A personal record of the ultimate gift, LIFE

Winter is over, it is warmer

2009-03-28T01:47:00.003+05:30

As the days pass by, it is becoming warmer and warmer. Winter seems to be over and it would be Spring soon, but how much does that affect the life of a person like me? For me, nothing has changed, except that I wear my jacket less often. As I wrote once long ago, every new day presents new opportunities. But the question is, Do I use at least a small fraction of these?

It seems every moment, I am "greedily" thinking only of that moment, and not "dynamically" thinking of an optimum way of using the opportunities presented by a moment, to maximize what I could achieve. How do I improve myself? How do I achieve more? And what do I mean by achieve more? What is it that I finally want to achieve?

Questions always come up very easily, but I cannot find answers to these. Hopefully, Life will give me the answers I am looking for.

Everyday, the sun rises and I get closer to the answers I am looking for............

I miss those days............

2009-03-12T07:20:00.003+05:30

I have been missing a lot of things these days..Sometimes I feel the best way is to tell people what I miss, so I feel less sad, but sometimes I feel, I am sharing my sadness with the others, and making them sad :(

I miss those endless discussions with dad, about any random topic under the sun, to learn something new(I heard of MIT, Warren Buffet, Berkshire Hathway and loads of other things for the first time in such a conversation)...or sometimes just for the sake of talking to him, because I just love talking to him!

I miss those days, when mom would cook something that tastes amazing, but then I would make lame complaints about the food, just to see her reaction!I just love mom's cooking, and I miss it so much!

I miss those days, when chechi and I used to fight over something and then she would not talk to me, dad or mom(claiming that they took my side), and then finally dad and I would try make her laugh in very buffoon-ish ways!

I miss those days when I was in Jaipur, when mom used to call 4-5 times a day..just to know what I was doing, just to know if I was fine.....

I miss those days, when I was a kid, and I could ask for whatever I wanted, cry and make dad get me whatever I wanted...Anyone who knows me well, knows how I act like a kid, because I just love to act like a kid, I just miss being one!

I miss a lot more stuff....

I miss the auto rickshaws, the endless bargaining with the drivers, for 5 or 10 Rupees, knowing that you are going to spend that a little later to buy poison, oops, Cold drinks..:P

I miss being late to class, and then having to give an excuse to get into the class.

I miss so many things, it seems the list is endless!

It seems like a time machine, would be the best gift anyone can give me..........

I miss you..............

2009-03-12T03:10:00.004+05:30

More than a year after my last post, I return to my blog, with updates. 2008 is over, 2009 is going well. 2008 was a bad year, for reasons, which make me sad each time I think about them. Let's hope 2009 is good for me and the rest of the world. This year began in the US, at Navy Pier, Chicago, after which I moved to Ithaca, a small town in upstate NY, which is home to Cornell University, where I joined the graduate program in Computer Science.

Winter was ...cold?and white! Winter it seems, is almost over and now the Spring break is just around the corner. Life has changed a lot for me. All I can say now, is that I miss my parents, chechi, chettan, ammoomma, achichan, and will always miss appoopan and acchamma, both of whom left us in the last year. I miss Kerala, Jaipur, Bangalore...and every other place in India I have ever been to. Home made food, the movies which dad used to watch(which I always complained was nonsense), the fight for the TV remote, the (post)midnight trips to thadi, the unending nonsense at hostel...god!the list in unending! I am just waiting for the day I book the ticket to go and enjoy in India, at least for a day.

I just hope that I will get over this situation, where I miss everything that was my life, and embrace this new life.......

I will be back with more updates, this was just to make a comeback to my blog!

Our Final Year Project: What we learnt?

2008-03-02T22:22:00.006+05:30

It is amazing to know that I learnt quite a bit from my final year project. Here, I list out some of the stuff I did learn, so did my friend, Kartik!
With interesting inputs from Kartik, here I list the do's and dont's of my "project":

1) Before you put a DVD into the Drive, look for the DVD logo on it, and verify it isnt a CDROM Drive. If it doesn't work, it may not be because of a human error.
2)Never trust people who made "INVENTORIES!!"
3)Don't trust your "sponsors", and don't "betray" their trust!
4)Download stable and compressed releases and not unstable, uncompressed releases.
5)If you don't know French, learn it when you have the time, at least you know English! You can write novels in English too :)
6)Enjoy being shouted at, don't forget to wear Helmets, jackets and FULL SLEEVE Sweaters!
7)Cleanliness is next to "her" godliness.
8) Don't go to the dentist on Thursday!If you do,remember the name of the dentist. Your friends will be around to support you, in case of "dental" emergencies.
9) Accept "sponsors'" offers gracefully.
10)If you feel you are being targeted, do not worry, you are not alone.
11) If anyone apologizes like "I am Sorry"...always respond with "it is ok, don't worry!"
12)UNICEF protects children from physical abuse.
13)If you felt bad when your sponsor "advised" you, please realize it is for your own "good!"
14)After all...everything is for the greater good!

Any doubts regarding this, google "Energy Band Theory of Psychosis!"
Feel free to mail me, I can add your mail id to Spam Filter!

For now its Hari(quite normal today!) signing off!BBBye!

Defining a day.....

2008-03-01T09:45:00.004+05:30

As the golden rays of the early morning sun hit your face, you feel the beginning of a new day. To most people it symbolizes a fresh start, a new opportunity to correct yesterday's errors, a new opportunity to make something new, a new opportunity to build a brave new world.

What if you look at these same golden rays from a different perspective? What if a new day is not really something that you should look forward to?

Everyday surely brings with it new opportunities and new answers to older questions...But with it, a new day brings us fewer opportunities...as with each passing day, we have used up 24 hours of our very limited time on this planet. This means that the number of days which we have left on our planet decreases each time those rays hit your face. With each passing day , you have that many days less to prove yourself, to yourself. With each passing day, you have that many days less with your loved ones, with yourself, with this materialistic human form of yours.

That is the most fantastic part of being a human being, isn't it? All knowledge humans ever gained was only for this materialistic life....Even our search for the ultimate truth about life was also just being selfish, wasn't it? We wanted to know before hand, what will happen to us after we are dead...With each passing day, we have that many days less to find the answers to all the questions that our mind creates. Does that make sunrise a sad event?

That is a question that needs answering...and I am no one to answer it...It depends on how and who tries to answer it.

Whatever said and done, from my point of view, a new day brings new opportunities, and brings us the only way of continuing to live on earth(scientifically speaking!!), lets not forget that.....Take everyday as it comes and live life as it comes!

Till next time, it is your own crazy Hari signing off!

The Gita..how many interpretations???

2008-01-25T13:36:00.000+05:30

"Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya. Glanirva Bhavathi Bharatha,. Abhyuthanam Adharmaysya. Tadatmanam Srijami Aham"

Famous verse from The Bhagvad Gita. I would not say that I know the exact meaning of this verse or of the Gita itself, but I surely know the message it conveys. Today, somehow, I feel that I should remember those verses and their innermost meanings, maybe will help me in some way or the other.

What does the Gita really mean? Is it only about Dharma, kartavya n all? Or does it have much deeper, much stronger inner meanings?

We all know what Gita tells us about Dharma and kartavya....basically stick with Dharma(does it really have an English equivalent?), and make sure you fulfil your responsibilities, your kartavya. Sometimes I feel it is not just that...I feel there is something more in it, perhaps more obvious than not.

The fact that Krishna directly gave this advice to Arjuna in the beginning of a war on the field of battle, also gives a message, I feel. Krishna's advice and his strategies won the war for the Pandavas. Wherever you are, whenever a friend gives you advice, tells you something, it means a lot. Sometimes it might not mean anything, maybe just something stated for fun, but sometimes it might be things that you may feel bad about, or maybe something that helps u win somewhere or the other. And to me the closest friends are my family and my family are my closest friends. What a friend tells me, about himself, me or something else means a lot to me, though I generally do not bother what others say....but to me friends and family are not others,they are a part of me and I am a part of them.

Maybe this interpretation of the Gita is stupid or very superficial, but I feel this can be considered to be one of the interpretations...

Seems like I don't make any sense...these weird thoughts keep popping up every now and then in my mind....maybe I m weird..or maybe I am crazy!

And she is leaving.......

2007-01-12T13:06:00.000+05:30

On the 9th of Jan 2006,my sister got her visa to the US and she's leaving late in the night today. She has got her Visa stamped on her passport and seems she is now ready to leave. My Brother-in-law's( and of course, my sister's) apartment's House-warming was today morning and I could not attend it.

Its getting really cold here in Jaipur and is becoming very difficult to get up early in the morning for those 8 O' Clock classes (n this sem, I have class at 8 three days a week!).Nothing much has really been happening, except what I have talked about here!
So until later...........

Happy New Year!!!

2007-01-06T10:37:00.000+05:30

Ya ya...I know its a week since this year started, but I was tooo busy to log into blogspot n post something..I had to eat n sleep...These are things that no one else can do for me!!!!Anyways, my sister's wedding is over..it was on the 28th of Dec 2006.They are on an all Kerala tour now,visiting relatives all over the place. According to the latest reports, they are at my uncle's place in Kannur.They will return tonight as I take off early tomorrow morning. by evening I expect to be in Jaipur. As yet, I have not made any resolutions for this year (except that I will try to sleep less compared to last year!!!).
Last week, I saw quite a lotta new movies, none of them really great I should say.
Thats it for the time being.........

Grades!!Grades!!Grades!!

2006-12-16T01:47:00.000+05:30

It seems the grades of all subjects of Sem V have been displayed!!!Ujjwal says i did descently well....and I hope he is right!I have started my work on the paper today, delayed by months.

Busy Week!

2006-12-14T20:19:00.000+05:30

Yes,the exams did keep me busy...but of course,guys u know during exams how busy can u be???Anyways,after the exams the presentation in front of Gaur sir n VijayLaxmi ma'm, went well......And on the cold winter night of 7th Dec, we started off to Delhi n then off to Kanpur on Orissa Sampark Kranti Express, which was practically empty.Just to give you an idea of how empty it was, the compartment we were in had just something like 8 people right upto Kanpur.

The moment we landed in Kanpur,we got an idea of how Uttar Pradesh is!In simple words, the city is filthy! To IIT Kanpur,we travelled on NH 91, which was like 3 Metres wide!!The road was so full of pot holes, there would be no difference even if it didnt exist!The horns used by automobiles in Kanpur is amazing...They come from people's mouths!Oh,they are amazingly abusive!!!Then we reach IIT,the entrance isnt that impressive, but the campus is!The campus is wonderfully organised and well maintained.We stayed at Hall 2,the food at the mess wasnt too good(actually everything was bland and had the same taste,or no taste at all!) but the hostels are clean and well maintained. The ACM contest registration was on 8th and we had a practice session on 9th and the real contest on 10th.We could've done better, we got an "Honorable Mention".Next time hopefully we'll do better! Anyways,NIT Trichy came 1st and qualify for World Finals....Congrats and Best of Luck to them!The IITK computer centre is good, though could've been better! Oh, we also had a good dinner on 9th,The contest dinner. Overall, Kanpur is bad and IITK is brilliant!

On returning, I talked to Namita ma'm and Girdhari sir, I am getting good grades in both those subjects,though details aren't knopwn yet.

On 13 Dec, I was to return on Jet Airways, 9W 376 to Mumbai and Kingfisher IT 121 from Mumbai to Kochi.I had just an hour transit time at Mumbai.Usually I come on Indian IC 612 to Mumbai which starts an hour earlier and therefore, I have an hour extra at Mumbai, but luckily that day dad didnt book me on that.As that comes in from Delhi, it was cancelled due to bad weather at Delhi. So I was on my way home.

Now I am home...and I have rest for a few days!

More Work!!!

2006-12-06T13:25:00.000+05:30

Ah..The MST viva is over,though I am not really worried about the grades in the subject, the viva itself wasn't too good.Now at 2:30 or so, we're supposed to give a Presentation on the Independent Study Programme. So I have to make a few slides for the presentation.Too much work, too lil' time!

Great End to a great day!

2006-12-05T23:16:00.000+05:30

Yes!At last the exams are over.......FREEEEEEE!!!!!
Ok...Thats just for a few days and then again the vicious cycle starts....Actually,most of it is fun...except for about close to month(during submissions,vivas and exams!).Anyways,today was a great day overall...first of all,the exams are over and now Namita Ma'm sends me great news in the evening...a paper that I had worked on had been selected for an international conference has been selected...its actually great news for me! Now my M. S. Ph.D hopes can still live!Now I have a few things to add to my CV::ACM,this etc.....Now gotta start working on the report of my Independent Study Program, which I have to submit tomorrow!So let me start my work............

Exams are not over yet!

2006-12-02T18:29:00.000+05:30

With 2 exams left and one of those being Data Networks, it just seems like this semester is never gonna get over!Hopefully Mushtaq sir will set an easy question paper. After the 5th,seems like we will have to start practicing for the Asia Regionals of ACM-ICPC at IIT Kanpur. The fact that we practically had no practice for the first round and were still able to clear it is the only consoling factor. On Dec 10, we are actually gonna compete against 44 of the best programming teams in the country, a fact I still find difficult to digest.After some discussion we have come to the conclusion that Java is gonna be the language we will be using, but in any case we can change the language there if we want. Hopefully the fact that Gaur sir will reach only on the 9th, i.e., after registration will not be a problem!

Seems like the mission may have finally succeeded!

2006-12-02T18:22:00.000+05:30

A month after we started persuading our HoD to make changes in our curriculum, it seems the Govil sir has sent our application to the concerned authorities to include the new subject, Graph Theory and a modification in the OS syllabus. Vijaylaxmi ma'm also gave an indication that she's gonna teach us next semester, so maybe our hard work finally paid off!
I would also like to express my gratitude to LDM (Ashish Agrawall) and Ketan who were with me in this effort.

Kudos LDM and Ketan!!

On a different note.....

2006-12-02T02:20:00.000+05:30

After about 1 hr of returning from the cinema hall after watching Dhoom 2, I am still trying to get over it......."SAD" is an understatement for the movie............

So it begins...........

2006-12-02T02:02:00.000+05:30

Early Saturday morning 02:00 AM on 2 Dec 2006, I wonder what life is......20 years and 7 days after I was gifted Life,I still don't know what it is and what its purpose is.....Life is the ultimate gift any man has ever got...If that gift was not presented to you, then i assume you wouldn't be reading this post at all!Life is a wonderful gift, it is up to us to utilize it properly.BUT "what is proper?".Every man would define proper use of life in a different way,if one person says "Have fun n enjoy life", another would say "Serve the society, help the world" and a third would say," Work for peace,help in maintaining it!". Is there a proper definition for the " proper utilization" of life?

I guess NO!

What do i think?I really don't know. You gain all the knowledge you want, make all the money you want, life a life that most people can't even dream about. But what is it all for?

The answer eludes me...........................................................

Will I ever find the answer to that question?

Maybe one day I will..........................................................................................................................