It was past midnight on Saturday when I called the nurse help-line.
'What's the problem?' a british voice finally asked me after getting the history of my illnesses from the beginning of time.
'I injured my toe-nail'.
There was a very deliberate pause.
The voice found itself at last. 'How did it happen?
It was my turn to pause. 'I stepped on myself.'
Yes, I felt silly. Silly because I was calling up the nurse on-call about a toenail. Silly because I couldn't even blame anyone, or anything (not even alcohol), for hurting myself to the extent that I couldn't even walk properly, and had a very significant limp.
I was surprised to find that toenails can wreck havoc in one's normal life. If broken, they usually get infected, or have to be surgically removed.
Fortunately, mine didn't. I was told to keep it covered with a band-aid at all times and shut up. My toenail's a fighter, and by Wednesday, I half-forgot about my limp. When my partner in my waltz class stepped on my toe (the toe) yesterday, and started apologizing profusely, I laughed it off, saying I was more in danger of inflicting damage on myself by stepping on my toes than he ever could.
I did rediscover the principle of the conservation of pain. The minute the pain in my toenails left me, my knees went on a strike. And when that ended, I mysteriously cut my thumb.
I think I'm going to single-handedly revitalize the failing US economy with my neverending band-aid purchases.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Fighting demons and dragons
So - another 5 days and I'll be done with my second stint at NASA this summer. But the next few days will be far from dull - I have to write two papers, participate in a JPL-Team-X-like mission design exercise, make a final presentation, write a couple of articles, and worst of all - pack.
Is it weird that all this feels normal? Probably not - seven semesters at school have prepared me well for something like this. I complain and whine out of habit - one of my friends, after listening to my tirade said, 'So - what's new?' Another one claimed that I always made my life sound like I was fighting demons and dragons.
I think it's natural to want some drama in one's life.
Is it weird that all this feels normal? Probably not - seven semesters at school have prepared me well for something like this. I complain and whine out of habit - one of my friends, after listening to my tirade said, 'So - what's new?' Another one claimed that I always made my life sound like I was fighting demons and dragons.
I think it's natural to want some drama in one's life.
Monday, August 11, 2008
City-trotter
I'd never understood what falling in love with a city meant.
Lucknow was a harsh, hot city, with too many cars on the roads, too much dust in the air, not enough trees to hide the the murkiness and poverty all around, too many eyes that I learned to pretend to ignore while taking the buses to and from school. I loved it because in the sea of dirt and dust and sweat, I could usually spot a familiar face from my childhood, or have the best ice-cream for two rupees, or just think about the people I cared for most who were not very far away.
Ann Arbor was nice. When I think back though, there is little of the city that I remember - other than the trips between school and home, home and school, my first memorable snowfall, halloween, hunting for gypsy moths, puberty, the pretzels at briarwood mall, and the 'oh-hell' card game I learned.
Austin...was not the north-east. Perhaps I had dreams of the east coast with its magnificent old architecture, the smart-looking people, the cool weather - when I first came to Austin, having seen little else in all my time in the country before. I liked the little neighborhoods, but the buildings on campus were awful, and I the absence of snow and boots and heavy jackets was disappointing. It took a while - to appreciate the oddity of the place, the live music, the lethargy, the sunny weather - a nice escape from the sub-zero temperatures maintained indoors.
Cleveland was one of those cities that I wondered about - I wondered why people would decide to live here all their lives. People over 65 probably made up the bulk of the population, the city was old and windy, rated one of the poorest cities in the United States, and also one of the coldest - because of the lake effect, and no Sun for 4-5 months.
People complain too much. I remember this animal crackers comic strip - the gnu had just had a brainwave - he declared that he knew why the grass was greener on the other side - because they dyed it!
Cleveland's awesome. A visit downtown is like walking into a movie-rental place - there so much to see, all around. A string of parks surrounds the city - known as the emerald necklace. A river runs through it, called the Cuyahoga (which literally means crooked river) - which caught on fire several times in the last few decades. There are several old houses with secret quarters where sympathetic owners hid slaves prior to the civil war. The Cleveland Clinic is really an art museum or classical music paradise.
And when I go back to Austin now, I can smile while wearing summer clothes in January, enjoy the local artists performing in coffee shops, smile when a random stranger passes a compliment on the street corner.
Lucknow's become exquisite too - with the parts of it that are changing, and the parts that remain endearingly the same - the driveway, the garden, the campus gate.
Likewise, Delhi, Manipal, Allahabad, Cincinnati, Philadelphia have some special spots. They all are the same under all the layers of an onion - places that some people decided to call home, and where civilization took over.
The secret to loving anything is the impermanence of it. The secret to loving anyplace is to go away - and keep coming back.
Lucknow was a harsh, hot city, with too many cars on the roads, too much dust in the air, not enough trees to hide the the murkiness and poverty all around, too many eyes that I learned to pretend to ignore while taking the buses to and from school. I loved it because in the sea of dirt and dust and sweat, I could usually spot a familiar face from my childhood, or have the best ice-cream for two rupees, or just think about the people I cared for most who were not very far away.
Ann Arbor was nice. When I think back though, there is little of the city that I remember - other than the trips between school and home, home and school, my first memorable snowfall, halloween, hunting for gypsy moths, puberty, the pretzels at briarwood mall, and the 'oh-hell' card game I learned.
Austin...was not the north-east. Perhaps I had dreams of the east coast with its magnificent old architecture, the smart-looking people, the cool weather - when I first came to Austin, having seen little else in all my time in the country before. I liked the little neighborhoods, but the buildings on campus were awful, and I the absence of snow and boots and heavy jackets was disappointing. It took a while - to appreciate the oddity of the place, the live music, the lethargy, the sunny weather - a nice escape from the sub-zero temperatures maintained indoors.
Cleveland was one of those cities that I wondered about - I wondered why people would decide to live here all their lives. People over 65 probably made up the bulk of the population, the city was old and windy, rated one of the poorest cities in the United States, and also one of the coldest - because of the lake effect, and no Sun for 4-5 months.
People complain too much. I remember this animal crackers comic strip - the gnu had just had a brainwave - he declared that he knew why the grass was greener on the other side - because they dyed it!
Cleveland's awesome. A visit downtown is like walking into a movie-rental place - there so much to see, all around. A string of parks surrounds the city - known as the emerald necklace. A river runs through it, called the Cuyahoga (which literally means crooked river) - which caught on fire several times in the last few decades. There are several old houses with secret quarters where sympathetic owners hid slaves prior to the civil war. The Cleveland Clinic is really an art museum or classical music paradise.
And when I go back to Austin now, I can smile while wearing summer clothes in January, enjoy the local artists performing in coffee shops, smile when a random stranger passes a compliment on the street corner.
Lucknow's become exquisite too - with the parts of it that are changing, and the parts that remain endearingly the same - the driveway, the garden, the campus gate.
Likewise, Delhi, Manipal, Allahabad, Cincinnati, Philadelphia have some special spots. They all are the same under all the layers of an onion - places that some people decided to call home, and where civilization took over.
The secret to loving anything is the impermanence of it. The secret to loving anyplace is to go away - and keep coming back.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Adventures Unlimited ...
It all started with my decision of visiting friends over the 4th of July weekend. Excited that I found a cheap-ish ticket, I booked it right away, informed co-workers I would be taking a day off, and told my friends to expect my intrusion in a couple of weeks.
And I prompty forgot about it all until the day I had to leave.
Looking down from the plane, which was supposed to land in Newark, I saw a lot of tall buildings. Hmm, I thought. This place looks a lot like New York City. I saw something that looked suspiciously like the Empire State Building, and shook my head at the apparent imitation-trend engulfing the nation.
Once I landed, I called Aditi, telling her I was here. Aditi told me she was almost there to pick me up.
It took both of us some time to realize that 'here' was not exactly equal to 'there'. 'There' was what it should have been, the Newark International Airport. In my carelessness/excitement, I had booked the wrong ticket, and landed at the Laguardia Airport.
Things could have been worse than having to take a shuttle to the Newark Airport and meeting my friend and reaching her place 4 hours later (which included a back-tracking trip to locate her lost debit card). On the shuttle between NYC and Newark, I met two strangers, both from Texas, who shared random characteristics with me, and one another, and remarked on the amazement of life the whole way.
I thought the entire situation was absurdly funny. My dad, who had been keeping tabs on my travel, didn't share my views.
Philadelphia is awesome. My fourth time here was still as exciting as any other - the city is littered with astounding architectural marvels and an eclectic collection of oddities. The accidental (and entirely untentional) patriotism I displayed while spending Independence Day in the First American Capital culminated in watching the Franklin Parkway Parade, waiting in the rain for the fireworks, and eventually watching them from Aditi's enviable bay window.
Today was Atlantic City Day. We went to the beach,
wrote
our names in the sand, collected shells, fed the sea-gulls Cheetos, walked in and out of Casinos, did some spontaneous shopping, and had our palms read. We also had a mini-celebration of our birthdays (just a day apart) with a no-nonsense chocolate cake (which we decorated ourselves).
And we also ran down 10 blocks to catch the train back.
------------------------------------------------------------
The new issue of Nazar came out today - My humble contributions:
Not Every Dog has its Day
All's Fair in Love and...
With every issue, I continue to be amazed at the talent and dedication that a group of then-freshmen showed, and continue to maintain over time.
And I prompty forgot about it all until the day I had to leave.
Looking down from the plane, which was supposed to land in Newark, I saw a lot of tall buildings. Hmm, I thought. This place looks a lot like New York City. I saw something that looked suspiciously like the Empire State Building, and shook my head at the apparent imitation-trend engulfing the nation.
Once I landed, I called Aditi, telling her I was here. Aditi told me she was almost there to pick me up.
It took both of us some time to realize that 'here' was not exactly equal to 'there'. 'There' was what it should have been, the Newark International Airport. In my carelessness/excitement, I had booked the wrong ticket, and landed at the Laguardia Airport.
Things could have been worse than having to take a shuttle to the Newark Airport and meeting my friend and reaching her place 4 hours later (which included a back-tracking trip to locate her lost debit card). On the shuttle between NYC and Newark, I met two strangers, both from Texas, who shared random characteristics with me, and one another, and remarked on the amazement of life the whole way.
I thought the entire situation was absurdly funny. My dad, who had been keeping tabs on my travel, didn't share my views.
Philadelphia is awesome. My fourth time here was still as exciting as any other - the city is littered with astounding architectural marvels and an eclectic collection of oddities. The accidental (and entirely untentional) patriotism I displayed while spending Independence Day in the First American Capital culminated in watching the Franklin Parkway Parade, waiting in the rain for the fireworks, and eventually watching them from Aditi's enviable bay window.
Today was Atlantic City Day. We went to the beach,
wroteour names in the sand, collected shells, fed the sea-gulls Cheetos, walked in and out of Casinos, did some spontaneous shopping, and had our palms read. We also had a mini-celebration of our birthdays (just a day apart) with a no-nonsense chocolate cake (which we decorated ourselves).
And we also ran down 10 blocks to catch the train back.
------------------------------------------------------------
The new issue of Nazar came out today - My humble contributions:
Not Every Dog has its Day
All's Fair in Love and...
With every issue, I continue to be amazed at the talent and dedication that a group of then-freshmen showed, and continue to maintain over time.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Get Well Poem
Five years ago, my newly married cousin got really really sick. I just stumbled upon the get-well poem I wrote for him then.
The last few days, for you, must've been hell,
Even 16 km away, I can tell,
That you'd rather be sitting as was pre-decided,
In wa bar with dim lights and tolling bells,
Drinking to bhabhi's, my and your own health,
Caring a fig about health being wealth,
How does it feel, Vishal Bhaiya, to lie all day,
With an aching back and nothing to say,
Staring at different ceilings in different houses,
Dreaming of boots, shirts, or doing self analysis!
Studying the activity of spiders and their ilk,
Being force-fed pills, tablets and milk,
Periodically being resigned to four people plunging,
Your body in ice-cold water and sponging,
But all this is the darkness behind the candle,
Or to be more scientific, the penumbra mantle,
All your worries have been replaced by just one,
To get well soon, and go out in the Sun,
So how does it feel, Vishal Bhaiya, to lie all day,
And having your meals while in bed you stay,
A week-long break with nothing to do,
A nd a million people calling and asking after you,
Getting silly get-well cards like this one,
And being bombarded with good wishes, on the run,
Having somebody staying up nights for you,
If you carry on like this, you'll have a crew!
Getting so much attention, it makes me jealous,
(Don't raise your eyebrows, I've always been callous,)
Anyway, enjoy your convalescence, and take your time,
To plan out an ingenious crime,
People have done great things while they were recovering,
So why not you?? Take advantage of what's occurring!
The last few days, for you, must've been hell,
Even 16 km away, I can tell,
That you'd rather be sitting as was pre-decided,
In wa bar with dim lights and tolling bells,
Drinking to bhabhi's, my and your own health,
Caring a fig about health being wealth,
How does it feel, Vishal Bhaiya, to lie all day,
With an aching back and nothing to say,
Staring at different ceilings in different houses,
Dreaming of boots, shirts, or doing self analysis!
Studying the activity of spiders and their ilk,
Being force-fed pills, tablets and milk,
Periodically being resigned to four people plunging,
Your body in ice-cold water and sponging,
But all this is the darkness behind the candle,
Or to be more scientific, the penumbra mantle,
All your worries have been replaced by just one,
To get well soon, and go out in the Sun,
So how does it feel, Vishal Bhaiya, to lie all day,
And having your meals while in bed you stay,
A week-long break with nothing to do,
A nd a million people calling and asking after you,
Getting silly get-well cards like this one,
And being bombarded with good wishes, on the run,
Having somebody staying up nights for you,
If you carry on like this, you'll have a crew!
Getting so much attention, it makes me jealous,
(Don't raise your eyebrows, I've always been callous,)
Anyway, enjoy your convalescence, and take your time,
To plan out an ingenious crime,
People have done great things while they were recovering,
So why not you?? Take advantage of what's occurring!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Re-defining English
Something I wrote a few years ago -
Literally:
1. GRANARY – grandmotherhood
2. TABOO – what a magician-turned-ghost would say
3. STALEMATE – boring pal
4. KILOBYTE – how a rabid dog kills
5. KIDNAP – children’s mid-afternoon siesta
6. MUTATE – become dumb
7. BROADCAST – overweight film casting crew
Realistically:
1. WEATHER-a lifesaving topic you resort to when all other conversation is failing.
2. SWIMMING POOL- a place where you can go to console yourself that others in the world are fatter than you are
3. NEWSPAPER- an accessory that helps you spy on the people sitting around you
4. EXERCISE BIKE- a piece of furniture that doubles up as a clothes hanger
5. DICTIONARY- a gigantic paper weight that sometimes encloses one’s dry-flower collection
6. LECTURE- a respectable and formalized version of a lullaby
7. VOLUNTEER- person who goes around collecting free T-shirts
8. JEANS - weight detectors (better and more reliable than weighing machines)
9. SECRET – something that everyone knows but pretends not to know
10. CELEBRITY – a person whose death makes headlines
And finally, inventing some on my own:
1. PERUSALTRAUMA – act of repeatedly counting the number of pages left to read in a particularly boring reading assignment
2. SIDDLE – move from side to side in a vain attempt to let the person in front of you pass by, only to find that he/she is doing the same
3. STUPIDITIOUS – person who believes that the next pinball game will show him his math test score
4. QUICKLEAN – act of cleaning up the house or your room five minutes before guests arrive
5. DISALBUWEL – remove personally unflattering pictures from an album
6. BRANDANCY- loyalty to a particular brand in the market
7. MASSMANIA – weighing yourself immediately after skipping a meal to see if some weight has dissipated
8. PICKACY – art of selecting the largest piece of pastry on a platter without the host or other guests noticing
9. SLAPTREATMENT – hitting the television/music deck/video-player to make it work
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Chasing Centaurs and Thunderstorms
So I'm back in Cleveland. The city that was established in 1796. The city with enough winding roads to put the Land of Oz to shame.
Work this time around is definitely cooler. Co-workers include some quirky and brilliant office-mates, who're rocket-scientists in the real-ist sense. Conversations range from martial arts to stock market misadventures, and going sailing during a forecasted thunderstorm in the middle of the work-day is considered to be perfectly normal. (I survived this particular expedition, and later learned that sailing that day was the stupidest thing to do, probably worthy of a Darwin award (which is awarded to people who do humanity a favor by removing themselves from the gene pool) , because a sailboat in a storm on lake Erie is like a lightning rod, and we could have been fried, and it was also Friday the Thirteenth).
Oh well.
I'm still here to report on this - and even though google services are far-reaching, I doubt that they extend to the afterlife.
I was also recently asked to gather some information on centaurs, celestial bodies that are similar to asteroids, and found mainly between the orbits of Jupiter and Neptune. Tracking and hunting down each one of the 119 known centaurs look up a large part of two days. But now I know something about Transneptunian Objects, electric propulsion, the Kuiper Belt, and other tidbits that I could save the world with.
Ice-skating yesterday was cool. And not just temperature-wise. At least three different people noticed my friend and me struggling during our attempt to skate backwards, and offered their advice. The best one we got was to sing while trying to skate like that.
And what do you know... it works.
Work this time around is definitely cooler. Co-workers include some quirky and brilliant office-mates, who're rocket-scientists in the real-ist sense. Conversations range from martial arts to stock market misadventures, and going sailing during a forecasted thunderstorm in the middle of the work-day is considered to be perfectly normal. (I survived this particular expedition, and later learned that sailing that day was the stupidest thing to do, probably worthy of a Darwin award (which is awarded to people who do humanity a favor by removing themselves from the gene pool) , because a sailboat in a storm on lake Erie is like a lightning rod, and we could have been fried, and it was also Friday the Thirteenth).
Oh well.
I'm still here to report on this - and even though google services are far-reaching, I doubt that they extend to the afterlife.
I was also recently asked to gather some information on centaurs, celestial bodies that are similar to asteroids, and found mainly between the orbits of Jupiter and Neptune. Tracking and hunting down each one of the 119 known centaurs look up a large part of two days. But now I know something about Transneptunian Objects, electric propulsion, the Kuiper Belt, and other tidbits that I could save the world with.
Ice-skating yesterday was cool. And not just temperature-wise. At least three different people noticed my friend and me struggling during our attempt to skate backwards, and offered their advice. The best one we got was to sing while trying to skate like that.
And what do you know... it works.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
The Art of Lying – Honestly
Don’t get me wrong – this article does not advise you to change into a dishonest deceitful turncoat, nor does it proclaim that lying is the way out of any difficult situation. I believe honesty is still the best policy – though in a different way than our forefathers (and mothers) probably thought.
In today’s world, there can be 2 variations of the truth – the ‘whole’ truth and the ‘hole’ truth.
The ‘whole’ truth – this means just what it is supposed to mean – giving your version of the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Useful only when you are morally upright, innocent, fearless, and are dating the Hulk.
The ‘hole’ truth – this means, well, the truth with a hole. This aspect marks a slight digression from the ‘whole’ truth. Though not strictly a lie, it does represent a butchered form of the real thing. Useful while trying to wiggle out of unpleasant skirmishes, or avoiding unpleasant people. Requirements include wit, quick thinking and as always, fearlessness.
Being the ideal person includes having a tendency to maintain a balance between the mentioned kinds of truth. The examples that follow make it evident that different circumstances require the application of different tactics.
Your response:
The Hole Truth – “Superb – made an A”
The Whole Truth– Well, at least in one the subjects in pre-school you did.
Comment – notice how, by leaving out some details, thus disguising the truth, you can actually ingratiate yourself. Isn’t that better than revealing that you flunked the rest of the tests, never turned in your homework, and actually had to fight with the professor to get a C?
Scene 2: Your friends are insisting to go karaoke.
The Whole Truth: You’re in no mood to go because (a) you’d rather watch the movie you recently borrowed from a friend or (b) you don’t want them to discover your abysmal knowledge of songs or (c) you suck at singing. Period.
1) Say you’re actually more than 5000 miles away (without saying away from WHAT – you are technically more than 5000 miles away from the Moon or Antarctica etc) – and that you’d really love to join them but can’t)
2) Take a bubble bath. Then call your friends and tell them you’re somewhere in the Pacific (after all, at least one molecule from the 20 gallons of water you’re in has probably been in the Pacific at some point – thanks to the water cycle).
3) Microwave a date (the dry fruit). Then tell your friends you’d go, but you have a hot date.
Scene 3: Your parents are getting on your nerves to get married and settle down (since you have a job now).
Ode to an Umbrella
This one's real - I wrote it after a friend broke my umbrella and then never replaced it. Apparently this wasn't effective enough, because he still hasn't.... on the bright side, I have something to always yell at him about.
Ode to a Broken Umbrella
(2007)
Ode to a Broken Umbrella
(2007)
Thy colorful shade,
Thy tawny haze,
That offered protection against the elements,
Burning heat, icy sleet,
Those rare snowstorms as well.
Though most may not have appreciated thy blinding beauty,
Nor admired thy serviceability,
But when I held thee in my hand,
I felt like a long lost ship that had reached land.
My foul-weather friend thee was,
When all had walked out on me,
Through dreary days, and watery ways,
Thee kept me as dry as I could be.
That fateful day,
When that fated hand swung you to and fro,
And I watched in horror as thy torso snapped,
And I mourned your demise with woe.
Thee lies buried in my corner drawer,
While I dream of happier times,
And when the clouds burst, and I am forced to,
Cower under an ugly black trash bag,
I think to myself…someday…
Someday...I will have my revenge.
My life...
...as a stupid, rebellious teenager :)
IT’S MY LIFE
The wise old woman sat back in her chair,
The sun glittered lightly on her snow-white hair.
‘It’s a big bad world,’ she said to me, ‘so remember what you’re told,
Humour the young and listen to the old.
Follow the rules, not your heart.
It maybe hard, but it’s a start.
Let your future lie in the hands of others,
They’re all your friends, or sisters and brothers.
Happiness is living in society,
So push aside thoughts of freedom and liberty.’
Lost in this labyrinth of old - world wisdom,
Rambling in the darkness under this blanket of dogmatism,
I seek my way out, out of this cage,
And walk into the waiting world’s enigmatic haze.
If living means breaking the rules, then I’m a rebel.
If society is heaven, then I’d rather live in hell.
I have my desires and my goals,
That I want to pursue, without any holds.
Choices are on my side, Time is not.
I want to reach infinity, where my destiny was forged.
To conquer the skies and make my country proud.
To live and love and fight and die,
To surge ahead before the world goes by.
To watch the beauty, not the strife,
To fulfill my dreams, because it’s my life.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Eye-bags and MIA dogs
Finals week.
Glazed eyes.
Day-dreams of sleep.
I found this poem while cleaning out my desktop (because my computer decided it had had enough after 3 years and secretly entered into a competition with a fellow computer from the stone age to see which could be slower) that I wrote spontaneously while talking to a friend a couple of summers ago during finals week. (That, by the way, is an example of the worst kind of run-on sentence, in case you're a a literary freak - like me).
...
my bed is always made,
my pillow lies alone,
i walk past it daily,
and my comforter's woe-begone
caffeine has taken over my fridge,
and orange juice is a dream,
and it's a daily excercise,
to keep the whites of my eyes clean
One of my dogs decided to be stupid and went missing recently. It's terrible when people (or animals) disappear like that - and you don't know if they'll ever be back, or if they moved on to another universe/time/life. It's like a movie that conks out 15 minutes before the end. And all you're left with is hope, or despair, and absolutely no clue about what to believe in.
I hope she's safe wherever she is.
Glazed eyes.
Day-dreams of sleep.
I found this poem while cleaning out my desktop (because my computer decided it had had enough after 3 years and secretly entered into a competition with a fellow computer from the stone age to see which could be slower) that I wrote spontaneously while talking to a friend a couple of summers ago during finals week. (That, by the way, is an example of the worst kind of run-on sentence, in case you're a a literary freak - like me).
...
my bed is always made,
my pillow lies alone,
i walk past it daily,
and my comforter's woe-begone
caffeine has taken over my fridge,
and orange juice is a dream,
and it's a daily excercise,
to keep the whites of my eyes clean
my eyes are always wide shut,
and every day is such a drag,
people tell me i could go grocery shopping,
with my built-in eyebags.
One of my dogs decided to be stupid and went missing recently. It's terrible when people (or animals) disappear like that - and you don't know if they'll ever be back, or if they moved on to another universe/time/life. It's like a movie that conks out 15 minutes before the end. And all you're left with is hope, or despair, and absolutely no clue about what to believe in.
I hope she's safe wherever she is.
Friday, May 2, 2008
The Last Day - Again
And all of a sudden, ('ekdum se', as Medha would say) it's the last day of classes again - and another semester comes to an end.
In hindsight, nothing really bad happened this semester - but this period in life is one of the suckiest ever - and I think hormones should be given the boot...we'd be so much better off without them. But then if we did, who (or what) would we blame for all the troubles in life?
And thus end the seemingly endless controls-strucD-systems-compressibles homework cycles, late-nights of unstoppable laughter, stinky fencing equipment days, the reapeated-blue-screens-of-death, AerOnion madness, Nazar procrastination, the completely random outings like San Antonio, the chocolate festival, holi, penn masala, choir recitals, architechtural engineering showcases, engineering talent shows, balls, awesome pie-fests, climbing, bent-polishing, etc etc.
This semester was really really long. I'm almost glad it's over - so I can say the hardest goodbyes and get it over with.
Life's really really long. Which means it has infinite time to screw up in every possible way.
In hindsight, nothing really bad happened this semester - but this period in life is one of the suckiest ever - and I think hormones should be given the boot...we'd be so much better off without them. But then if we did, who (or what) would we blame for all the troubles in life?
And thus end the seemingly endless controls-strucD-systems-compressibles homework cycles, late-nights of unstoppable laughter, stinky fencing equipment days, the reapeated-blue-screens-of-death, AerOnion madness, Nazar procrastination, the completely random outings like San Antonio, the chocolate festival, holi, penn masala, choir recitals, architechtural engineering showcases, engineering talent shows, balls, awesome pie-fests, climbing, bent-polishing, etc etc.
This semester was really really long. I'm almost glad it's over - so I can say the hardest goodbyes and get it over with.
Life's really really long. Which means it has infinite time to screw up in every possible way.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Bombay Dreams
YouTube is awesome.
So is A.R.Rahman.
After years of searching for this part of the disastrous song I had to dance to in high school, I finally found it.
This song is probably high up on my friend Nivedita's and my embarrassing moments list - as part of an inter-school competition, we were on a team that had to show how it was talented in more than one way. So, I had to step out of my literary and quizzing comfort zone, and participate in acting, dancing, and other awful activities put on the face of the earth by aliens wronged during Creation. My only consolation is that none of it was filmed. And the human memory is a fickle thing, so most people have probably forgotten about it.
But it's still an awesome song.
So is A.R.Rahman.
After years of searching for this part of the disastrous song I had to dance to in high school, I finally found it.
This song is probably high up on my friend Nivedita's and my embarrassing moments list - as part of an inter-school competition, we were on a team that had to show how it was talented in more than one way. So, I had to step out of my literary and quizzing comfort zone, and participate in acting, dancing, and other awful activities put on the face of the earth by aliens wronged during Creation. My only consolation is that none of it was filmed. And the human memory is a fickle thing, so most people have probably forgotten about it.
But it's still an awesome song.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Inspiration
Negin just told me that she jumped off the Congress Bridge with some friends. I'd never even considered it...but it can be done - it has been done! Negin is my hero. Heroine. Whatever.
It will be something to brag about - and will definitely be more interesting than just watching bats fluttering uselessly around the bridge after sunset.
I have a new goal in life. :)
It will be something to brag about - and will definitely be more interesting than just watching bats fluttering uselessly around the bridge after sunset.
I have a new goal in life. :)
Return to Quirkiness
20th April, 2008.
It's weird how some dates are so significant...I remember exactly what I was doing on this day 5 years ago - taking the IIT exam (and falling asleep midway through it!), and then attending my cousin's wedding in the evening. That was a wonderful day.
2 years ago, I left UT for the annual DBF trip to Wichita, Kansas. That was a fun trip - the plane we had built actually flew, and we witnessed some rather amazing crashes.
And right now, I'm hiding in a library, trying to get my work done for the week. A 10-page report, a test, and two other assignments. Life could be worse. So this isn't so bad.
This last week has been uplifting. I feel like I passed through a storm and came out bruised, but very much alive. And just taking a step back from things really does help you see so much better - help arrives just when you least expect it - and life puts on its unpredictability-hat again. It's just better that way.
I attended the UT chorus recital for the first time on Friday. It was amazing.... Johnny was brilliant. 'Moondance' is currently my favorite song now (which changes every other day anyway). It was interesting watching the performers....it was like looking at a group handpicked for a movie - there was diversity in size, shape, hairstyles, expressions. One singer fiercefully reminded of Edgar Allen Poe - I'm not sure why. I've never even seen pictures of that author.
Some observations:
-All the clocks in my room still show different times. One of my roommates decided I was indulging in psychological trickery... she's probably right.
-My mom, according to my sister, has taken to sleeping with her glasses on. I remember how, a few years ago, my excuse for doing that was that 'my glasses help me see my dreams better'.
-At my roommate's birthday dinner the other day, I found that shooting tortilla chip-crumbs at people through drinking straws is the most fun thing ever.
It's weird how some dates are so significant...I remember exactly what I was doing on this day 5 years ago - taking the IIT exam (and falling asleep midway through it!), and then attending my cousin's wedding in the evening. That was a wonderful day.
2 years ago, I left UT for the annual DBF trip to Wichita, Kansas. That was a fun trip - the plane we had built actually flew, and we witnessed some rather amazing crashes.
And right now, I'm hiding in a library, trying to get my work done for the week. A 10-page report, a test, and two other assignments. Life could be worse. So this isn't so bad.
This last week has been uplifting. I feel like I passed through a storm and came out bruised, but very much alive. And just taking a step back from things really does help you see so much better - help arrives just when you least expect it - and life puts on its unpredictability-hat again. It's just better that way.
I attended the UT chorus recital for the first time on Friday. It was amazing.... Johnny was brilliant. 'Moondance' is currently my favorite song now (which changes every other day anyway). It was interesting watching the performers....it was like looking at a group handpicked for a movie - there was diversity in size, shape, hairstyles, expressions. One singer fiercefully reminded of Edgar Allen Poe - I'm not sure why. I've never even seen pictures of that author.
Some observations:
-All the clocks in my room still show different times. One of my roommates decided I was indulging in psychological trickery... she's probably right.
-My mom, according to my sister, has taken to sleeping with her glasses on. I remember how, a few years ago, my excuse for doing that was that 'my glasses help me see my dreams better'.
-At my roommate's birthday dinner the other day, I found that shooting tortilla chip-crumbs at people through drinking straws is the most fun thing ever.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Numb
Sitting down at the end of a long day, and thinking about everything that happened today, I am beginning to wonder...
When did I stop caring?
When was the last time I was really, truly, ecstatically happy?
Why do some people matter so much?
Why do the ones that should ... don't?
What happened?
Why are distances so long?
Why are the good times so short?
What was I thinking?
I wish I could have gone kite-flying.
When did I stop caring?
When was the last time I was really, truly, ecstatically happy?
Why do some people matter so much?
Why do the ones that should ... don't?
What happened?
Why are distances so long?
Why are the good times so short?
What was I thinking?
I wish I could have gone kite-flying.
Friday, April 4, 2008
A Flicker of Happiness
Have you ever seen someone's face light up when they saw you? Like literally - light up.
I think I noticed that for the first time today. I never thought I could make someone's day like that.
It felt good.
I think I noticed that for the first time today. I never thought I could make someone's day like that.
It felt good.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Chocolate-chip - cookie-dough - ice-cream - induced- midnight-ramblings
-Jashan on Friday was frickin' awesome. The performances were great, the crowd was great, the stalls were amazing. And I just couldn't shut up. I think I did 3 days worth of talking in those 2.5 hours. I wish I could do that more often.
-I saw two Albino squirrels today....one at the Capitol and the other outside the Aerospace building. I wonder if seeing another one neutralizes the good luck the sight of the first is supposed to bring. I definitely hope not.
-Watched 21 a few hours ago. Good movie. Great soundtrack. Also found that discussing a movie with a bunch* of guys is the most useless activity ever. Don't do it. Just say no. Etc etc.
-'Soul meets body' is currently the best song in the world.
-'Very Nice Ways to Say Very Bad Things' is probably the most interesting book that I've read in a long time...and shall leave unfinished. I guess I didn't realize that sometimes things can get really bad. Intriguing compilation though.
-Oh jeez - I have less than 4 hours of sleeping time left. Have to wake up before 6 for some involuntary volunteering. Fun times. :)
*'bunch' is the keyword here
-I saw two Albino squirrels today....one at the Capitol and the other outside the Aerospace building. I wonder if seeing another one neutralizes the good luck the sight of the first is supposed to bring. I definitely hope not.
-Watched 21 a few hours ago. Good movie. Great soundtrack. Also found that discussing a movie with a bunch* of guys is the most useless activity ever. Don't do it. Just say no. Etc etc.
-'Soul meets body' is currently the best song in the world.
-'Very Nice Ways to Say Very Bad Things' is probably the most interesting book that I've read in a long time...and shall leave unfinished. I guess I didn't realize that sometimes things can get really bad. Intriguing compilation though.
-Oh jeez - I have less than 4 hours of sleeping time left. Have to wake up before 6 for some involuntary volunteering. Fun times. :)
*'bunch' is the keyword here
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Victory
Today shall go down in history as the day the author of this blog was victorious. She overcame her hurdles, bulldozed over the competition, crossed the highest mountains and swam across the deepest lakes, defeated Time, shunned the world... etc etc.
Not really. But once I graduate, I'll do all that too.
I actually completed that elusive bouldering route that I'd been struggling with for the past 2 months. With no takes! For all you non-rock-climbers (I pity your miserable existence - you are missing out on the joy and happiness that scaling a wall can provide), it means completing a route in one go, without falling).
The past two weeks have been full of disappointments. So much so that I'm tired of them, am ready to give up and move on. That's why these small things matter so much - if I hadn't been sulking for the past few days, I'd never have been as proud of today's little achievement.
Not really. But once I graduate, I'll do all that too.
I actually completed that elusive bouldering route that I'd been struggling with for the past 2 months. With no takes! For all you non-rock-climbers (I pity your miserable existence - you are missing out on the joy and happiness that scaling a wall can provide), it means completing a route in one go, without falling).
The past two weeks have been full of disappointments. So much so that I'm tired of them, am ready to give up and move on. That's why these small things matter so much - if I hadn't been sulking for the past few days, I'd never have been as proud of today's little achievement.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
The Joy of Aerospacelessness
Today was one of those days when I decided that it was a good thing that I had such a crazy schedule this semester.
After sleeping from 6pm yesterday till about 7:35 am today (with a 2-hour break in between around midnight - when I woke up for dinner/breakfast, called home and then promptly went back to sleep again), I was in a good mood when I went to volunteer today at Hornsby Bend with a group of surprisingly awake and alert engineers. Not knowing what to expect, I was surprised when we ended up at the biosolids and water treatment facility, and learned quite a lot about waste management in Austin. It's amazing what they do - using simple methods, they recycle most of the waste from the city - using digesters, ponds, aeration tanks etc. The coolest (albeit freakiest) thing I learned was that if you fell into an aeration tank, you went straight to the bottom, since it's full of air bubbles, and died. A loong Nazar meeting followed, which was fun - it had more than it's share of light moments. I did stupidly declare that I had a relatively light week coming up - neglecting to mention that included, in reality, the work for a month compressed into a single week.
Holi is being celebrated on campus tomorrow - which is one thing I can look forward to. Not being at home for Holi sucks. Missing Papa's birthday today sucks even more. :(
But at least I get to look like a colorful whacko tomorrow. :)
After sleeping from 6pm yesterday till about 7:35 am today (with a 2-hour break in between around midnight - when I woke up for dinner/breakfast, called home and then promptly went back to sleep again), I was in a good mood when I went to volunteer today at Hornsby Bend with a group of surprisingly awake and alert engineers. Not knowing what to expect, I was surprised when we ended up at the biosolids and water treatment facility, and learned quite a lot about waste management in Austin. It's amazing what they do - using simple methods, they recycle most of the waste from the city - using digesters, ponds, aeration tanks etc. The coolest (albeit freakiest) thing I learned was that if you fell into an aeration tank, you went straight to the bottom, since it's full of air bubbles, and died. A loong Nazar meeting followed, which was fun - it had more than it's share of light moments. I did stupidly declare that I had a relatively light week coming up - neglecting to mention that included, in reality, the work for a month compressed into a single week.
Holi is being celebrated on campus tomorrow - which is one thing I can look forward to. Not being at home for Holi sucks. Missing Papa's birthday today sucks even more. :(
But at least I get to look like a colorful whacko tomorrow. :)
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Breathe in
...is what I have to keep telling myself at moments like these, when the pile of work in front of me is so tall, that I can't even face it (I stopped growing a long time ago).
Percentage wise, I think I've covered 10% of my total work-load, all the way till Friday. Woohoo.
I try to look at the big picture when one of these anxiety attacks is playing hide-and-seek with me. All these grades probably won't matter in the long run. I already have a job offer, will be able to get into grad school if I wanted, or volunteer in Africa or India if I felt like, or if ALL else failed....just get married and do nothing (the questionable privilege of being a girl).
I'm not serious about that last part...but I guess the point I'm trying to make is that the world won't come to an end. Which is what I told my sister countless times during our many conversations on the eve of her examinations, when she was on the verge of freaking out.
I think freaking out runs in the family.
Knowing that all this doesn't matter doesn't help. Taking things easy has plunged my grades in the past, so maybe part of it is superstition. Nimisha's Law #4 .... The more you freak out, the better you perform.
A couple of days ago, there was some added stress due to the same thieves previously mentioned (the hospital and book people) - with the hospital people having a blast sending me even more bills, and then making it difficult to pay by not sending all the information, and then sending the bills to the collection agency. (I'm not sure what that agency does exactly, but it sounds evil). When I complained to my dad (I seem to do that a lot - complain - it's probably a good thing I can never become someone's dad), he told me to fight those people if they tried to charge a fine, and to stop being scared and annoyed at them.
Somehow, the not being scared part hit home. Why fear a bunch of mortals... who're probably having trouble walking straight on a Friday night, or keeping cavities out of their mouths? It's easy to associate faces with bills...and voices on the phone with people.
But school work is abstract. And I'm terrified of inanimate numbers and words on paper or computer screen. And future consequences.
62 days left for the semester to end. I keep wondering why I reduce life to a series of countdowns. Counting down to the summer, or spring break, or the next visit home, or graduation.
Something tells me it's wrong. Just like forcing knowledge down my cognitive throat.
But I keep doing it anyway.
Percentage wise, I think I've covered 10% of my total work-load, all the way till Friday. Woohoo.
I try to look at the big picture when one of these anxiety attacks is playing hide-and-seek with me. All these grades probably won't matter in the long run. I already have a job offer, will be able to get into grad school if I wanted, or volunteer in Africa or India if I felt like, or if ALL else failed....just get married and do nothing (the questionable privilege of being a girl).
I'm not serious about that last part...but I guess the point I'm trying to make is that the world won't come to an end. Which is what I told my sister countless times during our many conversations on the eve of her examinations, when she was on the verge of freaking out.
I think freaking out runs in the family.
Knowing that all this doesn't matter doesn't help. Taking things easy has plunged my grades in the past, so maybe part of it is superstition. Nimisha's Law #4 .... The more you freak out, the better you perform.
A couple of days ago, there was some added stress due to the same thieves previously mentioned (the hospital and book people) - with the hospital people having a blast sending me even more bills, and then making it difficult to pay by not sending all the information, and then sending the bills to the collection agency. (I'm not sure what that agency does exactly, but it sounds evil). When I complained to my dad (I seem to do that a lot - complain - it's probably a good thing I can never become someone's dad), he told me to fight those people if they tried to charge a fine, and to stop being scared and annoyed at them.
Somehow, the not being scared part hit home. Why fear a bunch of mortals... who're probably having trouble walking straight on a Friday night, or keeping cavities out of their mouths? It's easy to associate faces with bills...and voices on the phone with people.
But school work is abstract. And I'm terrified of inanimate numbers and words on paper or computer screen. And future consequences.
62 days left for the semester to end. I keep wondering why I reduce life to a series of countdowns. Counting down to the summer, or spring break, or the next visit home, or graduation.
Something tells me it's wrong. Just like forcing knowledge down my cognitive throat.
But I keep doing it anyway.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Pi Day
March 14th is a very happening day. Besides being the day that Einstein, Dennis the Menace, and my friend Saumya were born on, it's also Pi-Day.
One of those Nerd holidays people come up with, to fill up their boring calendars with all sorts of not-so- special occasions (eg. Pancake Day, No-Pants Day, Valentine's Day etc).
Anyway - nerds all over the world supposedly celebrate this day in many ways - making pies tops the list, holding pi-memorizing contests, and yelling 'Happy Pi Day' at 1:59:26.
Yesterday, with nothing more exciting to do than studying for my compressibles test, I decided to give memorizing pi a shot. To see what the fuss was about. A few minutes later, I already had 50 digits after the decimal down - which made me realize that it's not really that hard.
3.14159265358979323846264338327950288419716939937510
I think the last time I did something crazy along these lines was 6 years ago, when my best friend Medha and I decided to learn the entire periodic table. I think we stopped before element 50.
Or maybe it was 5 years ago, when I decided to memorize the license plate numbers of every vehicle in my neighborhood. That actually caught on - and soon, all the kids in the neighborhood were doing that.
In any case, I have a bad feeling all those numbers are taking up precious thinking space in my head.
One of those Nerd holidays people come up with, to fill up their boring calendars with all sorts of not-so- special occasions (eg. Pancake Day, No-Pants Day, Valentine's Day etc).
Anyway - nerds all over the world supposedly celebrate this day in many ways - making pies tops the list, holding pi-memorizing contests, and yelling 'Happy Pi Day' at 1:59:26.
Yesterday, with nothing more exciting to do than studying for my compressibles test, I decided to give memorizing pi a shot. To see what the fuss was about. A few minutes later, I already had 50 digits after the decimal down - which made me realize that it's not really that hard.
3.14159265358979323846264338327950288419716939937510
I think the last time I did something crazy along these lines was 6 years ago, when my best friend Medha and I decided to learn the entire periodic table. I think we stopped before element 50.
Or maybe it was 5 years ago, when I decided to memorize the license plate numbers of every vehicle in my neighborhood. That actually caught on - and soon, all the kids in the neighborhood were doing that.
In any case, I have a bad feeling all those numbers are taking up precious thinking space in my head.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
My Sister
My parents called this morning to tell me that my sister had finally crossed the first frontier in her quest to become a doctor. She's officially Dr. Tulika Mittal, M.B.B.S - the first doctor in the family. And this was after weeks of non-stop, panicked phone calls from her, with her whining about how horribly she had performed on her exams, and how many more semesters she would have to repeat, and how she would never ever become a doctor.
It feels strange to realize that we're already here, at this point in time, 4.5 years later. We all knew Tulika would become a doctor the day she got into med school - she's not the kind of person who would drop out or lose interest. But hearing the statement of finality... 'your sister's a doctor now' has a different ring to it. Makes me proud. So proud.
Of course, she has a long way to go. A year-long internship, another few years of residency...and even after that, she'll be 'practicing' for the rest of her life - as the common joke goes. But I suppose saving lives, having fancy labcoats, and cool stethoscopes makes it all worth it in the end.
It feels strange to realize that we're already here, at this point in time, 4.5 years later. We all knew Tulika would become a doctor the day she got into med school - she's not the kind of person who would drop out or lose interest. But hearing the statement of finality... 'your sister's a doctor now' has a different ring to it. Makes me proud. So proud.
Of course, she has a long way to go. A year-long internship, another few years of residency...and even after that, she'll be 'practicing' for the rest of her life - as the common joke goes. But I suppose saving lives, having fancy labcoats, and cool stethoscopes makes it all worth it in the end.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
The Most Roundabout Conversation in the History of Roundabout Conversations
What boredom and procrastination can lead to....
BAM. Back to reality.
Ammar: weddings are over-rated
me: hell no
me: others' weddings are fun. your own never is.
Ammar: haha
Ammar: I dunno .. weddings are intellectually depressing ..
Sent at 8:30 PM on Sunday
me: EXACTLY
that's why they're awesome ![[smile]](http://mail.google.com/mail/images/cleardot.gif)
Ammar: huh .. I assure u .. we are talking about two different kinds of depressing !
Sent at 8:33 PM on Sunday
me: really
Ammar: I assume so
me: what do you mean - intellectually depressing?
Ammar: when I go to weddings .. I think a lot .. the kinda thinking tht ends up with me kind of depressed by the end of the night ..
me: ahh
ok
Ammar: that said .. that does happen in weddings tht I am attending rather IN it ..
me: well - you shouldn't be thinking
Ammar: I try tht all tht time
but apparently I have to use it sometimes
me: next time you go a wedding...i want you to follow these steps...
1. spend a LOT of time dressing up
2. go there - talk to everyone.
even the 2 year olds
3. keep an eye on the food
4. eat a LOT
5. keep an ear on the music
6. dance a LOT
and between all that - you won't even have TIME to think
dancing will nullify the eating...so you don't gain any weight either
Sent at 8:45 PM on Sunday
Ammar: 6. I don't dance ..
5. rarely do they play something I am willing to pierce my ears-drums for.
4,3. not all weddings have food, let alone good food.
2. talking to everyone is the problem .. talking to 2 yr old kids is the only way I coulda survived any wedding.
1. dressing a suit takes up a specific amount of time .. regardless of the intentions.
5. rarely do they play something I am willing to pierce my ears-drums for.
4,3. not all weddings have food, let alone good food.
2. talking to everyone is the problem .. talking to 2 yr old kids is the only way I coulda survived any wedding.
1. dressing a suit takes up a specific amount of time .. regardless of the intentions.
Sent at 8:47 PM on Sunday
me: 1. dressing up is not always supposed to have intentions or ulterior motives - it can be reflective of the mood you're in
2. weddings have plenty of kids - go track them all down
3. critique the food then... take on the role of that bloke in rattatoile (or however that's spelt)
4. see above
5. music's not always great - i agree - but it's a joyous occassion. and the music can be something to laugh at. if not, sing your own music
6. don't be absurd. " i don't always dance is acceptable" - your version of it isn't
Sent at 8:51 PM on Sunday
Ammar: 6. Last time I danced, I was 6 yrs old.
5. It's very hard to laugh at music, let alone singing my own, when it's so loud tht you can barely hear your own thoughts.
4. Eating not good food does not bring joy. It's rather a torturous thing.
5. It's very hard to laugh at music, let alone singing my own, when it's so loud tht you can barely hear your own thoughts.
4. Eating not good food does not bring joy. It's rather a torturous thing.
Sent at 8:54 PM on Sunday
Ammar: 3.Criticizing food is usually a negative activity which doesn't help our purpose here.
2. I admitted to ur kids point!!!
1. There is only one way to put the pants and the suit on. Other than that, it's more looking at the mirror ensuring of details. Which in men's case is that is the tie straight or not!
2. I admitted to ur kids point!!!
1. There is only one way to put the pants and the suit on. Other than that, it's more looking at the mirror ensuring of details. Which in men's case is that is the tie straight or not!
Sent at 8:56 PM on Sunday
me: 1. you should add checking to make sure your best friends aren't wearing the same thing you are.
2. right. kids are your saviors.
3. sample the food. mix and match. throw it at kids. start a food fight. whatever!
4. eat your good food before you leave then - and then spend the evening thinking up excuses for refusing to eat any over there!
5. it's easy to laugh at music. better still, buy some swahili music and bribe the music people to play that.
6. you need to get into your 6-year-old mindset again.
2. right. kids are your saviors.
3. sample the food. mix and match. throw it at kids. start a food fight. whatever!
4. eat your good food before you leave then - and then spend the evening thinking up excuses for refusing to eat any over there!
5. it's easy to laugh at music. better still, buy some swahili music and bribe the music people to play that.
6. you need to get into your 6-year-old mindset again.
Sent at 9:02 PM on Sunday
Ammar: u know we can go like this forever?
me: i take it you give up
Sent at 9:07 PM on Sunday
Ammar: oh no u didn't!
Sent at 9:08 PM on Sunday
Ammar: 6. It takes about 3 Mountain dews to get me back to 6 years old mindset. An amount that leads to complete fatness, which requires three times as much time in the gym, which is not a feasible life style, since I am still an engineer.
5. what the hell is swahili!
5. what the hell is swahili!
me: 5. google it!
Ammar: 4. Centuries of Arabic cultures and traditions has produced an infinite amount of excuses.
me: 6. not an engineer for long...and besides, nobody's getting married before you graduate! and become a non-engineer forever!
4. problem solved!
Sent at 9:12 PM on Sunday
Ammar: 3. Since I became 15, culture and society expects me to behave as an adult. Which does not involve throwing food.
2. Kids are awesome ..
1. Why the hell he buys what I buy! I bought it first ..
2. Kids are awesome ..
1. Why the hell he buys what I buy! I bought it first ..
Sent at 9:13 PM on Sunday
me: 3 you... an adult...BAH
2 . animals are better
1. that's what friends are good for
Sent at 9:15 PM on Sunday
Ammar: 1. They can be good for other things.
2. When I get my Macaw one day, iA, I will try and take it with me to a wedding.
3. Yes .. I am legally an adult.
2. When I get my Macaw one day, iA, I will try and take it with me to a wedding.
3. Yes .. I am legally an adult.
Sent at 9:17 PM on Sunday
Ammar: 4. which problem?
5. Swahili what... u do recognize I am not indian!
6. Engineering is a way of life.
5. Swahili what... u do recognize I am not indian!
6. Engineering is a way of life.
me: 6. a way which you will NO longer be entitled to!
Ammar: don't u have a hw to take care of ..
me: 5. it's african i believe
4. the problem to do with excuses
Ammar: 6. I will have the right to it as much as u do .. we both have the same degree!
me: 3. that's just an excuse not to participate in something fun
6. no you won't
6' - because i said so
2. your macaw will do more talking than you
2' train it to think too
1. yes - friends are good for more things than that - primarily - putting useless thoughts in your head - and words in your mouth
Ammar: 2. My macaw is cool. I can already see it .. I am gonna toilet train him too.
1. and never ending arguments
1. and never ending arguments
me: 1. and finishing your food!
Ammar: 6. so u said .. I been running now .. I am quick ..
me: 2. good luck with that
6. no you aren't
Ammar: 2. thanks ... thas my retirement plan
me: 2. invest in it. IRA has some great money-stealing deals
Ammar: 6. well .. I gots car ..
me: 6. huh?
Ammar: 6. I am quick ... legs not enuff .. I gots car
me: 6. where does being quick come in?
Ammar: 6. u said so .. so what .. I am quick runner ..
me: 6. nah - i'll beat you any day
Ammar: 6. fo shoo
me: 6. fosho is right
Ammar: how is ur hw going?
BAM. Back to reality.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Penn Masala
So I had my first semi-real journalism experience today. I volunteered to go to the Penn Masala (first indian a cappella group - they're pretty famous) show at the Union and cover it for Nazar.
Actual notes from the event.
7:40 pm Running into people I haven't seen in years. It's nice to see they still exist. And don't have piercings all over their faces or shaved eyebrows yet.
7:50 pm The show was supposed to start at 7:30. Damn Indian Standard Time.
8:00 pm I give up. Get systems engineering notes out of bag and start reading. Girl next to me gives me a funny look.
8:15 pm FINALLY - they're here. Only 45 minutes late. Wow - they're early.
No - really.
8:20 pm They're all guys. Hmmm.
9:00 pm Wow. Wow wow.
9:10 pm The crowd's going wild about one of the singers -his hair's really really big. And he has this hunchy style of singing. Reminds me of Sanjaya. Quite possibly, I'm not the only one thinking that.
9:40 pm Encore. Hurray!
Actual boring review - minus the madness.
Simple Pleasures
I got my fourth Explore UT shirt today. Two years ago, I'd never dreamed that I would get sick of free t-shirts...but I think I was wrong.
Explore UT was as big as ever: people were milling around all the buildings on campus, there were games, and information booths, free balloons, candy, educational models, thousands of volunteers, happy kids, patient parents, robots, make-your-own-airplanes, $5 meals in Kinsolving, liquid nitrogen ice-cream, and probably enough activities to keep any individual busy for the rest of his/her life.
This time, I was helping TBP with its trebuchet event - they were throwing water balloons at kids. The kids were going wild, and happily screaming and trying to catch the balloons. It was quite a sight - I was highly amused. Kids are crazy.
Cute too - from a distance. One kid was trying to get the trebuchet thrower to throw a balloon at the ENS building - which over a 100 feet away. He said he'd give him $10 if he managed that. Another kid - who was barely 8 - tried to buy some water balloons from the balloon-fillers. He said he had $80. Another one asked if she could be launched from the trebuchet. The most persistent one was trying to steal the balloons as we filled them up - he tried ambush attacks, sneaking up on us, begging, pouting etc. After his seventh attempt, I decided that he'd make a great lobbyist when he grew up.
A man walking behind us commented on how kids really knew how to enjoy the simple pleasures in life.
When I got back to the WRW, I ran into Odin. He said that he was beginning to appreciate more and more what Explore UT did for kids.
I agree.
**Honorary Mention**
Ammar was great. He did, in fact, lose his voice for that trebuchet...and definitely had more fun than all the kids put together. The rest of us were going about our own business; loading the trebuchet, getting the balloons ready, but I was amazed to see how one person could make such a huge difference...the kid- crowd was three times as large when Ammar was in charge. He was yelling and cheering - and making the kids do the same. I suppose the parents are either really really thankful to him for tiring their kids for the evening, or really mad at him for making the kids lose their voices, in turn.
Explore UT was as big as ever: people were milling around all the buildings on campus, there were games, and information booths, free balloons, candy, educational models, thousands of volunteers, happy kids, patient parents, robots, make-your-own-airplanes, $5 meals in Kinsolving, liquid nitrogen ice-cream, and probably enough activities to keep any individual busy for the rest of his/her life.
This time, I was helping TBP with its trebuchet event - they were throwing water balloons at kids. The kids were going wild, and happily screaming and trying to catch the balloons. It was quite a sight - I was highly amused. Kids are crazy.
Cute too - from a distance. One kid was trying to get the trebuchet thrower to throw a balloon at the ENS building - which over a 100 feet away. He said he'd give him $10 if he managed that. Another kid - who was barely 8 - tried to buy some water balloons from the balloon-fillers. He said he had $80. Another one asked if she could be launched from the trebuchet. The most persistent one was trying to steal the balloons as we filled them up - he tried ambush attacks, sneaking up on us, begging, pouting etc. After his seventh attempt, I decided that he'd make a great lobbyist when he grew up.
A man walking behind us commented on how kids really knew how to enjoy the simple pleasures in life.
When I got back to the WRW, I ran into Odin. He said that he was beginning to appreciate more and more what Explore UT did for kids.
I agree.
**Honorary Mention**
Ammar was great. He did, in fact, lose his voice for that trebuchet...and definitely had more fun than all the kids put together. The rest of us were going about our own business; loading the trebuchet, getting the balloons ready, but I was amazed to see how one person could make such a huge difference...the kid- crowd was three times as large when Ammar was in charge. He was yelling and cheering - and making the kids do the same. I suppose the parents are either really really thankful to him for tiring their kids for the evening, or really mad at him for making the kids lose their voices, in turn.
Friday, February 29, 2008
"Be the change you want to see in the world"
I just found one of my favorite songs on youtube "Vaishnav Janato Tene Kahiyeji"... apparently, it used to be one of Gandhi's favorites too.
I don't understand the lyrics - they're in Gujrati- but my understanding is that the song talks about the best kind of qualities in a man, the kind of qualities that bring him closer to being God-like. But the music is phenomenal. The kind that finds its way straight to your heart. A totally bizarre comparison would be to the the Beatles' 'Let it be' - which has the same soothing effect on me when I'm troubled or sad.
I actually survived this week. Came out battered and bruised, but still standing. And with a will to be in better shape next time.
Had to sacrifice climbing today for a TBP event. But at least it was worth it. I'm glad I made the decision to pledge - otherwise, I'd have slowly stagnated in my own little thankless world.
While I was talking to Aditi today, she said something remarkable...that sometimes, when she talks to other people about important matters, she learns so much about how much change every individual is capable of making in the world. And that she pities the people we could have become, but didn't.
I'm realizing that now - this semester is like a new awakening...and it's nice to go back to being un-lazy and a little more hard-working. I think my brain atrophied in Cincinnati . . . and there's definitely something missing in life when learning stops. I'm beginning to understand what the whole deal with the quest for knowledge is.
And just being conscious of who I am, what I can do, and what I've become - is an encouraging thought. I think I'm really hard on myself most of the time. Things could have been so much worse.
I don't understand the lyrics - they're in Gujrati- but my understanding is that the song talks about the best kind of qualities in a man, the kind of qualities that bring him closer to being God-like. But the music is phenomenal. The kind that finds its way straight to your heart. A totally bizarre comparison would be to the the Beatles' 'Let it be' - which has the same soothing effect on me when I'm troubled or sad.
I actually survived this week. Came out battered and bruised, but still standing. And with a will to be in better shape next time.
Had to sacrifice climbing today for a TBP event. But at least it was worth it. I'm glad I made the decision to pledge - otherwise, I'd have slowly stagnated in my own little thankless world.
While I was talking to Aditi today, she said something remarkable...that sometimes, when she talks to other people about important matters, she learns so much about how much change every individual is capable of making in the world. And that she pities the people we could have become, but didn't.
I'm realizing that now - this semester is like a new awakening...and it's nice to go back to being un-lazy and a little more hard-working. I think my brain atrophied in Cincinnati . . . and there's definitely something missing in life when learning stops. I'm beginning to understand what the whole deal with the quest for knowledge is.
And just being conscious of who I am, what I can do, and what I've become - is an encouraging thought. I think I'm really hard on myself most of the time. Things could have been so much worse.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
2:49 am
I definitely had my most embarrassing moment today. The only consolation is that there was only one eyewitness. :-/
My thirst for knowledge is back apparently. After... hm... 2 long years.
My thirst for knowledge is back apparently. After... hm... 2 long years.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Week-ness
Summary of last week:
-Achieved 91.67% of previously mentioned climbing route. Progress is slow. And painful. But at least it’s progress.
-Bombed Struc D test. Made silly mistakes which, if they had been punishable by law, would’ve kept me in prison for life, simultaneously sentencing me to relentless beatings, torture, and starvation.
-“Celebrated” the birth of the Aeronion with friends on the 20th of February, by going to Amy’s. The gathering was great, but the cause wasn’t given the attention it deserved; I suppose some things are better enjoyed alone. Like Dairy Milk chocolate.
-Watched ‘Across the Universe’ – a musical with Beatles' songs. It was better than awesome. It’s amazing how some songs can affect you in ways only living things can... they can break your heart, make you smile, cry, or fall in love.
-Actually got some school work done on a Friday night. For which I definitely deserve an Oscar. Or a Nobel Prize. (I always thought their categories were ridiculously limited). Slept early. Woke up with the usual Saturday-morning headache.
-Accompanied friends to San Antonio – the trip didn’t turn out exactly as I’d hoped, but at least I got some really interesting history lessons out of it during the car-ride back, and got to catch up with an old friend on the phone when I decided to be anti-social and abandoned friends who were dancing to terrible music in a club called the Mad Dog. I had a genuine case of Dancer’s Block.
-Culinary catastrophe this afternoon again. I think my luck oscillates between good food and bad; and the saying ‘better luck NEXT time’ may actually apply.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Cooking and callouses
Thursday's compressibles test was a fiasco. Taking (and bombing) a test after 8.5 months isn't good for anybody's health.
Rock-climbing yesterday was marvellous. I'm finally getting callouses on my fingers - always a good sign. And the goodness is starting to show - I finished 75% of a route I'd been struggling with for the past couple of weeks. There's a group of rock-climbers that's always present whenever I go - they sound like physics grad students - and usually have lots of interesting conversations about their professors, post-doc-ing, their papers, girls etc - the standard guy-talk.
They were discussing pick-up lines yesterday. Two of their favorites were:
1. Are you a parking ticket? Because you have 'Fine' written all over you!
2. Are you tired? Because you've been running around in my mind all day!
Despite knowing that they were overused and obviously the kind that would never work, I laughed (my sense of humor going haywire probably had something to do with hanging horizontally 9 feet in the air).
Another achievement: I made dal yesterday (for the 2nd time in my life - the first time was an expected calamity) - which amazingly tasted fine. The rice wasn't bad either. All in all, I had the best meal in a long long time (since I returned to Austin in any case). I'm beginning to realize that cooking is a trial-and-luck-and-what-kind-of-a-mood-you're-in process. I still don't have a recipe for anything - I just add and subtract ingredients at random.
Got a chance to listen to live music last night at La Tazza Fresca - it was awesome. The singer had a good voice that carried, although he sang some rather forgettable songs (except the one at the very end). I think I need to go to more live music events.
Nazar, according to statistics, is doing really well. Yay. I just wish I had more time. And more ideas. And no struc D test breathing down my neck.
At least I have my callouses to cheer me up.
Rock-climbing yesterday was marvellous. I'm finally getting callouses on my fingers - always a good sign. And the goodness is starting to show - I finished 75% of a route I'd been struggling with for the past couple of weeks. There's a group of rock-climbers that's always present whenever I go - they sound like physics grad students - and usually have lots of interesting conversations about their professors, post-doc-ing, their papers, girls etc - the standard guy-talk.
They were discussing pick-up lines yesterday. Two of their favorites were:
1. Are you a parking ticket? Because you have 'Fine' written all over you!
2. Are you tired? Because you've been running around in my mind all day!
Despite knowing that they were overused and obviously the kind that would never work, I laughed (my sense of humor going haywire probably had something to do with hanging horizontally 9 feet in the air).
Another achievement: I made dal yesterday (for the 2nd time in my life - the first time was an expected calamity) - which amazingly tasted fine. The rice wasn't bad either. All in all, I had the best meal in a long long time (since I returned to Austin in any case). I'm beginning to realize that cooking is a trial-and-luck-and-what-kind-of-a-mood-you're-in process. I still don't have a recipe for anything - I just add and subtract ingredients at random.
Got a chance to listen to live music last night at La Tazza Fresca - it was awesome. The singer had a good voice that carried, although he sang some rather forgettable songs (except the one at the very end). I think I need to go to more live music events.
Nazar, according to statistics, is doing really well. Yay. I just wish I had more time. And more ideas. And no struc D test breathing down my neck.
At least I have my callouses to cheer me up.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
An Engineer's Rant - Part I, Vol I, Section I
I'm surprised I haven't done this before.
I think they need to re-write the US News: Top Colleges magazine, or similar prospective student manuals. (I realize, from all my wonderful writing/communication classes, that 'they' is a vague pronoun reference, but I don't really care in my present state of mind). Events such as 'introduce a girl to engineering day' or 'You @UT' need to be changed, to include a real-world section of 'what it's really like'. Sleep deprivation and anxiety attacks need to be part of the student job description. Zoning out during lectures, staring for hours at homework that only pretends it is in english, but is really in hebrew and latin and alien-tongue, and making optimistic plans of finishing work and failing over and over again, and being optimistic again, should also be added. And then, I will say that life for engineering students is fairly unfair.
Test on Thursday, three assignments due in the next 33 hours, only 27% of which I have completed so far, a brand-new article for Nazar due on Saturday, painful paperwork to get about $1000 plus of my money back from thieves masquerading as health and bookstore companies due soon, and a structurally-sound death by dynamics test on Tuesday. So MUCH to look forward to. (If engineers were to ever make their own ice-cream line, "Death by Dynamics" should definitely be a flavor. I think it will be swirly and red and brown -possibly a combination of cherry and chocolate. Urgh. )
I think they need to re-write the US News: Top Colleges magazine, or similar prospective student manuals. (I realize, from all my wonderful writing/communication classes, that 'they' is a vague pronoun reference, but I don't really care in my present state of mind). Events such as 'introduce a girl to engineering day' or 'You @UT' need to be changed, to include a real-world section of 'what it's really like'. Sleep deprivation and anxiety attacks need to be part of the student job description. Zoning out during lectures, staring for hours at homework that only pretends it is in english, but is really in hebrew and latin and alien-tongue, and making optimistic plans of finishing work and failing over and over again, and being optimistic again, should also be added. And then, I will say that life for engineering students is fairly unfair.
Test on Thursday, three assignments due in the next 33 hours, only 27% of which I have completed so far, a brand-new article for Nazar due on Saturday, painful paperwork to get about $1000 plus of my money back from thieves masquerading as health and bookstore companies due soon, and a structurally-sound death by dynamics test on Tuesday. So MUCH to look forward to. (If engineers were to ever make their own ice-cream line, "Death by Dynamics" should definitely be a flavor. I think it will be swirly and red and brown -possibly a combination of cherry and chocolate. Urgh. )
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Reality bytes
I've always prided myself on being a realist.
But what do you do when reality starts playing tricks on you? What do you do??
But what do you do when reality starts playing tricks on you? What do you do??
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Weekend musings
Late night homework session. Hurrah.
Went to a "chocolate festival" at Central Market today. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a gimmick of the worst kind - the sampling was limited to 5 booths. Bah. On the bright side though, I got to visit (and drag Sang and Ammar to) my favorite tree in Austin. I should probably give it a name. I think I'll call it ... The Tree.
While standing in line at Central Market, Ammar and I started explaining the concept of Indian Standard Time to Sang. The geograpic significance, and the fact that being punctual in that part of the world is not only a sin, but it is actually stupid. The guy behind us, who looked like the typical Austinite - the kind that 'keep Austin weird' - was listening in, and after I was done explaining, leaned in, and said "I play chess with a guy from Delhi sometimes...the next time I see him, I'll tell him that. If I lose, I'll say..'The game doesn't start for another hour!' "
Udit's farewell/post-graduation gift was 'Quidditch Through the Ages'. Sleep deprivation prevented me from borrowing it from him before he left. I'll probably regret that for the rest of my life.
Difficult times draw near...I can almost smell the stress. I think my sister, who is taking the mother of all medical school finals right now, is radiating stress waves from the other side of the world.
Went to a "chocolate festival" at Central Market today. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a gimmick of the worst kind - the sampling was limited to 5 booths. Bah. On the bright side though, I got to visit (and drag Sang and Ammar to) my favorite tree in Austin. I should probably give it a name. I think I'll call it ... The Tree.
While standing in line at Central Market, Ammar and I started explaining the concept of Indian Standard Time to Sang. The geograpic significance, and the fact that being punctual in that part of the world is not only a sin, but it is actually stupid. The guy behind us, who looked like the typical Austinite - the kind that 'keep Austin weird' - was listening in, and after I was done explaining, leaned in, and said "I play chess with a guy from Delhi sometimes...the next time I see him, I'll tell him that. If I lose, I'll say..'The game doesn't start for another hour!' "
Udit's farewell/post-graduation gift was 'Quidditch Through the Ages'. Sleep deprivation prevented me from borrowing it from him before he left. I'll probably regret that for the rest of my life.
Difficult times draw near...I can almost smell the stress. I think my sister, who is taking the mother of all medical school finals right now, is radiating stress waves from the other side of the world.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Nazar - A South Asian Perspective
So the Nazar team came through and published the 2nd edition of its online newsletter last night. It's probably quite impressive.
I take that back - it's probably very impressive. (I say 'probably' because I have yet to find the time to read it)
My contribution: this Book Review
Ah - well. Not my best work, but it's a start. All I can say is that serious writing is harder than waking up at 6 in the morning.
I'm glad all the time spent on this book morphed into something else - I started reading this book when I was 15, finished when I was 22.
I take that back - it's probably very impressive. (I say 'probably' because I have yet to find the time to read it)
My contribution: this Book Review
Ah - well. Not my best work, but it's a start. All I can say is that serious writing is harder than waking up at 6 in the morning.
I'm glad all the time spent on this book morphed into something else - I started reading this book when I was 15, finished when I was 22.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Back to the Beginning
Why is it so hard to write when you really want to?
Sometimes I wonder - what if time had no units? What if time was just a way to think of the last time you were truly happy, or having the time of your life, or in pain, terrible pain, or with someone who dotes on you, or sad for no reason at all, or proud of yourself? Then, instead of saying that 45 days have passed between my last post and this one, I would say - eons have passed since then. My time in Cincinnati came to an end, I returned to Austin, revisited people from another time, went home - felt the magic and the temptation to never return, and then started a new semester in school again.
The night before I left Austin for India, Udit, Manik and I sat in Manik's room, with a depressed this-is-it attitude. The reason - Smartass Udit's fault for graduating in 3.5 years. Finally, after several semesters, Udit's ICA-fanaticism melted away, as did Manik's string of unfortunate relationships, and my overflowing schedule of activities and meetings disappeared with a poof. Several semesters of minimal contact faded - and we realized one of those cliche truths of life - that friendship is truly beautiful at times. That many years later, while flipping through an album (an electronic one, of course), we'd let ourselves be the victims of nostalgia.
This semester has mostly started with good things. Good classes, funny professors, wonderful living quarters etc. I use 'mostly' because I can't neglect the other things that aren't as great....my cooking for instance, the loads of homework and reading, and writer's block at the worst time - THE release. Other than that, I can't complain too much.
Over the break, I caught up on reading and movies - "Taare Zameen Par" was amazing - currently at the top of my list of favorite movies. The soundtrack, animation, direction, casting, cinematography were all perfect - Aamir Khan and Darsheel Safari - the main actors - were wow. 'The Inheritance of Loss' by Kiran Desai was an interesting, but rather heavy, and quite depressing, read. I liked it anyway. 'A thousand splendid suns' was good, but probably not anywhere in my list of top 10 books.
I should start on homework.
Should would could...
That's it - I'm out of excuses.
Sometimes I wonder - what if time had no units? What if time was just a way to think of the last time you were truly happy, or having the time of your life, or in pain, terrible pain, or with someone who dotes on you, or sad for no reason at all, or proud of yourself? Then, instead of saying that 45 days have passed between my last post and this one, I would say - eons have passed since then. My time in Cincinnati came to an end, I returned to Austin, revisited people from another time, went home - felt the magic and the temptation to never return, and then started a new semester in school again.
The night before I left Austin for India, Udit, Manik and I sat in Manik's room, with a depressed this-is-it attitude. The reason - Smartass Udit's fault for graduating in 3.5 years. Finally, after several semesters, Udit's ICA-fanaticism melted away, as did Manik's string of unfortunate relationships, and my overflowing schedule of activities and meetings disappeared with a poof. Several semesters of minimal contact faded - and we realized one of those cliche truths of life - that friendship is truly beautiful at times. That many years later, while flipping through an album (an electronic one, of course), we'd let ourselves be the victims of nostalgia.
This semester has mostly started with good things. Good classes, funny professors, wonderful living quarters etc. I use 'mostly' because I can't neglect the other things that aren't as great....my cooking for instance, the loads of homework and reading, and writer's block at the worst time - THE release. Other than that, I can't complain too much.
Over the break, I caught up on reading and movies - "Taare Zameen Par" was amazing - currently at the top of my list of favorite movies. The soundtrack, animation, direction, casting, cinematography were all perfect - Aamir Khan and Darsheel Safari - the main actors - were wow. 'The Inheritance of Loss' by Kiran Desai was an interesting, but rather heavy, and quite depressing, read. I liked it anyway. 'A thousand splendid suns' was good, but probably not anywhere in my list of top 10 books.
I should start on homework.
Should would could...
That's it - I'm out of excuses.
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