Analysis time

This is that time of the year where we analyse ourselves. The year that went bye, the joy it brought, the good and the bad part of it. About what was wrong which could have been right, and what went so great that helped us progress. About nething and everything that the year gave us.

Whether any of the new year resolutions last year did make it through, or it was just a piece of paper with unfulfilled dreams at the end of the year. Things you want to make happen in the 2009, or the one little change you want to bring in you.

As for me, I don’t make any resolutions as such. New year’s day is just another day for me. We just want reasons to enjoy and it’s just one of that. I don’t believe in long term planning. It’s never worked with me (I do admire people who can make it work though). But still I carry a rough draft of all the things that I’ll be pursuing in coming time. They are just skeletons, not concrete plans. And they need not be penned down.

Last year was pretty satisfactory. A bad end due to terror tale, but otherwise the year went well. On personal front also it was good. Got to learn a lot of things. About handling events, talking to successful people, actively working in college, good amount of social work, working as a group and so much more.

I feel if you ever want to make New Year plans, always assume your current life till now as “A big zero”. And now start planning. Coz you know you have to ensure that you are actually improving with the coming year. All that ever has been till now is just a benchmark for accessing how well you do next year. Take it as a zero state. I believe I have shifted from last year’s zero in some fields, and hope to better it this time around.

As for things that can happen with me in the next year, the answer is ‘I don’t know’. Decision making has always been hard for me. With such large amount of job cuts in US, I may have to rethink before spending a fortune for getting a university seat. Thinking the other way, I might be missing a glorious opportunity for quality studies and better job prospect if I don’t go. So it still might go either way.

As far as campus placements, I may or may not appear for them. Not thought about it. Even if I do apply, there is every chance that companies don’t find me worthy for the job. With every company cutting intakes, they may need fewer people. People who might have been slogging for a top 3 finish in the class.

So basically I don’t know what’s in store for the future. But I do know for sure, whatever path I choose, I have to never look back, never regret anything, and just be at my best for anything I choose.

On the year that fled bye,
-- I wished that Terrorist hadn't attacking our beautiful city.
--I wish John terry din't slip off
--I wish Timo Glock din't slow down
--I wish Ganguly had scored a century in his last test

Adios. May all of you have a very bright new year ahead!!!!!

An Idea Can.....

Luxembourg…..

A small country in western Europe, I doubt very few might have even heard of it. It’s strangely the richest country in the world w.r.t. per capita income(I know many people will open Google and search for richest country). What made it so rich, great history, no. Then what, good land, great scenery, any European country has it. Large amount of money from tourism( why not Singapore then, small country so many tourists).

I didn’t believe when I was told that just a well executed Idea makes an country the richest in the world. But now I do. Now, coming back to it, what was the Idea? Luxembourg government decided to use banking sector as a source of income for the country. For non EU(European union ) countries, the money deposited in the banks is tax free. And your account is not operated by name, but is operated by a secret code number and your signature. None of your identity is disclosed except for European people and for locals, tax is directly deducted from their account, account data going to respective governments. But for others, don’t worry, hide in as much money you can and no-one will ever know.

It’s great place to hide money for people saving from heavy taxes, to hide money obtained through corruption. Or money that’s just supposed to be hidden. Many terrorist accounts are assumed to be operated here. Every major world bank has an office here, and most operate accounts through codes. You forget your code and money is gone. Luxembourg offshore banks number around 220 today and their balance sheets total in excess of EUR 600 billion - which makes the country Europe’s second largest banking giant after the UK.

Some of you might have heard that 6 months ago there was a news that Luxembourg government is ready to give the details of Indians investing in these banks, but it didn’t go any further. Many of the politicians are believed to have secretly deposited their money. That’s why the government is not acting upon it.

The Indian angle looks ugly, but their country has prospered a lot due to this. Such huge investments have led to great economy and the people living a very high standard of living. An Idea well executed is all it takes.

Las Vegas

A little known city in the state of Nevada, USA. One of the poorest state in the country. Lack of proper transportation routes, barren lands all over, no great history, no state of the art facilities like other American cities. Infact there wasn’t even a city here around 150 years ago. It was just a transit place for long distant tourists.

The city people believed money is never gonna come their way. USA may get richer, but Vegas, still poorer. Here too, it was just an idea which changed the map, the image and economy of the city. Yes, we all know the Idea. The Las Vegas Casino.

The casino city is so different a city today. Looks like any other top American cities. The rates of rooms at weekends are 4 times the rate on Monday. Almost every big hotel here has a casino. People will always keep trying on their luck, and this city will always make money from them. Who was to say, the barren lands of Nevada would one day become one of the busiest economic centre of the states. The entire state has benefited in terms of good transport, good roads due to this city.

Moral: Don’t say we have nothing, because people have made so much out of nothing.

Watching “What happens in Vegas” reminded me of this story. Nice Movie.

News or views

Preface: The recent terrorist attacks in the city is a terrible thing happening. Killing innocent people is Indeed a very cowardly act. This blog was written around a week ago and could not be posted due to some problem in my PC. Some of my views have changed since then, and so have some of the things in this blog. But I still feel most of the things haven’t and readers should consider that was a period where news channels had no big news and relatively smaller news had gained importance.

Warning: Long Post ahead!!!!

Recently I turned on the TV for the day’s Headlines, and this is what I get. Someone goes out of the big boss, Some politics going on over Malegaon Blasts, India winning match over England. HC giving justice to a rape victim after 10 Years. Not in exact order, but these were it.

It’s sometimes so painful to see the change that has come in news channels over the years. I mean, where are the issues of National and International interests?

Media wants stories to tell. They don’t want just news. It’s first the news, then the analysis, what people think, what media thinks, inferences from the news, future predictions and much more. Why cant the keep it just plain news and let the viewers interpret in whichever way feels appropriate to them. What is the need of personal opinion in news?

Go to a politician’s speech, find a small fault in the otherwise perfectly executed speech and capitalize on the mistake. They’ll never mention 100 other positive things he mentioned, just the one controversy he created. Not to mention the slanting of the news to create more hype.

Another feature of News channel is tone and body language of presenters. Some news presenters present news in such a shouting tone just to sensationalize it. Watch programs like ‘Sansani’(…remember Gaurav Dobhal in spoof……) at night and you’ll know what I am talking about. It looks so funny, stupid and silly even if the story is horrifying.

Sometimes get the feeling that Indian media channel people should be made to sit and watch BBC news for an hour and feel the difference. It makes such a pleasant viewing. Just the news from all over the world, hardly any tone change, very rarely the use of personal opinions. That’s what you call news. That’s what makes it a great channel. In India DD news is I feel the best if you are interested in just the news not the crap.

Protection of privacy is another big issue. Take for instance the Aarushi murder case of Delhi. One of the news channels was publicly displaying the content of some email Aarushi got the day before her death. Display of some private text messages in her Inbox. It is so inappropriate for the media to do so. I agree that the person is dead, but so what. Everyone wants their secrets to die with them. Certainly not want for the public to know them.

Events like Bomb blasts are happening are dealt in a tone ‘Oh wow! Something great happened! Alas some news! ’. Don’t cameramen feel bad taking images of people crying on a blast site? Is money so important than the grief of a person who lost his loved one? Media can reach flooding Kosi river in Bihar to take stunning photographs, but not to save thousands of people dying from it. Feels so pity.

Another bad thing is misleading photographs. Some channels like showing older images of sometime ago or older coverage and stating it as current update. For eg. It was one of those heavily raining days in Mumbai, TV channels continue to show pictures of flooded streets even when rain has stopped in most part of the city. That’s so badly misleading. Most people depend on media for correct information, businesses are unnecessarily stopped, just because these news channels have given wrong info. One rainy day, I was at Milan subway. My phone has a TV so turned on to see it. I saw images of Milan Subway being flooded and they were termed as latest. Great, here I am with little water around me, yet can say I am in a flooded region courtesy news channels.

There is also a question mark on some of the news being classified as news. Is somebody getting out of a reality TV serial show a news for a reputed national news channel? Further, is it worth around 15 minutes of air time? If yes, is it worth making a Headline? And one more question. Why are comedians like Raju Shrivastava on news channels? Is it supposed to be funny!!

Morning shows showing astrologers talking crap about how the day is gonna be for you, lucky number for the day, which color to wear etc. Come on! This is news channel, not some entertainment channel. Instead in the morning, summing up previous day’s news would make so much sense.

Sometimes, one news takes over the entire episode. I understand some issues are very vital and should be addressed in detail, given more TV time. But in the process, don’t kill the other smaller news. They may not be that big or sensational, but they deserve to be told.

Throughout this post, I might sound like a person who does not believe in being with the times. Consider me stubborn for not accepting the change as positive. For not considering the fact that ‘Masala’ makes an interesting viewing and that news should be more than just plain news, it should be about views to present a bigger picture. Don’t care what people say, they are just my personal opinion. Doesn’t BBC news feel in being with the times? Why haven’t they changed their style over the time? It is because that is what they call it ‘news’, and it’s BBC news not views.

Rarity

Recently India won the test series with the Aussies. The whole cricket world got crazy over it. The Celebrations would have never been of the same scale had there been England or West-Indies in place of Aussies. Victory was more special because it’s not every time that you see a team like Australia losing convincingly.

Rarity certainly gives value to things in many cases. Diamonds are precious because they are rare. Not that they are not beautiful, but I think if Gold was rarer than Diamonds, it would have been more precious. I am sure many would agree.

If you are a football fan, especially Premier League follower, you may be surprised how in the League cup or FA cup, second or third division teams upset bigger teams like Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Man Utd. It’s because smaller teams seldom get a chance to play against these big teams and when they get it, they consider it as chance of a lifetime and give in all they have for the cause of winning. Coz for them it’s a rare event.

In Europe, if your train is 20-30 minutes late, you get refreshment coupons at the rail counter on showing ticket & if it gets further late you get large amount of the ticket money back as compensation. In India, trains are supposed to be late and the compensation thing is such a joke. In Europe, it’s possible coz trains getting late is a rare event so compensating in 1 out of 5000 times is no big a deal.

Why do people pay so much for designer wear when bulk factory outlets provide good clothes with reduced prices. They want their dress to be unique and uncommon.

Everyone of us has a part of them which is unique, which distinguishes us from the crowd. Instead of leading a common life like hundreds of faces in the crowd, we got to find that talent which is in us. Very unique, very different, this will lead us to not being mediocre. I hope to find it someday and hope the reader finds it too.

My belief

I believe.......

• I believe that every defeat makes you more hungrier for success
• I believe that people are like crayons it's not the color they are.Its the pictures they make.
• I believe in 'Change for the better'
• I believe in love. It is however, not a fairy tale or ever perfect...and will not always have a happy ending, TRUE love between two people meant to find each other does exist
• I believe in myself......for all the dreams i have made for.
• I believe in luck, how else would you explain success of people whom you dont like.
• I believe in learning something new each and every day of our lives
• I believe that best friends are best friends because no matter how long it's been since you've talked to them,when you see them again,you can start right where you left off.
• I believe in keeping all promises I make.
• I believe that rainy days are entirely necessary and not simply to provide water
• I believe in God, for getting me through the difficult times
• I believe in selflessly helping people, someday i might be at the recieving end too
• I believe most of the poems are boring and dull, but the ones that are good really make an impact
• I believe sometimes Silence is Golden
• I believe best things in life come cheap, if not free
• I believe in simpilicty of life
• I believe the next person who will read this will add an comment
• I believe that somewhere in the darkest night, a candle glows.

and finally the R Kelly song lyrics.........

I believe I can fly

I believe I can touch the sky

Dream Destinations

This is the thing i enjoy the most. Travelling the world around and seeing lovely places. I used to make a list of places which I would never like to miss out on in a lifetime. A lot of this has been modified over time as some alternatives on list were visited. These are the seven things that are on top of the list currently. They may not be Seven Wonders of the World, but certainly great places.

1. Watching Midnight sun at Helsinki…..
This is on the top of the list for a while. It would feel incredible to see the sun right up in the sky and watch the clock say it’s 12 at night. Plus they say European summers are great. And then watch the sunset at 1 in the night. Seems crazy while just thinking. Actually may sound so cool.

2. Great beaches is South-Africa.
Cape town, Durban or be it any other, they are the coolest beaches in the world. Just want to be there to watch the beautifully blue coast, and the water sport that come with it. My friends argue that Mauritius is on top of the beaches list, but since I’ve visited it, it doesn’t figure here. And surely Goa doesn’t even come close.

3. Disneyland California
This is one of the big dreams. Watching your childhood cartoon characters coming alive is so great. The Mickey mouse, Donald duck, Alladin, Pinnochio,Dalmatians and so on.One way that it is different than other amusement parks such as Essel World, Ocean Park(Hongkong), Lotte-World(Seoul) is that it has a theme. And it also showcases a parade of all Disney characters at the end of the day.

4. Niagara falls
It may not be the highest or biggest waterfall in the world, but is one of the most beautiful waterfalls on earth. Canada on one side and America on the other. What a splendid way to separate two countries!! The view at night is even more fantastic as artificial light falls on the waterfall according to themes. A hotel with a waterfall view for the night will cost a fortune but is certainly worth it.

5. Super-star Virgo
Or for that matter any three of Singapore Star-Cruises will do. What a way to take stress off for 3 days. I’ve never been in any boat for longer that 5 hrs(dat was kerela backwaters..) but this surely is fun. With friends it would be even better. After seeing Titanic for so many times, cant resist without going on a Star Cruise.

6. Sand-dune surfing near Dubai
This is again one of the things seen on discovery channel that seemed irresistible. Previously Ice-skating used to be here on this list, but after Leh and Switzerland, enough of ice, sand surfing is better. Some of my friends going on trip this year might do it in Rajasthan though. Bit jealous about it.

7. Watching Fifa World cup final newhere.
The best is for the last. This is infact a resolution made by some of us friends in school that we’ll watch the football world cup final, or atleast semifinal in 2018 wherever it is in the world and no matter who is playing and how much it costs.

Has concept of enjoyment changed

College submissions were finally over. They were not quite worse this time around. But still, after submission everyone wants a break. Actually we just keep finding reasons for breaks in some or the other way.

I wished that this break would be fun. But let’s see what happened. Many people were tired and were leaving for their homes. The ones who weren’t tired were suggesting playing CS or Warcraft in comps lab. Or some expensive movie in Fame. Or some overpriced Pizzeria. Some other crap restaurants too.

I began to wonder, has definition for enjoyment changed for all, but not me. I mean I like to eat in good restaurants, watch good movies. I believe in being with the times. But here’s what enjoyment means to me.

1. Cycling to the beach to see the sun rise
2. Playing outdoor sport like cricket or football
3. Eating lunch at a friend’s place
4. Roaming around good places in the city with friends, chatting along.
5. Having a chat with close friends and sharing life stories
6. Stop in a crowded bazaar and observe things around you
7. Go for a small trek, if not possible a small walk atleast.
8. Having tea at a small stall with toast and khari
9. Eating bhel at night at some quiet beach and just listen to the sea waves( preferably with your gf/bf if you happen to have any. else close friends)
10. A phone conversation with a friend whom you have not met for long
11. Watch a live drama at a drama theatre. Where as opposed to movies, actors have to perform to their best everytime. Not just for one shoot.
12. Riding bike with friends
13. Having a cold coffee or Ice-cream to end up a day.

Sometimes in life we move so fast that we fail to stop, watch the world around us, learn how things work for people, and to enjoy the moment. It’s not just earning big and being at expensive places. The best things in life come cheap. Many people might not agree, but it’s just a personal opinion. Your choice may differ.

To sum this up, once I said to my grandfather that “change is a very essential part in life”. I liked what he replied back “Agreed. Change should be there, but for the better”. What a nice thought.

I owe a lot to you…..

This analysis has been going in mind for quite a long time, but today got the time to write it down. An analysis of what we give to the world versus what we get.

What the world has given me?

Frankly speaking, this list is vast beyond imagination. If we just take a look at daily life, we can count so many examples. This pc that I am using comes with a chip that contains a million little transistors on a square inch size chip. So many people have worked to make it possible. Understanding working of single transistor amplifier as been a big deal for me, so the amount of effort somebody has done to build the thing that I am working on seems tremendous.
The cellphone which I use, which transports voice and data, even when you are moving in a 100 kmph train. People who build network towers for this to be possible. The clothes that I wear. The farmer who cultivates vegetables for me. My mom who cooks food for me. The numerous eateries I have been to.

The building that I live in, so many have worked to build it. The little hands that made firecrackers so that you and me could enjoy them during festival time. Recently we went to the railway control room. It was incredible. We can travel safely on trains because these people are working for us day and night. The public transport that we use, has a system. All working for us.
The movies that we see, so many people have worked behind the scenes to entertain us. The good music that we listen is an outcome of effort of so many great musicians. The dramas and plays we see, people working so hard to deliver it to us.

The software that I used, some freak individuals have had sleepless night to develop them. The games that I play. The great institute that I go to study. The number of people teaching me in life.The list goes on. So much can be written here.
Let me see the other part.

What I have given to the world?

You may say most of the above things were services, and we pay for them. So we should not consider them as people who work for us. But my point is let us keep money point only as a thing for exchange which you get by the services you provide.

So back to the point. What have I given the world? Until now nothing. Maybe after some years, I’ll be a coder somewhere developing some software in an air-conditioned cabin at 18 degree centigrade. Helping my company. Or at the most an communication engineer who works for some mobile firm building communication circuits again benefiting a small amount of people.

The conclusion is that lot many people are working for me than I can ever in my life work for. This world gives you a lot more than you can ever pay back.This analysis has left me doing some thinking. When so much is offered to you by the people around you, its your duty to do something good for them too. So I have thought of the following things

1. Never complain that you have busy scheduling, difficult deadlines, strenuous targets to meet. No matter how hard you work, there’s someone working harder than you.
2. Help those children who have no-one to look after, who don’t get proper food, sufficient education and other basic amenities. Help people in the old age homes who have no one to care for them.
3. Not consider any job as small or big, coz every task is equally important. Be it that of a sweeper or software techie.
4. Help people wherever it is possible in whatever small way you can. Try to bring a smile on their face. Listen to their problems. People want someone who they can share sorrow with.
5. Make small compromises on personal gain so that it proves beneficiary to a lot more number of people.

Lectures

We always talk about lectures being boring, monotonous and dull. But we could always find alternative ways so that our life becomes less miserable bearing with those. Here are some things that people do during lectures……….

1. Listening to MP3,Ipod, FM Radio—
   To avoid RK’s high frequency noise, It’s always better to listen to some soothing music. Maybe a slow Brian Adams song will do or john Meyer if you want more slower and more peaceful songs. Warning: Listen to Ankit Shah’s soundtrack at your own risk.
2. Mobile Games
   The snake game has been such a popular thing, played almost everywhere. Then why not lectures? Hard core gamers may also play Multiplayer games such as Fifa via Bluetooth
3. Sleeping/Relaxing/taking rest
   In your tiring schedule you need some time to take rest. Why not sit a lecture and just relax then. Or have a quick nap on the last bench. And you also get attendance as a bonus in this case.
4. Bluetooth Song Transfer
   You must keep up with the latest soundtracks. Listen to good music all the time. So find a mate and just start exchanging the good songs.
5. Drawing/ Sketching
   This one is for the creative ones(read Patro, Dobby, Vivek etc.) to express themselves and to entertain people around them. Others can take lessens from them and start developing their creative side.
6. Reading Novels
   So far Dobhal and Taha have been caught in this act but it still is a safe thing to do. Again if you really can concentrate when so much disturbance of prof is there around you is another issue against it.
7. Singing Songs
   You may think of yourself as the best bathroom singer. But you need to prove it to the backbenchers forum. Clear your throat and just showcase your talent.
8. Eating Tiffin
   According to a recent survey 20% of the tiffins are consumed in the lectures itself and the figure is continuously on a rise. Above line indicates nothing but the fact that I have been working something with surveys in PCT projects and linked it here
9. Playing Cards
   Chandan has been involved in this for so many lectures and never been caught. So very much a safe thing to do.
10. Chalk Fights
    This is the greatest Intra class sport ever.A game with so much fun almost enjoyed by everybody.
11. Watching out of the Window
    One of my earlier blog illustrates this idea better.
12. GRE flashcards, Gate questions, MBA questions
    Better think about future education plans coz Engg is gonna take us nowhere. So utilize the lecture so you may hear some interesting lectures two years later in US. LOL.
13. Completing Assignments/journals
    Why waste time at home writing crap. Utilize lecture time instead.
14. Clicking funny Photos
    The 3 megapixel cam in your cam is not just a showpiece. It can be put to good use.
15. Games
    Games such as X and Zero, bollywood-hollywood, Bingo, cows and bulls, dot-dot can be played.
16. Football/Cricket talk
    Discussing teams/clubs, their strategies, fixtures. Possible outcomes, predictions, expert views, analysis. Fight over clubs, rivalry and much more. Welcome to sports chat.
17. Discussion
    Discussion about any topic, like of a debate. Talking about latest happenings, gossips, rumors etc.
18. Pretending to pay attention
    This exercise might work in your favour possibly at the end of the term when the prof will begin to think you are sincere and may give good termwork. This idea never worked with me though.
19. Fighting for the attendance
    The sole purpose or Raisson d’ Etre of attending lectures is attendance sheet. Fight to sign it and keep the sheet with yourself. So that by approximation techniques, you can estimate the chance of proxy being checked and then decide whether to sign dummies or not.

Thank You

I wanna Thank you ……….

For sharing every little joy and sorrow
For being through during every High and Low
For listening to all that I wished to say
For telling me all you had to say….

Coz of you I saw a different world
Or shall I say saw the world differently.
Giving me hope when there was none
Showed me the way where everything seemed blunt.

Everyone’s there to share the Winning moments
But you were the one who cared when I had lost.
You gave me confidence when I needed it the most
The willpower and Strength to come back strong.

For answering my problems in the middle of the night
For calling up with no reason but to say ‘hi’.
For the sweet tune of Flute you played for me
For watching football matches together just for me.

For traveling with me far off places
Coming for movies and coffee shops
I cherish all the pranks you played
Thank you for the Moments we shared.

Thank you, Thanks again….…for being my best friend

Taking Risks

We almost always tend to play safe and avoid taking risks in many situations. Thinking about what might happen if it doesn’t work out,if it fails. “Fear of failure” hampers you from performing certain tasks. This fear used to affect me a lot. I would be afraid even before making a speech before 10 people.

But I guess things have changed. At this point I have realized that fear and success are very much part of life. Accept them as they come, and try to learn from it.

In the first year, I tried my hand at robotics. Me, Badri and Anand made a wired bot car. Worked on similar lines with other friends and made one more bot somewhat similar. While competing for college festivals, realized that our’s wasn’t the fastest one and we dint have enough knowledge of that field. The aerodynamics, mechanical aspects, torque and all. Figured out that I had just failed. But doesn’t matter, atleast I tried. I had figured out what I am not good at.

Working for web-building was again just a chance. A risk if it had failed, but fortunately succeded there. Many people just don’t convey their feelings for a boy or a gal, just because they feel that friendship will be broken if he/she says no. But I believe that it’s worth taking a risk. What’s the point in not admitting the truth. Why not to portray ourself as someone who we really are. Who knows this risk might change your life.

Winning isn’t everything. It’s about giving your best. It’s about pushing your limits, meeting your targets, achieving your goals. In a cricket match when you are chasing a very high score, you have to take the risk and go for the big shots. Well we may argue that you may get out taking such risks and fail; but realize that it’s the only way you can succeed.

I heard of an Event called Google Whacking while at IIT techfest in FE. I thought whacking had something to do with Hacking and told myself, it’s not my cuppa tea. I would just be a laughstock FE who knows nothing alongwith BE’s geared up with stuff. But my friend insisted on us going. The event wasn’t at all about hacking. It was a simple events of playing with words and Google and we actually went through to the next round also. We had fun. And from then on, we have Google Whacking every semester in cllg. Had I not taken the risk, I would have missed out on the fun.

I liked this song words from westlife song ‘Flying without Wings’

You Gotto fight for every dream
‘Coz you never know
Which one you let go
Would have made you complete.

Window View

Looking down from my classroom window, saw Rajhans students walking out of their school in a single line towards their bus. Their discipline and simplicity was admirable. Sometimes we can learn a lot from these kids.


Looking at my life, thought that simplicity was pretty much there, but the discipline lacked. Life had been a lot unorganised, lot unplanned, my room's a mess, nothing's at the right place. I waste time hunting for my notebook, my pen-drive,my pen etc. I admired those kids.


I little further from the school is a large piece of unused land. Full of greenery due to rains. With grass and short bushes. Hard to find such a big open ground in Mumbai. A little further was PVR cinema where Badri, Dobhal, Kushal and Noopur were watching Rock On.I wished i was with them(though i ended up watching it next day). Then saw the heavy traffic at the JVPD junction .....dis place is never traffic free.



Back to the Bhavans campus again, i saw a small boy of 5-6 years with a coach in the tennis court. I was eager to watch how the coach would start. He was first explaining him the techniques of holding a Tennis racket correctly and appropriate method of movement.Next they started on to service. The coach made 3-4 services of different kinds and the boy was observing him.


It was his turn now. First serve, the boy could'nt connect the racket with the ball. Again the same thing next time. But for the third time, he connected it, only as far as to reach the net. This continued for long.The racket used to either miss the ball or the ball would touch the net.The coach corrected his arm action again and now after a few more trials, the ball reached the other side of the net. The kid must have felt happier. Now the ball was travelling other side of the net quite well, coach told him about cross serve and that the ball should fall in the opposite quadrant. The boy tried that too, sometimes going right,sometimes erred, but nevertheless he was learning.

The session ended soon..And So did the "CC" lecture.....Infact lectures have been so interesting these days. It's just a matter of how you look at it.

Life @ fast lane…………….

Life has been fantastic last few days. Being busier than ever before. Learning things that I myself would have never thought I could. Having fun with friends. Making college our Home, be it holiday or college-day, being in college. Still managing to watch a DVD a day, reading novels, contributing to college committees. Life is great.

Sometimes people find life boring. I think because lives of such people are monotonic, i.e. their today is same as tomorrow. A new day should bring you new opportunities, new problems and newer ways to solve them. Then life will never again be boring.

“Don’t try for too many things in too little time”, “Take your steps slowly or you might crumble” people have being telling me. I know they are right. But I know that it’s now or never. Whenever a good opportunity comes, you should grab it with both hands. Doing the right thing at the right time matters. I may have to sacrifice a few hours of leisure time for that, adjust a few things here and there. Doesn’t matter, enjoyment can come later.

In some ways I have learnt from Pratap, a guy from my class( Read IEEE Chairperson….). The amount of effort he puts in to get things done in time is awesome. He shall remain my inspiration forever. How can I forget my after-college group of Yugi, Gogo, Amey, Rohit, Anup, Sinnan, Rahul. We are a fantastic group. We are into everything. Silly jokes, pranks, serious work, game strategies(read cs and warcraft), football chat. Someday they’ll transform me into a better Warcraft player.

And yes, how can I ever forget Nikhil sir. He has been so great with us. He has presented us with a great opportunity to do an industry level project. Guiding us the way through. Helping us with getting around things.


Meanwhile I am getting a call asking events list for Nirmaan(our college fest) which is to be displayed on website. I get a call saying JSP/Servlet project submission in 3 days. Some SE asking why php is not working on his PC. Some crap microprocessor journal to be checked tomorrow. Maybe some assignments to do which I am not aware of. Making me wonder why I am wasting time on writing stupid blogs? Sometimes you got to live for the moment I guess.


I remember Shania Twain’s song.

“C’est la vie……
That’s life and that’s how it’s gonna be………………….”

An Intro

Friends this is Sanket. One of the several lakh students currently studying engineering in India. New to the world of blogging but not new to the world of writing.


Was shy during most of my schoollife, with average scores, fewer friends and simple lifestyle. Gradually till the end of schoollife, the shyness somehow reduced and I was quite active in class activities. I was liking this sudden change. The world around you appears to change when you change yourself. Seeing around people who simply numerically added to the class figure, i realised that i shouldn't be one of them. Realised the importance of being active, being counted!!!


Engineering:
Engineering is the discipline and profession of applying scientific knowledge and utilizing natural laws and physical resources in order to design and implement materials, structures, machines, devices, systems, and processes that realize a desired objective and meet specified criteria.

This Wikipedia definition does not apply to me. Or for that matter to most people around me. The only machines i took interest in last two years is PC and Calculator, without understanding the working principles of either.

Sometimes looking around, find people around me craving for marks, mugging crap guides, paying hefty fees for classes, impressing teachers for termwork. Maybe that'll give them a good job, a good scoresheet to look upon. Some pride to salvage. But i wold never take this path. Don't mind bad grades if it helps me gain practical knowledge that maybe will not help me immediately but somewhere in future. Mugging some unimportant crap just because it has been asked several times over in the exams doesn't really exite me.
In the long run, the marksheet will just be a piece of paper but the experience and thrill of learing different things, thinking out of the box, will surely count.

A Website story....

Four friends, a week after their CET exam, were off to a vacation. It was surely party time. This vacation was long due coz each one of them was quite pissed off with the hectic schedule and the exam pressure and all, and everyone needed a break.
Friends together is always fun, great enjoyment, good bonding and celebration. Coming back from the vacation, they thought that they would be quite busy, hardly find any time to meet, due to being in different colleges. But one of them had a different idea. He said “Guys, I have got a brilliant offer. One of the profs of my college wants me to make college website for the junior college. He’s gonna pay decent money. So why not do it together. By that we’ll have some more time together. Have more enjoyment.”
Firstly his friends didn’t quite enjoy the thought of working after the enjoyment filled vacation. And even if they did become ready for accepting the task, it came with a deadline. 10 days, that’s it. Most importantly, none of them had any great knowledge bout website making. But sometimes when people are young, they just like to accept challenges, trying to brave every situation. That’s what you call young blood. They took up the task.
Now where to start and how to start was the question. All that these guys knew about websites was HTML tags which they had mugged up for the sole purpose of clearing the 12th exam. Initial 2-3 days were about experimenting i.e. trying out different things, viewing source code of famous web-sites. These codes were too complex for the guys to understand. They had to start from crap.
One of them knew of a software called “dreamweaver” which simplifies the task of making websites. But none knew how to use it!! They got some video tutorials from net and started learning things. Now most of the things were clear. One had to do work of Database, other had to work on content, third one had to look for layout and design and html coding, the forth had to make photoshop images for background, layout etc.
Finally, they had well defined their tasks, and worked really hard to learn more each day. Each passing day meant deadline getting closer. But the good thing was that site was ready 2 days before the deadling. And infact it was liked by the college so much that they gave more money than that being decided.
And for all those who had the patience of reading till now, one of them was me, and the others were Nikhil—the database guy, Omkar—The photoshop guy and Vijay- the content guy. We still have the money with us. It just reminds us of those days wherein we worked together for a purpose, for a common goal. And what happened to the website. That's an interesting thing!!! The website was on internet for 1 year. Then was removed coz college did not pay money to continue the web-server. Probably because of management changes or factors which i really dont care. I still love making web-sites and have done quite a few.

Just want to say that nothing’s impossible. You got to Dream!!!
You got to Dream big!!!
You got to work hard for your dream!!!
You got to make it come true!!!