Ya ya.... The internet at my place is working fine and I do use it more often than the www wishes me to and NO, I haven't forgotten my password for Blogger.
It's just that I am caught up between my grad and personal life. There were finals (the results were as usual average) and there were other stuff. Actually, there are a lot of stuff I can write about but as you may agree with me, too much stuff leads to blockade. I want to write a poem may be, or few stories, or whatever but I can't concentrate on any of them, so they all will have to wait. As of now I am feeling desperately lonely. I don't know why. It is holiday time after all. May be that's why. Thankfully, the internet is full of useful and useless stuff for time-pass. I had been watching CSI:NY (Crime Scene Investigation : New York) and I love it. This led me to wonder, what if our own C.I.D. had its spin-offs. The first one could have been CID:Bangalore, and the second one could be CID:Delhi or CID:NCR (National Capital Region). And on top of it, I have the feeling that if and when these three will be on air, CID:Bangalore would be the most popular.
The other series that I am watching (was watching, thanks to the damn strike by the Writers' Guild of America ) are Prison Break, Heroes, How I met your mother, Desperate Housewives (all the raised eyebrows are politely requested to watch the very first episode and then try to raise themselves again), CSI and CSI:Miami (both unwillingly), The big Bang Theory (HILLARIOUS), Shark , Numb3rs (partly because both are based in LA and I like the aerial shots of the same Downtown which I see from near my home), Samantha who (time-pass), and waiting for season 7 of 24.
I really hope that the production houses and the WGA reach an agreement soon. I am getting bored.
Merry Christmas to everyone. Have fun.
jai ho
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Saturday, December 08, 2007
What's wrong with Rakhi Sawant ?
No.... seriously.... What's wrong with her ?
Is it the fact that she calls a spade 'a spade with the date of manufacturing and expected date of failure' ?
Or the fact that she doesn't know how to be politically and diplomatically correct, in other words, doesn't know how to mince words.
Or may be the fact that she wears her heart on her sleeve.
And please don't tell me that her wearing skimpy clothes and dancing to item numbers is a problem for you.
Rakhi has a nick for being in the news for all the wrong reasons, none of them being her fault. I have been watching her on Nach Baliye 3 and she has gained more and more of my respect with every passing episode. She is sincere, hard-working, friendly and most importantly .. honest. And from whatever experience I have , courtesy my little age, I can say that she is not cooking it up. You have to watch her to believe her.
I can't understand the media. And I can't understand the level upto which the common mass believes in it. I am not saying that whatever they say is false, NO. Media has been very helpful, but less often than not. There is negligible amount of Constructive journalism. It took a lot of time to upgrade from Boring journalism to Active Journalism, but it took very less time to degrade from Active journalism to Commercial journalism. These days, NEWS is a commodity. There are merchants, agents, brokers, target niche, demand-supply, hoarding, price-tag.... the list goes on. The current motto: "NEWS is what can sell itself. Everything else.... crap."
I was very disappointed with the way the media handled the "Kiss controversy".
Question 1) What was controversial in that? Mika Singh forcibly kissed Rakhi Sawant, whom he invited on his birthday (and now you know the reason), in front of the camera. Loud and clear. Nothing controversial about it. She is an artist, a performer... and not a pro. Yet, all our media did , was to make money out of it. The newsreaders couldn't hide that little smile when they covered this 'piece'. When Rakhi Sawant talked about Women's rights, almost everyone was like 'yeah, right.' Shame.
The media needs to step-up and act impartially. Stop making and selling NEWS. Understand your power and importance and ACT.
Listen to what Rakhi Sawant had to say about that entire episode and tell me if she had said anything wrong.
jai ho
Is it the fact that she calls a spade 'a spade with the date of manufacturing and expected date of failure' ?
Or the fact that she doesn't know how to be politically and diplomatically correct, in other words, doesn't know how to mince words.
Or may be the fact that she wears her heart on her sleeve.
And please don't tell me that her wearing skimpy clothes and dancing to item numbers is a problem for you.
Rakhi has a nick for being in the news for all the wrong reasons, none of them being her fault. I have been watching her on Nach Baliye 3 and she has gained more and more of my respect with every passing episode. She is sincere, hard-working, friendly and most importantly .. honest. And from whatever experience I have , courtesy my little age, I can say that she is not cooking it up. You have to watch her to believe her.
I can't understand the media. And I can't understand the level upto which the common mass believes in it. I am not saying that whatever they say is false, NO. Media has been very helpful, but less often than not. There is negligible amount of Constructive journalism. It took a lot of time to upgrade from Boring journalism to Active Journalism, but it took very less time to degrade from Active journalism to Commercial journalism. These days, NEWS is a commodity. There are merchants, agents, brokers, target niche, demand-supply, hoarding, price-tag.... the list goes on. The current motto: "NEWS is what can sell itself. Everything else.... crap."
I was very disappointed with the way the media handled the "Kiss controversy".
Question 1) What was controversial in that? Mika Singh forcibly kissed Rakhi Sawant, whom he invited on his birthday (and now you know the reason), in front of the camera. Loud and clear. Nothing controversial about it. She is an artist, a performer... and not a pro. Yet, all our media did , was to make money out of it. The newsreaders couldn't hide that little smile when they covered this 'piece'. When Rakhi Sawant talked about Women's rights, almost everyone was like 'yeah, right.' Shame.
The media needs to step-up and act impartially. Stop making and selling NEWS. Understand your power and importance and ACT.
Listen to what Rakhi Sawant had to say about that entire episode and tell me if she had said anything wrong.
jai ho
Friday, November 30, 2007
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Welcome back Madhuri !!
The Dancing Diva of Bollywood is BACK !!!
And she is looking much more graceful than ever !!!
When we (as in the people of my age ) grew up, we grew up watching Madhuri Dixit, Karishma Kapoor and Kajol. Of course, there were the likes of Mamta Kulkarni but the lesser said about them, the better. Karishma Kapoor was at her best with Govinda (whose comedy I miss so much) and David Dhawan. The over-the-top, loud (at times), whacky, non-sense but 100% comedy. They had the power to generate hysterical laughter, the only condition being that you had to switch your mind off.
No doubt, Kajol is the best among them (and definitely one of the best ever). Be it comedy, or romance , or sometimes tragedy... she delivered point blanc.
And then there was Madhuri Dixit. Her presence was more than enough. And on the top of it... she danced. I bet all the girls of my age practised "madhuri steps" in front of mirror. I doubt if any other heroine had THAT control over the masses.
"How is the movie?"
"Doesn't matter. Madhuri is there."
I can't say about before Madhuri, but after her, I couldn't find any movie which was worth watching just because it had XYZ as the heroine. Take note that I am not using 'actress' because there have been actresses who could pull people on the basis of performance. But making people sit through 2-3 hours by mere her presence..... question mark ---- Madhuri--- Blank.
Blank till Om shanti Om happened. Yes, I can sit through any movie , if it has Deepika Padukone as the heroine. Period.
She is WOW !!!
And now that OSO has come up, the only other WOW-thing in OSO is the performance by 'Omiswaami Shantinathan'. I would conclude by the dialogues of this hilarious scence :
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha . You shotgun. Me quickgun Murugan. Na Ramba, Na nillay rakkhi atti patti katti. Munnyedaar munnyedaar munnyedaar. Yenna Rascalaaa.... thoo die..... Mind it.
(glasses drops).Never mind it. (fight sequence). Yenna rascalaaa... Mind it.
Pappu ... Thyger. ( Mind ith. Thyger cat)
You bad cat. You bad cat. Rascalaa cat. Naughty pussy, naughty pussy, naughty pussy. Who is your daddy now. You want to say sorry.... No sorry. Pussy cat, pussy cat.. where have you been. Have you been to London .... to see the queen.
Find it.
Yenna fly... yenna die............ yenna rascalaaa... Mind it."
And she is looking much more graceful than ever !!!
When we (as in the people of my age ) grew up, we grew up watching Madhuri Dixit, Karishma Kapoor and Kajol. Of course, there were the likes of Mamta Kulkarni but the lesser said about them, the better. Karishma Kapoor was at her best with Govinda (whose comedy I miss so much) and David Dhawan. The over-the-top, loud (at times), whacky, non-sense but 100% comedy. They had the power to generate hysterical laughter, the only condition being that you had to switch your mind off.
No doubt, Kajol is the best among them (and definitely one of the best ever). Be it comedy, or romance , or sometimes tragedy... she delivered point blanc.
And then there was Madhuri Dixit. Her presence was more than enough. And on the top of it... she danced. I bet all the girls of my age practised "madhuri steps" in front of mirror. I doubt if any other heroine had THAT control over the masses.
"How is the movie?"
"Doesn't matter. Madhuri is there."
I can't say about before Madhuri, but after her, I couldn't find any movie which was worth watching just because it had XYZ as the heroine. Take note that I am not using 'actress' because there have been actresses who could pull people on the basis of performance. But making people sit through 2-3 hours by mere her presence..... question mark ---- Madhuri--- Blank.
Blank till Om shanti Om happened. Yes, I can sit through any movie , if it has Deepika Padukone as the heroine. Period.
She is WOW !!!
And now that OSO has come up, the only other WOW-thing in OSO is the performance by 'Omiswaami Shantinathan'. I would conclude by the dialogues of this hilarious scence :
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha . You shotgun. Me quickgun Murugan. Na Ramba, Na nillay rakkhi atti patti katti. Munnyedaar munnyedaar munnyedaar. Yenna Rascalaaa.... thoo die..... Mind it.
(glasses drops).Never mind it. (fight sequence). Yenna rascalaaa... Mind it.
Pappu ... Thyger. ( Mind ith. Thyger cat)
You bad cat. You bad cat. Rascalaa cat. Naughty pussy, naughty pussy, naughty pussy. Who is your daddy now. You want to say sorry.... No sorry. Pussy cat, pussy cat.. where have you been. Have you been to London .... to see the queen.
Find it.
Yenna fly... yenna die............ yenna rascalaaa... Mind it."
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
PhD ke Side Effects
We, a small group of Phd students, were watching this video ......
....... and when the video crossed -1:25 ....
Guy 1 : Hey look.... it is Schroedinger's Equation.
Conclusion : NERD
Guy 2 : Ya.... it is for Hydrogen atom.
Conclusion : No comments
(To have a better look at the equation, pause at -1:13)
....... and when the video crossed -1:25 ....
Guy 1 : Hey look.... it is Schroedinger's Equation.
Conclusion : NERD
Guy 2 : Ya.... it is for Hydrogen atom.
Conclusion : No comments
(To have a better look at the equation, pause at -1:13)
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
A question
Not too long ago, there was a shoulder. The exact location is immaterial so you can place it at any point in the space-time continuum as you feel like.
It was a happy shoulder. Though not toned, it was a strong, stable shoulder. Always looking at the brighter side of the world. It had its friends- the other shoulders, brains, bodies etc, though not many. But it didn't complain, for whatever he had was precious.
It was happily walking its path when, at some some point in the space-time continuum, its path merged with that of a beautiful pair of eyes. Destined to walk together with the shoulder, the eyes had no choice but to talk to it. And as it happens with anyone talking to it, they became friends. At least the eyes thought so. Little did they know that the shoulder was falling for them, deeper by each moment. Or may be they knew and chose to ignore. Nevertheless, both continued to walk together, laughing, teasing each other and deliberately avoiding that uncomfortable silence all the way along until they reached a point when their paths diverged for a while.
Both were alone during that course. And while the shoulder kept thinking about the eyes , the eyes met a face on their way. A face which supported them when they were alone. A face which was the smartest face in the world according to the eyes. A face which they fell in love with.
For the first time, the shoulder lost its self-control and it hates itself for that ever since. But the way it is, it recovered soon and decided to be by the side of the eyes for whatever time they had left before their paths diverged again. And it stood by the eyes like a rock. It was there everytime the eyes had to cry, which, more often than not, was because of the face. It was always there to cheer them up. It was always there to comfort them, even though it really didn't believe in its words. Never ever did the shoulder say a word against the face because it knew that inspite of all the pain, the eyes loved it while knowing perfectly well that they would be much more happier with the shoulder.
To the world, the shoulder appeared to be the same strong, stable, determined shoulder of old, but deep inside, it was fragile, delicately poised and on the verge of breaking down. But it could not let the eyes see this as it was their only support. So, it stood firm till their paths diverged, this time for ever. And as the shoulder continues to walk alone, it can't help but to wonder:
Who was wrong? The eyes, for not understanding it; or itself, for not being able to get over the eyes. Perhaps both, perhaps none.
It was a happy shoulder. Though not toned, it was a strong, stable shoulder. Always looking at the brighter side of the world. It had its friends- the other shoulders, brains, bodies etc, though not many. But it didn't complain, for whatever he had was precious.
It was happily walking its path when, at some some point in the space-time continuum, its path merged with that of a beautiful pair of eyes. Destined to walk together with the shoulder, the eyes had no choice but to talk to it. And as it happens with anyone talking to it, they became friends. At least the eyes thought so. Little did they know that the shoulder was falling for them, deeper by each moment. Or may be they knew and chose to ignore. Nevertheless, both continued to walk together, laughing, teasing each other and deliberately avoiding that uncomfortable silence all the way along until they reached a point when their paths diverged for a while.
Both were alone during that course. And while the shoulder kept thinking about the eyes , the eyes met a face on their way. A face which supported them when they were alone. A face which was the smartest face in the world according to the eyes. A face which they fell in love with.
For the first time, the shoulder lost its self-control and it hates itself for that ever since. But the way it is, it recovered soon and decided to be by the side of the eyes for whatever time they had left before their paths diverged again. And it stood by the eyes like a rock. It was there everytime the eyes had to cry, which, more often than not, was because of the face. It was always there to cheer them up. It was always there to comfort them, even though it really didn't believe in its words. Never ever did the shoulder say a word against the face because it knew that inspite of all the pain, the eyes loved it while knowing perfectly well that they would be much more happier with the shoulder.
To the world, the shoulder appeared to be the same strong, stable, determined shoulder of old, but deep inside, it was fragile, delicately poised and on the verge of breaking down. But it could not let the eyes see this as it was their only support. So, it stood firm till their paths diverged, this time for ever. And as the shoulder continues to walk alone, it can't help but to wonder:
Who was wrong? The eyes, for not understanding it; or itself, for not being able to get over the eyes. Perhaps both, perhaps none.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Hello
It's just another day in the mundane life of Gajodhar Pandey. And just so you know, neither the first name nor the last name, or for that matter, the middle name (which happens to be Ramnarayan) intended to bear any significance to this story whatsoever, but then, things seldom go exactly as intended. Of course, the man who was forced upon these names is significant, in the way that he happens to be our protagonist, one of our protagonists, to be precise.
Gajodhar Ramnarayan Pandey doesn't like his name. Whenever someone calls his name, he feels like he/she is desperately calling GOD for some serious help. He always envied the characters in the fantasy world of Ekta Kapoor, for they had, if nothing else, fancy, modern, futuristic, artistic names. But nevermind, the damage had been inflicted upon him by his Grandma 31 years ago. Once, by mistake( he claims), he talked about legally changing his name and the next thing he knew was that his Grandma had to undergo double bypass surgery. The topic was buried, then and there, in some hospital trash can.
Anyhow, this story is about a day in the life of Gajodhar Ramnarayan Pandey, and not his name. Though Gajodhar loved his work and took good care of the clients, his heart was severely hurt when a female client exclaimed, " Wow, you look young !!" the first time they met. "Thanks Miss Sharma. Just one question though. Why did you expect me to be old?"
"Well...... err...... umm.............. it's just that.... i don't know....."
No wonder the deal didn't materialize.
He dies a little death everytime he has to introduce himself to a female client. 'Mrs. Gajodhar Ramnarayan Pandey' !!!! He knew even he wouldn't have married himself.
He wrapped his work for today and took his seat in the office-cab, frustrated, tired, sick of himself as usual, when his phone rang.
Private number...... he he he
"What the **** is this?"
He looked around. No one. He looked at his phone again.
Pick up.. you suspicious moron.
The phone almost slipped off his hand.
"Hello??"
"Hello Gajodhar, this is GOD"
This time the phone slipped but held on tothe neckstrap.
"Who???"
"You heard me fine. I am GOD."
"Listen buddy, this is not the right time. I am not in a mood of silly jokes. So either come to the point or hang up."
"Ok, hang up if you don't want to talk. But do one thing. Turn the phone handsfree and put on the earphones."
He did so and hung up. There was silence but for 2 seconds only.
"Does it work??"
"Holy crap!!! Who the hell are you ? Leave me alone."
"I can force you to listen to me but that'll make you look a lot more paranoid. So be a good boy and talk. It won't harm you and definitely won't cost you."
[silence]
"So, you are GOD!!! Why should I believe that?"
"Gajodhar Ramnarayan Pandey. Son of Ramnarayan Batukeshwar Pandey. Born in Munger, Bihar, India on 20th September, 1966 at 7:14 am."
"Office database."
"Once suspended from school while pouring chalk dust on your teacher's back."
"School records."
"Have one major and three minor crushes on female colleagues."
"Common sense. Why are you wasting your time??"
"10th February, 1999. Sumedha Maitra tells you about her boyfriend and the next thing you thought was to run a truck over both of them."
"Well.... I...err.... I didn't mean to. Are you here to punish me for that .... (after a slight hesitation) GOD??"
"I didn't want to bring this up but you left me with no other choice."
"So why exactly are you here? Don't you have a world to protect?"
"Well.. I am planning to put up a Catastrophe later this century, and while my team is working on the blueprint, I took some time off.... you know... to relax..... have some fun."
"And I am your idea of having 'fun !!!"
"Well... not exactly. Anyways... I know it sounds cliched but.... Ask me, What do you want?"
"Really !!! Ok. For starters, Please change my name."
"And by calling yourself Tom Cruise, you expect girls to go berserk by just looking at you !! Why can't you be okay with your name? What's in a name anyway?"
"How would you know. Your name is not a haunting kind."
"That's my identity. Believe me, you don't want to know my name."
"OK. Give me a good wife. Nobody wants to be Mrs. Gajodhar Ramnarayan Pandey."
"So to you marriage is all about nameplates.. right? You just assume things won't work instead of actually trying to make them work. If you are so sure that changing your name will change everything, why didn't you change it yourself?"
"Ha ha ha. Very funny. As if you don't know."
"Ok, I accept. But isn't it fair to keep my share of sense of humor before distributing it to mankind?"
"Yes. Laugh. Laugh at me all you want. You don't know how it feels being laughed at. You don't know how it feels when your colleagues don't take you seriously. You don't know how it feels when the colony kids throw a ball in my house just to call my name. You haven't seen the supressed smiles of the ladies when I introduce myself to them. You have made me for fun, didn't you. I am a clown for you and this damn world of yours. I am the comic relief. I am the Joker. Laugh at me all you want."
"Done? Typical Gajodhar Ramnarayan Pandey. Why are you such a bitter man? This world is a nice place to live, provided you want to. Look at the positives dear. You are cribbing about something absolutely silly and worthless as compared to some of the serious troubles the world is going through."
"Look who speaks. Weren't we taught that all this has been created by you? And you have made me a part of this crap of yours."
"So, you think you are a part of those homeless children in Africa. You think you are a part of the slum-dwellers in Mumbai who sleep, not knowing whether they'll ever wake up again. You think you are a part of innocent victims of terrorism. You think you are a part of the lives of those unfortunate soldiers who either died or got disabled during the war inflicted upon them by a bunch of egoistic politicians. You think you are a part of the innocent children forced to beg for survival. You think you are a part of the world where girls are sold for money.
I accept that the world didn't turn out to be the way it was supposed to be, but then people like you are not helping either. The next time you crib about your life and your so-called stupid name, just remember one thing.... There are millions of people who would be much more than happy to trade lives with you. The question is: Are you willing to trade lives with any of them?"
"No. I won't"
"Why not? This is your house. You have to get down so that the rest of us can go home." Shekhar, his colleague and office-cab-mate was already getting late.
Gajodhar Ramnarayan Pandey doesn't like his name. Whenever someone calls his name, he feels like he/she is desperately calling GOD for some serious help. He always envied the characters in the fantasy world of Ekta Kapoor, for they had, if nothing else, fancy, modern, futuristic, artistic names. But nevermind, the damage had been inflicted upon him by his Grandma 31 years ago. Once, by mistake( he claims), he talked about legally changing his name and the next thing he knew was that his Grandma had to undergo double bypass surgery. The topic was buried, then and there, in some hospital trash can.
Anyhow, this story is about a day in the life of Gajodhar Ramnarayan Pandey, and not his name. Though Gajodhar loved his work and took good care of the clients, his heart was severely hurt when a female client exclaimed, " Wow, you look young !!" the first time they met. "Thanks Miss Sharma. Just one question though. Why did you expect me to be old?"
"Well...... err...... umm.............. it's just that.... i don't know....."
No wonder the deal didn't materialize.
He dies a little death everytime he has to introduce himself to a female client. 'Mrs. Gajodhar Ramnarayan Pandey' !!!! He knew even he wouldn't have married himself.
He wrapped his work for today and took his seat in the office-cab, frustrated, tired, sick of himself as usual, when his phone rang.
Private number...... he he he
"What the **** is this?"
He looked around. No one. He looked at his phone again.
Pick up.. you suspicious moron.
The phone almost slipped off his hand.
"Hello??"
"Hello Gajodhar, this is GOD"
This time the phone slipped but held on tothe neckstrap.
"Who???"
"You heard me fine. I am GOD."
"Listen buddy, this is not the right time. I am not in a mood of silly jokes. So either come to the point or hang up."
"Ok, hang up if you don't want to talk. But do one thing. Turn the phone handsfree and put on the earphones."
He did so and hung up. There was silence but for 2 seconds only.
"Does it work??"
"Holy crap!!! Who the hell are you ? Leave me alone."
"I can force you to listen to me but that'll make you look a lot more paranoid. So be a good boy and talk. It won't harm you and definitely won't cost you."
[silence]
"So, you are GOD!!! Why should I believe that?"
"Gajodhar Ramnarayan Pandey. Son of Ramnarayan Batukeshwar Pandey. Born in Munger, Bihar, India on 20th September, 1966 at 7:14 am."
"Office database."
"Once suspended from school while pouring chalk dust on your teacher's back."
"School records."
"Have one major and three minor crushes on female colleagues."
"Common sense. Why are you wasting your time??"
"10th February, 1999. Sumedha Maitra tells you about her boyfriend and the next thing you thought was to run a truck over both of them."
"Well.... I...err.... I didn't mean to. Are you here to punish me for that .... (after a slight hesitation) GOD??"
"I didn't want to bring this up but you left me with no other choice."
"So why exactly are you here? Don't you have a world to protect?"
"Well.. I am planning to put up a Catastrophe later this century, and while my team is working on the blueprint, I took some time off.... you know... to relax..... have some fun."
"And I am your idea of having 'fun !!!"
"Well... not exactly. Anyways... I know it sounds cliched but.... Ask me, What do you want?"
"Really !!! Ok. For starters, Please change my name."
"And by calling yourself Tom Cruise, you expect girls to go berserk by just looking at you !! Why can't you be okay with your name? What's in a name anyway?"
"How would you know. Your name is not a haunting kind."
"That's my identity. Believe me, you don't want to know my name."
"OK. Give me a good wife. Nobody wants to be Mrs. Gajodhar Ramnarayan Pandey."
"So to you marriage is all about nameplates.. right? You just assume things won't work instead of actually trying to make them work. If you are so sure that changing your name will change everything, why didn't you change it yourself?"
"Ha ha ha. Very funny. As if you don't know."
"Ok, I accept. But isn't it fair to keep my share of sense of humor before distributing it to mankind?"
"Yes. Laugh. Laugh at me all you want. You don't know how it feels being laughed at. You don't know how it feels when your colleagues don't take you seriously. You don't know how it feels when the colony kids throw a ball in my house just to call my name. You haven't seen the supressed smiles of the ladies when I introduce myself to them. You have made me for fun, didn't you. I am a clown for you and this damn world of yours. I am the comic relief. I am the Joker. Laugh at me all you want."
"Done? Typical Gajodhar Ramnarayan Pandey. Why are you such a bitter man? This world is a nice place to live, provided you want to. Look at the positives dear. You are cribbing about something absolutely silly and worthless as compared to some of the serious troubles the world is going through."
"Look who speaks. Weren't we taught that all this has been created by you? And you have made me a part of this crap of yours."
"So, you think you are a part of those homeless children in Africa. You think you are a part of the slum-dwellers in Mumbai who sleep, not knowing whether they'll ever wake up again. You think you are a part of innocent victims of terrorism. You think you are a part of the lives of those unfortunate soldiers who either died or got disabled during the war inflicted upon them by a bunch of egoistic politicians. You think you are a part of the innocent children forced to beg for survival. You think you are a part of the world where girls are sold for money.
I accept that the world didn't turn out to be the way it was supposed to be, but then people like you are not helping either. The next time you crib about your life and your so-called stupid name, just remember one thing.... There are millions of people who would be much more than happy to trade lives with you. The question is: Are you willing to trade lives with any of them?"
"No. I won't"
"Why not? This is your house. You have to get down so that the rest of us can go home." Shekhar, his colleague and office-cab-mate was already getting late.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Words-Worth
Of the infinite amount of crap we are forced to hear 24X7, few words/phrases stick with us. Here are some of my favorites:
The Show must go on.
Entirely self-explanatory. The show MUST go on. We just can't stop, for anything. If something goes wrong, we tend to stop and crib and whine. But the best thing to do is to learn and move on. Life doesn't stop, so shouldn't we.
Life is a Drama.
Shakespeare defined LIFE in the shortest and probably the best possible way. We have our entry, we play our part and we exit. LIFE continues. The only difference is that LIFE is a play of infinite length and infinite characters. We don't have a choice of our entry, but we can surely decide how to exit.
Sweetheart.
Though I have never had a chance to really use it, the lucky ones would know how much does this one word convey. I find this word extremely romantic.
Just do it.
The Nike tagline inspired a US President( i think he was Nixon) to get married !! This tells it all. If you want to do something, then forget about this world, don't care, follow your instincts, and JUST DO IT.
Fight on.
The slogan of USC, conveying the true sportsman spirit. You may be down and out. You may be overpowered. You may be on the verge of defeat. Never give up. Always FIGHT ON.
aaj main upar, aasman neeche.
Ecstasy expressed in the best possible way. I am very lucky to have actually felt this feeling on two different days:
20th June,2003--- The day when I got through into IIT.
25th February,2007---- The day when I got Fellowship offer from USC.
These words completely express my state of mind on these two days.
Coming back to life.
Though the lyrics of this masterpiece by Pink Floyd is itself extremely good, I like the title more. We all have our moments when we feel down and out. Everything seems to come to an end. We are just about to give up when LIFE drags us back into its mainstream and forces us to stay in there. Slowly and gradually we get engulfed by the rigors of Life. We all have our instances of Coming back to Life.
Underdog.
I really love this word. Underdog. No one expects you to win. No one bets on you. You are free to do what you want. You are not burdened. You don't have to answer. You go unnoticed. And when you actually win, it is Unbelievable. You take the world by surprise. And You love it.
The Show must go on.
Entirely self-explanatory. The show MUST go on. We just can't stop, for anything. If something goes wrong, we tend to stop and crib and whine. But the best thing to do is to learn and move on. Life doesn't stop, so shouldn't we.
Life is a Drama.
Shakespeare defined LIFE in the shortest and probably the best possible way. We have our entry, we play our part and we exit. LIFE continues. The only difference is that LIFE is a play of infinite length and infinite characters. We don't have a choice of our entry, but we can surely decide how to exit.
Sweetheart.
Though I have never had a chance to really use it, the lucky ones would know how much does this one word convey. I find this word extremely romantic.
Just do it.
The Nike tagline inspired a US President( i think he was Nixon) to get married !! This tells it all. If you want to do something, then forget about this world, don't care, follow your instincts, and JUST DO IT.
Fight on.
The slogan of USC, conveying the true sportsman spirit. You may be down and out. You may be overpowered. You may be on the verge of defeat. Never give up. Always FIGHT ON.
aaj main upar, aasman neeche.
Ecstasy expressed in the best possible way. I am very lucky to have actually felt this feeling on two different days:
20th June,2003--- The day when I got through into IIT.
25th February,2007---- The day when I got Fellowship offer from USC.
These words completely express my state of mind on these two days.
Coming back to life.
Though the lyrics of this masterpiece by Pink Floyd is itself extremely good, I like the title more. We all have our moments when we feel down and out. Everything seems to come to an end. We are just about to give up when LIFE drags us back into its mainstream and forces us to stay in there. Slowly and gradually we get engulfed by the rigors of Life. We all have our instances of Coming back to Life.
Underdog.
I really love this word. Underdog. No one expects you to win. No one bets on you. You are free to do what you want. You are not burdened. You don't have to answer. You go unnoticed. And when you actually win, it is Unbelievable. You take the world by surprise. And You love it.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Gray matter
Nothing's pure black or pure white. Of course, one would say there are colors but then every color can be transformed into gray-scale and then all you get is different shades of gray. Not Black, not White, but Gray.
The point is.... no one is Good or Evil. Each one of us is a shade of Gray. As they say, nothing is 100%. So, if you think straight and conclude that I am a bad guy, you probably have erred somewhere. Also, if somehow you have managed to convince yourself that I am a good guy, you are in for a big surprise. The good me and the evil me are obviously at loggerheads to each other and the good me manages to keep the evil me under wraps, but not always. And when the evil me surfaces, he surprises even himself. I recalled one such instance.
Class X(A)
TATA DAV School, Sijua; Dhanbad
Jharkhand, India
Sometime in mid-1999
It may seem a silly, totally not worth mentioning after 8 years thing to you but then it is important to me. School days can be extremely silly at times. You have your groups of guys and girls, there are crushes, flowers, all kinds of stupid games, flirting, the guy-talk, the girl-talk, the gifts, the cards, the free periods and of course, that delicate age. I also had a small group. The entire class looked at us skewedly. The teachers turned hostile. The brothers and sisters were asked questions. But who cared. We used to do what we liked to and "to hell with them".
There was a girl in my group. Being known to us for about 2 years then, she was relatively new given that the rest of us had studied together since 1988. And she was different. With respect to those times and situations, one can safely say.. she was a rebel. I had not met such a lively and fun-loving girl in my life. And we really hit it off from day 2. There was an easyness associated with her. She and me shared some hilarious, unforgettable incidents and quotes. She was, and will remain very special to me.
Fast forward to the day of the incident.
I don't remember the reason now. But one day there was heated argument and a scuffle between us. I remember she had pulled my sweater but I don't remember anything else. What happened after that, disturbs me to this day. My 'other' friends took it worse than me and then there was a heavy dose of "tit for tat", "be a man", "revenge" and the likes. The evil me was pulled out. I went to her and had a quick, hard go at her ponytail. (I told you it will seem silly.)I thought we were even. But few minutes later, when the teacher entered the class, he asked her if she was all right. And then I saw her, with eyes full of tears. She was hurt, not physically. Believe me or not, those tears make me very uncomfortable to this day.
After that, there are again blank patches in my memory. I remember giving my book to her when she asked for another guy's book, to initiate the damage-control. And the next thing I remember is her last day in school. She left the school after a month or so. I don't remember how things worked out between us. And I certainly don't remember apologizing.
All I remember is that of all people, I had hurt her. And I, hereby, apologize to her.
I AM EXTREMELY SORRY for that day. I never meant to hurt you, in any which way.
The point is.... no one is Good or Evil. Each one of us is a shade of Gray. As they say, nothing is 100%. So, if you think straight and conclude that I am a bad guy, you probably have erred somewhere. Also, if somehow you have managed to convince yourself that I am a good guy, you are in for a big surprise. The good me and the evil me are obviously at loggerheads to each other and the good me manages to keep the evil me under wraps, but not always. And when the evil me surfaces, he surprises even himself. I recalled one such instance.
Class X(A)
TATA DAV School, Sijua; Dhanbad
Jharkhand, India
Sometime in mid-1999
It may seem a silly, totally not worth mentioning after 8 years thing to you but then it is important to me. School days can be extremely silly at times. You have your groups of guys and girls, there are crushes, flowers, all kinds of stupid games, flirting, the guy-talk, the girl-talk, the gifts, the cards, the free periods and of course, that delicate age. I also had a small group. The entire class looked at us skewedly. The teachers turned hostile. The brothers and sisters were asked questions. But who cared. We used to do what we liked to and "to hell with them".
There was a girl in my group. Being known to us for about 2 years then, she was relatively new given that the rest of us had studied together since 1988. And she was different. With respect to those times and situations, one can safely say.. she was a rebel. I had not met such a lively and fun-loving girl in my life. And we really hit it off from day 2. There was an easyness associated with her. She and me shared some hilarious, unforgettable incidents and quotes. She was, and will remain very special to me.
Fast forward to the day of the incident.
I don't remember the reason now. But one day there was heated argument and a scuffle between us. I remember she had pulled my sweater but I don't remember anything else. What happened after that, disturbs me to this day. My 'other' friends took it worse than me and then there was a heavy dose of "tit for tat", "be a man", "revenge" and the likes. The evil me was pulled out. I went to her and had a quick, hard go at her ponytail. (I told you it will seem silly.)I thought we were even. But few minutes later, when the teacher entered the class, he asked her if she was all right. And then I saw her, with eyes full of tears. She was hurt, not physically. Believe me or not, those tears make me very uncomfortable to this day.
After that, there are again blank patches in my memory. I remember giving my book to her when she asked for another guy's book, to initiate the damage-control. And the next thing I remember is her last day in school. She left the school after a month or so. I don't remember how things worked out between us. And I certainly don't remember apologizing.
All I remember is that of all people, I had hurt her. And I, hereby, apologize to her.
I AM EXTREMELY SORRY for that day. I never meant to hurt you, in any which way.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Ad-ded
Had my first mid-sems outside India, and though I managed to convince myself to believe that they went well, after getting the marks of one of the papers, I seriously doubt that now. But nevermind, I have a habit of screwing up exams. So this is another feather in my i-know-how-to-screw-exams hat.
Average scores did matter in India also, but continuous occurrence of this not-so-auspicious event may lead to me getting kicked back from US, which I definitely NOT want. So, I better increase the performance efficiency of my grey cells. My grey cells, By the way, have a tedency to play hide-n-seek with me and they somehow manage to excel in the 'hide' aspect during the exams. Anyways, it is between me and them. You don't need to worry.
What you do need to do is ...... watch this.
I just had one word for it: BRILLIANT.
I have tremendous respect for the (good) ad-makers. They manage to convey so much in so less time that one has to simply say... HATS OFF. And though I haven't watched many American, or for that matter many non-Indian, commercials, I have a feeling that when it comes to making ads, no one can beat Indian ads. Not that every Indian ad is good, but when an Indian ad is good, it is the BEST. The western ads can at best be whacky, corny, and the likes but I don't think they match the humor of our ads.
Talking of ads, did you know:
is the one and only ... apna Mungeri laal, Raghuvir Yadav.
Average scores did matter in India also, but continuous occurrence of this not-so-auspicious event may lead to me getting kicked back from US, which I definitely NOT want. So, I better increase the performance efficiency of my grey cells. My grey cells, By the way, have a tedency to play hide-n-seek with me and they somehow manage to excel in the 'hide' aspect during the exams. Anyways, it is between me and them. You don't need to worry.
What you do need to do is ...... watch this.
I just had one word for it: BRILLIANT.
I have tremendous respect for the (good) ad-makers. They manage to convey so much in so less time that one has to simply say... HATS OFF. And though I haven't watched many American, or for that matter many non-Indian, commercials, I have a feeling that when it comes to making ads, no one can beat Indian ads. Not that every Indian ad is good, but when an Indian ad is good, it is the BEST. The western ads can at best be whacky, corny, and the likes but I don't think they match the humor of our ads.
Talking of ads, did you know:
- The man behind the exceptionally briliant ads of 'Happydent White chewing gum' is none other than the lyricist of Rang De Basanti, Mr. Prasoon Joshi. Take a look:
- The singer in the Pepsi ad with Sachin Tendulkar and a bunch of kids in a desert, with lines going somewhat as:
Umad ghumad kar jiyara garje,
Dil ye bole, jhoom ke dole, taare choo le.
Arre pyaas badhi hai aaj to bhar le
Khol ke bandhan, tod ke taale ,
Ye dil maange mooooooore.
Dil ye bole, jhoom ke dole, taare choo le.
Arre pyaas badhi hai aaj to bhar le
Khol ke bandhan, tod ke taale ,
Ye dil maange mooooooore.
is the one and only ... apna Mungeri laal, Raghuvir Yadav.
- The man who says "Fevicol aisa jod lagaye, acche se accha na tod paaye" in the famous Fevicol ad with an elephant and people doing tug-of-war to break a piece glued by Fevicol (the one with Zor laga ke haisha) is Rajkumar Hirani... yes .. the man who gave us Munnabhai.
- The sardarji pilot who is seen at the end of the 1999 World Cup Cricket Pepsi ad with Sachin Tendulkar, Shane Warne and Brian Lara is Prahlad Kakkar, the creator of the ad and the greatest adman in India.
Jai Ho all the great Ad-makers.
c ya
c ya
Thursday, September 20, 2007
The elementary code break
..... continued from here
Shekhar saw something different in the words. Each word had sound of a character.
So he had a password now, but of what? Instinct said it was of an e-mail account. No body was going to spend even a penny on such a game. So it HAD to be a free account. And the account server HAD to be a popular one since there was no clue about the account. So, the most popular e-mail accounts were.... G-mail, Yahoo and Hotmail. Since Shekhar had made a g-mail account for his father few months back, he knew a g-mail pasword should have minimum 8 characters. So g-mail was ruled out. He opened the Yahoo homepage and then paused. He had a password but only a password. "What's the username?", he asked himself. "Mr. Code had given the password, he MUST have given the username. Think."
By now Shekhar's brain was all charged up and working overtime. One look at the Yahoo homepage and another at the note he had received and he got it. Username is always above the password.
As he was about to enter them in the Yahoo homepage, his instincts took over him and he decided to try hotmail.com first.
e-mail address: for_shekhar ; password:Ur2cns ...... username and passwords don't match.
e-mail address: for.shekhar ; password: Ur2cns ....... Welcome Guest.
Shekhar was in. No messages except one in drafts.
Everything was blank except the body and it read:
Twenty20
Two2
You are to see an ass
To2
Two2
You are to see an ass
To2
Shekhar saw something different in the words. Each word had sound of a character.
You are to see an ass
Ur2cns
It was a password !!! Shekhar knew that since You began with a capital letter, it was U and not u.Ur2cns
So he had a password now, but of what? Instinct said it was of an e-mail account. No body was going to spend even a penny on such a game. So it HAD to be a free account. And the account server HAD to be a popular one since there was no clue about the account. So, the most popular e-mail accounts were.... G-mail, Yahoo and Hotmail. Since Shekhar had made a g-mail account for his father few months back, he knew a g-mail pasword should have minimum 8 characters. So g-mail was ruled out. He opened the Yahoo homepage and then paused. He had a password but only a password. "What's the username?", he asked himself. "Mr. Code had given the password, he MUST have given the username. Think."
By now Shekhar's brain was all charged up and working overtime. One look at the Yahoo homepage and another at the note he had received and he got it. Username is always above the password.
for shekhar
Y r s n o e e a u t e s a o a s
The most probable usernames based on the note were "for_shekhar" and"for.shekhar".Y r s n o e e a u t e s a o a s
As he was about to enter them in the Yahoo homepage, his instincts took over him and he decided to try hotmail.com first.
e-mail address: for_shekhar ; password:Ur2cns ...... username and passwords don't match.
e-mail address: for.shekhar ; password: Ur2cns ....... Welcome Guest.
Shekhar was in. No messages except one in drafts.
Everything was blank except the body and it read:
claudus sanctus
39-6-23-7-51-26-81-87-85-51-71-11-14-59-105-47-12-51-90-36-27-105-68-104-17
Let light and truth prevail
39-6-23-7-51-26-81-87-85-51-71-11-14-59-105-47-12-51-90-36-27-105-68-104-17
Let light and truth prevail
Mr. Code had laid the path for Shekhar and all Shekhar had to do was follow the path. And he was walking fast now. In this code, the only thing known to him was the last line.
Let light and truth prevail. It is the official motto of Patel Hall of Residence,IIT Kharagpur, the place where Shekhar spent his most memorable days as an undergraduate. The actual motto is Lux et Veritas Vincent, which is in Latin.
"I am getting closer Mr. Code". Shekhar now knew what claudus sanctus meant. He just had to translate it from Latin to English. He used the first translator Google offered him and the result was "lame holy". Shekhar knew he broke this code but just to make sure, he translated "sanctus" and got "holy, sacred, saint". He got what he was looking for... "saint".
So he was now left with
lame saint
39-6-23-7-51-26-81-87-85-51-71-11-14-59-105-47-12-51-90-36-27-105-68-104-17
39-6-23-7-51-26-81-87-85-51-71-11-14-59-105-47-12-51-90-36-27-105-68-104-17
To Robert Langdon, O lame saint would mean The Monalisa, but for Shekhar and everyone who had read it, it would simply mean The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. And anyone who have read Dan Brown would instantly know what these numbers meant. Each number had to be replaced by the 1st letter of the corresponding chapter in 'The Da Vinci Code'.
Shekhar did the same and got:
a h s t e d t t y e a u w t n r r e h o s n n r w
It didn't make sense but then he counted the no. of characters. It was 25, a perfect square. The Transposition Cipher was immediately applied and the message appeared.
Shekhar was now smiling.
Shekhar was now smiling.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
The elementary code
It was yet another morning in his new world for Shekhar. About a month ago he had landed in this country for his PhD. And though his resume suggests that he intended to do a high quality research, his friends in IIT Kharagpur knew that the sole reason for him doing PhD was that he could go to USA. What started as a possiblity in 2003, became an obsession by 2006, especially after he failed to get a Foreign Training during the summer of 2006. Perhaps only GOD knew how he would have reacted had he not got through. But that is no one's worry now as Shekhar somehow made it to the US and is very content, to say the least.
He had just finished the first class of the day in Vivian Hall of Engineering, the 7-storeyed building which hosts his department. The Downtown LA looks very beautiful from the top of VHE with the extension of Hollywood Hills forming the backdrop behind the high-rises and the not-so-high rises. After the class he used to sit in his desk in Seaver Science Centre-300. The SSC -300 was an extension of his reearch group. In general, SSC hosts many laboratories and offices. As he settled down in his chair, he saw a note stuck on the board. The content of the note clearly meant it was for him. It read:
"Ok", Shekhar said to himself, "what the hell is this !!"
No one was around to answer. His office-mates had not arrived yet. But even if they did, it was no point asking or doubting them as he was still a newbie in the office and the occasional 'Hi's were all they exchanged. Shekhar himself was a big time introvert which kept on postponing any meaningful communication what-so-ever. He did have some meaningless communications with the girl whose desk was beside his, owing to her talkative nature. But still it was too early for her to play such prank on him. He did doubt her for few moments given that she was a Computer Science Major, specializing in Process Optimization , but that was it. She couldn't have done that. This note was left for him by someone who knew him very well.
Though Shekhar did not pay much attention to studies when he was in IIT, he liked things that were out of norm. And this little note really excited him. He set down to decode it.
the first line clearly was an address to him. All he had to do was to decode the next line. He was not into books much, the total number of books he had read being in single digits. But he had read Dan Brown, all of them, and loved them. And by the nature of the code, he knew that the person behind the code was also a Dan Brown fan. Shekhar never knew that he had to actually apply Dan Brown some day. But nevertheless, he started. He counted the no. of letters in the code which turned out to be 16.
"That's it. You are not so smart, Mr. Code."
Few of the earliest methods of encryption were invented by Julius Caesar. There was Caesar Cipher, which decoded the message by a lateral shift in the alphabets. But Shekhar knew this code is a problem of Caesar Square, now known as The Transposition Cipher. Since 16 is a perfect square, it can be written in a 4X4 matrix. The Code is written across in a square matrix and is then read downwards. When the code was written in a matrix form, it appeared like:
And reading it downwards, Shekhar got
"What the ****. What the hell does that mean?", Shekhar was not at all pleased. Apparently Mr. Code was not that stupid either. Succumbing to instincts, Shekhar actually looked down the window to see.... well ... if there actually an ass was around. But it was not to be.
"Ok, Mr. Code. You want to play it. Let's play." Shekhar loved such challenges. Not that he was very good at overcoming them, but he loved to try and give it his best shot.
"I will see an ass. There can't be an actual ass inside the campus or, for that matter, outside the campus unless someone had a pet ass." If not actual ass, then comes the more widely used meaning of ass. Shekhar now found a different kind of humor in the latter part of his previous statement. "But there are so many of them. What's so special", he thought, coming back to the problem in hand.
It HAS to be something different.
He thought his brains out but no use. He couldn't get anything out of the sentence. "Did I decipher it right?", he doubted his method. "No, it can't be a mere co-incidence that the code contained 16 characters. The words were chosen to make it a perfect square. The method is correct.", he reassured himself.
He had by now repeated this phrase umpteenth times in his mind. Still no result. He decided to give himself himself a break. And during the 'break', while his subconscious was still trying to figure out the code, his conscious surfed the net. He opened his favorite sites and after going through his mails, orkut and facebook accounts , he moved on to indiatimes.com for the latest news. India had defeated Pakistan 3-0 in the Twenty20 World Cup Tournament. Now the margin of victory sounded more like a soccer or hockey result, except that it was a cricket match result. The match had ended in a tie and the winner was decided with a bowl-out. As amusing as this may sound, some signals were exchanged between his conscious and subconscious and BANG !!! It wasn't the tournament, but its name and the way it was written that gave him the clue. The code was broken.
...... to be continued
He had just finished the first class of the day in Vivian Hall of Engineering, the 7-storeyed building which hosts his department. The Downtown LA looks very beautiful from the top of VHE with the extension of Hollywood Hills forming the backdrop behind the high-rises and the not-so-high rises. After the class he used to sit in his desk in Seaver Science Centre-300. The SSC -300 was an extension of his reearch group. In general, SSC hosts many laboratories and offices. As he settled down in his chair, he saw a note stuck on the board. The content of the note clearly meant it was for him. It read:
for shekhar
Y r s n o e e a u t e s a o a s
Y r s n o e e a u t e s a o a s
"Ok", Shekhar said to himself, "what the hell is this !!"
No one was around to answer. His office-mates had not arrived yet. But even if they did, it was no point asking or doubting them as he was still a newbie in the office and the occasional 'Hi's were all they exchanged. Shekhar himself was a big time introvert which kept on postponing any meaningful communication what-so-ever. He did have some meaningless communications with the girl whose desk was beside his, owing to her talkative nature. But still it was too early for her to play such prank on him. He did doubt her for few moments given that she was a Computer Science Major, specializing in Process Optimization , but that was it. She couldn't have done that. This note was left for him by someone who knew him very well.
Though Shekhar did not pay much attention to studies when he was in IIT, he liked things that were out of norm. And this little note really excited him. He set down to decode it.
for shekhar
Y r s n o e e a u t e s a o a s
Y r s n o e e a u t e s a o a s
the first line clearly was an address to him. All he had to do was to decode the next line. He was not into books much, the total number of books he had read being in single digits. But he had read Dan Brown, all of them, and loved them. And by the nature of the code, he knew that the person behind the code was also a Dan Brown fan. Shekhar never knew that he had to actually apply Dan Brown some day. But nevertheless, he started. He counted the no. of letters in the code which turned out to be 16.
"That's it. You are not so smart, Mr. Code."
Few of the earliest methods of encryption were invented by Julius Caesar. There was Caesar Cipher, which decoded the message by a lateral shift in the alphabets. But Shekhar knew this code is a problem of Caesar Square, now known as The Transposition Cipher. Since 16 is a perfect square, it can be written in a 4X4 matrix. The Code is written across in a square matrix and is then read downwards. When the code was written in a matrix form, it appeared like:
Y r s n
o e e a
u t e s
a o a s
o e e a
u t e s
a o a s
And reading it downwards, Shekhar got
Y o u a r e t o s e e a n a s s
Which, after adding the spaces, became :You are to see an ass
"What the ****. What the hell does that mean?", Shekhar was not at all pleased. Apparently Mr. Code was not that stupid either. Succumbing to instincts, Shekhar actually looked down the window to see.... well ... if there actually an ass was around. But it was not to be.
"Ok, Mr. Code. You want to play it. Let's play." Shekhar loved such challenges. Not that he was very good at overcoming them, but he loved to try and give it his best shot.
You are to see an ass
"I will see an ass. There can't be an actual ass inside the campus or, for that matter, outside the campus unless someone had a pet ass." If not actual ass, then comes the more widely used meaning of ass. Shekhar now found a different kind of humor in the latter part of his previous statement. "But there are so many of them. What's so special", he thought, coming back to the problem in hand.
It HAS to be something different.
He thought his brains out but no use. He couldn't get anything out of the sentence. "Did I decipher it right?", he doubted his method. "No, it can't be a mere co-incidence that the code contained 16 characters. The words were chosen to make it a perfect square. The method is correct.", he reassured himself.
You are to see an ass
He had by now repeated this phrase umpteenth times in his mind. Still no result. He decided to give himself himself a break. And during the 'break', while his subconscious was still trying to figure out the code, his conscious surfed the net. He opened his favorite sites and after going through his mails, orkut and facebook accounts , he moved on to indiatimes.com for the latest news. India had defeated Pakistan 3-0 in the Twenty20 World Cup Tournament. Now the margin of victory sounded more like a soccer or hockey result, except that it was a cricket match result. The match had ended in a tie and the winner was decided with a bowl-out. As amusing as this may sound, some signals were exchanged between his conscious and subconscious and BANG !!! It wasn't the tournament, but its name and the way it was written that gave him the clue. The code was broken.
...... to be continued
Friday, September 07, 2007
Accently challenged !!!
US is a multi-ethnic country, and my university totally seconds this fact. One can find students from all over the world, of course some forming the majority and the rest minority.
As the class began today, the Teaching Assistant said, " While studying Quantum Mechanics, most students sink..."
O Dear GOD ... where did you send me !!! Why on this earth did I take this course?? Help me.... please give me enough strength so that I don't sink !!!
GOD responded pretty early, some 3 seconds later.
The TA had actually said, "............ most students think.... "
This was the severest accentation of a word that I could comprehend till now.
More 'words' followed...
Nothing wrong with the question except that the question actually asked was, " Why is zero there?"
All this after the now regular
And then comes my name. The following are some of the ways I am called here:
The study train is gaining speed. I hope I match up to it.
c ya
As the class began today, the Teaching Assistant said, " While studying Quantum Mechanics, most students sink..."
O Dear GOD ... where did you send me !!! Why on this earth did I take this course?? Help me.... please give me enough strength so that I don't sink !!!
GOD responded pretty early, some 3 seconds later.
The TA had actually said, "............ most students think.... "
This was the severest accentation of a word that I could comprehend till now.
More 'words' followed...
- Unnergy [Energy]
- Sun [Some]
- Planket [Bracket] ( though I am not sure about this one as she might have said Planck's constant really really fast.)
- Puthential [Potential]
Nothing wrong with the question except that the question actually asked was, " Why is zero there?"
All this after the now regular
- Khalkhiulate [calculate]
- khool [cool]
- thoo [two]
- zerow [zero]
- fo [four]
- etc.
And then comes my name. The following are some of the ways I am called here:
- A ... what ? [answer] ...O .... ok.... A... Adaaaaaarsh [close but fine]
- Shikhaaaaaaaar [not your fault buddy]
- A.. ok I'll spell out the first name ... A...d...a....r....s...h [ya... tht's me :)]
The study train is gaining speed. I hope I match up to it.
c ya
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Kaun ? - II
.... continued from here.
The striking of 10 coincided with Uncle opening the door.
At the door, lay a man, in his mid-thirties. Casual shirt, cotton trousers, shoes. He was panting and sweating heavily. Fresh blood was coming out of his forehead, perhaps he had hit a pole while running.
Aa jao.. andar aa jao jaldi.
Thanks a lot sir. Aapne bacha liya mujhe. Please lock the doors and windows, don't open them. Usne shayd mujhe yahan aate hue dekh liya hai.
Uncle obliged. Aunty brought a glass of water.
*gulp-gulp-gulp* Thoda aur milega?
Aunty obliged.
After some 90 seconds of absolute silence, with continual hushing of tired, anxious and scared breaths, Uncle spoke.
Naam kya hai tumhara.
Ji. Rohan Mittal. I work as a Senior Business Analyst in i-Demand, an IPR firm. Bangalore mein posted hoon aur yahan abhi sister se milne aaya tha. On my way back, yahan se kareeb 1 km dooor, I saw two people firing at a car. I don't think the man had survived. kareeb 25 goliyaan maari hongi. main to saans roke dekh raha tha., but then one of them saw me. Police siren sun ke one of the guys fled on the bike while the other ran after me firing all the way along. Aapne bhi gunshots sune honge. Kisi tarah jaan bacha ke bhaga hoon. Wo to aap jaise bhale log hain jinhone mujhe andar aane diya aur meri jaan bacha li. I don't know how to thank you people.
I owe my life to you.
He told them everything he could in one breath, or two may be. Aunty was still gasping.
Ye to humara farz hai beta. ye aajkal ke logon ko pata nahin kya ho gaya hai. Ek-doosre ke khoon ke pyaase hain. Insaan ki jaan ki to koi keemat hi nahin.
The montage of the gory images of the deadly riots was playing in Uncle's mind while he was speaking. The mere thought of those days sent shivers down the spine.
Khair, tum fikar mat karo. yahan tumhe koi khatra nahin hai. wo gunda chala gaya hoga ab. raat bahut ho chuki hai, tumhare liye guest room mein bed laga dete hain. Raat bhar aaraam ka....
Arre nahin uncle.... main chala jaunga abhi hi.... aapne itna kiya, isi ka ehsaan zindagi bhar rahega. main aaplog ko aur taqleef nahin doonga. Main chala jaunga. You people don't worry about me, my car is just a km away.
Itni raat ko kahan jaoge? Aunty spoke for the first time. So jao... subah chale jaana. Raat ka koi bharosa nahin hai.
Arre humaari chinta mat karo. ye ghar bahut bada hai. Jao, fresh ho jao. Bathroom udhar hai.
Uncle and Aunty, aaplog mere liye bhagwaan se kam nahin hain. Ye mera card rakh lijiye. Bangalore mein kabhi aaye to please give me a chance to at least try to pay off the debt, though I know I can't, forever in this life.
Arre... abhi kya zaroori hai. Subah de dena.
Nahin Uncle. I'll leave early and aaplog ko disturb nahin karoonga. Please take it and whenever you come to Bangalore, do call me.
Theek hai beta. The first smile took its time to come up. It was midnight by the time lights went off.
.........................................
4 days later ...... 169 kms away.....
76 year old Ramgopal Mallik had finished his dinner by 9:20 pm, folded the newspaper, kept it on the table while Mrs. Mallik cleaned the kitchen when their only son, Rohan called from Atlanta, USA. He had got a promotion and a free holiday package for family in Sydney.
Mr. Mallik had missed the small news in the lower right hand side of the 'Region' page of the newspaper, which went like :
"An elderly couple found dead in their home, 36/7 Adarsh Villa, Gurgaon. The deceased were Mr. Suresh Prasad Sharma, a retired Manager in State Bank of India and his wife Mrs. Rajeshwari Sharma, both shot at point blank range. Police have registered a case of double homicide and robbery. According to initial sources, apparently no signs of breaking in has been found, which have led the investigators to cast their doubts on the relatives and servants. Interrogations are still in the beginning stage. The murderer(s) had also robbed the house of most of its belongings. No signs of struggle were found implying that murders preceded the robbery. While the public and human rights organisations are demanding immediate arrests of the culprits, police is repeating its usual phrase 'Investigations are still on.' Further reports are awaited."
Mr. Mallik was in bathroom when he heard two gunshots.
-------------- X --------------
The striking of 10 coincided with Uncle opening the door.
At the door, lay a man, in his mid-thirties. Casual shirt, cotton trousers, shoes. He was panting and sweating heavily. Fresh blood was coming out of his forehead, perhaps he had hit a pole while running.
Aa jao.. andar aa jao jaldi.
Thanks a lot sir. Aapne bacha liya mujhe. Please lock the doors and windows, don't open them. Usne shayd mujhe yahan aate hue dekh liya hai.
Uncle obliged. Aunty brought a glass of water.
*gulp-gulp-gulp* Thoda aur milega?
Aunty obliged.
After some 90 seconds of absolute silence, with continual hushing of tired, anxious and scared breaths, Uncle spoke.
Naam kya hai tumhara.
Ji. Rohan Mittal. I work as a Senior Business Analyst in i-Demand, an IPR firm. Bangalore mein posted hoon aur yahan abhi sister se milne aaya tha. On my way back, yahan se kareeb 1 km dooor, I saw two people firing at a car. I don't think the man had survived. kareeb 25 goliyaan maari hongi. main to saans roke dekh raha tha., but then one of them saw me. Police siren sun ke one of the guys fled on the bike while the other ran after me firing all the way along. Aapne bhi gunshots sune honge. Kisi tarah jaan bacha ke bhaga hoon. Wo to aap jaise bhale log hain jinhone mujhe andar aane diya aur meri jaan bacha li. I don't know how to thank you people.
I owe my life to you.
He told them everything he could in one breath, or two may be. Aunty was still gasping.
Ye to humara farz hai beta. ye aajkal ke logon ko pata nahin kya ho gaya hai. Ek-doosre ke khoon ke pyaase hain. Insaan ki jaan ki to koi keemat hi nahin.
The montage of the gory images of the deadly riots was playing in Uncle's mind while he was speaking. The mere thought of those days sent shivers down the spine.
Khair, tum fikar mat karo. yahan tumhe koi khatra nahin hai. wo gunda chala gaya hoga ab. raat bahut ho chuki hai, tumhare liye guest room mein bed laga dete hain. Raat bhar aaraam ka....
Arre nahin uncle.... main chala jaunga abhi hi.... aapne itna kiya, isi ka ehsaan zindagi bhar rahega. main aaplog ko aur taqleef nahin doonga. Main chala jaunga. You people don't worry about me, my car is just a km away.
Itni raat ko kahan jaoge? Aunty spoke for the first time. So jao... subah chale jaana. Raat ka koi bharosa nahin hai.
Arre humaari chinta mat karo. ye ghar bahut bada hai. Jao, fresh ho jao. Bathroom udhar hai.
Uncle and Aunty, aaplog mere liye bhagwaan se kam nahin hain. Ye mera card rakh lijiye. Bangalore mein kabhi aaye to please give me a chance to at least try to pay off the debt, though I know I can't, forever in this life.
Arre... abhi kya zaroori hai. Subah de dena.
Nahin Uncle. I'll leave early and aaplog ko disturb nahin karoonga. Please take it and whenever you come to Bangalore, do call me.
Theek hai beta. The first smile took its time to come up. It was midnight by the time lights went off.
.........................................
4 days later ...... 169 kms away.....
76 year old Ramgopal Mallik had finished his dinner by 9:20 pm, folded the newspaper, kept it on the table while Mrs. Mallik cleaned the kitchen when their only son, Rohan called from Atlanta, USA. He had got a promotion and a free holiday package for family in Sydney.
Mr. Mallik had missed the small news in the lower right hand side of the 'Region' page of the newspaper, which went like :
"An elderly couple found dead in their home, 36/7 Adarsh Villa, Gurgaon. The deceased were Mr. Suresh Prasad Sharma, a retired Manager in State Bank of India and his wife Mrs. Rajeshwari Sharma, both shot at point blank range. Police have registered a case of double homicide and robbery. According to initial sources, apparently no signs of breaking in has been found, which have led the investigators to cast their doubts on the relatives and servants. Interrogations are still in the beginning stage. The murderer(s) had also robbed the house of most of its belongings. No signs of struggle were found implying that murders preceded the robbery. While the public and human rights organisations are demanding immediate arrests of the culprits, police is repeating its usual phrase 'Investigations are still on.' Further reports are awaited."
Mr. Mallik was in bathroom when he heard two gunshots.
-------------- X --------------
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Kaun ?
Jaldi nahin chal sakte kya ???
Mrs. Sharma asked, actually taunted Mr. Sharma. This had now become a routine on their way back home from the Subhash Bose Park, their destination for evening walk. Being staunch followers of Ramdev Baba, the couple never missed a day. And at 70, they hardly looked more than 60, thanks to him. The couple had also appointed themselves as Brand Ambassadors of Ramdev Baba and didn't miss a single opportunity to tell people about him and his Shiksha and Aasans. Some accepted, some faked and most rejected. But they used to go on about their job religiously, just like they went about their evening walk.
So they eventually returned home by 7 pm. It was still 30 minutes before getting dark. After freshening up, Sharma uncle dug into the evening edition of Dainik Bhaskar as Aunty went to the kitchen to make tea.
Khaane mein kya banaun??
Jo hum bolegne wo to hoga nahin... phir kyun poochhti ho roz ? Jo sabzi jaldi kharaab hone waali hai wahi banta hai.... to wahi bana do.
Arre.. poochh lete hain nahin to padosiyon ko bolne lagoge ki hukum chalaati hai :)
They never changed, as fresh and romantic as ever, even after 42 years of courtship and 41 years of marriage. Behind all the nok-jhok, there was eternal love for each other. They had two sons, Akash and Prashant. Both are IT professionals working in top IT Firms and settled abroad with their respective families. Its not that the sons didn't love them. They were tied up by their respective careers and ambitions, and the old couple never ever asked them to stay with them, for it was too selfish of them.
The grandchildren visited in summers. Their home was a normal upper middle class home. A decent sized house, white and gray with azure linings, big glass but grilled windows and dark gray door. Almost every facility that they or the children needed was available. Uncle used the money from his Provident Fund to buy this house while the sons shared the amenities and household items.
It was a quiet neighborhood. In fact, VERY QUIET. In today's fast life, no one had the time for another. An occassional 'Hi' while crossing each other was more than enough to be a good neighbor. Everyone led his own life and was quite busy in it. Uncle and Aunty had only each other for company, support, fights.... literally for everything.
It was 9-30 pm by the time Aunty had cleaned up the kitchen. As they were preparing to go asleep, they heard some sounds outside. Uncle knew they were gunshots. Aunty, though very strong mentally, was beginning to shiver.
Arre kuchh nahin hoga. Aise hi koi pagal hoga.
Aajkal pagal log bandook le ke ghoomte hain !!!
Halla mat karo aur jaa ke so jao. Aur humko bhi sone do.
Uncle tried his best to hold himself as well as Aunty, praying that he be right.
Just then, there was a thunderous knocking on the door. Someone just collided with the door and then started beating it heavily.
Thak-thak-thak-thak-thak.........
Darwaza kholo.... please darwaza kholo. Wo mujhe maar daalega. Bhagwaan ke liye darwaza kholo. Koi hai..... arre koi to meri baat suno. Bhagwaan ke liye mujhe bacha lo... please..... wo mujhe maar daalega. Please.
............ thak-thak-thak-thak............
Mat kholna, Aunty said while managing to catch her breath.
Pagal ho kya, agar sach bol raha hoha to ? marne chhor dein usko ?
Kahin aur chala jayega.
Kahin jagah nahin milegi, ye tum bhi jaanti ho. Ye colony nahin jungle hai. yahan sab apna kaam karte hain. Samaaj, society... ye log nahin jaante. 2 taang par chalne waale praani hain ye sab, Insaan to is dinuya se kab ke khatam ho gaye.
Another gunshot.
Main jaa raha hoon.
Nahin.... ruko.
Another gunshot.
-------Thak-thak-thak-thak-thak.........
Darwaza kholo.... please darwa............
..... to be continued
Mrs. Sharma asked, actually taunted Mr. Sharma. This had now become a routine on their way back home from the Subhash Bose Park, their destination for evening walk. Being staunch followers of Ramdev Baba, the couple never missed a day. And at 70, they hardly looked more than 60, thanks to him. The couple had also appointed themselves as Brand Ambassadors of Ramdev Baba and didn't miss a single opportunity to tell people about him and his Shiksha and Aasans. Some accepted, some faked and most rejected. But they used to go on about their job religiously, just like they went about their evening walk.
So they eventually returned home by 7 pm. It was still 30 minutes before getting dark. After freshening up, Sharma uncle dug into the evening edition of Dainik Bhaskar as Aunty went to the kitchen to make tea.
Khaane mein kya banaun??
Jo hum bolegne wo to hoga nahin... phir kyun poochhti ho roz ? Jo sabzi jaldi kharaab hone waali hai wahi banta hai.... to wahi bana do.
Arre.. poochh lete hain nahin to padosiyon ko bolne lagoge ki hukum chalaati hai :)
They never changed, as fresh and romantic as ever, even after 42 years of courtship and 41 years of marriage. Behind all the nok-jhok, there was eternal love for each other. They had two sons, Akash and Prashant. Both are IT professionals working in top IT Firms and settled abroad with their respective families. Its not that the sons didn't love them. They were tied up by their respective careers and ambitions, and the old couple never ever asked them to stay with them, for it was too selfish of them.
The grandchildren visited in summers. Their home was a normal upper middle class home. A decent sized house, white and gray with azure linings, big glass but grilled windows and dark gray door. Almost every facility that they or the children needed was available. Uncle used the money from his Provident Fund to buy this house while the sons shared the amenities and household items.
It was a quiet neighborhood. In fact, VERY QUIET. In today's fast life, no one had the time for another. An occassional 'Hi' while crossing each other was more than enough to be a good neighbor. Everyone led his own life and was quite busy in it. Uncle and Aunty had only each other for company, support, fights.... literally for everything.
It was 9-30 pm by the time Aunty had cleaned up the kitchen. As they were preparing to go asleep, they heard some sounds outside. Uncle knew they were gunshots. Aunty, though very strong mentally, was beginning to shiver.
Arre kuchh nahin hoga. Aise hi koi pagal hoga.
Aajkal pagal log bandook le ke ghoomte hain !!!
Halla mat karo aur jaa ke so jao. Aur humko bhi sone do.
Uncle tried his best to hold himself as well as Aunty, praying that he be right.
Just then, there was a thunderous knocking on the door. Someone just collided with the door and then started beating it heavily.
Thak-thak-thak-thak-thak.........
Darwaza kholo.... please darwaza kholo. Wo mujhe maar daalega. Bhagwaan ke liye darwaza kholo. Koi hai..... arre koi to meri baat suno. Bhagwaan ke liye mujhe bacha lo... please..... wo mujhe maar daalega. Please.
............ thak-thak-thak-thak............
Mat kholna, Aunty said while managing to catch her breath.
Pagal ho kya, agar sach bol raha hoha to ? marne chhor dein usko ?
Kahin aur chala jayega.
Kahin jagah nahin milegi, ye tum bhi jaanti ho. Ye colony nahin jungle hai. yahan sab apna kaam karte hain. Samaaj, society... ye log nahin jaante. 2 taang par chalne waale praani hain ye sab, Insaan to is dinuya se kab ke khatam ho gaye.
Another gunshot.
Main jaa raha hoon.
Nahin.... ruko.
Another gunshot.
-------Thak-thak-thak-thak-thak.........
Darwaza kholo.... please darwa............
..... to be continued
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Its not a game..
All those who haven't yet watched The Nike Indian Cricket Ad .. do watch it NOW ....
here it is : http://youtube.com/watch?v=Mpvuz8gg79Q
This excellent ad captures the essence of Cricket in India. No matter what... people will alwqays remain crazy about cricket. Its the passion for the game. Cricketers will come and go, some will be remembered.. but most will be forgotten in due course of time... BUT Cricket will live... forever in Indian hearts, no matter where they are.
The KODAK moment in the ad : The bowler(on top of a bus) hits the batsman (on the top of another bus) and appeals, not to the umpire..... but to the Idol of Banjrang Bali or Hanumaan. And the poor batsman is OUT as the 3rd and 4th hands of the Idol always point upwards. Simply great thinking on the part of the director.
Cricket is not a game in India, its a RELIGION. So what, if India has won only one world cup, that too 24 years back and a few championships, Indians are still the craziest fans of the game, or should I say, the craziest followers of the Religion.
We were heart-broken when India lost the semi-finals of 1987 & 1996 World Cup.
We couldn't believe India lost the finals of the ICC Knockout in 2000.
We were on top of our world when India won 8 consecutive games in the 2003 World Cup.
We were shocked when India lost to Bangladesh in 2007 World Cup.
We are proud of the fact that India has always defeated Pakistan in World Cups.
We talk about ending the 16 consecutive Test Match winning streak of Australia in Kolkata,2001 as our personal triumph.
We will always cherish the way Sachin single-handedly defeated Australia in Sharjah, 1998 or Sourav Ganguly winning the Sahara Cup for us against Pakistan in Toronto, 1997.
We eat cricket, We drink cricket, We worship cricket, We live cricket.
We are The Great Indian Cricket Fans.
I am missing Cricket in USA :(
here it is : http://youtube.com/watch?v=Mpvuz8gg79Q
This excellent ad captures the essence of Cricket in India. No matter what... people will alwqays remain crazy about cricket. Its the passion for the game. Cricketers will come and go, some will be remembered.. but most will be forgotten in due course of time... BUT Cricket will live... forever in Indian hearts, no matter where they are.
The KODAK moment in the ad : The bowler(on top of a bus) hits the batsman (on the top of another bus) and appeals, not to the umpire..... but to the Idol of Banjrang Bali or Hanumaan. And the poor batsman is OUT as the 3rd and 4th hands of the Idol always point upwards. Simply great thinking on the part of the director.
Cricket is not a game in India, its a RELIGION. So what, if India has won only one world cup, that too 24 years back and a few championships, Indians are still the craziest fans of the game, or should I say, the craziest followers of the Religion.
We were heart-broken when India lost the semi-finals of 1987 & 1996 World Cup.
We couldn't believe India lost the finals of the ICC Knockout in 2000.
We were on top of our world when India won 8 consecutive games in the 2003 World Cup.
We were shocked when India lost to Bangladesh in 2007 World Cup.
We are proud of the fact that India has always defeated Pakistan in World Cups.
We talk about ending the 16 consecutive Test Match winning streak of Australia in Kolkata,2001 as our personal triumph.
We will always cherish the way Sachin single-handedly defeated Australia in Sharjah, 1998 or Sourav Ganguly winning the Sahara Cup for us against Pakistan in Toronto, 1997.
We eat cricket, We drink cricket, We worship cricket, We live cricket.
We are The Great Indian Cricket Fans.
I am missing Cricket in USA :(
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Chak de INDIA !!!!
Hello INDIA and Indians all around the world..... A very very Happy Independence Day !!!!
This Independence Day is a lot different than all the previous ones. To begin with, for the first time, I am not in my INDIA. 15th august is just another calender day here. There's no playing of Deshbhakti Songs all around. Children are not going to their school early in the morning wearing all white. There are no functions ( I am very disappointed by the Association of Indian Students here).
Not that I used to hoist our National Flag in my IIT days, but somehow I used to get the feel of Independence Day. But not here, not now. Here I am, some 12,000 kms away from my homeland, wearing a Kurta, writing this post and wishing myself a Happy Independence Day.
I hope the celebrations back home are as usual or even on a larger scale than ever this time, for our country is pretty young, even at 60.
I felt never so proud wearing a kurta.
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY !!!!
cya
This Independence Day is a lot different than all the previous ones. To begin with, for the first time, I am not in my INDIA. 15th august is just another calender day here. There's no playing of Deshbhakti Songs all around. Children are not going to their school early in the morning wearing all white. There are no functions ( I am very disappointed by the Association of Indian Students here).
Not that I used to hoist our National Flag in my IIT days, but somehow I used to get the feel of Independence Day. But not here, not now. Here I am, some 12,000 kms away from my homeland, wearing a Kurta, writing this post and wishing myself a Happy Independence Day.
I hope the celebrations back home are as usual or even on a larger scale than ever this time, for our country is pretty young, even at 60.
I felt never so proud wearing a kurta.
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY !!!!
cya
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Uncla Sam ka Aangan
Few known/unknown facts about U.S.A.
c ya
- People drive and walk to the right.
- Currency notes are called 'Bills'.
- In 'safe' areas, people park their vehicles outside their house,on the streets if there's no parking space inside.
- Every street, and I mean EVERY, has a name.
- There's absolutely no dress code inside the University. You can see people in Shorts inside the univ.
- You can traverse places very easily following the Maps. Today, on my 6th day in Campus, I showed a lady (who seemed to be American) the way to her destination. Not a bad job by any standards for a guy like me who had a terrible direction sense back in India. I am now quite adept at map-reading and finding the shortest paths.
- None of the commodities bears the price. You have to know it from somewhere else, usually the tags on the respective racks in the supermarkets, or you have to learn to decode the Bar-code.
- No auto-rickshaw and the likes are available. So you better have your own means of transport to take your stuff from the market to your place or be prepared to walk all the way along.
- METROs and TRAMs are actually buses here (Metro is both bus and rail service).
- Street names are written parallel to the streets. So if you are at a junction, the name that you are seeing in the front is NOT the street in front of you, but it is the street that you'll cross to go to the street in front of you.
- The houses are Wood-based.
- The Power sockets don't have switches. Just plug-in and use.
- The switches are ON when UP, opposite of India.
- Americans are extremely helpful. I really like this trait of theirs.
- Bi-cycles are called 'Bikes', and they come in all kinds of weird types, specially the handles.
- In absence of a traffic light, people stop their cars and let pedestrians cross the road first, even if you are waiting at the side, so very unlike India.
- Everything is costlier than India. I am ruing many things that I could have brought from India. At the same time I am happy for the stuff that I managed to bring.
c ya
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Touchdown !!
Hello People........ Breaking news is that I have reached Los Angeles all safe and sound :)
The current days are passing by completing the formalities. I have some 10 days left before the Fall begins.
After leaving India and before landing in US.... I was in the air... in other words.... it was like.... "आज मैं ऊपर , आसमां नीचे " ........ literally. \
22 hrs of flight with one stopover can be quite boring and of course tiresome.
* The Procedure to board the plane (As per New Delhi Airport) :
* Inside the plane
BTW.... HAPPY FRIENDSHIP DAY (belated) TO ALL OF YOU !!!
The current days are passing by completing the formalities. I have some 10 days left before the Fall begins.
After leaving India and before landing in US.... I was in the air... in other words.... it was like.... "आज मैं ऊपर , आसमां नीचे " ........ literally. \
22 hrs of flight with one stopover can be quite boring and of course tiresome.
* The Procedure to board the plane (As per New Delhi Airport) :
- Enter the airport after showing your passport and ticket. They will tell you the 'Row' where you'll get your Boarding Pass.
- (optional)Wrap your luggage before security check. (Rs 150 per luggage)
- Push your luggage (except cabin luggage) through the scanner. (DO NOT entertain any other worker other than the one operating the scanner)
- Go to the appropriate Row. There are separate counters for the economy and business class, displayed on monitors.
- You can tell the person there which seat do you want. The seats beside the emergency doors have more leg space but the windows are a bit far... so the view is restricted as well as obstructed. It's your choice. The luggages will be weighed and taken away. They are strict on the weight limits but generally allow 1-2 kg overshoot but not more. So Pack your luggage accordingly. You'll get a departure form at this counter.
- Fill the form and go to the Immigration check-point. This is the point of no return. You can go outside the airport to bid goodbye to your loved ones before you cross this point, NOT after that. The officer will ask some regular questions and put a stamp beside your VISA. He'll also keep the departure form.
- The Boarding Pass has your seat no. , the gate no. through which you'll board and the time of boarding. Just before the gate, there is another security check for the cabin luggage. No liquid is allowed, be it Ghee, Oily pickles,.... they all will be seized. So better not to take them. DO NOT keep vegetable knifes, peelers, etc in the cabin luggage.
- Board the plane after showing your boarding pass. The Boarding pass is required throughout the journey, so keep it handy but safe.
* Inside the plane
- Nothing much to know. They'll take care of everything.
- Before Landing, they'll give you TWO forms to fill. They are very important forms. Keep them filled and safe.
- They'll tell you the exit to the luggage claims. Remember the Carousal No. of your flight. Before you can claim your luggage, you'll be checked by immigration officer. There's nothing to worry, unless you are unsure why have you landed in US, or if you are not sure how will you meet your expenses if you are on a student VISA.
- The Officer will put stamps beside your VISA and on your I-20. He'll return one form (the Customs one) and staple a part of the other form, which is a very very important form called the I-94, the immigration form. In my case the officer didn't staple it and I thought it to be a part of the formalities, only to realize its importance later. KEEP YOUR I-94 ALWAYS WITH YOUR PASSPORT. Staple it beside your VISA but NOT on your VISA.
- Take your luggage and exit out of the airport. Before exiting, there are money machines, get some change from there as Quarter Dollar coins are required quite often in the US.
BTW.... HAPPY FRIENDSHIP DAY (belated) TO ALL OF YOU !!!
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Its time to fly.....
So folks... the countdown has almost completed. I am leaving today for Delhi from where, 40 hours from now, I shall fly... into my dreamland .... into my Karmabhoomi .... chasing my dreams.
Everything's set. Everything's done. (Hopefully)
We had spent the last two days trying to arrange the stuff to be inside the 'baggage limits'..... adding something here... removing something from there.
Have bid good-bye to my relatives... friends... teachers and all.
At present I am not sure how am I feeling. I don't know if to feel happy that I am going where I dreamt of going someday..... OR...... to feel sad to leave my parents.... my friends... my home..... my country. I know I'll return to India after an year or so..... but I also know that things will never be the same again. The next time I will be in India.... I'll be 'visiting' India instead of 'living' in India. And let me tell you.... this is a very big difference.
I don't know how I'll react to USA or for that matter... how USA will react to me :P
As of now.... I am staring into a door... which is open now... with bright,white light ushering in. I am not able to see beyond the door but I am hoping everything's exactly like I have dreamt.
Alvida India.... will surely be back.
c ya from Los Angeles .....
Everything's set. Everything's done. (Hopefully)
We had spent the last two days trying to arrange the stuff to be inside the 'baggage limits'..... adding something here... removing something from there.
Have bid good-bye to my relatives... friends... teachers and all.
At present I am not sure how am I feeling. I don't know if to feel happy that I am going where I dreamt of going someday..... OR...... to feel sad to leave my parents.... my friends... my home..... my country. I know I'll return to India after an year or so..... but I also know that things will never be the same again. The next time I will be in India.... I'll be 'visiting' India instead of 'living' in India. And let me tell you.... this is a very big difference.
I don't know how I'll react to USA or for that matter... how USA will react to me :P
As of now.... I am staring into a door... which is open now... with bright,white light ushering in. I am not able to see beyond the door but I am hoping everything's exactly like I have dreamt.
Alvida India.... will surely be back.
c ya from Los Angeles .....
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Sadho Re....
AGNEE – the latest Fusion/Rock Band from India. And they are extremely promising if they continue the way they have debuted. Two of their videos are currently on air. Both songs were written by the Great Saint Kabir [1398-1448 A.D]. Actually the lyrics is comprised of his dohas.... which really convey the essence of life.
But here I am going to talk about the music videos of the forementioned songs. The first one to air was “Sadho Re” [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBsiFhcTbc4 ] and the second was “Kabira” [video not found on YouTube]. The best part about the videos is that they do not have any ‘model’. They are made with real, day-to-day people.
Lets talk first about “Sadho Re”. The video is based on the Ghats of Ganga in Banaras. It focusses on the pain in the world while emphasizing on death. A little girl is shown lost in the crowd and, while she is crying aloud, nobody is noticing her. In the meanwhile, some painful ways of devotion are shown, like hitting self with a hunter. The entire video is very dark in theme, so is the lyrics.. with one line going as....“Sadho re.... ye murdo ka gaon.....”
Absolutely wonderfully shot and edited. A must watch.
The second one.... “Kabira” is another masterpiece... both in terms of lyrics and video. In contrast with “Sadho Re” ..... “Kabira” is a happy song, and so is its video, which is based on Hope, Smile and Spirit. Everybody is smiling in the video... be it a Dabbawaala, a Panwaala, a Bhajiawala, a Saloon owner, a roadside posterwaala... anyone. Everyone loves his/her job and is proud of it. And their smile is really contagious. And different smile symbolises different feelings. A Dabbawaala smiles with the satisfaction of helping another man caught in the busy corporate life have home-made food. A bhajiawaala smiles being happy that he added some spice to the otherwise monotonous life of an office-goer. The old Posterwaala smiles being proud that he helped a foreigner know more about our motherland... our India. Every smile has a meaning. Every smile has a story. Every smile has the spirit of life.
Brilliant work by the director.
I hereby express my salute to the Great Saint Kabir ..... for the wonderful lyrics..... so very meaningful.
And Hats-off to the Band for bringing out such a great fusion music, and to the director for making such amazing videos.
-----------------------------------------
added later: the video link of "Kabira" : http://uncutvideo.aol.co.uk/videos/1d0cae37c873f801744f8554478d200b
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
The Countdown Begins....
From today.... it is exactly 10 days to go.
Everything's done except Forex and Medical.
Came back yesterday after bidding good-bye to my relatives and lots of my kid-cousins. When I told them that when there's morning in India, there's evening in America.... one of them posed a BIG question.....
she: "भैया.... आप जब फ़ोन करियेगा तो हम good morning बोलेंगे या good evening?"
me: "err.... ummm..... देख लो .... हमको नहीं पता"
after giving it lots of thoughts.....
she: "ये good morning , good evening का झंझट छोड़िये ..... प्रणाम , नमस्ते का system रखेंगें... तब कोई दिक्कत नहीं होगा."
methinks..... Good job.
It's time to look at 'The Lasts' ... at least for the next 365 days or so....
Everything's done except Forex and Medical.
Came back yesterday after bidding good-bye to my relatives and lots of my kid-cousins. When I told them that when there's morning in India, there's evening in America.... one of them posed a BIG question.....
she: "भैया.... आप जब फ़ोन करियेगा तो हम good morning बोलेंगे या good evening?"
me: "err.... ummm..... देख लो .... हमको नहीं पता"
after giving it lots of thoughts.....
she: "ये good morning , good evening का झंझट छोड़िये ..... प्रणाम , नमस्ते का system रखेंगें... तब कोई दिक्कत नहीं होगा."
methinks..... Good job.
It's time to look at 'The Lasts' ... at least for the next 365 days or so....
- The last time I was in my Institute.
- The last time I was with my Wing.
- The last time I travelled in a local train.
- The last time I crossed Howrah Bridge.
- The last time I rode my bi-cycle.
- The last time I travelled in a jam-packed general compartment.
- The last time I drove my Bajaj Legend.
- The last time I get a तेल - मालिश from Mom
- The last days at my home.
- The last days in my motherland.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Indian Idol 3
Well.... क्या करें... जब इन्सान घर पे हो और करने को कुछ ना हो .... तो मज़बूरी का नाम होता है TV. My 13 year old TV has just(?)39 channels but वो भी ज्यादा पड़ जाते हैं. So of the very very few watchable shows... Indian Idol 3 is one of the better ones. And.... now that I am hooked.... I am giving my review of the contestants in the Gala round(its sad that I ill be gone before Indian Idol 3 gets its final 7). Nevertheless..... here I go......
Disclaimer:
All the views expressed above are the personal views of this blogger and all the resemblance to the persons,of course living, was highly required.
ciao
- Meyang Chang : Very good singer. Has a charming appearance and a very sweet smile. The first one in my TOP 5. BTW... He's from my hometown Dhanbad.
- Abhishek Kumar : Another very good singer, especially the Kishore Kumar songs. Wears a cap for luck a la you-know-who :P. Has very strong support of judges. I believe he doesn't need the cap now, for he can sing his way through. Definitely in my TOP 5. And oh... he is also from Dhanbad.
- Deepali : This girl from Patna is extremely talented.... and she looks very graceful. But somehow I feel she is a bit short on luck. I definitely want her to be in TOP 5.
- Puja Chatterjee : Another extremely talented, pretty and confident girl and the third one from Dhanbad. They don't call her 'Dhanbad Dynamite' for no reason. After being in the bottom 2 after the 1st gala.... she's bounced back superbly... and is singing powerfully. A must have in TOP 5.
- Emon Chatterjee : A smarty from Kolkata and a very good singer. But somehow I get the feel that he won't last till the last. As of now.. he completes my TOP 5.
- Ankita Mishra : This Kanpur gal is a very very confident performer. She very well makes up for the slight goof-ups in her singing by her extra-energetic performance. Its her performance that will take her to the top. After facing eviction in the piano round... she's come back very strongly and is a threat to all.
- Charu Semwal : This Dehradun beauty is another very gud singer.. but somehow she has managed to irk the judges and the audience(read: me) by performing below her potential.
- Amit Paul : This guy all the way from Shillong is a real Dark Horse. He is slowly and steadily making his mark. I believe he'll turn out to be a big threat. The reason why he is not in my TOP 5 is his singing in the piano round. But he has been terrific till now in the Galas.
- Prashant Tamang : This sepoy from Kolkata has a sweet voice but not the kind which would take him to the top. He is destined to loose early and his below par performances in the Galas has not helped either.
- Parleen : The over-praised guy. I don't know what do the judges see in him. I mean... okay... he is smart... and sings decent. But you shouldn't exclaim 'mindblowing', 'rockstar', etc for an average performance. This will only harm him. He may go a bit farther than deserved due to his looks.
Disclaimer:
All the views expressed above are the personal views of this blogger and all the resemblance to the persons,of course living, was highly required.
ciao
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Jai Ho e-world waalon !!!
"I hated being away from my dear blog for such a long time" is a severe understatement. I actually i-don't-know-the-word it. Being dis-connected is one of the worst,if not the worst, thing to happen to any enginner. Oh.... did I tell you that I am now officially an Engineer.... a Metallurgical and Materials Engineer.... to be precise.
*taaliyaaan*
So much happened in the past month. I had to run from pillar to post to get my computer and phone repaired. You can understand the pain. The problem was that my PC was not responding to data cable and my bluetooth enabled handset was having problems with its bluetooth. The result..... no way to connect phone and PC. Anyway.... now I am connected through bluetooth. So... I guess.... All’s well that ends well.
End se yaad aaya..... my stay in my home.... my locality...... my district.... my state..... my country is coming to an end..... temporarily or permanently.... i don’t know. Shopping etc. is almost done. The paper work is also done. All I have to do now i to get used to cooking and teach my parents to oprate the computer and internet...... that pretty well ends the preparation.
All the while I was dis-connected... it was only Me, My bed and TV.
· Indian Idol(Sony TV) is good... in fact .... pretty good. I have always liked its presentation, but this time the level of singing is also very good. PLUS ..... 3 of the 11 remaining finalists are from my hometown Dhanbad. Go Idols..... lage raho. Jai Dhanbad.... Jai Jharkhand... Jai Bhaarat.
· Voice Of India(Star Plus) has brought tremendous talents. All of them sing very well and most are real gems. VOI lacks in its presentation and promotion.
· Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge (Zee TV) sucks. The last time.. when Shaan hosted it..... it was very good but as the creative team moved to Star alongwith Shaan..... the difference clearly shows.
· Antakshari(Star Plus) is back and rocking......... both the general series as well the children series. Anu Kapoor is a very powerful host and Juhi Parmar is very beautiful :)
· The Great India Laughter Challenge III brought some of the best new stand-up comedians. The first female contestant Arti Khandpal(i think) was excellent.
· Comedy Circus(Sony TV) sucks. Simply.... IT SUCKS.... inspite of bringing in the very beautiful Shruti Seth as host.
· Ekta Kapoor and her K-shows..... as usual Sucks. Her shows can easily qualify for “Who Dares Wins”. A normal human being with normal sensibilities just can’t watch any of her show for more than 30 seconds. It is mentally impossible. They don’t say ‘Indian Women are strong ‘ for no reason. After all Indian Women do watch such horible shows for more than 3 hours in a day!!! Jai ho Bhartiya Naari. When Ekta Kapoor came to Koffee with Karan... she said to her detractors “If you don’t like it... don’t watch it.” Good.... I liked that attitude.... and it was fair enough. But then she gave another master statement .... “I aim to make TV serials like Prison Break and 24.” I mean..... Ekta ji.... Please..... give us a break. Have you even watched any episode of the great series you just mentioned!!! They contain two basic ingredients which you, of course don’t know...... Story and Logic( to an extent). And their camermen don’t topple every 5 seconds while shooting. All right.... enough of Ekta.
· The news channels SUCK. All of them. They present just Commercial journalism.... when at such times... they should think of Constructive and Progressive journalism. Football star Christiano Ronaldo gave a peck on Bipasha basu’s cheeks..... and these idiot make it a ‘Headline’ and ‘Breaking News’ !!!! Please guys..... seriously.... who cares. Yesterday Zee News was showing how one can reach runways and other sensitive areas of Mumbai airport without any proper security chekups. In short... they were showing how to blow off the airport. Later they showed how bombs can be made easily. I just want to ask them a Question... Are they sure their channel is not watched by current or wannabe terrorists? If they had such information.... why didn’t they act responsibly and go to appropriate authorities with the video instead of relaying them on National television? Bloody Fools. Careless Buggers.
Anyway.... so much for the Indian Television. Its now back to Me, My PC and Internet.
20 days to go.........
*taaliyaaan*
So much happened in the past month. I had to run from pillar to post to get my computer and phone repaired. You can understand the pain. The problem was that my PC was not responding to data cable and my bluetooth enabled handset was having problems with its bluetooth. The result..... no way to connect phone and PC. Anyway.... now I am connected through bluetooth. So... I guess.... All’s well that ends well.
End se yaad aaya..... my stay in my home.... my locality...... my district.... my state..... my country is coming to an end..... temporarily or permanently.... i don’t know. Shopping etc. is almost done. The paper work is also done. All I have to do now i to get used to cooking and teach my parents to oprate the computer and internet...... that pretty well ends the preparation.
All the while I was dis-connected... it was only Me, My bed and TV.
· Indian Idol(Sony TV) is good... in fact .... pretty good. I have always liked its presentation, but this time the level of singing is also very good. PLUS ..... 3 of the 11 remaining finalists are from my hometown Dhanbad. Go Idols..... lage raho. Jai Dhanbad.... Jai Jharkhand... Jai Bhaarat.
· Voice Of India(Star Plus) has brought tremendous talents. All of them sing very well and most are real gems. VOI lacks in its presentation and promotion.
· Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge (Zee TV) sucks. The last time.. when Shaan hosted it..... it was very good but as the creative team moved to Star alongwith Shaan..... the difference clearly shows.
· Antakshari(Star Plus) is back and rocking......... both the general series as well the children series. Anu Kapoor is a very powerful host and Juhi Parmar is very beautiful :)
· The Great India Laughter Challenge III brought some of the best new stand-up comedians. The first female contestant Arti Khandpal(i think) was excellent.
· Comedy Circus(Sony TV) sucks. Simply.... IT SUCKS.... inspite of bringing in the very beautiful Shruti Seth as host.
· Ekta Kapoor and her K-shows..... as usual Sucks. Her shows can easily qualify for “Who Dares Wins”. A normal human being with normal sensibilities just can’t watch any of her show for more than 30 seconds. It is mentally impossible. They don’t say ‘Indian Women are strong ‘ for no reason. After all Indian Women do watch such horible shows for more than 3 hours in a day!!! Jai ho Bhartiya Naari. When Ekta Kapoor came to Koffee with Karan... she said to her detractors “If you don’t like it... don’t watch it.” Good.... I liked that attitude.... and it was fair enough. But then she gave another master statement .... “I aim to make TV serials like Prison Break and 24.” I mean..... Ekta ji.... Please..... give us a break. Have you even watched any episode of the great series you just mentioned!!! They contain two basic ingredients which you, of course don’t know...... Story and Logic( to an extent). And their camermen don’t topple every 5 seconds while shooting. All right.... enough of Ekta.
· The news channels SUCK. All of them. They present just Commercial journalism.... when at such times... they should think of Constructive and Progressive journalism. Football star Christiano Ronaldo gave a peck on Bipasha basu’s cheeks..... and these idiot make it a ‘Headline’ and ‘Breaking News’ !!!! Please guys..... seriously.... who cares. Yesterday Zee News was showing how one can reach runways and other sensitive areas of Mumbai airport without any proper security chekups. In short... they were showing how to blow off the airport. Later they showed how bombs can be made easily. I just want to ask them a Question... Are they sure their channel is not watched by current or wannabe terrorists? If they had such information.... why didn’t they act responsibly and go to appropriate authorities with the video instead of relaying them on National television? Bloody Fools. Careless Buggers.
Anyway.... so much for the Indian Television. Its now back to Me, My PC and Internet.
20 days to go.........
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
daroga speaks .....reloaded
If anything's constant.... tht's change ( कहीँ सुना था )
I have changed... my looks have changed (drastically) you have changed.... he has changed... she has changed.... the whole world has changed..... except ......
मेरे blog का template.... since its birth ... it had been the same.... same Anjuna beach of Goa ( which is beautiful BTW ).... same color.... same everything.
बेचारा बहुत दिन से बोल रहा था ..... i mean... बोलने कि सोच रहा था.... 'coz.... daroga can speak but daroga के blog का template can't speak ... u see :P (OK... a BAD one )
Life at home can be very monotonous... but then... I'll terribly miss this very monotonous life at home sweet home .... so it's highly recommended to njoy the monotonicity for the 2 months tht are left with me at home. BTW I will be going to KGP this friday to get my flight ticket done.... कुछ तो change होगा इसी बहाने ..... let's see
so here I change.... for the sake of change... hope u like it.
I have changed... my looks have changed (drastically) you have changed.... he has changed... she has changed.... the whole world has changed..... except ......
मेरे blog का template.... since its birth ... it had been the same.... same Anjuna beach of Goa ( which is beautiful BTW ).... same color.... same everything.
बेचारा बहुत दिन से बोल रहा था ..... i mean... बोलने कि सोच रहा था.... 'coz.... daroga can speak but daroga के blog का template can't speak ... u see :P (OK... a BAD one )
Life at home can be very monotonous... but then... I'll terribly miss this very monotonous life at home sweet home .... so it's highly recommended to njoy the monotonicity for the 2 months tht are left with me at home. BTW I will be going to KGP this friday to get my flight ticket done.... कुछ तो change होगा इसी बहाने ..... let's see
so here I change.... for the sake of change... hope u like it.
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Pappu back ho gaya
Bhaiyon aur ladies ..... bachaa aur bachhies.....
aapka apna (favorite bolna chaahein to add kar lein) daroga is now back on this gr8 World Wide Web !!!!
-------------taaaliyaaaaannnnnnnn-------------
After reaching home with all the bag and baggage and lot more... the first and only thing in my mind was to get a net connection.... and here I am.... [after trying 3 different handsets .... using all the PC knowledge I had acquired.... running from one end to the other of my locality (so what if it is only 2 km diameter circle.... mehnat lagti hai yaar... aur garmi bhi to hai naa) and talking to 7 different 'Customer Care Executives' ]...... blogging once again.
kasam se.... this world.. or so to say this e-world is running so fast that after only 10 days of dis-connection i feel like .....of stone age !!!! Arri internet ... kabhi to slow chala kar... kahan jaayegi itna tez bhaag ke.
aajkal to i am sirf eating and sleeping and of course... gaining weight :P
tasks to do bfore I drop in US.....
> lose (some) weight
>buy my ticket (of course)
>make my list of "things to do" and "things to take" and if mom forces ... "things not to do in US"
>ssshhhhh.... kisi ko batana nahin...... (things NOT to do in the plane)
>extreme shopping (i dont like shopping BTW)
> bas itna hi... ab kya bacche ki jaan loge !!!
till then.... khaate raho... sote raho.... hanste raho....... aur haan ......'Blog'te raho
c ya..... ab to roz ka aana jaana hai idhar
----------------------------------------------------
P.S.-> if anybody has any suggestions regarding task no. 3 ya aiwe hi......... u r always welcome :)
aapka apna (favorite bolna chaahein to add kar lein) daroga is now back on this gr8 World Wide Web !!!!
-------------taaaliyaaaaannnnnnnn-------------
After reaching home with all the bag and baggage and lot more... the first and only thing in my mind was to get a net connection.... and here I am.... [after trying 3 different handsets .... using all the PC knowledge I had acquired.... running from one end to the other of my locality (so what if it is only 2 km diameter circle.... mehnat lagti hai yaar... aur garmi bhi to hai naa) and talking to 7 different 'Customer Care Executives' ]...... blogging once again.
kasam se.... this world.. or so to say this e-world is running so fast that after only 10 days of dis-connection i feel like .....of stone age !!!! Arri internet ... kabhi to slow chala kar... kahan jaayegi itna tez bhaag ke.
aajkal to i am sirf eating and sleeping and of course... gaining weight :P
tasks to do bfore I drop in US.....
> lose (some) weight
>buy my ticket (of course)
>make my list of "things to do" and "things to take" and if mom forces ... "things not to do in US"
>ssshhhhh.... kisi ko batana nahin...... (things NOT to do in the plane)
>extreme shopping (i dont like shopping BTW)
> bas itna hi... ab kya bacche ki jaan loge !!!
till then.... khaate raho... sote raho.... hanste raho....... aur haan ......'Blog'te raho
c ya..... ab to roz ka aana jaana hai idhar
----------------------------------------------------
P.S.-> if anybody has any suggestions regarding task no. 3 ya aiwe hi......... u r always welcome :)
Sunday, May 20, 2007
It's time....
Yes.... the day has arrived when I finally leave IIT Kharagpur.
I don't know if I am happy to be a Graduate now and finally going home being an engineer.... or I am sad to leave this great place..... greater friends..... greatest life. I really don't know.
This is my last post from Kharapur. Will see you people now from my home (I have to set up a net connection at home which may take time ).
Bye bye KGP... will miss you a LOT !!!!
I don't know if I am happy to be a Graduate now and finally going home being an engineer.... or I am sad to leave this great place..... greater friends..... greatest life. I really don't know.
This is my last post from Kharapur. Will see you people now from my home (I have to set up a net connection at home which may take time ).
Bye bye KGP... will miss you a LOT !!!!
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
What a Surprise !!!!
Do you like surprises ?
Well... I do. And I love to take someone by surprise. If I see you walking ahead and I am on my cycle.... I would race it and brake right beside you in a jerk..... and say a modulated 'Hi'. I simply love that "astonished" look when I catch someone by surprise. (okay.... for me to do all this... you have to be a girl :P )
So, that day I planned to give a parting gift to AD, one of my best friends. I wanted to surprise her and for that I had to involve her friend who was supposed to keep the packet in her(AD's) room while she was away. Inspite of repeatedly being reminded that it was meant NOT to be told to anyone else.... she brought another friend of theirs to take the packet.( Ok... I was a bit late in giving the packet but tht doesn't mean you involve another person to do something tht was supposed to be a SECRET !!! )
Anyways.... after that it all went according to the plan. AD was completely amazed and heavily (and happily) surprised. I was also very happy.
The next morning.... I came to know that all my wingmates (some 10 of them) knew about the 'event'. As it was a SECRET.. I had not told them. So as it turned out.... those AD's friends.... had spilled the beans.... they couldn't wait for the morning even. Late night.... over the phone.... everything out !!!! I understand they were also very excited after all this... but still...
Oh Girls.... is it Sooooooooooo Hard to keep a SECRET !!!!!!
Nevermind... AD was much more than happy ... so...... Mission Accomplished :)
-----------------------------------
P.S.---> I have my VISA interview on 17th.
Well... I do. And I love to take someone by surprise. If I see you walking ahead and I am on my cycle.... I would race it and brake right beside you in a jerk..... and say a modulated 'Hi'. I simply love that "astonished" look when I catch someone by surprise. (okay.... for me to do all this... you have to be a girl :P )
So, that day I planned to give a parting gift to AD, one of my best friends. I wanted to surprise her and for that I had to involve her friend who was supposed to keep the packet in her(AD's) room while she was away. Inspite of repeatedly being reminded that it was meant NOT to be told to anyone else.... she brought another friend of theirs to take the packet.( Ok... I was a bit late in giving the packet but tht doesn't mean you involve another person to do something tht was supposed to be a SECRET !!! )
Anyways.... after that it all went according to the plan. AD was completely amazed and heavily (and happily) surprised. I was also very happy.
The next morning.... I came to know that all my wingmates (some 10 of them) knew about the 'event'. As it was a SECRET.. I had not told them. So as it turned out.... those AD's friends.... had spilled the beans.... they couldn't wait for the morning even. Late night.... over the phone.... everything out !!!! I understand they were also very excited after all this... but still...
Oh Girls.... is it Sooooooooooo Hard to keep a SECRET !!!!!!
Nevermind... AD was much more than happy ... so...... Mission Accomplished :)
-----------------------------------
P.S.---> I have my VISA interview on 17th.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
जनाब
Best viewed in Internet Explorer v 5.0 and above
------------------------------------------------------
जनाब ने इक नज़र जो डाली
हम उस नज़र के गु़लाम हो गए
हमारी पलकें क्या झपकीं
वो कुछ बेरुखे से हो गए
मुँह फेर कर चले गए
इक बार सोचा तक नहीं
ये दिल जो इतने ज़ोर से टूटा
पलट कर देखा तक नहीं
जनाब जो रूठ कर गए
कोई मुकम्मिल वजह रही होगी
आप गलत ना समझियेगा
ख़ता ज़रूर हमारी रही होगी
दिल तोड़ा, दिल चीज़ ही क्या है
जनाब तो इस जान के हकदार हैं
इक बार कह कर तो देखें
हम मौत से ज्यादा वफ़ादार हैं
--------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------
जनाब ने इक नज़र जो डाली
हम उस नज़र के गु़लाम हो गए
हमारी पलकें क्या झपकीं
वो कुछ बेरुखे से हो गए
मुँह फेर कर चले गए
इक बार सोचा तक नहीं
ये दिल जो इतने ज़ोर से टूटा
पलट कर देखा तक नहीं
जनाब जो रूठ कर गए
कोई मुकम्मिल वजह रही होगी
आप गलत ना समझियेगा
ख़ता ज़रूर हमारी रही होगी
दिल तोड़ा, दिल चीज़ ही क्या है
जनाब तो इस जान के हकदार हैं
इक बार कह कर तो देखें
हम मौत से ज्यादा वफ़ादार हैं
--------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, May 06, 2007
एक ख़्वाब
Best viewed in Internet Explorer v 5.0 and above.
--------------------------------------------------------------
निगाहों को रोक लिया था
धड़कनें भी समझ गयी थी
दिल का वो समंदर चुप-चाप था
वो नामुम्किन ख़्वाब सो चुका था
अचानक कहीँ पर कुछ हुआ
और एक ऊंची सी लहर उठी
वो हसीं मुस्कान याद आ गयी
आज फिर तुमसे प्यार हो गया
मेरे होश को कह दो
आज मुझे सोने दे
आज बख्श दे क्योंकि
आज फिर तुमसे प्यार हुआ है
इन पलों को समेट लेने दो
इस एहसास को जी लेने दो
काश लब्ज़ जुबां पे आ पाते
काश ये ख़्वाब सच होता
माना ये ख़्वाब मुमकिन नहीं
पर इक ज़र्रा भी गम नहीं
ख़्वाब ही सही, तुमसे प्यार तो है
और मुझे इस ख़्वाब से प्यार है
-----------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------
निगाहों को रोक लिया था
धड़कनें भी समझ गयी थी
दिल का वो समंदर चुप-चाप था
वो नामुम्किन ख़्वाब सो चुका था
अचानक कहीँ पर कुछ हुआ
और एक ऊंची सी लहर उठी
वो हसीं मुस्कान याद आ गयी
आज फिर तुमसे प्यार हो गया
मेरे होश को कह दो
आज मुझे सोने दे
आज बख्श दे क्योंकि
आज फिर तुमसे प्यार हुआ है
इन पलों को समेट लेने दो
इस एहसास को जी लेने दो
काश लब्ज़ जुबां पे आ पाते
काश ये ख़्वाब सच होता
माना ये ख़्वाब मुमकिन नहीं
पर इक ज़र्रा भी गम नहीं
ख़्वाब ही सही, तुमसे प्यार तो है
और मुझे इस ख़्वाब से प्यार है
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday, April 28, 2007
The Phoenix Rises.....
August 2006
There was a whole lot of stuff going around regarding 'Ragging' in I.I.T. Kharagpur. The result..... 'Phoenix Productions' was conceived and created in I.I.T. Kharagpur, by few individuals..... 2 to be exact... to express themselves but ... in a humorous way.
The debut production .... widely appreciated "Tedhi Baat".
Late August 2006
The hue-n-cry regarding Reservation in IIMs and IITs was at its peak. The director of IIT Kharagpur took a stand.... and the Phoenix showed up again.... this time... even more successful and applauded..... "Tedhi Baat Dwiteeya" .... the sequel to "Tedhi Baat".
December 2006-January 2007
Placements in IIT Kharagpur. A lot happened. Ecstacy.... Dream Job... Heart-breaks... Compromise... everything. The Phoenix felt its need to show up again. The idea was conceived... the blueprint was ready. But due to avoidable and unavoidable circumstances... it could not show up.
27th April 2006
End semester exams going on in IIT Kgp. The Phoenix could not wait for them to end. The result.... their last production in IIT Kgp..... "dis-Placement".
Here's the current eye-candy of IIT Kgp: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3950103420970617511&hl=en
Some initial responses:
"Awesome is an understatement for this video"
"GODLY"
"U guys rock"
"The best ever video made in IIT Kgp"
"Sach mein sento ho gaye the yaar"
If you have sometime to spare.. do watch out last production and express your view either here and/or in our orkut community: Phoenix Productions
I express my heartiest thanks to all those who appreciated our work. We love you all.
c ya
There was a whole lot of stuff going around regarding 'Ragging' in I.I.T. Kharagpur. The result..... 'Phoenix Productions' was conceived and created in I.I.T. Kharagpur, by few individuals..... 2 to be exact... to express themselves but ... in a humorous way.
The debut production .... widely appreciated "Tedhi Baat".
Late August 2006
The hue-n-cry regarding Reservation in IIMs and IITs was at its peak. The director of IIT Kharagpur took a stand.... and the Phoenix showed up again.... this time... even more successful and applauded..... "Tedhi Baat Dwiteeya" .... the sequel to "Tedhi Baat".
December 2006-January 2007
Placements in IIT Kharagpur. A lot happened. Ecstacy.... Dream Job... Heart-breaks... Compromise... everything. The Phoenix felt its need to show up again. The idea was conceived... the blueprint was ready. But due to avoidable and unavoidable circumstances... it could not show up.
27th April 2006
End semester exams going on in IIT Kgp. The Phoenix could not wait for them to end. The result.... their last production in IIT Kgp..... "dis-Placement".
Here's the current eye-candy of IIT Kgp: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3950103420970617511&hl=en
Some initial responses:
"Awesome is an understatement for this video"
"GODLY"
"U guys rock"
"The best ever video made in IIT Kgp"
"Sach mein sento ho gaye the yaar"
If you have sometime to spare.. do watch out last production and express your view either here and/or in our orkut community: Phoenix Productions
I express my heartiest thanks to all those who appreciated our work. We love you all.
c ya
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Pal
Waqt badalne k liye,
Ek lamha hi kaafi hai.
Aaj barson beet gaye,
Aur intezaar baaki hai.
Hazaaron lamhe kho gaye,
Aas mein us pal ke.
Hum khaak chhaante reh gaye,
Uljhe se, paagal se.
Shayad wo pal kahin chhup gaya,
Shayad chupke se chala gaya.
Shayad ek poora arsaa,
Us pal ke dwaara chhala gaya.
Ek ujli si kiran,
Ya wo anjaana kal ho.
Intezaar hi jeevan hai,
Shayad maut hi wo pal ho.
--------------------------------------------------
I have my Final end-sems from tomorrow and I am in no mood to study. Kisi tarah paar ho jaaye yaar.... aur nahin saha jaata.
Jai Ho !!!!
Ek lamha hi kaafi hai.
Aaj barson beet gaye,
Aur intezaar baaki hai.
Hazaaron lamhe kho gaye,
Aas mein us pal ke.
Hum khaak chhaante reh gaye,
Uljhe se, paagal se.
Shayad wo pal kahin chhup gaya,
Shayad chupke se chala gaya.
Shayad ek poora arsaa,
Us pal ke dwaara chhala gaya.
Ek ujli si kiran,
Ya wo anjaana kal ho.
Intezaar hi jeevan hai,
Shayad maut hi wo pal ho.
--------------------------------------------------
I have my Final end-sems from tomorrow and I am in no mood to study. Kisi tarah paar ho jaaye yaar.... aur nahin saha jaata.
Jai Ho !!!!
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Memories
Today the last class of my undergraduate career got over at 10:30 IST. I had decided to write my last post in class today. The post was supposed to be about the activites going on in the class... as in 'Live Telecast' but... as I woke up this morning... I decided to BUNK the class. So...... no class... no 'live telecast' :P
As a result... I am posting one of my earlier 'class-work' , written a few days earlier. Each stanza in this poem represents a certain stage of my life @ IIT Kgp, starting from the moment when I knew I got through IITJEE.
Safal hone ki wo umang,
Maa k chehre pe wo khushi,
Papa ki awaaz mein wo santosh,
Ab to sirf yaadein hi baaki hain.
Sapno ki duniya mein wo pehla kadam,
Ajnabi hawa mein wo pehli saans,
Akelepan ka wo pehla ehsaas,
Aaj sirf yaadein hi baaki hain.
Galti se galti karne ka wo darr,
Those days of living in terror,
While making friends forever,
Only the memory remains.
That pride of being in control,
Giving it all your heart and soul,
Those brave efforts only to lose it all,
The memory lives, so does the spirit.
It's time to set out,
It's time to show.
It's my turn to leave,
With the memories to follow.
As a result... I am posting one of my earlier 'class-work' , written a few days earlier. Each stanza in this poem represents a certain stage of my life @ IIT Kgp, starting from the moment when I knew I got through IITJEE.
Safal hone ki wo umang,
Maa k chehre pe wo khushi,
Papa ki awaaz mein wo santosh,
Ab to sirf yaadein hi baaki hain.
Sapno ki duniya mein wo pehla kadam,
Ajnabi hawa mein wo pehli saans,
Akelepan ka wo pehla ehsaas,
Aaj sirf yaadein hi baaki hain.
Galti se galti karne ka wo darr,
Those days of living in terror,
While making friends forever,
Only the memory remains.
That pride of being in control,
Giving it all your heart and soul,
Those brave efforts only to lose it all,
The memory lives, so does the spirit.
It's time to set out,
It's time to show.
It's my turn to leave,
With the memories to follow.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
I wish
The ocean was black,
As it looked in moonlight,
The waves making noise,
While putting up a fight.
It were the only sound,
That I would hear,
Apart from the infinite lull,
That I had to bear.
Everything seems normal,
Everything seems fine,
But the void inside remains,
Growing with time.
I wish I could float,
I wish I could fly,
Across the vast ocean,
And into the sky.
Where everything would merge,
And no void remain,
So I won't feel the pinch,
And get rid of the pain.
As it looked in moonlight,
The waves making noise,
While putting up a fight.
It were the only sound,
That I would hear,
Apart from the infinite lull,
That I had to bear.
Everything seems normal,
Everything seems fine,
But the void inside remains,
Growing with time.
I wish I could float,
I wish I could fly,
Across the vast ocean,
And into the sky.
Where everything would merge,
And no void remain,
So I won't feel the pinch,
And get rid of the pain.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
20 ways to Time-pass in a boring lecture.
- Chew nails. The time passed is directly proportional to the total surface area of your nails, relative strength of your teeth and your affinity for chewing nails.
- Watch the fan moving and try to calculate its rpm (rotations per minute). The time passed is directly proportional to observation power and the accuracy of final prediction. (Won't work in winter)
- Try to guess the native place of the professor by analysing his accent. Knowledge of his/her name would be helpful.
- Nick-name each student's hair style.
- Concentrate on the fuse light of the switchboard.
- Activate 'paper messaging service'. The time passed is directly proportional to individual calibre.
- Delete redundant pictures from you mobile. (applicable to whom it may concern)
- Play 'snake' and 'nature park'.
- Overhear the conversation of the guys behind you and guess their current mental and social status.
- Write notes. Applicable only to the lone sample of a unique species, known on this Earth as AS ( Department Rank 1 hone ke side effects. BTW I am also AS but not DR 1)
- Plan out your next trip and/or gifts for friends.
- Engage yourself in Watch-gazing.
- Yawn
- Day-dream. The time passed is directly proportional to the beautiful memories.
- Sleep. Again it depends on individual calibre.
- Plan put what to wear on Final Day Exams. ( applicable only to IIT Kgpians as they wear fancy dress on that day)
- Learn to write Bangla as the girl in front practises Bangla Calligraphy in tha back of her copy.
- Study the 'manuscripts' engraved on the wooden desk. Some samples : "F**K Ya", "MUNNA BHAI RI3", "SEXY", "WH**E", "AAJ BHI PAKA RAHA HAI", "THOKA", "GPL",.....
- Add some more.
- Write posts. (applicable only to bloggers)
Monday, April 02, 2007
?
As I was savoring the 'Bronze' and the 'Best Direction' in my last Hindi Dramatics in India, my cousin met with an accident and after fighting Death for 3 days.... he left. After 38 years on this earth..... after 5 years of married life.... he left all of us. As I write this, he is up there..... watching me and all others trying to come to terms, trying to believe that he is no more, trying to put the shattered pieces of our lives together, trying to live without him. Every breath that I take ... reminds me of his absence.
I don't know how it happened. I don't know why it happened. I don't know why, of the four persons involved in the accident, only he had to die. I don't know why he left us when Bhabhi is pregnant and my nephew is only 2 years old. I don't know what to say if he asks for his father. I don't know how Bhabhi is controlling herself. I don't know whose fault was it. Perhaps no one's. Perhaps we happened to be at the receiving end of fate. Perhaps Death got Bhaiya's name in its random game. Perhaps this is a nightmare and we all will wake up one fine morning. Or perhaps we'll never. I don't know.
I may not have felt his presence but I am definitely feeling his absence. As I was seeing the flames covering his body , I could feel his soul rising up to the heavens alongwith the smoke. One day each of us will end up similarly. That's life. They say... We have to move on. Yes...... we will move on. We will continue to live. Everything may be close to normal except for Bhabhi. Life won't be the same for her anymore. Never ever.
Jiyo , Muskurao ,
Khush raho kyuki tum zinda ho.
Gham ki wajah kya dhoondhte ho,
Yahan Maut bas ek pal dooor hai.
I don't know how it happened. I don't know why it happened. I don't know why, of the four persons involved in the accident, only he had to die. I don't know why he left us when Bhabhi is pregnant and my nephew is only 2 years old. I don't know what to say if he asks for his father. I don't know how Bhabhi is controlling herself. I don't know whose fault was it. Perhaps no one's. Perhaps we happened to be at the receiving end of fate. Perhaps Death got Bhaiya's name in its random game. Perhaps this is a nightmare and we all will wake up one fine morning. Or perhaps we'll never. I don't know.
I may not have felt his presence but I am definitely feeling his absence. As I was seeing the flames covering his body , I could feel his soul rising up to the heavens alongwith the smoke. One day each of us will end up similarly. That's life. They say... We have to move on. Yes...... we will move on. We will continue to live. Everything may be close to normal except for Bhabhi. Life won't be the same for her anymore. Never ever.
Jiyo , Muskurao ,
Khush raho kyuki tum zinda ho.
Gham ki wajah kya dhoondhte ho,
Yahan Maut bas ek pal dooor hai.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Long Time no P(ost)
The main reason for this absence of mine from Blogeteria is that I was busy in Inter-Hostel Choreography competition.
Hold on folks.... before you jump out of your chair, smash the popcorn in your hands and roll on to floor laughing... let me tell you that I wasn't dancing . I am a terrible dancer( though I danced the last time around). This time I was directing and I swear to God.... Directing a Choreography is TOUGH !!!! Ours is not the conventional kind you see in films or awards functions. Here we have a theme to depict. So we have to tell a story through dance which makes it essentially a Dance-drama.
Ours was a choreography in the "Third Form". For those who don't know , "Third Form" is a kind of stage production wherein you don't use any props/sets etc. Everything ... be it a table, chair, door.... everything is depicted using people. So our choreo was abstract and entirely different from the others. There were on-stage fumbles and as expected, we didn't win any prize. (We did win the 'Best Lights' but I consider it more a gift than a win)
Winning and losing is part of the game. It's OK we didn't win. I'll always be proud of our design. We fell one day short otherwise it would have been perfect. Nonetheless, its over now. It was my last choreo in India. In a few days I'll be busy with my last Hindi Dramatics in India.
As they say .... "The show must go on."
And Oh.... did I tell you that I have got two more offers..... from Arizona State University and Iowa State University. And I have withdrawn my candidature from two others. One university knows about my USC and so they are not going to offer me anything. Another university says that it has received everything from me except the application fee :P There may have been some error during transaction. And I am not going to pay the fee now. So this makes it a total of 7 results out of 12. Waiting for the remaining 5.
Be happy and Keep Smiling
c ya soon
Hold on folks.... before you jump out of your chair, smash the popcorn in your hands and roll on to floor laughing... let me tell you that I wasn't dancing . I am a terrible dancer( though I danced the last time around). This time I was directing and I swear to God.... Directing a Choreography is TOUGH !!!! Ours is not the conventional kind you see in films or awards functions. Here we have a theme to depict. So we have to tell a story through dance which makes it essentially a Dance-drama.
Ours was a choreography in the "Third Form". For those who don't know , "Third Form" is a kind of stage production wherein you don't use any props/sets etc. Everything ... be it a table, chair, door.... everything is depicted using people. So our choreo was abstract and entirely different from the others. There were on-stage fumbles and as expected, we didn't win any prize. (We did win the 'Best Lights' but I consider it more a gift than a win)
Winning and losing is part of the game. It's OK we didn't win. I'll always be proud of our design. We fell one day short otherwise it would have been perfect. Nonetheless, its over now. It was my last choreo in India. In a few days I'll be busy with my last Hindi Dramatics in India.
As they say .... "The show must go on."
And Oh.... did I tell you that I have got two more offers..... from Arizona State University and Iowa State University. And I have withdrawn my candidature from two others. One university knows about my USC and so they are not going to offer me anything. Another university says that it has received everything from me except the application fee :P There may have been some error during transaction. And I am not going to pay the fee now. So this makes it a total of 7 results out of 12. Waiting for the remaining 5.
Be happy and Keep Smiling
c ya soon
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Look before you mail...
Few days back I received a mail from USC Graduate Admissions . My heart skipped a beat or two when it read that my department had sent over proof that it'll fund me with 36,350 USD while the cost of the program is 46,630 USD and I had to send them the bank letter for the remaining amount.
WHHAAATTT !!!! I M NOT FULLY FUNDED !!!!
And as it happens... I started to think that may be that is the case and my dream of going to USA began to crumble, and that too when my parents were around, celebrating my 'success'.
With a very heavy heart I mailed them back seeking some kind of explanation of my 'fellowship'. And I got the reply that it was simply an 'addition error' and they will mail me the revised offer soon !!!!
Come on people.... next time please use ur calculator... someone could have had a heart-attack!!!!
And yesterday I got The Mail... stating that I would be getting Tuition fee waiver + medial insurance + 30,000 USD for the first year and for the next three years the 30,000 would be reduced to RA which will be a minimum of 23,000 USD. Believe me yaaron ... its enough :) So its offical now. I am going to the US in August beginning provided the US Consulate does not deny me VISA.
As I am typing this post I am all red,green,black,yellow,blue, and what not. HAPPY HOLI TO ALL YOU FOLKS !!! May this Holi fills your life with all the colors possible. I have been experiencing the colors from fews days back !!!!
Happy Holi....
c ya soon
WHHAAATTT !!!! I M NOT FULLY FUNDED !!!!
And as it happens... I started to think that may be that is the case and my dream of going to USA began to crumble, and that too when my parents were around, celebrating my 'success'.
With a very heavy heart I mailed them back seeking some kind of explanation of my 'fellowship'. And I got the reply that it was simply an 'addition error' and they will mail me the revised offer soon !!!!
Come on people.... next time please use ur calculator... someone could have had a heart-attack!!!!
And yesterday I got The Mail... stating that I would be getting Tuition fee waiver + medial insurance + 30,000 USD for the first year and for the next three years the 30,000 would be reduced to RA which will be a minimum of 23,000 USD. Believe me yaaron ... its enough :) So its offical now. I am going to the US in August beginning provided the US Consulate does not deny me VISA.
As I am typing this post I am all red,green,black,yellow,blue, and what not. HAPPY HOLI TO ALL YOU FOLKS !!! May this Holi fills your life with all the colors possible. I have been experiencing the colors from fews days back !!!!
Happy Holi....
c ya soon
Sunday, February 25, 2007
California Calling.......
Post exams was never better. As if the news was waiting for my exams to end ... gham aur khushi ka simultaneous dose hajam nahin hota you see :P
Neways.... instead of going round and round, let me break the Greatest news for me....
Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls..... This is to inform you that .....
I have been admitted to the PhD program in Materials Science and Engineering in University of Southern California, USA for Fall 2007 with a Fellowship for the 1st Year.
Your thunderous applause has duely been appreciated. Thanks a lot for all your wishes. Wishes do work... hence proved. Unless I get a better call, I am joining USC in mid-August.
2007 is the greatest year of my life till now.
If you ask me how exactly am I feeling now.... my answer would be... I want to be on the top of a mountain and scream ... I AM THE KING !!!! but due to lack of words..... I am just smiling right now. It will take sometime for the fact that 'My dream of going to USA is finally materialising' to sink in.
Till then .... be good .......... be happy..... Take care..... and Keep Smiling :)
And .... THANKS A LOT ONCE AGAIN FOR YOUR WISHES :)
Love you all.... c ya soon
Neways.... instead of going round and round, let me break the Greatest news for me....
Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls..... This is to inform you that .....
I have been admitted to the PhD program in Materials Science and Engineering in University of Southern California, USA for Fall 2007 with a Fellowship for the 1st Year.
Your thunderous applause has duely been appreciated. Thanks a lot for all your wishes. Wishes do work... hence proved. Unless I get a better call, I am joining USC in mid-August.
2007 is the greatest year of my life till now.
If you ask me how exactly am I feeling now.... my answer would be... I want to be on the top of a mountain and scream ... I AM THE KING !!!! but due to lack of words..... I am just smiling right now. It will take sometime for the fact that 'My dream of going to USA is finally materialising' to sink in.
Till then .... be good .......... be happy..... Take care..... and Keep Smiling :)
And .... THANKS A LOT ONCE AGAIN FOR YOUR WISHES :)
Love you all.... c ya soon
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