever you go, you will find the earth's masses,
Are always divided in just these two classes.

And oddly enough, you will find too, I ween,
There's only one lifter to twenty who lean.

In which class are you? Are you easing the load,
Of overtaxed lifters, who toil down the road?

Or are you a leaner, who lets others share
Your portion of labor, and worry and care?

By Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Cardcaptor Sakura

2008-02-16T09:20:00.000+05:30

Card Captor Sakura.
The best Japanese TV-Series, I have ever seen.
I am a great fan of such anime serials.

In Japanese, "Sakura" is the name of the cherry blossom flower. This name suits the best for the lead character Sakura. (The girl with brown hair in the center-front with a magical character called "Kero")

The story of CCS:
The story revolves around Sakura Kinomoto, who is a Ten-year-old, 4th grader student. Once, she opens a mysterious book in her father's study and accidentally lets loose the magical Clow Cards. By her ability to open the seal, Sakura is revealed to have special powers, and it becomes her responsibility to retrieve the missing cards.

The interesting part of this series is that, it has real life characters and environment with a soft-touch of magic, adventure and fantasy.
The anime television series (1998-2000) based on the manga consists of 70 half-hour episodes (spread over three seasons) was broadcasted in India on the channel Animax.
Every single episode is a treat to watch. I always take a stop to watch it, whenever I am bored or frustrated. It cools my mind.
I can write on and on... about its characters and storyline. But, its total loss if we already know the story before watching or reading it.
So, go ahead guys and gals. In the free-time, give yourself a nice treat.

Sakura rocks!

Raahein....

2008-02-12T17:54:00.000+05:30

Check out this link:
SRKNEC Industrial Branch Video

An Innovative art-work.
The unique part is the originality : the lyrics, the music, the video.

Great work guys!

Way to go...

My Mind at the Sessionals

2008-02-07T15:26:00.000+05:30

Today, as usual I gave my regular sessional test paper.
I can write a complete essay on 'Appearing for tests'.
But, for the time being, I describe: "Myself at the examination hall"

1. I search hopelessly for my seat.
2. I go through the notes till last moment (i.e. the moment till the invigilator shouts at us to keep our bags outs!)
3. I hastily checking for my I-card.
4. I wish "best-of-luck" and "all-the-bests" to my exam-time neighbors.
5. After distribution of answer sheets. I spend about 10 minutes, filling in my "bio-data" on the paper and draw margins (which I don't know why, but always get crooked)
6. As the invigilator starts giving the question-papers, I try to see the expressions on the face of people who receive them before me.
7. Alas! I grab that Question-paper in my hand.
8. And the next few hours are spent in asking for supplements and thread to tie the answer sheets.... 9. Exam ends.
10. But, we still have to think about our next paper. We have attached so much of importance to these exams

I don't find this examination scheme that worthy.
How can anybody prove his/her prowess or intelligence or whatever you call it, by scribbling the data on the answer sheets?
How fair does it seem to compete with students just like us, who have spent lots of time mugging up the subjects?
How do they judge our talent in just three hours?

Everyone knows that all great people today in almost every field, are school or college drop-outs.
But still, we carry on running in this huge rat-race!
Its a game. We have to prove that we too can win.
Its called "Mine is better than yours!"
Hey, I have to study for my next paper.
Best of luck for all your future exams. :-)

A poem I liked while surfing through the net

2008-02-02T16:38:00.000+05:30

I Dream a World

I dream a world where man
No other man will scorn,
Where love will bless the earth
And peace its paths adorn
I dream a world where all
We'll know sweet freedom's way,
Where greed no longer saps the soul
Nor avarice blights our day.
A world I dream where black or white,
Whatever race you be,
Will share the bounties of the earth
And every man is free,
Where wretchedness will hang its head
And joy, like a pearl,
Attends the needs of all mankind-
Of such I dream, my world!

...Langston Hughes