From the day we arrive on this planet
And blinking, step into the sun
There's more to see than can ever be seen
More to do than can ever be done
There is far too much to take in here
More to find than can ever be found
But the sun rolling high
Through the sapphire sky
Keeps great and small on the endless round
It's the circle of life
And it moves us all
Through despair and hope
Through faith and love
Till we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the circle
The circle of life
It's the circle of life
And it moves us all
Through despair and hope
Through faith and love
Till we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the circle
The circle of life
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Monday, September 27, 2010
IF.....
IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!
--Kipling
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!
--Kipling
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
Good bye
http://www.hindu.com/2010/03/30/stories/2010033061680400.htm
Y.V. Ramadas dead
Staff Reporter
BANGALORE: Educationist and theatre person Y.V. Ramadas (88) died here on Monday, after a brief illness.
Ramdas, who was the principal of BMS Engineering College for 45 years, served as a trustee of the college after retirement.
He was active in the theatre field for about 30 years ago, and was a popular stage artiste.
In 1962, he was honoured with the best actor award by the then Prime Minister late Jawaharlal Nehru at New Delhi.
Y.V. Ramadas dead
Staff Reporter
BANGALORE: Educationist and theatre person Y.V. Ramadas (88) died here on Monday, after a brief illness.
Ramdas, who was the principal of BMS Engineering College for 45 years, served as a trustee of the college after retirement.
He was active in the theatre field for about 30 years ago, and was a popular stage artiste.
In 1962, he was honoured with the best actor award by the then Prime Minister late Jawaharlal Nehru at New Delhi.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Reflections again!!
I had planned to write a year end blog entry on 31st Dec 09. I then remembered a similar blog post I made at the end of 2008.
Re-reading what I had written then made me realize that I always seem to be stuck. The more the things change, more they remain the same!!!! Infact I looked at the draft I had made for 2009 and saw that many things were the same as already posted in 2008. I just hit the discard button and never posted anything.
Here I was, thinking that I made some really crucial decisions in 2009, significant events of life blah blah . . turns out that I am running around in circles, year after year:-)
But definitely, 2009 was a year of HIGHS (10,000 ft above ground)
and LOWS(below the ocean seeing corals)
and LOWS(below the ocean seeing corals)
LOST!!
Prologue:
N woke up to the sight of a rain ravaged beach (same story during the last 4 days); infact the beach was completely washed away! His sunny, lazy, lonely- beach island vacation to Thailand at the peak of the swine flu season had been a damp squib and showed no signs of getting any better.
The good shepherd woke up with a sore back (thanks to the marathon kayaking session the previous afternoon) and pulled out of the trek in order to be ready for the evening’s scuba diving lesson. That left bugger, N and their German friend Chris to join 4 other German tourists and a Thai guide.After a short ride in an open jeep shivering in the rain, they stopped right at the entrance of a jungle and geared up with insect repellent, energy drinks, water, food etc stuffed into backpacks. The group followed a narrow trail which soon disappeared into a dense dark jungle. The rain got heavier and everyone was soaked to the bone; but none seemed to mind coz the beauty of the forest had taken away their collective breaths.
How long were they lost in the dense jungle???
N woke up to the sight of a rain ravaged beach (same story during the last 4 days); infact the beach was completely washed away! His sunny, lazy, lonely- beach island vacation to Thailand at the peak of the swine flu season had been a damp squib and showed no signs of getting any better.
The good shepherd woke up with a sore back (thanks to the marathon kayaking session the previous afternoon) and pulled out of the trek in order to be ready for the evening’s scuba diving lesson. That left bugger, N and their German friend Chris to join 4 other German tourists and a Thai guide.After a short ride in an open jeep shivering in the rain, they stopped right at the entrance of a jungle and geared up with insect repellent, energy drinks, water, food etc stuffed into backpacks. The group followed a narrow trail which soon disappeared into a dense dark jungle. The rain got heavier and everyone was soaked to the bone; but none seemed to mind coz the beauty of the forest had taken away their collective breaths.
Progress was slow, partly due to the absence of a trail and also to give Chris an opportunity to sharpen his already excellent photography skills. The landscape changed fast; dense green forests gave way to bamboos which gave way to vines, interspersed by small & large streams. Intermittently clearings in the woods allowed mist covered peaks to be sighted.
N was getting hungry, when guide announced lunch. But bugger and N hardly ate anything, coz they could not stand the smell of even the so called veg. food guide had brought for them.
Guide then announced a compulsory relaxing foot massage for all. Everyone was supposed to strip down to swim trunks, discard all bags and climb up a waterfall!! Bugger and N being the only non swimmers in the group were totally taken aback, coz they had to swim against a strong current to even get to the foot of the waterfall.
While the two of them were contemplating their plight, the rest of the group had gone across and started climbing already. So this duo had to either follow them or wait with the footwear till the others returned. N decided to take the plunge, bugger followed suit. That was the start of a terrific (or terrible- depending on whom you ask) adventure. They crisscrossed across strong streams by hanging on ropes, diving under rocks, clutching at straws to stay afloat and what not!! 
In all this excitement, no one noticed the raining coming down harder than ever. It was only after about nine-tenths of the way up did they realize the magnitude of the rain, when even the crazy guide would not risk going the rest of the way due to the heavy currents. The group decided to turn back. Very quickly it became apparent that they were in deep trouble. The path they had taken earlier had got submerged under the torrential rain. Wading through the water was ruled out due to the strong current & the hard rock combination. The ropes they had tied across the streams on the forward journey had disappeared. They were marooned!!! There was no way out . . LOST in a forest in a foreign land, without a clue !!!!!
.
.
N was getting hungry, when guide announced lunch. But bugger and N hardly ate anything, coz they could not stand the smell of even the so called veg. food guide had brought for them.Guide then announced a compulsory relaxing foot massage for all. Everyone was supposed to strip down to swim trunks, discard all bags and climb up a waterfall!! Bugger and N being the only non swimmers in the group were totally taken aback, coz they had to swim against a strong current to even get to the foot of the waterfall.
While the two of them were contemplating their plight, the rest of the group had gone across and started climbing already. So this duo had to either follow them or wait with the footwear till the others returned. N decided to take the plunge, bugger followed suit. That was the start of a terrific (or terrible- depending on whom you ask) adventure. They crisscrossed across strong streams by hanging on ropes, diving under rocks, clutching at straws to stay afloat and what not!! 
In all this excitement, no one noticed the raining coming down harder than ever. It was only after about nine-tenths of the way up did they realize the magnitude of the rain, when even the crazy guide would not risk going the rest of the way due to the heavy currents. The group decided to turn back. Very quickly it became apparent that they were in deep trouble. The path they had taken earlier had got submerged under the torrential rain. Wading through the water was ruled out due to the strong current & the hard rock combination. The ropes they had tied across the streams on the forward journey had disappeared. They were marooned!!! There was no way out . . LOST in a forest in a foreign land, without a clue !!!!!.
.
.
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.
How long were they lost in the dense jungle???
Did they get back to civilization?
What were the risks they took??
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Epilogue:
6 PM Koh Chang Thailand, 5 Km off lonely beach resort . . . . .
A ragged looking bunch of seven bruised, soaked and half naked men, woman and a kid emerge out of the jungles, some wearing shoes on only one leg, others with only their bathing suits, yet others with torn shirts. One of them breaks off from the group and hurries into the forest on the opposite side; the rest of the group fight off dogs and mosquitoes and begin to count their losses against the backdrop of a setting sun as they wait for the guide to return (with the car’s spare keys)
Martyred: A cute little Nokia 5310
Missing in action: guide’s car keys, shoes, clothes, more shoes (only one of the legs!!)
Maimed: passport (!!!)
6 PM Koh Chang Thailand, 5 Km off lonely beach resort . . . . .
A ragged looking bunch of seven bruised, soaked and half naked men, woman and a kid emerge out of the jungles, some wearing shoes on only one leg, others with only their bathing suits, yet others with torn shirts. One of them breaks off from the group and hurries into the forest on the opposite side; the rest of the group fight off dogs and mosquitoes and begin to count their losses against the backdrop of a setting sun as they wait for the guide to return (with the car’s spare keys)
Martyred: A cute little Nokia 5310
Missing in action: guide’s car keys, shoes, clothes, more shoes (only one of the legs!!)
Maimed: passport (!!!)
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Travelogue
asterix's account of our North India vacation :-)
http://asterix-the-gaul.blogspot.com/2008/12/north-india-trip.html
http://asterix-the-gaul.blogspot.com/2008/12/north-india-trip.html
Monday, January 05, 2009
Monday blues . .
Two years since beginning my "working life", I am beginning to feel the monday morning blues.
If ever there was a day I had to drag myself off to work against all my wishes, it was today;
One week on-site in Mumbai.
Two days pilgrimage to my favourite temples.
One week laid up in bed with a fever that refuses to go away.
. . . The monday after all this is really a drag.
But one one reason made me travel all the 26 kms from home to office. It was to check my mail and find some good news about a much anticipated travel. But darn!! The mail completely turned my day ulta pulta. From there on, my enthu for the day's work slid even more. . . .
I somehow managed to escape at normal office closing time without having to do the usual last minute fire fighting work that crops up on most days. . . but that raised a few eyebrows though.
Surprising how, if one makes it a habit to stay longer than mandatory minimum, the superiors in the office give you "that" look on the rare days that you leave along with all the other guys out there who have a life outside office.
If ever there was a day I had to drag myself off to work against all my wishes, it was today;
One week on-site in Mumbai.
Two days pilgrimage to my favourite temples.
One week laid up in bed with a fever that refuses to go away.
. . . The monday after all this is really a drag.
But one one reason made me travel all the 26 kms from home to office. It was to check my mail and find some good news about a much anticipated travel. But darn!! The mail completely turned my day ulta pulta. From there on, my enthu for the day's work slid even more. . . .
I somehow managed to escape at normal office closing time without having to do the usual last minute fire fighting work that crops up on most days. . . but that raised a few eyebrows though.
Surprising how, if one makes it a habit to stay longer than mandatory minimum, the superiors in the office give you "that" look on the rare days that you leave along with all the other guys out there who have a life outside office.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Reflections
"What are you doing tomorrow night?", asked a friend.
"What is tomorrow night?", I asked. Then a fraction of second later it hit me . .
"ahh, new year's eve".It set me thinking (a lot of things do that to me these days :-)).
What the new year means to me. How the new year's eve has evolved over time for me.
The earliest recollection of Dec31st for me is during middle school. Jan 1st always meant the start of school after winter holidays. There would invariably be lot of unfinished winter projects and assignments that had to be completed. So Dec31st was always a hectic affair. Sitting in front of the TV, watching the bollywood stars and starlets dance to the beats of the "hit" songs of the year gone by and writing out that assignment.
Then as I got to high school, I got to partying on Dec31st. The whole family would go off to a club/ resort, stay till the "countdown" followed by fireworks, come home satisfied that we had done our bit to usher in the new year and hit the sack.Somewhere down the line this partying mode faded out of practice. Dec31st had become just another day; Nothing special to be done, no special resolutions to be made and broken.
But as is my wont these days, I could not resist reflecting on the year gone by and penning down my thoughts:
This year has probably been my worst year. I say "probably" because till now I have never though of evaluating an year as good/ bad.It has been a personal roller coaster ride. A lot of highs, some very deep lows and a general feeling of melancholy.
Some very painful memories, painful because the memories are so sweet and now no longer a reality but just a memory. Add to that, the happenings in the world, with faltering economies, terrorism etc and you have the recipe for a perfectly bad year. But as always, there is a glimmer of hope, that with a new day, a new year, a new beginning can be made to control the damage if not repair it completely.
Happy new year.
Quite unrelated to this post but somehow relevant in a twisted way to my feelings right now, I am pasting two poems below;
One,A beautiful poem I received as an email forward and the second, an sms that brings back splendid memories of a slice of life I will always look back at with a great deal of fondness.
Someone Somewhere
A thick haze settles over the ocean,
The horizon turns pink as far as the eye can see.
All creatures hurry back home,
As the sun plunges into the sea.
Someone somewhere made a fortune today,
Someone somewhere lost all that he ever had.
Someone will sleep with a smile on his face,
Someone with a heavy heart will be sad.
Someone somewhere was born to rule,
Someone somewhere was born to die.
Someone today found someone he loves,
Someone has left someone to cry.
Someone's life has changed today,
For some, it was just another day.
Someone somewhere is dumbfounded by his good fate,
Someone has nothing more left to say.
The beauty of this setting sun, Is too divine for me to summarize.
As I sit here and watch the setting sun,
Someone somewhere sees it rise......
-Anonymous
Reflections
A rose is nature's fairest flower,
Each bud in its perfection,
holds promise that a lovely bloom
Will catch the sun's reflection.
"What is tomorrow night?", I asked. Then a fraction of second later it hit me . .
"ahh, new year's eve".It set me thinking (a lot of things do that to me these days :-)).
What the new year means to me. How the new year's eve has evolved over time for me.
The earliest recollection of Dec31st for me is during middle school. Jan 1st always meant the start of school after winter holidays. There would invariably be lot of unfinished winter projects and assignments that had to be completed. So Dec31st was always a hectic affair. Sitting in front of the TV, watching the bollywood stars and starlets dance to the beats of the "hit" songs of the year gone by and writing out that assignment.
Then as I got to high school, I got to partying on Dec31st. The whole family would go off to a club/ resort, stay till the "countdown" followed by fireworks, come home satisfied that we had done our bit to usher in the new year and hit the sack.Somewhere down the line this partying mode faded out of practice. Dec31st had become just another day; Nothing special to be done, no special resolutions to be made and broken.
But as is my wont these days, I could not resist reflecting on the year gone by and penning down my thoughts:
This year has probably been my worst year. I say "probably" because till now I have never though of evaluating an year as good/ bad.It has been a personal roller coaster ride. A lot of highs, some very deep lows and a general feeling of melancholy.
Some very painful memories, painful because the memories are so sweet and now no longer a reality but just a memory. Add to that, the happenings in the world, with faltering economies, terrorism etc and you have the recipe for a perfectly bad year. But as always, there is a glimmer of hope, that with a new day, a new year, a new beginning can be made to control the damage if not repair it completely.
Happy new year.
Quite unrelated to this post but somehow relevant in a twisted way to my feelings right now, I am pasting two poems below;
One,A beautiful poem I received as an email forward and the second, an sms that brings back splendid memories of a slice of life I will always look back at with a great deal of fondness.
Someone Somewhere
A thick haze settles over the ocean,
The horizon turns pink as far as the eye can see.
All creatures hurry back home,
As the sun plunges into the sea.
Someone somewhere made a fortune today,
Someone somewhere lost all that he ever had.
Someone will sleep with a smile on his face,
Someone with a heavy heart will be sad.
Someone somewhere was born to rule,
Someone somewhere was born to die.
Someone today found someone he loves,
Someone has left someone to cry.
Someone's life has changed today,
For some, it was just another day.
Someone somewhere is dumbfounded by his good fate,
Someone has nothing more left to say.
The beauty of this setting sun, Is too divine for me to summarize.
As I sit here and watch the setting sun,
Someone somewhere sees it rise......
-Anonymous
Reflections
A rose is nature's fairest flower,
Each bud in its perfection,
holds promise that a lovely bloom
Will catch the sun's reflection.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Monday, March 10, 2008
It ain't over till the fat lady sings.....
Or in this case, till the last ball is tonked over the pond....
It was SPANDAN cricket...IIITB's annual cricket carnival. Our team (Alumini from 2007 batch) made it to the final quite easily.
Considering our high scoring ways, inspite of having only 2 batsment in the lineup, we expected to get a decent total again. But as always, PHR failed again....in a pressure match. .. no surprise that!! Nandish shud have been around..if not for anything atleast to piss off PHR to make him score like in the previous game, with his irrepressible taunts
We ended up 69 in 12 overs.
"It is a defendable total, as long as we dont bowl full toss"...all our bowlers agreed just b4 entering the field to defend that total.
The first 4 overs went like a charm. The opposition batsmen finding out newer and weirder ways to get out ....... and our fielders managing to catch everything that came their way.
Then at end of 5 over with a score of 20/5 ( only two more wickets to get), yours truly made it to the bowling crease. Now, I rate myself as a bowler. . . I was thinking, one wicket for me this over...then Roshan will finish it off in the next....then we can go off for that delayed lunch at Chandana, where PTP and PHR can enjoy their "well deserved" cold beer . Advice flowed from all the other accomplished bowlers in the team..."bowl across him, he will edge it" ...."keep a little more pace man else you will get hit"...."bowl a lil slower, he will miss hit it" ...... whew!!
With all this, I just jogged up as usual and managed 3 uneventful deliveries. Then thinking..."ok lemme get that wicket....bowl a yorker and get done with it" , I just ran in a tad faster and then ended up banging it at half pitch....thud...six.
Next ..again attempted yorker..full toss....6!!! Gawd....managed the next one with only a single.....and ran away to hide myself at the boundary line with tails firmly between my legs.
"We have enough good bowlers who will finish the job"......
Bang....full toss for another 6.....this time Roshan being the sinner.
What followed was an amazing 25 mins...when every one of our bowlers seemed inspired to bowl a full toss, no matter what...we ended up losing with 10 more balls to spare..and the poor chap who won them the game ended up in the pool !!! Though, I cant still imagine how that guy did not edge even one ball ...Every over, it was 3 or 4 times beaten ...then a six and then a single to retain strike..amazing. . . The worst part....he just wrote somewhere that I am his favourite bowler....err... Dunno how to react to that!!
I have been in teams that have lost quite spectacularly before...but this one takes the cake.
Dunno if I will play SPANDAN next year, but the three years that I have played this tournament has provided enough memories to last a long long time......
It was SPANDAN cricket...IIITB's annual cricket carnival. Our team (Alumini from 2007 batch) made it to the final quite easily.
Considering our high scoring ways, inspite of having only 2 batsment in the lineup, we expected to get a decent total again. But as always, PHR failed again....in a pressure match. .. no surprise that!! Nandish shud have been around..if not for anything atleast to piss off PHR to make him score like in the previous game, with his irrepressible taunts
We ended up 69 in 12 overs.
"It is a defendable total, as long as we dont bowl full toss"...all our bowlers agreed just b4 entering the field to defend that total.
The first 4 overs went like a charm. The opposition batsmen finding out newer and weirder ways to get out ....... and our fielders managing to catch everything that came their way.
Then at end of 5 over with a score of 20/5 ( only two more wickets to get), yours truly made it to the bowling crease. Now, I rate myself as a bowler. . . I was thinking, one wicket for me this over...then Roshan will finish it off in the next....then we can go off for that delayed lunch at Chandana, where PTP and PHR can enjoy their "well deserved" cold beer . Advice flowed from all the other accomplished bowlers in the team..."bowl across him, he will edge it" ...."keep a little more pace man else you will get hit"...."bowl a lil slower, he will miss hit it" ...... whew!!
With all this, I just jogged up as usual and managed 3 uneventful deliveries. Then thinking..."ok lemme get that wicket....bowl a yorker and get done with it" , I just ran in a tad faster and then ended up banging it at half pitch....thud...six.
Next ..again attempted yorker..full toss....6!!! Gawd....managed the next one with only a single.....and ran away to hide myself at the boundary line with tails firmly between my legs.
"We have enough good bowlers who will finish the job"......
Bang....full toss for another 6.....this time Roshan being the sinner.
What followed was an amazing 25 mins...when every one of our bowlers seemed inspired to bowl a full toss, no matter what...we ended up losing with 10 more balls to spare..and the poor chap who won them the game ended up in the pool !!! Though, I cant still imagine how that guy did not edge even one ball ...Every over, it was 3 or 4 times beaten ...then a six and then a single to retain strike..amazing. . . The worst part....he just wrote somewhere that I am his favourite bowler....err... Dunno how to react to that!!
I have been in teams that have lost quite spectacularly before...but this one takes the cake.
Dunno if I will play SPANDAN next year, but the three years that I have played this tournament has provided enough memories to last a long long time......
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Aussie Angel
"I called him a bad boy."
"He took offence to that. I thought that was quite funny. I said mate, you should be flattered, it's a clothing range."
Just like one Mr. Symonds should have been flattered that he was being likened to a Hindu symbol of worship. We know what happened there.
"I like the idea of actually getting into the ring (with him). I like that, bring it on"
So the ugly hulk has admitted he is a bully-- wanting to take on kids nearly half his age (in a boxing ring at that!!).Will someone kindly remind Hayden that the sport that Ishant is playing is called cricket...and that Ishant has reduced the arrogant Aussie captain to using his bat like a fishing rod, outside his off stump ?
"The thing is, his record speaks for itself in cricket. It's a certain line that you can go to and you know when you push it - and he just pushes it all the time. That is why he's been charged more than anyone that has ever played in the history of cricket."
One statistic I came across :Since 1992 (when ICC code ofconduct came into effect)
Bhajji has been charged 5 times.
Guess who else has the same number of "convictions": It is the Aussie skipper himself. This is just one more than the now retired Glen McGrath...... hahaha...Wonder if Hayden thinks Ponting is a "Bad boy" too. One thing is sure, even if he does think so, he will never dare utter it on public Radio.
Boy!! This is the worst phase of the ugly Aussie syndrome. or is it..ther are three more matches (or maybe just two if one of the teams get a drubbing) to go this Aussie summer, wonder what else we will hear from tha angels in baggy green (sic)
"He took offence to that. I thought that was quite funny. I said mate, you should be flattered, it's a clothing range."
Just like one Mr. Symonds should have been flattered that he was being likened to a Hindu symbol of worship. We know what happened there.
"I like the idea of actually getting into the ring (with him). I like that, bring it on"
So the ugly hulk has admitted he is a bully-- wanting to take on kids nearly half his age (in a boxing ring at that!!).Will someone kindly remind Hayden that the sport that Ishant is playing is called cricket...and that Ishant has reduced the arrogant Aussie captain to using his bat like a fishing rod, outside his off stump ?
"The thing is, his record speaks for itself in cricket. It's a certain line that you can go to and you know when you push it - and he just pushes it all the time. That is why he's been charged more than anyone that has ever played in the history of cricket."
One statistic I came across :Since 1992 (when ICC code ofconduct came into effect)
Bhajji has been charged 5 times.
Guess who else has the same number of "convictions": It is the Aussie skipper himself. This is just one more than the now retired Glen McGrath...... hahaha...Wonder if Hayden thinks Ponting is a "Bad boy" too. One thing is sure, even if he does think so, he will never dare utter it on public Radio.
Boy!! This is the worst phase of the ugly Aussie syndrome. or is it..ther are three more matches (or maybe just two if one of the teams get a drubbing) to go this Aussie summer, wonder what else we will hear from tha angels in baggy green (sic)
Sunday, September 02, 2007
July 8 2007
I am waiting in line, to receive my graduation certificate......My thoughts begin to wander......
The last last few months have been hectic. Things and situations have changed, but then they haven'nt.
Life seems to be going on - as normal as ever, as busy as ever. There always seems to be a never-ending flow of things to do. Life seems like a race; a race that one seems to be running in, without really knowing where it leads to. All that one notices is that he is running on a highway with a lot of other people runing in front, behind and alongside. Suddenly there is a realisation that he must stop otherwise life will drift away in known, seemingly safe directions, only to be someday buried in unremembered and worthless destinations. It is at these moments at the cross roads of life there comes along some divine spark that strikes us - and we make that decision, that significant and crucial decision, that will someday shape our destiny.
I realised that the highway run is not what I want, I want to run a race where there is no routine path, where there is no easy decision. A crossroad from which various paths emerge - right, wrong, unknown, strange and uncharted.The first time I felt like this, was over 3 years back. Since then, at every junction of life, I get the feeling that I am taking a crucial decision, one that will forever change my life. Later I realise that things have not really changed all that much or not at all. This makes it all very confusing. What is seemingly most important now, becomes insignificant once a decision is taken and acted upon. So what is important and what is not?
If one cares to pause this rushed life of ours, playback the events in slow motion, we begin to understand; Our thoughts become clear. It becomes clear, how the little things in our life have fallen in place on the jigsaw puzzle. How the bigger pieces on which we spent our energies are really the easier ones to put in place; How the smaller, seemingly trivial pieces are vital, to complete the puzzle and to understand the bigger picture.. At this juncture one might also contemplate on the decisons about how the paths that we took - the supposedly right paths - never lead us anywhere. How we missed the forest for the trees, just because we failed to look deeper, or perhaps because we were not prepared to take the road less travelled.
We then wish that we could go back and take another path. Ofcourse, we cannot. However we can learn to be more careful further on and learn to recognize the key moments in life, learn to spot those subtle clues that life throws us. Ofcourse, that key moment will just pass by like any other, if we are not strong enough to resist the divergent pulls of the oft treaded paths. It needs a strong passion and courage to swim against the tide. The first step to do this lies in being able to realise that we are being carried away by the waves in random directions; to realise that we still have not attained the strength and passion that we can achieve, if only we dig deeper.
I feel that I have not still attained my full strength or found my calling in life. Someday in the future when I am ready for it, I want to be able to realise when I am actually living my key moment- A chance meeting, a big decision, or just a simple little talk, which will turn life upside down and make all the difference- and not have to rewind and play it back in my mind in flashback mode.I have taken many turns on the path that I chose a long time back, I do not know where it will lead me to- only time will tell;
The most recent juction that I crossed in my life was graduation from IIITB, and transiting from a student life to a professional work life. The journey so far has been memorable. Newer experiences and equally interesting times are ahead.
The last last few months have been hectic. Things and situations have changed, but then they haven'nt.
Life seems to be going on - as normal as ever, as busy as ever. There always seems to be a never-ending flow of things to do. Life seems like a race; a race that one seems to be running in, without really knowing where it leads to. All that one notices is that he is running on a highway with a lot of other people runing in front, behind and alongside. Suddenly there is a realisation that he must stop otherwise life will drift away in known, seemingly safe directions, only to be someday buried in unremembered and worthless destinations. It is at these moments at the cross roads of life there comes along some divine spark that strikes us - and we make that decision, that significant and crucial decision, that will someday shape our destiny.
I realised that the highway run is not what I want, I want to run a race where there is no routine path, where there is no easy decision. A crossroad from which various paths emerge - right, wrong, unknown, strange and uncharted.The first time I felt like this, was over 3 years back. Since then, at every junction of life, I get the feeling that I am taking a crucial decision, one that will forever change my life. Later I realise that things have not really changed all that much or not at all. This makes it all very confusing. What is seemingly most important now, becomes insignificant once a decision is taken and acted upon. So what is important and what is not?
If one cares to pause this rushed life of ours, playback the events in slow motion, we begin to understand; Our thoughts become clear. It becomes clear, how the little things in our life have fallen in place on the jigsaw puzzle. How the bigger pieces on which we spent our energies are really the easier ones to put in place; How the smaller, seemingly trivial pieces are vital, to complete the puzzle and to understand the bigger picture.. At this juncture one might also contemplate on the decisons about how the paths that we took - the supposedly right paths - never lead us anywhere. How we missed the forest for the trees, just because we failed to look deeper, or perhaps because we were not prepared to take the road less travelled.
We then wish that we could go back and take another path. Ofcourse, we cannot. However we can learn to be more careful further on and learn to recognize the key moments in life, learn to spot those subtle clues that life throws us. Ofcourse, that key moment will just pass by like any other, if we are not strong enough to resist the divergent pulls of the oft treaded paths. It needs a strong passion and courage to swim against the tide. The first step to do this lies in being able to realise that we are being carried away by the waves in random directions; to realise that we still have not attained the strength and passion that we can achieve, if only we dig deeper.
I feel that I have not still attained my full strength or found my calling in life. Someday in the future when I am ready for it, I want to be able to realise when I am actually living my key moment- A chance meeting, a big decision, or just a simple little talk, which will turn life upside down and make all the difference- and not have to rewind and play it back in my mind in flashback mode.I have taken many turns on the path that I chose a long time back, I do not know where it will lead me to- only time will tell;
The most recent juction that I crossed in my life was graduation from IIITB, and transiting from a student life to a professional work life. The journey so far has been memorable. Newer experiences and equally interesting times are ahead.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
SWEET & SOUR
Ant, grasshopper
Old version
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant’s a fool and plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well-fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter so he dies out in the cold.
Modern version
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant’s a fool and plays the summer away. Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well-fed while others are cold and starving.
NDTV, BBC, CNN show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home.
Arundhati Roy stages a demonstration in front of the ant’s house. Medha Patkar goes on a fast demanding that the grasshoppers be relocated to warmer climates during winter. Amnesty International and Kofi Annan criticise the Indian Government for not upholding the fundamental rights of the grasshopper. Left parties call for “Bharat bundh” in West Bengal and Kerala. CPM in Kerala passes a law preventing ants from working hard so as to bring about equality of poverty among ants and grasshoppers. The judicial committee drafts the Prevention of Terrorism Against Grasshoppers Act (POTAGA), with effect from the beginning of the winter. Arjun Singh makes special reservation for grasshopper in educational and government service.
The ant is fined for failing to comply with POTAGA and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated and handed over to the grasshopper in a ceremony. Arundhati Roy calls it “a triumph of justice”. CPM calls it the “revolutionary resurgence of the downtrodden”. Many years later... The ant has since migrated to the US and set up a multi-billion dollar company in Silicon Valley. 100s of grasshoppers still die of starvation... Losing a lot of hard working ants and feeding grasshoppers, India is still a “developing” country.
(Courtesy: Vipin Bucksey, New Delhi)
Appeared in Deccan Herald March 2, 2007
Old version
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant’s a fool and plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well-fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter so he dies out in the cold.
Modern version
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant’s a fool and plays the summer away. Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well-fed while others are cold and starving.
NDTV, BBC, CNN show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home.
Arundhati Roy stages a demonstration in front of the ant’s house. Medha Patkar goes on a fast demanding that the grasshoppers be relocated to warmer climates during winter. Amnesty International and Kofi Annan criticise the Indian Government for not upholding the fundamental rights of the grasshopper. Left parties call for “Bharat bundh” in West Bengal and Kerala. CPM in Kerala passes a law preventing ants from working hard so as to bring about equality of poverty among ants and grasshoppers. The judicial committee drafts the Prevention of Terrorism Against Grasshoppers Act (POTAGA), with effect from the beginning of the winter. Arjun Singh makes special reservation for grasshopper in educational and government service.
The ant is fined for failing to comply with POTAGA and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated and handed over to the grasshopper in a ceremony. Arundhati Roy calls it “a triumph of justice”. CPM calls it the “revolutionary resurgence of the downtrodden”. Many years later... The ant has since migrated to the US and set up a multi-billion dollar company in Silicon Valley. 100s of grasshoppers still die of starvation... Losing a lot of hard working ants and feeding grasshoppers, India is still a “developing” country.
(Courtesy: Vipin Bucksey, New Delhi)
Appeared in Deccan Herald March 2, 2007
Friday, March 16, 2007
.......the five lights go off.......the 2007 F1 season is GO!!!
I'm Hoping for rain in Melbourne this sunday.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Weird
The hostel where I am staying since the past 18 months seems to have rather weird people in charge.
A couple of situations I encounter quite often makes me sure of this.
7 AM:
I wake up bleary eyed..early in the morning .......find my way to the bathroom complex hoping to grab a quick shower before dashing off to class/office....and yes, my stay in the shower is very brief...reason: The water is biting cold.
This is nothing new.. repeated requests to the concerned authorities to fix up the water heating system..has not at all helped. Infact it looks like they are pissed off with the innumerable complaints they receive regarding this matter and have decided to take revenge.
Why do I feel this? . . . .
7 PM:
Location: The loo.
The taps are running with steaming hot water........ ouch!!
The hostel authorities seem to be saying: Shower in cold water[even in the middle of winter] and wash your ass in hot water.
I asked for hot water, and got it......it is only about 12 hours late that's all. . . .I have heard of Indian Stretchable Time.....but this is too much!
A couple of situations I encounter quite often makes me sure of this.
7 AM:
I wake up bleary eyed..early in the morning .......find my way to the bathroom complex hoping to grab a quick shower before dashing off to class/office....and yes, my stay in the shower is very brief...reason: The water is biting cold.
This is nothing new.. repeated requests to the concerned authorities to fix up the water heating system..has not at all helped. Infact it looks like they are pissed off with the innumerable complaints they receive regarding this matter and have decided to take revenge.
Why do I feel this? . . . .
7 PM:
Location: The loo.
The taps are running with steaming hot water........ ouch!!
The hostel authorities seem to be saying: Shower in cold water[even in the middle of winter] and wash your ass in hot water.
I asked for hot water, and got it......it is only about 12 hours late that's all. . . .I have heard of Indian Stretchable Time.....but this is too much!
Friday, February 02, 2007
TA
Now that I am done being a TA, I thought of penning down some of my activities as TA.
It was quite easy and fun being one.
Task 1. Invigilate the class test. . . . . thats pretty easy . . . . . Put up some seating arrangement. Just distribute the sheets and walk around the class, looking important and all knowing. If any one has a doubt regarding an ambiguous question which you also fail to understand. . . just say, "assume whatever is ambiguous and clearly state your assumption" :-D. That is a neat little trick I learnt from my TA's.
Task 2. Take demo for programming assignment and ask some viva.
Steps:
Meet prof.
Receive some gyan, about how to evaluate.
Allot slots for the students to meet you for the demo
[even if you already know that no one will come in their allotted time slot].
If somebody wants to show you the demo a couple of days before it is due . . . .
beware .. . that guys is seriously jobless. Afterall whoever heard of even starting
an assignment till 24 hours before it is due, let alone submitting it.
Run their programs, ask them to explain the code(!!!!)
( as per the gyan imparted by prof).
Guys will keep calling you "sir", even if you insist on being called on first name basis
--get used to it.
Nod your head as if understanding, even if you dont know JAVA and what they
are explaining makes no sense whatsoever to you, maybe you will learn something by the end of it all. Or atleast all that nodding will give your neck some much needed exercise.
If you have a beard and are asking stuff to which they dont know the answers,
be prepared to hear the word "terror" uttered when they think you are out
of ear shot.
Some female students will be heard saying, "I dont want to go to that bearded
guy!! I prefer the other friendly guy who talks sweetly".
:-)
Converse in the local language with your co-TA, expressing disgust at the poor
quality of work being demonstrated, and then get shocked when it turns out that the student sitting in front of you speaks the language!!
Task3. The toughest job : Evaluating the answer scripts
This can be a big chore, but sometimes can be the best source of entertainment.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PS: Dunno, how much of what I have written above is coherent . . . . I am tired and unable to thing clearly . . . but unable to sleep too [ aftereffect of sitting at a desk all day, with no physical activity at all]. . . . Had nothing else to do . . so I just typed this up ......will review it later sometime and delete it or make changes as appropriate.
PPS: I should also write something about being a student intern in a software company. . . . but that will come after some more weeks/months pass by. . . .
It was quite easy and fun being one.
Task 1. Invigilate the class test. . . . . thats pretty easy . . . . . Put up some seating arrangement. Just distribute the sheets and walk around the class, looking important and all knowing. If any one has a doubt regarding an ambiguous question which you also fail to understand. . . just say, "assume whatever is ambiguous and clearly state your assumption" :-D. That is a neat little trick I learnt from my TA's.
Task 2. Take demo for programming assignment and ask some viva.
Steps:
Meet prof.
Receive some gyan, about how to evaluate.
Allot slots for the students to meet you for the demo
[even if you already know that no one will come in their allotted time slot].
If somebody wants to show you the demo a couple of days before it is due . . . .
beware .. . that guys is seriously jobless. Afterall whoever heard of even starting
an assignment till 24 hours before it is due, let alone submitting it.
Run their programs, ask them to explain the code(!!!!)
( as per the gyan imparted by prof).
Guys will keep calling you "sir", even if you insist on being called on first name basis
--get used to it.
Nod your head as if understanding, even if you dont know JAVA and what they
are explaining makes no sense whatsoever to you, maybe you will learn something by the end of it all. Or atleast all that nodding will give your neck some much needed exercise.
If you have a beard and are asking stuff to which they dont know the answers,
be prepared to hear the word "terror" uttered when they think you are out
of ear shot.
Some female students will be heard saying, "I dont want to go to that bearded
guy!! I prefer the other friendly guy who talks sweetly".
:-)
Converse in the local language with your co-TA, expressing disgust at the poor
quality of work being demonstrated, and then get shocked when it turns out that the student sitting in front of you speaks the language!!
Task3. The toughest job : Evaluating the answer scripts
This can be a big chore, but sometimes can be the best source of entertainment.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PS: Dunno, how much of what I have written above is coherent . . . . I am tired and unable to thing clearly . . . but unable to sleep too [ aftereffect of sitting at a desk all day, with no physical activity at all]. . . . Had nothing else to do . . so I just typed this up ......will review it later sometime and delete it or make changes as appropriate.
PPS: I should also write something about being a student intern in a software company. . . . but that will come after some more weeks/months pass by. . . .
Friday, October 13, 2006
My teaching debut
It was my first class. the topic to be covered was just some Matlab basics and a revision of some digital communications class from the previous week.
Though, I am very comfortable with these topics, I spent a good part of the day, preparing for the class.When it was finally time to begin the class, I felt that I could easily pull it off. A class of under 30 people, me just covering the basics, . . . no problemo, I thought.I could not have been more wrong.
"Hi, folks. Shall we begin?", is met with a silence.
"Did you read the material I posted on the website?". Silence again . . . atleast I got a few nods now, answering in the negative( some response is better than no response!!)
"Did you atleast read the homework questions posted earlier in the week?" resulted in a deafening silence.
Now, I was ready to run out of class. What am I supposed to teach, if they dont respond at all?But I go on . . . blabbering away, my speaking speed accelerating . . (as usually happens with me) . . . I see many blank faces,with the odd one or two nodding in agreement. ( so I slow down my speed, or so I think), I fix my gaze on those poor chaps and begin speaking in earnest . . . soon they realised, the more they nod in agreement, the more I punish them by looking only at them while teaching...so they stop looking at me.... now I am stumped.
So, I started off with trying to discuss the homework that was due in under a week's time, and some time later, they opened up a bit and started asking a few questions, thankfully!!
From then on, time flew( atleast for me, am sure the guys listening to the leture felt otherwise) . . .before I knew it, the hour was up, and I still had not covered everything that I had planned for the session, people were asking doubts left and right,it was chaotic, but I had to wind up quickly. So I just directed them to room 420 and wound up for the day.
I always wanted to do one thing when teaching, I did it today!!
When asked a particularly probing question,to which I dont have an immediate answer, I always wanted to say, "Let's take it offline" and not waste others' time. I DID ask one person to meet me offline . . . but he did not bother to turn up at all. Guess, he had enough of me already, in the class :-D
I got some feedback from "friends" among the junior batch students . . . It was a complete washout. I even had to send a mail, correcting some of the things I had wrongly stated in class.
I will have to take one more class some time in the next few weeks, hope that turns out better.
Ciao.
Though, I am very comfortable with these topics, I spent a good part of the day, preparing for the class.When it was finally time to begin the class, I felt that I could easily pull it off. A class of under 30 people, me just covering the basics, . . . no problemo, I thought.I could not have been more wrong.
"Hi, folks. Shall we begin?", is met with a silence.
"Did you read the material I posted on the website?". Silence again . . . atleast I got a few nods now, answering in the negative( some response is better than no response!!)
"Did you atleast read the homework questions posted earlier in the week?" resulted in a deafening silence.
Now, I was ready to run out of class. What am I supposed to teach, if they dont respond at all?But I go on . . . blabbering away, my speaking speed accelerating . . (as usually happens with me) . . . I see many blank faces,with the odd one or two nodding in agreement. ( so I slow down my speed, or so I think), I fix my gaze on those poor chaps and begin speaking in earnest . . . soon they realised, the more they nod in agreement, the more I punish them by looking only at them while teaching...so they stop looking at me.... now I am stumped.
So, I started off with trying to discuss the homework that was due in under a week's time, and some time later, they opened up a bit and started asking a few questions, thankfully!!
From then on, time flew( atleast for me, am sure the guys listening to the leture felt otherwise) . . .before I knew it, the hour was up, and I still had not covered everything that I had planned for the session, people were asking doubts left and right,it was chaotic, but I had to wind up quickly. So I just directed them to room 420 and wound up for the day.
I always wanted to do one thing when teaching, I did it today!!
When asked a particularly probing question,to which I dont have an immediate answer, I always wanted to say, "Let's take it offline" and not waste others' time. I DID ask one person to meet me offline . . . but he did not bother to turn up at all. Guess, he had enough of me already, in the class :-D
I got some feedback from "friends" among the junior batch students . . . It was a complete washout. I even had to send a mail, correcting some of the things I had wrongly stated in class.
I will have to take one more class some time in the next few weeks, hope that turns out better.
Ciao.
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
I'm in love. . . . . .again
The first time I fell in love was some 15-17 years ago. It was love at first sight.
However it did not last long. My dad got transferred and soon I lost touch. It is said,out of sight is out of mind. For 12 long years I did not spend time with my love again. I only had brief fleeting glimpses. However, I did have one encounter around 2 years back, bringing in a flood of nostalgic thoughts. But nearly 600 kms of travel for just a sighter proved impractical.....long distance affairs never work out ;-)
Over the last couple of days, I fell in love for the second time in my life. This was no "first sight" issue. Though having been aquainted for long, and my new love being one of my mom's favourite, I had never felt any particular liking in the past. But having spent some quality time together during dasara, I am now caught between two loves. One calm and serene bringing a tranquillity I have cherished over the years while the other is accomapnied by a regal elegance unparalleled.
Do I have to make a choice and choose one over the other? nah! I will love both.
My first love: Two small towns in the malnad regions: Coorg( madikeri) and chikmagalur where I lived as a kid, enchanted by the flowing beauty of the hills and valleys, the green gardens, dense forests and the super weather.
My new found love: The city of Mysore, for its royal grandeur and elegance . . . it reminds me of Bangalore of the early/mid nineties. People with a laid back attitude to life, a place becoming modern, yet clinging on to its rich past. I hope Mysore stays the way it is now and does not become a Bangalore.
However it did not last long. My dad got transferred and soon I lost touch. It is said,out of sight is out of mind. For 12 long years I did not spend time with my love again. I only had brief fleeting glimpses. However, I did have one encounter around 2 years back, bringing in a flood of nostalgic thoughts. But nearly 600 kms of travel for just a sighter proved impractical.....long distance affairs never work out ;-)
Over the last couple of days, I fell in love for the second time in my life. This was no "first sight" issue. Though having been aquainted for long, and my new love being one of my mom's favourite, I had never felt any particular liking in the past. But having spent some quality time together during dasara, I am now caught between two loves. One calm and serene bringing a tranquillity I have cherished over the years while the other is accomapnied by a regal elegance unparalleled.
Do I have to make a choice and choose one over the other? nah! I will love both.
My first love: Two small towns in the malnad regions: Coorg( madikeri) and chikmagalur where I lived as a kid, enchanted by the flowing beauty of the hills and valleys, the green gardens, dense forests and the super weather.
My new found love: The city of Mysore, for its royal grandeur and elegance . . . it reminds me of Bangalore of the early/mid nineties. People with a laid back attitude to life, a place becoming modern, yet clinging on to its rich past. I hope Mysore stays the way it is now and does not become a Bangalore.
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