Amateur Expert

Thoughts

2010-08-01T11:39:00.000-07:00

Ever compared your thoughts to that of a school of fishes that come rushing along almost to the surface of the water when you drop a piece of bread. Hundreds of them similar to your thoughts, some of them big enough to push the smaller ones aside and claim the largest chunk of the bread piece (read : your attention, for a longer duration), while the smaller ones are left fighting for the smaller portion, satisfied at getting even a minuscule portion.And when you decide to grab one of them, you carefully bring your hand an inch above the surface of the water, then with a frightening speed thrust your hand into the water, and then what happens?... like a silk cloth being pulled away from your hand, they flee away in different directions, leaving you with nothing but a wet hand. And they don't return till the ripples formed on the surface have died out. Just like your mind, you will seldom be able to grab one thought and ponder on it till you wish to. When you try to, they will run helter-skelter without coming in your grasp and will not return till your mind is at ease like the surface of the water.

Bachpan

2010-07-19T08:18:00.000-07:00

My first attempt at Hindi poetry. :)

E bacchpan,

Kuch der aur, bas kuch pal aur..

Yaad nahi hume,

woh suhani si mehak

girti thi jab zameen par

barish ki boondein tapak-tapak

woh khil-khilati hasi bhi

ab tho parai si lage

E bachpan, hai yeh arz choti

zindagi ka sabab, phir sikha de hume

E bacchpan,

Kuch der aur, bas kuch pal aur..

saath de humaara, sang reh hamare

Door tak dikhne wali kacchi sadak

nanhe kadam aasaani se tai kar aati

dhool, mitti, kankad ka dhyaan kisi?

Sang the jab, kadam se kadam milate saathi

khel khud mein hokar masroor

Sab se ho jate bekhabar..

Raat ko ghar laut kar karna,

agle din ka intezaar, be sabar

Doston se na to narazgi,
na hoton pe koi shikayat

kaise ho sakti hai itni pak,

woh bachpan ki unchui inayat

E Bacchpan, zara kuch der saath de, kuch door hi sahi

Saath chal hamaare

Bin dastak, darwaaza khol dena,

doston ki pehchan lena aahat..

woh pal hai phir jeena

bas itni si hai chahat

Naazuk kande uta lete bari tokri..

nani ke kahaniyon ki,

ma ki pyaari baaton ki,

papa ke aadarshon ki,

teacher ke sikhaye paat ke,

doston ke chutkulon ki..

Kabhi na paya inhe bhoj,

Ab tho badal chuki hai apni soch,

nikhal pade hai sab,karne paison ki khoj

Power of Money

2010-03-27T08:35:00.000-07:00

Indeed! Money can't buy everything. I put this up as my gtalk status msg, and quite a few have asked me about 'what I was trying to buy?'. I wasn't particularly looking to buy something, but .. well, here's the story!

On many occasions, I had seen an old lady walking, supporting her grandson of 12 years (maybe) on one arm.. struggling. Her grandson is mentally ill. I doubt if he can see the world too. Everyday, she diligently takes him for a walk. I don't know where she stays, where she takes him, but have always seen her on this "journey". Occasionally stopping to wipe the sweat off her brow, or changing her position, i.e. supporting her grandson on the other arm after a while.

Today, I stood waiting in the queue of an ATM, cursing the hot weather, the long queue, the slowness of the people ahead, etc. All of a sudden there was a commotion, I turned around and to my horror, a boy had fallen on the road..it was her grandson and she struggled to get him back on his feet. Her old age was clearly visible in her hunched back. And I felt stupid for having complained about the silly things. I walked out of the queue to give her some money, and she accepted it and thanked me for it. I had done nothing...absolutely nothing, yet she looked at me like I had done something incredible. Never felt so small. and through money I seeked to rest my heart that ached every single time in the past. Yet... my heart was still aching. Truly, money cant buy everything!

How to do them...

2010-02-24T09:54:00.000-08:00

Read some of them somewhere.. Guess it was Archies Gallery.

Love like you've never been hurt

Trust like you've never been betrayed

Work like you've never been recognized

Laugh like you've never heard a joke before

Treat like you would want to be treated

Dance like no one's watching

Play like you don't care about winning

2010 - A new beginning? or A new begginning!

2010-01-24T19:25:00.000-08:00

“We only live once, but once is enough if we do it right. Live your life with class, dignity, and style so that an exclamation, rather than a question mark signifies it!”

- Gary Ryan Blair

This is my first blog for this year. And seems like just another ordinary year on the outside.

No time to blog.
Still learning to be more responsible each day.
Yet to learn not to argue with Mum. :-)
already given up on my new year resolution to stay fit. and so on...

But, if I dig deeper and try to question my inner self "Will this year be something new and different?" The answer hardly surprises me... "yes, it's going to change your life". Further pondering and dwelling on this interesting topic makes me realize.. the way we lead our life determines the quotation mark to be associated with it.

An exclamation mark or a question mark.

Children's Day Special

2009-11-14T07:04:00.000-08:00

Firstly, Let me wish every child a very Happy Children's Day! And by child, I don't mean by age, but the young at heart.

I am sure, each of us has a child within us.

Never willing to grow up.
Enjoying life's happiness in really silly, simple moments.
Having an inquisitive mind.
Making the most of the holidays :)

I never felt so connected to the child within me. And yes, I fulfilled all the above requirements too :) Started my day with a visit to a nearby Temple. They were decorating the Ganesh idol and the curtains were drawn and I was feeling quite restless. The only other restless soul was a 7 or 8 year old boy named Karthik. Once the curtains were pulled aside and the bhajans began..along with the beats of drum!!! Where was that coming from? I was really curious to know the source of the drum beats. Everyone around me was focusing on the decorated idol, deeply immersed in their own prayers. Only one person shared my curiosity... no prize for guessing. It was Karthik again. I chided myself for acting like a 7yr old. But suddenly, he pointed at a small drum which was powered by electricity. Next thing.. both of us smiled like... like.. like 7 yr olds :) It felt great!

Friday - the 13Th

2009-11-13T22:24:00.000-08:00

I just couldn't get a suitable title for this post.. until I read my friend's blog.

Friday, the 13Th.
Hmmm, no wonder my day was so unbearable, so frustrating, so tiring, so I-want-to-run-from-here types. This blog post is dedicated to that friend who sensed my feelings and tried to help calm my nerves. Thanks dear friend!

I think I should also thank my team for making the work environment so positive and thereby, more productive! :)

Fashion.

2009-11-05T23:38:00.000-08:00

Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months.

- Oscar Wilde

I am probably not the right person to comment on Fashion, not because I am immune to it or lack the "fashion sense" but because I prefer to follow my heart rather than the latest fashion magazine.

Recently, a very good friend from office said.. "Hey, you need a new wardrobe.. The colors you choose are so dull and not eye-catching". And then I went on my extensive research by reading up materials and blogs about fashion and its impact. In today's world, fashion is considered to make a statement about who you are. Being fashion conscious is knowing what flatters you and what boosts your confidence..a feeling of being powerful from within.

Phew..So much associated to the word FASHION.

Any Regrets?

2009-09-24T12:25:00.000-07:00

Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.

-Sydney J. Harris

Do I regret something? This is a question I ask myself way too often. More to train my brain to answer in the negative. It became so convincing (to myself), that I often ended up claiming to friends over a cup of coffee that I have no regrets in life. A huge statement to make. Much to everyone's envy.

And today all of a sudden it hit me like a cannon and made me realize what a fool I was! I still don't regret doing anything, but its the things that I could have done and I didn't that upset me!

Background story:

Got a mail from Pree today, concerning Dr. Ananthashyana's health. (Our Head of the Dept. during the 3rd year in college). He wasn't one of my favorite people in college, considering the following:

He confiscated my cell-phone once, and I literally had to beg him to have it back.
He decided to change the class-representatives after 2 years. (Basically, fired me and Piyush from this post after we escalated about him and demanded for better classroom facilities from the Principal, which by the way, we got in the end)
Insulted teachers in front of the students.
Suspended students right, left and center.

I think I should stop listing his shortcomings. This was to make no bones about the fact that I didn't like him.

But when I read the mail, I felt a lump form around in my throat that I couldn't gulp down. It said that 'he has not been coming to college for over two months. It seems he got a mild brain heamorrage and was admitted in ICU. He was unable to move his right arm.'

After college, he had offered me to join an association of ex-students. This association was his idea of helping our juniors to cope with working for the software industry! Inculcate values, instill discipline etc etc. I turned down the offer saying, I don't want to join his fan club. "What if" I had? Would I have seen a different side to him? Was it possible for me to influence his views? Maybe, together we could have achieved something significant for the benefit of the student population?

I wish him a speedy recovery!

08/10/2009 Got a msg saying.. HOD Dr.V.K.Ananthshayana passed away.

Invisible

2009-09-16T06:21:00.000-07:00

Invisible:

As a kid, I wished for this boon (or bane) once..

The notion was so capable of putting me in a state of trance.

I would dream of the possibilities it provided,

Like a horizon that never ended

Playful, prank-ful, masti-ful were the thoughts

Never once dwelling on its intricacies

Thinking it would provide me freedom..What were the odds!

No one would then be able to catch me...

I fly high..

I fly alone..

I fly free..

But far from this fairy-land is the reality,

I hate being unnoticed, I hate being invisible

I dread being without company,

in a room filled with people, so many.

I care not for this world,

but care for the people, who form my world

I crave to be the apple of their eye

I live for thee..SIGH!!!

A true gentleman

2009-09-15T13:28:00.000-07:00

Having being invited by a Finnish gentleman to visit his "summer house", we were all looking forward to the visit and the whole experience (atleast I was) :) Boating, fishing, swimming, sauna, dinner..the set of options he provided, to keep us engaged, seemed like a 'universal' set. How could I turn down a tempting offer like this?

So, after work, we all got in his FR-V Honda. He brought his 10yr old son along. An adorable kid! He later told us, that his son had requested to join in so he could talk to us in English and improve his vocabulary.

What was amazing to see was..He shared his son's excitement and sense of achievement. (1)

While boating, I witnessed another of his gentlemanly nature. Every time his son fell short of words, he helped him out, at no point losing interest or patience. (2)

Also, the way he described his family, esp. his younger daughter was touching. How they spend their holidays, what each one likes to do, etc etc? (3)

During one of those casual conversations that we had, he accidentally interrupted his son twice..On realizing his mistake (if you can call it one), he placed his hand on his son's head and said.. "Forgive me son, I have been interrupting you..Anteeksi" (4)

Later, while dropping us back home, he took permission to drop his son home first, as it was time for him to sleep. (5)

And he dropped each of us right in front of our gates. (6)

Can he be any more gentlemanly? I doubt anyone can!!!

Journey so far..

2009-09-13T13:13:00.000-07:00

After storing a zillion messages on my cellphone, I thought its time to clear some old forwards. And started reading through them. Must say, its hard not to be nostalgic when the beautiful past stares so wide-eyed back at you. I was forced to re-live my journey from 'campus-to-corporate'.

Collection of messages below-

Messages from Pree:

***** is coming 4 recruitment on 25th of this month for 8th sem students. Aggre req 70%. Online registration is to be done its open til 22nd. Venue is yet to be decided

Http://www.Merittrac.net/***** register b4 22nd if aggregate above 70.

And even convinced me to go for it. Thanks Pree, I owe you big time for this :)

Later talks followed in canteen where the other Amateur Experts (Dee, pri) asked me to apply right away. This was amidst the project report talks. Later that day, I registered.

2-3 days later messages from *****:

Please report at 9:30a.m on 29th May for your test with ***** R&D @ M.S.Ramaiah Institue of Technology, MSR Nagar, Msrit Post, Mathikere, Bangalore-560024

Your call letter for the ***** Test on 29-May has been sent to your mail id. Please check it.

Wow, my own college. Isn't that gr8? I prepared whenever time permitted. Brushed up on C++, OS, Data structures, apart from the normal company research. Google out details, friends sent me loads of pdf files, links for online tests, n what not. I even got my Mobile communication internal to be postponed. Somehow convinced Mydhilli Ma'am that I needed time to prepare for this test/interview. (Had a way with teachers :) )

The test turned out to be a cakewalk. It meant only one thing.. the interview was going to be just the opposite. 30th May! What a day it was :) Must say, I could not have been more impressed with the place, the work culture, the people, everything. Earlier I wanted this job, now I WANTED it. I already had an offer in my kitty, so I didnt wanna seem desperate, at the same time, didnt want to be too laidback. Bro's advice to the rescue - 'Dont pretend to be someone else. Be normal, be yourself!'

Then the INTERVIEW.. the lesser I speak the better :). Lasted for more than an hour. I really wasn't sure what kind of interview it was. Lots of technical questions, with some HR type of questions thrown in between with 3 mineral bottles, questions regarding my performance in each semester, etc etc. I came out of the interview with mixed emotions. Next was HR round.

Bro:

Thats ok. In that they test both knowledge and attitude. Hope u kept ur cool. Now give ur best shot for this round.

Me:

I was really cool.. But hr was for hardly 2 mins.. Now I finished both.. Still they asked me to wait.. Hoping its a good sign.:-)

Good Sign Indeed :)

Kitchen Disaster

2009-09-12T12:57:00.000-07:00

The heading makes it seem like I am not a good cook. :) Well, lets talk about my cooking prowess (if it exists) some other time.

Coming straight to my experience in the kitchen today. I was cooking chilli chicken (indo chinese style) and decided to have rice instead of chappatis to go with it. And then my brilliant mind suggested - "Hey, why stack up 2-3 pans and vessels on the stove and congest the space.. use the microwave". Yeah, will be faster too, right??? WRONG!!

Where is the microwave? Above the chimney. About half a feet above my head. What a stragetic location, aint it? Place the microwave somewhere accessible, for crying out loud!

Still, I placed the rice-bowl in the microwave. After my rice was cooked, time to get the bowl out... where are the gloves? There are no gloves in the apartment. Alright, I decided to let it cool for sometime and then take it out. After waiting for as long as my starving stomach granted permit, I carefully try to take the bowl out and before I know what hit me.. the glass plate of the microwave crashes to the floor, sending little tiny glass pieces in every direction. So much for modular european style kitchen.

I stared foolishly at the remains for sometime. My next chain of thoughts began with -

OMG, how will I ever explain this to Mom and still prove I can cook?
Well, I am in Finland, does she need to know this happened?
Ofcourse, she does.. she is your mom.
What about the apartment lady? ...umm.. ah..
What are you doing? FOCUS.. look around, clean the mess.
(While taking the vacuum cleaner out) Why did I have to cook? Soup and bread would have been a good option.

After scrupulously cleaning every inch of the apartment (still some glass pieces are left on the carpet), I sat down to have my supper. Looking at the inviting chilli chicken and rice, made me feel a lot better.

BTW, it tasted good :)

Change is good!!!

2009-09-11T06:25:00.000-07:00

Before I left for Finland, someone definitely more intelligent than myself mentioned - Remember, 'Change is good at times'.

And now I find it more apt than ever before. Change is definitely good. Why be a pessimist all the time? I mean, if change means the end of something nice and wonderful, it also means the beginning of something better (or hoping for something better). Every cloud surely must have a silver lining.

Accepting a change is a sign of maturity. (Feels good already :) ) IMO, the change that you resist the most initially and then after much cogitaion, pondering, self-contemplation, when you make the decision of accepting it, that change, my friend, will bear more richer fruits than any other..

Loneliness - Not necessarily bad

2009-09-09T06:50:00.000-07:00

Have you ever felt like you were losing your mind? Blamed loneliness for it? Felt so miserable that you wanted to yell your lungs out and take out all your frustrations in that one loud-earsplitting-painrelieving scream?

Ahhh too bad, you poor chap. :) I will never know what it feels like :)

And then there are my kind of people who dont need to blame loneliness for losing their mind :) It just acts as a catalyst. And who love losing their mind for a change. You dont believe me? alright, I will prove it to you.

Have you ever wondered what happened to the boat that Hrithik and Ameesha lost in the island? Well, I did..

This is how I pass my time (when I dont read, jog, cook, work, think sensible stuff, etc etc) :) :) :)

The boat just sailed away...drifting towards non existence, some would say. I like to think that the boat sailed in search of another potential candidate to offer her services (help) and move forward. The boat sure deserved lot more appreciation. Alright Alright.. I will stop!!

Free-IQTest.net

2009-02-01T06:03:00.001-08:00

Free-IQTest.net - Online IQ Test

Too little.. and too late.. ??

2009-01-26T02:43:00.000-08:00

Too little.. and too late...??

This was the heading that a popular news channel carried as a ticker that replaced the "Breaking News" tag every 5 secs. That was not the only reason, why it got stuck in my mind..
The other reasons include:
1) India celebrated its 60th republic day today. A day to feel proud to be Indians ???? Think again.. A rude shock jolted me out of my patriotic reverie.
2) Being a Mangalorean, I love everything about it. The cuisines, the beaches, the history, the hospitality everything... except this incident..
3) And most importantly, how could I stand such cowardice of the illiterate men towards more socially forward educated women?
4) As a human being (not referring to gender this time), the infamous 'Mangalore Pub Incident ' has been too ghastly to describe or contemplate.

What were the police officials doing??? As clearly seen in the video.... all they needed was popcorn packets to make for good viewing. Video

After 48 hrs of the horrific incident, did our respected Chief Minister feel the need to grant the needed permission to take the guilty into judicial custody. Indeed... Too little.. and too late..

What about the teenage girls beaten black and blue in broad daylight? And worse still, the promoter of the Sri Ram Sena, (activists of this party were the culprits) Promod Mutalik claims.. what his boys did was justice and absolutely necessary and that it is no big deal.. !?!?!?!
"ek chhoti si ghatna hai". Looks like he is inspired by Mr.R.R.Patil.

Disgusting to say the least.

Funny English

2008-10-19T02:42:00.000-07:00

Some of the Funny English Translations ...

You might need a smoke after reading this :-)

lol.. Dont ask me for explantions, pls

Used one??? I hope they don't mean it

New way of cleaning ur car... get it licked!!!

Wow!!! What an advice :-)

Its a place where ppl can dress up in ethnic chinese attire and get their pics taken!!! But this doesn't explain it, does it?

??? I have no idea

Self explanatory!!!

This is the best so far.... "with your privates" lol lol :-D

OMENS

2008-10-19T01:43:00.000-07:00

Omens have an uncanny knack of presenting themselves at the most inauspicious or inconvenient time(i.e. when you are least expecting them). But when read correctly, they resemble Columbus's compass(why columbus??? Ahhh!!! thats because, the omens might not lead you to the destination of your choice.But will be the right one for you)

At the same time, let me clarify that, it is nothing short of foolishness to wait for an omen to tell you to proceed in the direction of your dreams. You dont think about taking a right or a left turn on a narrow straight bridge, do you?

When the destination is clear and visible, dont let omens blur your sight.

Omens can be a great helping hand (OHH- omens helping hand lol :D ) whenever you are in 2 minds.
Hmmm, for instance.. Picture this scene.. You have to go to some social gathering (maybe to grow your network, to meet the right people, to make yourself visible or maybe simply because everybody goes to such gatherings). Somehow, You feel like skipping it this time. Still, you reluctantly get dressed. And you realise your favourite shirt is not ironed!!! (Omen 1)Hmmm, Never mind, you take another (ironed) shirt and put it on and begin to button the shirt. You put the 2nd button in the 3rd hole and proceed. Its not untill the last button is left orphaned, that you realise your mistake. (Omen 2)You know, I can go on with creating more imaginary instances :) (but I hope you do get the point!!!)You probably will end up having a rotten luck at the party. Not to mention, a miserable time.
You can most certainly turn a blind eye to these omens. But isn't it better to heed to them, than go up a blind alley.

All I wanna say is..'Use your loaf' at times :P but if it doesn't help, then listen to the omens.

Niceties of Life....

2008-10-09T05:04:00.000-07:00

Experiment :

"Close your eyes for a min and think of your childhood days (school days). Dont think of any event in particular. Just think of your carefree childhood days. What do you hear? What kinda sounds echo in your mind?

Responses :

I could hear laughter. Lots of people laughing with me. I dont remember the joke shared nor see the faces of people it was being shared with. But it sure sounded like fun. :)

Here are some of the responses from my pals (some are very vague, some quite clear, some cute, and others really stupid :D)

Deepika - I can hear all girl screams, running around and people yelling at us to shut up.(Clear)

Vijay - The sound of ball hitting the bat.(Clear)

Pree - Sounds as in, the laughter, the cries, also the gurkha sounds at nite, n the sounds that your small tiny shoes make ,n me an my sisters used to speak in funny noises... Then the dolls that used to say rhymes..(Cute)

Priyanka - Baby cry, fights with friends, classroom noises, school prayer (Clear)

Piyush - I heard "attention" and "stand it is", we used to do in our physical training class.(really stupid :D )

Akarsh - Voices, laughter, people shouting on the field...(Clear)

Namrata - How does ocean like noise sound? Well...that is the general noise I get when I close my eyes and think about anything (Vague)

Shruthi (SB) - It was very difficult but I saw laughter and tears...But i was getting my imaginary world..kids playing happily there..and all cute things around... (very very vague :)))

Conclusion :

The most evident conclusion was that people remembered things that made them smile/laugh. The other conclusion (also quite obvious) was that these were the sounds they miss listening to at present. (If you are wondering why I went through so much trouble, if the conclusion was so obvious, then guys... it was a weekend :) and I was really jobless).

Why do you think people miss these sounds? Is this the price we pay for growing up? Isn't it our choice? I know I am asking tooo many questions, without answering any of them myself. Perhaps, I dont know the answers myself.

We give up on such wonderful moments of life to get the (ever so sought) tag of "a grown up". Others' opinion matters more than our own personal happiness. Wow, thats a huge sacrifice to make!!!

Its ok to make mistakes,

Its ok to accept it,

Its ok to crack pjs,

Its ok to laugh out loud,

Its ok to play silly games with friends,

Its ok to cheat while playing them...

If you think I am a cynic, please try any of the above mentioned activities. And if that doesnt bring a smile on your face..... ummmm ... then I guess you must be an exception :))))

Try it to feel it !!!

Sketches

2008-09-28T06:46:00.001-07:00

Some of my recent works:

King of Hearts, Spades, Diamond or Clubs??? your guess is as good as mine :-)

This was supposed to be a 4-door sedan. Space constraints turned it into a 2-door one. lol

Ya... whatever!!! :)) Its incomplete though.

Cute. Thats all I can say!

A tribute to our politicians... btw, did you vote this time??? I did :-)

I'm surprised at my own patience :))... considering that "attention to detail" was never my forte ;-)

Hmmm, well.. not all that great

This one happens to be my favourite

God's Chef-d'oeurve

2008-09-21T09:17:00.000-07:00

Introduction to Deepu:

Intelligence and Innocence
though begin with the letter "I"
They nullify one another,
Are inversely proportional thereby.

The more intelligence you gain,
Furthur away you drift from innocence.
No doubt, you become more sane...
Alas!!! nothing but a (false) pretence.

But I happen to know an exception,
Of intelligence and innocence forming a perfect combination.
Deepika is her name...
Once u meet her...Life will never be the same ;)

I thought I was a sweet tempered person,
But she made me look like a curmudgeon..
With her natural bonhomie,
That always comes in handy :)

Forgive me deepu, for this awful poem. For you really deserve something thats much better than this.

I really fell short of words (not bcoz of my limited vocabulary :) ) , that explains the reason for this incomplete poem.

Well, I tried my level best to turn her into a Devil like me... but my plan just backfired. Some of her goodness rubbed onto me, in the process. :) :) :)

Wonderful Quotes

2008-09-19T23:56:00.000-07:00

With great POWER comes great RESPONSIBILITIES
- from Spiderman

Fear is the root cause of Anger
- from Darna Mana Hai

Results are obtained by exploiting opportunities, not by solving problems
- Peter F. Drucker

Everything that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time
- from 'The Alchemist'

The darkest hour of the night comes just before the dawn
- from 'The Alchemist'

Whenever you win in life, win as if you are used to it and whenever you lose in life, lose as if you enjoyed losing just for a change... That's ATTITUDE
- My brother thought me this :) (but I'm sure he heard it from someone else)

If someone hurts you, dont mind it. Because it is the law of nature that "The tree that bears the sweetest fruits get the maximum number of stones"
- Unknown

When God helps you in your troubles, you have faith in his abilities. And when he is delaying it, it tells you that he has faith in your ablities.
- Unknown

Happy Ganesh Chathurti

2008-09-03T01:41:00.001-07:00

Introduction

2008-08-18T09:48:00.000-07:00

This blog is a way to help me stay connected with my college-life. (Alas!!! :-( All good things do come to an end. ) I would start by introducing the characters that form an integral part of this humourous cum adventurous cum thrilling play that lasted for 4 years. This would provide as a prologue to the list of events that will follow (will describe them as and when time permits ;-) ). I might spice up the stories or characters a bit to make for good reading. Building up hype eh??? :-D Well, maybe.

If at any point you feel that the facts stated are mis-leading or make-believe, then my friends, I succeed in my attempts. :-)

Happy Independence Day

2008-08-14T23:46:00.000-07:00

Some interesting facts about India :-) You probably would have come across them some time in your life. Just felt the need to list them. Dont ask why ;-)

The number system was invented by India. Aryabhatta was the scientist who invented the digit zero.
Sanskrit is considered as the mother of all higher languages. This is because it is the most precise, and therefore suitable language for computer software. ( a report in Forbes magazine, July 1987 ).
Chess was invented in India.
Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus are studies which originated in India.
India is the Largest democracy in the world, the 6th largest country in the world.
The world's highest cricket ground is in Chail, Himachal Pradesh. Built in 1893 after levelling a hilltop, this cricket pitch is 2444 meters above sea level.
India has the most post offices in the world !
India never invaded any country in her last 100000 years of history.
The largest employer in the world is the Indian railway system, employing over a million people !.
The World's first university was established in Takshila in 700 BC.
Until 1896, India was the only source of diamonds in the world .
India exports software to 90 countries.
The four religions born in India - Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, are followed by 25% of the world's population.
There are 300,000 active mosques in India, more than in any other country, including the Muslim world.
There are 300,000 active mosques in India, more than in any other country, including the Muslim world.
Yoga has its origins in India and has existed for over 5,000 years.
India provides safety for more than 300,000 refugees originally from Sri Lanka, Tibet, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who escaped to flee religious and political persecution।

जय हिंद !!! मेरा भारत महान !!!

In Pursuit of Justice...

2008-07-21T11:47:00.000-07:00

I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.
-Abraham Lincoln

Why does it always need public outrage or media scrutiny to deliver justice to common man? What then about the millions of hapless victims, in pursuit of justice, who have been unfortunate enough to have not drawn public/media attention to their cases??? Dont they deserve justice? and more importantly how and when can they claim it???

The media of late, seems to be doing a commendable job of helping victims. But breaks my heart to see that the case is never followed up after being aired once. Its usually discarded after garnering a desirable TRP rating. One such case that pulled the strings of my heart was that of Nitin Redekar’s. The 27-year-old seaman working for South African based "HDSA Shipping" was arrested on charges of possessing controlled drug for the purpose of trafficking. He has been convicted and sentenced to 13 years imprisionment in Seychelles.

His story is as follows...(I've copy pasted this from a news site)
On April 20, 2007, Shear Water(a cargo vessel) anchored at Seychelles for a day.
After finishing his work, he and two other Indian seaman decided to go ashore. As they were leaving the ship, a local stevedore working as a daily wage earner on the vessel approached Nitin and asked him to deliver two packets of food to a friend of his. Those packets contained drugs.
Minutes after Nitin had put the two aluminum foil-wrapped packets in his backpack, he and fellow seamen Nijesh Nandkumar and Abrar Khan were searched by security guards.
When the packets were opened and the cannabis revealed, Nitin tried to argue that they were not his. But the stevedore he allegedly got them from had vanished. He has still not been found.
All 3 were detained by the Anti-Drugs and Maritime Squad Unit. Nandkumar and Khan were later released.For the next 4 days, Nitin was not allowed to call his family, and no one else told them their son was in a foreign jail.
“It was only when he was finally allowed to make a phone call that we learnt about his arrest,” said Krishna, Nitin's father,an accountant with a Mumbai-based shipping firm.
“We were shocked. We didn’t know where to begin trying to get him home.”
The Redekars contacted the Indian embassy in the Seychelles, who said they have visited Nitin and were aware of the case. “They said it was clear he was innocent. He would soon be set free.” said Krishna.
The only witness in the case was Nandkumar. Krishna went to his hometown in Kerala and persuaded him to depose before the court. “I paid for his travel and accommodation in Seychelles. But even his testimony didn’t help my son.”
Having exhausted all his savings on Nandkumar’s trip and the lawyer’s fees, Krishna is now forced to ask friends and relatives for money so he can file an appeal against the verdict.
“I have been writing to the prime minister and External Affairs Ministry but have got no response. The Indian embassy says they can now do little,” he said.Meanwhile, embassy officials say Nitin is being looked after well in prison. He works in the kitchen and is allowed to call home twice a week.

It was undoubtedly, foolishness on the part of Nitin to have accepted the packets. Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person is a little like expecting a bull not to attack you because you are a vegetarian. Unfortunately for Nitin its a huge price to pay for this foolishness. I cant think of any way to provide help to him or his family (Any suggestions?) Lets help them in any way possible!!!

India at its best

2008-06-23T11:43:00.000-07:00

THE F-WORD

2008-06-23T06:37:00.000-07:00

"Behind every successful man.....
Is a woman"

How many times have you heard this line??? Counting the number of times its repeated in Indian movies and the soaps, I'm guessing that you have lost count of it(just like me). But recently when I heard that line again in one of the old Bollywood movies, it forced me to give it a thought. I'm not doubting its authenticity :-) But it made me think about the women(typical I know). Who was behind every successful woman???

I happily placed myself in the elite category of successful woman(Come on guys...I'm an engineer now:-D) Proclaiming myself as successful, I began to wonder as to whom I would credit my success to? My teachers? My books? My college? My school? Myself? The more I thought about it, the more it confused me. The inability to answer this simple question led to frustration. I decided to enjoy the movie and think about it later. I pushed the thought out of my mind or I thought I did. It never went completely out of my mind, this I realised while having dinner later that day. It was then that the first F-word hit me....FAMILY!!! Ofcourse its my family. I owe everything to my family. It is because of them that I'm here. The unconditional love, moral support, the confidence boost a family can provide, is unparalleled.Having quenched my thirst partially, I felt satisfied. (if you are wondering why partially, cos there is more to follow :-))

During one of the internals, when as usual we were cramming our brains with last minute preparations, Mayaa completely exhausted and dejected, exclaimed "Enough !!!". If the complicated diagrams in the text book were not enough to put you in a state of tizzy, you can always count on Mayaa.The full impact of what he meant was evident when he threw his book aside and got up to leave. Even before I could open my mouth, some of them pulled him back, opened the book for him and asked him to read the most important questions atleast." Read this part", "This is sure to be asked in the test", "This is simple, I'll explain" etc etc.. This is when the 2nd F-word hit me....FRIENDS !!!

After completing my test as I walked out, someone I hated(dont want to take names) walked upto me and said "The test was a cakewalk, wasn't it? I'm sure I'll score the highest". I gave a sarcastic smile and replied "Highly unlikely". I prayed to god and hoped to score atleast half a mark more than that person. That day I went back home and prepared for the next test with renewed vigour and interest. Hey, that was the third F.... FOES !!! The ones who give you a healthy competition and urge you to perform better.:-)
Next time, someone asks you the reason for your success, just reply back saying..."The F words" ;-)

THE SIAMESE TWINS

2008-06-21T07:21:00.000-07:00

A small poem dedicated to the most colourful girls of our class Namarata and PP.
and this is in memory of the day when they entered into the data mining class with their brand new hair colour.

"The cluster analysis principle,
students, is not that simple"
Lincy mam tried in vain,
to get on-track, our wandering brain.

Her efforts seemed to be futile,
though catching an occassional smile,
from the dedicated first benchers,
while the rest planned adventures...
"Macha, munnar or waynad !!?!!"

At this point exactly,
over the hubbub of this clan,
came 2 voices silently,
"Can we come in mam?"

The siamese twins' entry,
with a distinct level of mystery...
for sure, broke our reverie.

Red shirt and blue hair,
Blue shirt and red hair.
They walked - in
nonchalantly to their seats.
while we did hear
loud drum rolls and beats.

Questions like....
"What was that?"
"who was that?"
did the rounds
forcing our mind to the grounds,
which few mins back knew no bounds.

Cluster analysis I say,
is not that tough after all,
because the siamese twins that day,
gave a perfect example to all.

and for the non engineering ppl... a cluster is a group of nodes which have similar properties within the clusters and differ wrt the nodes of diff clusters.. :-)

why the name amateur expert?

2008-06-19T22:05:00.000-07:00

"better late than never"
I wanted to create a blog to pen my thoughts from many many days. But the only thing holding me back was the lack of time, and the lack of a name for my blog. And today all of a sudden while preparing for Cip my mind began to wander(as usual) and recollect the events spread across the 4 glorious years of my engineering life. I remembered signing up for IBM's the gr8 mind challenge :-) on the insistence of Chickerur sir. yes, we(pri, dee, pree n myself) spent an entire day deciding on the name for our team. "amateur expert" was the outcome of our imagination.
Looking at the zeal and enthusiasm on everyone's face after having signed up for the challenge, I thought we stood a good chance of winning the competition. And then the inevitable, 1 day into the competition and we backed out. WHAT A WASTE OF 1 DAY'S HARD WORK!!!
So i decided to put our hard work into some use and named my blog amateur expert. :-)