The Days of My Life!

Laziest Post!

2005-12-03T20:09:00.000+05:30

Was tempted to blog quite a few times but laziness took over. Why is it that some guys are just born to be lazy bums and others like to just do it! Why do I never want to do anything in life as in like getting up for a glass of water :-D Why dont I feel the bloody urge to even get up from where I am sitting? Dont I the energy? Why is it that some people like me hate to do anything.

Its been like this my whole life and there are quite a few people I have met who can beat me. I never feel anything burning inside me, as some people like to say. I just dont feel anything. Wouldnt life be great if you could just do nothing? Everyday I wake up and I hate to brush my teeth, then I hate to bathe, then I hate to get ready, then I hate to go to office, then hate to work....!! Am I the only soul in this world who just hates doing things??

Tom , Dick & Harry

2005-11-20T16:50:00.000+05:30

Tom M. Riddle, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Shit!! Man what a bloody waste of time and money :(( Tortured myself and my friend and I felt sick after sitting thru those 3 hrs!!

Well toning down the things a bit it wasnt that bad either, but I probably expected a lot from the stupid kids. The effects and all were of course a good eye dose but man where was the acting? And who the hell was that Dumbledore, which I think was some new guy and he sucked big time. He is supposed to be one of the all time great wizards he just couldnt make me believe so throughout the movie.

Anyways, as someone rightly said, dont judge a book by its movie! So ppl I am still a harry potter fan, the books still rock!

Diwali Dhamaka!

2005-11-02T19:35:00.000+05:30

The last few weeks have been eventful to say the least. I finally moved in to a new house and thanks to our in-house interior decorator it sure looks awesome! Though I do feel a bit "light" after all that money now all gone. But then what else is the festival of "lights" for? Also I spent last few days with my family and just my family. No cell phones, no mails, no friends, just family!!

Cant write anymore! So anyone and everyone passing by this page, here's wishing you a great Diwali! Enjoy maadi!

Dedication!

2005-10-16T04:52:00.000+05:30

This post is dedicated to the one and only truly international sportsperson from India.

Sachin Tendulkar? 8/180 countries playing a game isn't international!
Sania Mirza? Mebbe sometime later, not a superstar.

It has to be our very own International Chess Grandmaster. Vishy Anand.

Man! Hats off to you!

Bombay Dreams!

2005-10-09T16:45:00.000+05:30

Me back in mumbai after more than a year! Yippeeee!! I don't understand why I seem to like this place so much despite its shady slums, tatti traffic, wet weather...

Joined my new company with a renewed feeling of a fresher, you know the kind of nervousness coupled with excitment. So far its been a mixed adventure [As UK had called it!].

Most [read:all] of my off-work time has been spent in looking for a home sweet home. Me and my other [not necessarliy the better one ;)] half, Mr. Anandi Lal have visited places as shady as the chandivili mhada and as psuede [what's the bloody speeling?] as high and lofty HN in our quest for a suitable place to stay. As of now, lady luck, as they euphemistically call it, has been eluding us :( Anyway, what with my boyish charms [people who have seen me need not comment on this!!] and anand's manly attitude it won't be long to woo her :)

Ok its time to sign off for now!

Goodbye Bangalore!

2005-09-25T15:34:00.000+05:30

Its that time of week again where I have nothing to do but read random blogs, news articles, browse thru java community sites. I have been reading a lot these days. I have always loved to read, but only recently did I rediscover that childhood passion of mine. As soon as I leave from office I grab a book and read a good 150-200 pages before dozing off and dreaming about it! At times I have not less than four books which I am in the process of reading. This is a new way in which I now read, as in, when I was younger I used to get hold of a book and read it to the end. Now what I do is read several books at the same time reading few pages from each of them day after day. I feel the reason for this behavior is the advent of cable TV and internet. When one watches TV or browses thru the internet he has a lot of options. Changing the channel or the website is a normal thing. Now everybody wants a lot of options, no matter what.
Although my change in reading pattern may be simply because of lack of concentration or just plain boredom from reading a single thing.

Last week I had my bed full of books such as the Lost World, Michael Crichtion, Genome, An Autobiography of Species, The Last Juror, John Grisham, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and the Devil's Alternative, Frederick Forsyth. Believe me or not, I was in the middle of reading all of those! Its like when you have had a lot of chocolates, you start yearning for something spicy, salty and vice verca. Exactly like after reading a chapter or two of Lost World, I feel an urge to switch over to Frederick Forsyth. I don't know if all this wierd behavior is just because of the lack of close friends with me and sub-conciously I have made friends with all these good authors and their books.

Anyways, I have decided to switch jobs and will be moving shortly to my join my new company by the name of BNP Paribas. Apparently its a huge financial services company based in Paris. So its time to say goodbye to Bangalore.

Adieus!

Curiosity and Human Instincts

2005-08-21T16:30:00.000+05:30

Just a few days back I was reading a book called "GENOME--An autobiography of species". The one thing that got me thinking was a relatively simple question --"Why are humans curious?". Why do we just have to know? From the ancient times our forefathers have been trying to know the unknown, delve into the deespest mysteries of the universe and making efforts to come up with the reasons. Sometimes logical, scientific, backed up with theory and experiments. Sometimes not so logical, based entirely on faith, belief and trust.

Some people have gone to the extent of claiming thaat this Quest of Knowledge is what actually differentiates us from the lower beings, and makes us superior. I have few things to say about this superiority business (in genetic terms) below, but first lets finish what I started. So is Curiosity just another human instinct, in addition to the usual sex and hunger thingies? If this is true then what is it that drives it? Sex is for reproduction, hunger is for survival, what is curiosity for?

You tell a child not to go to a certain place, not to do this, not to do that. The child out of his own curiosity just does the opposite and may even kill himself in doing so. Is this behaviour true of other animals, say puppies, kittens, etc.? Are they as curious?

Ok I have run out of the ennergy to write further. Will complete this very soon. By the way, genetically Bacteria are superior to Humans. Will touch this too, but later.
Its F1 time!!

Thanks Dude!

2005-06-26T15:29:00.000+05:30

UK@YM> Oye call me I need to talk to you about something!
Me> Abe kya ho gaya?

UK> Meree shaadee ho gayee hai!
ME> Whaaaat???!!!

This was the dirtiest trick this sweetest guy could play on anyone, and last of all on me! (He isn't getting married, not so soon!)Anyways, I talked to him today afternoon. I don't know who I really pretend to be most of the times. But there are only a few people in this world with whom I play myself. I just talked and talked and poured everything inside me. And now I feel so good.

There was something burning inside for such a long time. It now seems to be all gone. I can't even begin to write the contribution this guy has made in my life. The first few years I hated to admit it. But as the years went past, I just couldn't do away with it.

Thanks UK.

****
Have a ticket for the matinee show of Paheli. And I am preparing myself for three hours of non-stop Shahrukh Khan. Ek aadmi itna pain kaise maar sakta hai?

Food For Thought?

2005-06-18T15:44:00.000+05:30

Apurv:"Batman is my favourite superhero."
Anurag: "And why's that?"
Apurv: "Coz. he's the only one without any supernatural powers. Simply put, he's an ordinary guy!"

Who would be my favourite? A guy who can jump from rooftops, make himself invisible, wake up the dead. OR, a normal guy doing extra-normal things while just being himself.

* * *

Last week I made some very important decisions about my life in general and my career in particular. Still there are people who need convincing. Or is it just me?

Lots of questions. Most of them unanswered.

* * *

Have been hearing some very cool uses of the word shit in normal everyday conversations.

Hagga Ucchhalna:: Simply talk shit.

Tat*i Phenkna:: Same as above.

Hagge Par Nanchna:: Be in a pathetic
situation.

Hagoda:: Bloody looser!

Hagan Chand: An innocent looser.

Hagga:: An extremely versatile adjective.
For eg. hagga khana, hagga kaam, etc.

Party Time?

2005-06-15T14:48:00.000+05:30

Originally uploaded by Anurag Ruhela.

Thanx are due to Nandan for this picture!

Monday at Work!

2005-06-13T11:02:00.001+05:30

A WARMONGER EXPLAINS WAR TO A PEACENIK
PeaceNik: Why did you say we are we invading Iraq?

WarMonger: We are invading Iraq because it is in violation of security council resolution 1441. A country cannot be allowed to violate security council resolutions.

PN: But I thought many of our allies, including Israel, were in violation of more security council resolutions than Iraq.

WM: It's not just about UN resolutions. The main point is that Iraq could have weapons of mass destruction, and the first sign of a smoking gun could well be a mushroom cloud over NY.

PN: Mushroom cloud? But I thought the weapons inspectors said Iraq had no nuclear weapons.

WM: Yes, but biological and chemical weapons are the issue.

PN: But I thought Iraq did not have any long range missiles for attacking us or our allies with such weapons.

WM: The risk is not Iraq directly attacking us, but rather terrorists networks that Iraq could sell the weapons to.

PN: But coundn't virtually any country sell chemical or biological materials? We sold quite a bit to Iraq in the eighties ourselves, didn't we?

WM: That's ancient history. Look, Saddam Hussein is an evil man that has an undeniable track record of repressing his own people since the early eighties. He gasses his enemies. Everyone agrees that he is a power-hungry lunatic murderer.

PN: We sold chemical and biological materials to a power-hungry lunatic murderer?

WM: The issue is not what we sold, but rather what Saddam did. He is the one that launched a pre-emptive first strike on Kuwait.

PN: A pre-emptive first strike does sound bad. But didn't our ambassador to Iraq, April Gillespie, know about and green-light the invasion of Kuwait?

WM: Let's deal with the present, shall we?
..
..
[Can read the whole thing at: http://www.minimumeffort.com/nutshell.html]

BugMeNot.com
Came across this site almost accidentally. It's an extremely useful site and must be bookmarked. You can get the login/passwords of almost every imaginable paid/requiring registration site here. For example, New York Times, India-Today, Janes.com, USNews.com, etc., etc.

Sudoku
Is the new rage in timepass games, I hear. Its now published by leading dailies in India like Hindu. It is basically a japanese game which became popular there in around mid 1980s. The west caught up much later. The game can be played online at this link: http://www.puzzle.jp/letsplay/play_sudoku-e.html

A Great Weekend!

2005-06-12T19:03:00.000+05:30

This weekend has been one of the more eventful ends to a week for me since last couple of months.

1) First of all on friday happened what I'd call the QS2's Day Out!. All the employees of Qwest Software Services(QSS) took a day out of their boring lives and visited a cool Bangalore sub-urban resort by the name of Club Cabana. It was really a treat to spend a full day with the guys with whom I spend my days and have built a nice relationship. Also it was a chance to get acquainted with the new folks. The highlight of the day were the awards given away to the brighter folks amongst us. Ranchu, Makhi, Anandilal and Tiger were among the chosen few. Congrats guys! The day ended with a little too much of leg-shaking, roti-making ;) and the required dose of antakshari on the way back.

2) Next day, saturday, an old friend of mine, Mr. Gyan announced that he will be getting married soon! This was huge, so we all had a nice get together at Naga's place. Its always great to meet with old friends, share our experiences and just have a helluva time. After watching the sun set from atop naga's terrace, I (and naga of course) couldn't resist and I stayed over for the night. We watched 3 movies in a space of 30 min on naga's brand new laptop.

3) Today, sunday, I am again all by myself. I bought The Fourth Protocol by my current favourite author Frederick Forsyth. Its touted to be one of his best by a lot of reviewers, so lets see how it turns out to be!

Okay, so after a long time I have written a My Diary type post. But I think it was after a very long time that I actually enjoyed myself. So it was definitely worth a few words.

Office

2005-06-05T14:42:00.000+05:30

Office
Originally uploaded by Anurag Ruhela.

This was one of the snaps which was taken around some time last year. Its almost been a year at TS2! I would love to write down a lot about how much I have changed in this last year or so. But that's something for some other post.

2005-06-04T22:59:00.000+05:30

My New Phone--Nokia 6610i!

This one had almost everything I wanted/needed:

CIF Camera
Stereo FM Radio
xHTML Browser

Also a host of features such as the highly useful LoundSpeaker, some cool personalization features, a suite of business applications. And last but not the least the reliability of Nokia.

2005-05-28T16:55:00.000+05:30

What Am I Reading?

Ok! A new template deserves a new post although however silly it might turn out to be :-) This is the third consecutive post with a question in the title. Who cares?

Anyways, coming back to the item at hand. So here goes the list of books/articles i have read or trying to read in the last few weeks:

1) The Dogs of War --Frederick Forsyth
2) The Firm --John Grisham
3) Little Women --L M Alcott
4) World War II History --BBC History Website
5) The Eleventh Commandment --J Archer

Apart from these, I get a daily dose of:
http://in.rediff.com
http://timesofindia.com
http://news.google.com/india

Also frequent visits to:
http://www.pinr.com
http://varta.iitb.ac.in/iitb.discuss

Been reading a lot these days. There seems nothing else to do.

2005-05-27T17:09:00.000+05:30

Who's right?

Was reading an article in Rediff and came across the following:

Pakistan and India have held several rounds of talks on the glacier in the past but have failed to reach any agreement.

When the Line of Control that divides Kashmir was set by the two countries after a 1971 war it only reached a point on the map called NJ 9842 and didn't extend to the northern glacier because it was considered uninhabitable.

India says the border should run northward in a straight line up to the Chinese border, while Pakistan says it should go to the northeast following the angle of the Line of Control.

So this is the cause of dispute over the Siachen Glacier. Apparently India spends a crore a day maintaining the base at the glacier! And all this because the politicians can't get their geomtery right!

2005-05-14T23:47:00.000+05:30

India/China Aiding US?

Japanese save a lot. They do not spend much.Also Japan exports far more than it imports. Has an annual trade surplus of over $100 billions.Yet Japanese economy is considered weak, even collapsing.

Americans spend, save little. Also US imports more than it exports. Has an annual trade deficit of over $400 billion. Yet, the American economy is considered strong and trusted to get stronger. But where from do Americans get money to spend? They borrow from Japan, China and even India. Virtually others save for the US to spend. Global savings are mostly invested in US, in dollars. India itself keeps its foreign currency assets of over $50 billions in US securities. China has sunk over $160 billion in US securities.
Japan's stakes in US securities is in trillions.

Result:
The US has taken over $5 trillion from the world. So, as the world saves for the US, Americans spend freely. Today, to keep the US consumption going, that is for the US economy to work,other countries have to remit $180 billion every quarter, which is $2 billion a day, to the US! Otherwise the US economy would go for a six.
So will the global economy. The result will be no different if US consumers begin consuming less.

A Chinese economist asked a neat question. Who has invested more, US in China, or China in US? The US has invested in China less than half of what China has invested in US. The same is the case with India. We have invested in US over $50 billion. But the US has invested less than $20 billion in India.

<This article was lifted entirely from an iitb.discuss post>

2005-02-28T00:37:00.000+05:30

Being Alone

Last I checked, there seem to be more than 6 billion living souls on this planet. Then why is it, that I sometimes feel so alone? Ever since the day I started looking into other people's likes and dislikes, I do not remember a single person whom I could safely assume to be at least more than 90% similar to me! Maybe its because most people I know have entirely different personas when amongst different companies. So it is really difficult to completely know about anybody. Anyways, still I do believe that I should not need a person exactly like me for me to be absolutely comfortable in his company. Then why is it that after a few days or a few weeks I almost always start getting bored of that new friend. Now getting bored is fine, but my reactions are not limited to that, I more often than not start picking out the worst things about that poor guy! And then, slowly the hate process starts to the extent that I can no longer even stand that person's company. Then I look for someone else's time and company, and the story goes on and on. By the way, considering my age, the above should have guarenteed tens and hundreds of new people I would have sought after as my friends till now, but the point is that I usually might go back to the person I would have been some weeks or months and sort of rediscover that person!

Whatever I blabbered above was actually not even remotely related to what I had in mind when I started writing this piece. But anyways, it is sometimes good to let one's thoughts flow back and forth and have a medium with oneself to actually have a record of it all. This is what these damn blogs are all about, aint they?

As an aside, there is so much I wanna do, but the time seems to be running out. Oh God! Please give me the strength to make my dreams come true. I know you have always been with me and will surely continue to so!

2005-02-27T22:14:00.000+05:30

Favourite Movies!

Here's the list of my All Time Favourite Movies(Just for the record!):

1)The Matrix
2)Memento
3)Lord of the Rings Trilogy
4)Shichinin no samurai
5)Schindler's List
6)Life is Beautiful
7)The Guns of Navarone
8)Rain Man
9)The Shawshank Redemption
10)Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge

I don't how many times I have watched these movies over and over again! Possessing the DVDs of these all time classics is really high on my wish list.

2004-11-06T18:12:00.000+05:30

Another post after a long break! I really seem to have gotten busy or maybe lazier :D Anyways, I have always loved to read and listen, and I have always hated to write and talk! Main Aisa Kyun Hoon?.

This blog was originally meant to be a vent to my feelings. But I think its really hard to instrospect and harder to write it out!! By the way, if anyone wants to see a *good* blog visit vardan's blog. I wish I had someone like him to whom I could bore with my musing and he would write it out for me. But I don't think I earn enough to afford anyone like that right now, so I must write these myself :(

bas ab baaki baad mein likhenge !!

2004-09-12T17:49:00.000+05:30

Me in My Own Words!

The deisre to write about myself has been burning inside me for quite some time now. There couldn't possibly be a better place to make my private life public other than this blog. Actually there are times when I want to just write, about no one in particluar, but just let my thoughts flow. Anyways, its time to let the world about me. I remember the first few days at my first college IET Lucknow, seniors used to force out of us those "intros". A typical senior would grab me at any time of the night and blurt some of his choicest non-printable stuff ending with,

Senior: "Chal be intro de!"
Me: I am Anura...

Senior: "Abe Angrez ki aulaad hindi nahi aati kya?"
Me: Aati hai Sir..Mera naam Anurag Ruhela hai..blah blah..!!

This routine was repeated every night for more than a month with of course a difference person all the time. Another, antirely different kind of "intros" are expected when one's travelling in a train for instance.

Co-Passenger: "Beta kahan jaa rahe ho?"
Me: Uncle, Bombay!

Co-Passenger: "Accha..wahan padhte ho?"
Me: Haanji!

Co-Passenger: "Kaunse college mein?"
Me: IIT..Actually I am doing Chem Engg there!

Co-Passenger: "Oooh!..Mere Bhai ke wife ka chhota bhai bhi IIT Bombay se pass-out kiya tha 1986 mein!!"
Me: hmmm..!

Co-Passenger: "First year mein ho beta ?"
Me: Nahi nahi uncle..final year mein! [shit]

Co-Passenger: "Accha...[long pause] Job lag gayee hogee? "
Me: Haan uncle..software job hai!

Co-Passenger: "Software! ...ohhh...acchaa...US jaana hai? "
Me: [Of Course :)] Nahi uncle! Aisa kuch nahi hai.

Co-Passenger: "Acchaa..hmmm...To yeh batao beta..."
Me: Uncle I really have to sleep now, if you don't mind!!

Another class of introductions have to given when sitting in front of an interview panel.

Interviewer: "Okay Anurag, so tell us a bit about yourself ?"
Me: Sir, I was born and brought up in DehraDun. My father works as a scientist in DRDO. I did my schooling in dehradun itself.Blah Blah and more Blah Blah..!!!

Interviewer: "Ok, Okay!! So your academic credentials look impressive. But tell me a bit about something you did apart from your studies! ?"
Me: Okay Sir. Thank You. [Quick Exit!]

Still another type of intro can be seen while in company of a cute girl!

Me: Hi! you are [some looser]'s sister, right ?
Cute Girl: "Noooo! Have me met?"

Me: No not really, I guess, but anyways I am Anurag :)
Cute Girl: "Hiee! I am cute_girl"

Cute Girl:"So wjat do you do?"
Me: I am studying in IITB!!

Cute Girl:"Wow!! You must be smart!"
Me: [You betcha!!] I don't know. Its not like that really. Some iitians are really dumb, like the one you talking with earlier!!

Cute Girl: "You are so modest! So what do you do apart from studying like hell, I guess? "
Me: [Compare the response to the same question above] Hey why do ppl think that iitians only study! I for one, like to enjoy my college life. You see, I workout everyday, and then weekends are the time to rock at cool pub!!! And blah..blah...!!!

Then there are several more occasions when you are required to present yourself and let the world know you! Actually this article was meant to be more serious and a reflection of my thoughts, but hey, thats for some other time.

2004-07-24T14:01:00.000+05:30

A Post Long Overdue

Okay! So finally I got the time to post something. Some may notice the change in the title of my blog [Yeah, lifted it from the Friends show :D]. Few days back I left the place which I now remember as a sweet dream. IIT Bombay. For, a dream it really was. I never really felt this way about it before. Why is it, always, that you tend to realize the imporatnce of something only when its no longer with you? So what is it really that I miss ? Is it the company of my closest pals, the carefree life or maybe just the resistance to any change ? Frankly, I do not for sure.

Five years is a long time. I entered as a shy, introvert but proud kid, and left as a more modest and mature person. I still remember the last few days there. The people who were my family for last so many years, would be no more than ghosts to me. The hardest thing in life is to say goodbye to your closest people. These days when I go to bed, I get flashes of my life there. Some good, some scary! I don't know if everyone feels so strongly, but I surely do. Anyways, Life must go on. So here I am in Bangalore, with my new look, open mind and a will to succeed among all odds!

2004-06-02T10:41:00.000+05:30

Le Peuple Migrateur

Everyone, I am sure, has looked up in the sky admiring the creatures that rule it! Many a adventurers' in earlier times laid their lives trying to emulate these supreme beings. Seeing the birds glide gracefully has always held me in wonder and in awe of them. As a kid I wished I had been born a bird and could just soar high up in the sky!

Celebrating these wonderful creatures is a new movie aptly titled "Winged Migration". It is an extremely beautiful film, to say the least. The camera-work is breathtaking. You can almost touch the birds, fly with them, covering thousands of miles as they make their journeys around the earth.

"Winged Migration offers breathtaking and amazing shots of the magnificent beauty of birds and the scenic beauty of all continents. From Kilimanjaro to Monument Valley to New York city to China's Great Wall you'll see spectacular footage of birds on the wing and their constant struggle for survival. "

The soundtrack is amazing. The movie was apparently shot over the course of three years over all seven continents. Seeing the film you seem compelled to believe that it is birds that rule the earth. This is their kingdom.

2004-05-31T23:19:00.000+05:30

Disorganised
Introvert
Sadistic
Insecure
Immmodest
Sarcastic
Irresponsible

Yeah this is me! Although I am feeling kinda down right now, so the above may represent more of the "Mr Hyde" side of me!!

Anyways, yesterday went to see a new hollywood flick "The Day After Tomorrow". Man, these guys know how to spend money! The effects were nothing less than stupendous. The storyline involved the coming of a new ice-age [All you Geography/Climatology freaks can go to hell]. And believe me, I could feel my ass go cold! Although the film may not go down well with the critics due to some poor acting and may be some logical flaws. But trust me, it was a treat to watch.

Planning to watch Hum Tum next. And won't write down its review here, you can read it at rediff!

2004-05-25T21:36:00.000+05:30

Okay! So I have been feeling this guilty for not being able to update my blog for quite some time now. Actually I have around 35 days left here at IIT. So, considering the short-sighted naming of my blog, either I just stop posting, or better change the name. But all that's for 35 later.

As of now, this blog is alive and kicking once again. I have been the kind of fellow who avoids social contacts and abhors fulfiling social responsibilities. But lately, I sense a change in myself. I long to be with friends and love to hang out with real people. Although people who know me close enough would laugh their heads off at the above statement considering the enormous increase in my time spent on watching AOE recorded games. Still, I know I feel something new, something refreshing within me.

Ha!, I can be serious:D So this is fun! Btw here's a peice of conversation from the best TV show on earth:

Rachel: Joey Unisex.
Joey : Oh no, you need sex, I had it yesterday!
Rachel: No Joey. I mean U N I sex.
Joey : Yeah ok, I have some time now!!

Hilarious isn't it? I just love it. While I am at it, let me confess that my favourite character is Ross. Not Phoebe, not Joey. But Ross. His sense of comic timing is just too good. Rachel is hot! And I hate Monica!

2004-05-17T19:35:00.000+05:30

Lunch at Laxmi

After a long time, today we lunched at laxmi resteraunt. We ordered 2 Dal Tadka, 1 Paneer Butter Masala and plain Roti. Also, to wash thatall down we had a refreshing glass of Chhaaj [Butter Milk]. Talked about the recent crash in the BSE over the lunch, and expressed concern over the changing political climate in India. Also the discussion hovered around to what made us decide not to become doctors! This is getting pretty boring but our lives have become dull and boring and my blog's ought to reflect that well enough.

I want some change desperately.

2004-05-15T19:46:00.000+05:30

The IMAX Experience

Yesterday, me and some of my friends had a blast! We just blew ourselves ourselves up for fun. So much bombing and wars happening worldwide we just had to know what the damn fuss was all about. We really have a grave sense of humour. Ohh and I forgot to mention that before that we spent some time at the IMAX theatre here in Bombay, which happens to be one of kind in the subcontinent. I must say that I was impressed with the huge dome screen and almost in-your-face movie experience. It's just another matter that the movie was boring like hell, and the promos and trailers were what made our day.

[Mom and Dad, I am fine. Nothing much happened. Only I can't feel my legs, and why is everything getting so friggin dark ?!!]

2004-05-14T01:10:00.000+05:30

The Purpose of Life!

People tell me that I have been writing a lot of crap, and it is time I turned a wee bit serious. So let me put forth my ideas on something I think a lot about. There is something I have always wondered. What is the purpose of life? We are born poor or rich, stupid or intelligent, hindu or muslim, man or woman (or..maybe..er..)and with many more of such traits. But do we ever realize why we are toiling so hard everyday ? What is it that drives us ? Why don't we make peace with the fact that no matter what we do we are going to die sooner or later ? Ok, no I don't believe in life after death and life after death or any such theory. I feel the people are always looking for a reason to live and these theories in a way form their driving force.

But for people like me who find it really hard to fathom the authenticity of these doctrines, what should be the innner motivation? Now as a kid, on a particular day you might long for a toy. That desire to have that toy keeps you alive. As you grow older your toys change, your desires increase, but they don't end. No matter how much you earn you will never be satisfied. These are the small and big things which tend to keep us moving. Indian philosophy preaches renunciation of these material desires and offerring oneself in the service of the almighty. But I ask, what about the people like me who are skeptical about the existence of god itself ? What are we supposed to do ? Ok, I already hear the gurus mumbling that you don't question faith. You believe it. Once you are dead and gone you will realize the point of existence. Wow! if god really made us all, why did he not give us the brains to deicide for ourselves what's right and what's wrong? Why is it that 99.99% of all humans practice what a saint/sadhu would term sacrilege ? It is interesting to notice that there is a class of people who listen to the preachings and all. They can't stop admiring the wisdom of their gurus, but when it comes to practising, they fall back to the last bench. Now I don't blame these guys. Rather I feel pitiful them becuase I think they are constantly living in the guilt of believing that by longing for material benefits they are doing something wrong. I again question, why is that only a few bunch of enlightened folks can really understand all that they practice and the rest just need to blindly believe in them. Why didn't god give them the power to understand the puzzle of life ?

Anyways, the point I wanted to make above was that is longing for our desires really a vice ? I feel that ordinary people need something to do, every morning they wake. Why feel so shameful about it ? Okay, some guy tells you that you are not leading the right life and may end up badly after death. I say, to hell with him. Please you lead your life and let us lead ours in the way we want to, in the way our natural instincts lead us. That's because for me my natural intinct is the voice of god. He wanted humans to be a certain way, and he communicates through our inner voices. The point is there are people specially in India who superimpose those thoughts with their own. They start telling you, that hey, what you just thought was utterly wrong. Do what we say and you'll live after your death.

Still, the totality of all things is very unclear to me and I know to most of us. This emptiness is what some guys take advantage of. They weave different stories and make you believe into their logic. Now, I must clear one thing. I am not at all against any theory of god or attaining nirvana/mokhsha. What I believe is that if god wanted me to do something I would have been naturally inclined to do it. I wouldn't need some god-send messenger to tell me what to do.

[By the way, if in any way I may have hurt any religious/spiritual sect I am really sorry, as it was not my intention to do so.]

2004-05-13T23:12:00.000+05:30

Whoa! So what's new today?

Lots, actually. I refilled my cellphone. Now I can answer the people who keep pestering me with those damn missed calls! And I have a orange sim. That's because I hate to run into corners or dangle from the terrace just for accepting a bloody call. I mean my life's worth a few extra bucks dude! Also, few more of freinds are gonna lead a safe life, as they switched to orange too. So that's about the cellphone thingie.

A rather bizarre incident happened to me today. I won't write about it.

2004-05-12T20:30:00.000+05:30

Cool Sites of the day

Well, here's some of the coolest sites I visited and really loved them.

Cool Site of the Day Okay, so I copied the title of the blog from this one. Anyways, I don't know how could have I missed this one for so long. It has a really incredible collection of best sites on the web. Must give it a try.

Morphases Ever tried a hand at morphing pics of your friends ? Well now you can do all the naughty and silly things at this site, which has almost infinite settings to choose from. Its really a fun site and a big time pass!

The Rasterbator Ever seen a good pic on the net while surfing and wondered what it might look like on your wall as a huge poster ? If yes, then rasterbator's the word for you. Go check out the site.

BML Walker Well the stuff these guys have come up with is to be seen to be believed. So rush to above link!

Actually, there are many I would have loved to share, but right now I am getting kinda bored. So what I'll do is get myself a coke and watch FRIENDS [So sad its over :((]

2004-05-12T15:27:00.000+05:30

Watched "Planet of the Apes", the older one, yesterday. Nothing great about the movie really, only that I felt elated having cracked the ending beforehand, which by the way, is hyped to be one of best twists in any movie ever. Wanted to watch the next three sequels to it, but was cautioned by one of my friends and IMDB, to let go of the urge, and kill time in a better way. So I thought why not post some crap on my blog for the crappy people who visit it :D

In other news, I rediscovered my freshman passion of yahoo chatting with a bang. Spent almost a whole hour at it and felt young once again!! Yes, that's right, otherwise, I feel friggin old and senile! I feel the frequent urges to start gardening and take my grandson [Wish I had one] for a walk round the park. My joints ache, and tummy's ballooning. Girls have stopped looking at me and I am called up to discuss serious matters and shower my helpful advice. Even my friends are ageing. We talk about politics and have tea!

Okay. So this seems to have gotten out of hand. But I promised crap and you got just that. So its time to sign off and attend to more urgent matters at hand. No, I am not gonna write those out here!

2004-05-11T19:42:00.000+05:30

New Look

Gave my blog a new look and feel. Hope I like it this way for more than a week:D Last few weeks have been the most carefree days of my entire stay at IIT. But, sadly its DDP time now. Will try to finish off most of the work by this weekend and enjoy the rest of summer!

2004-05-09T16:11:00.000+05:30

Well its been long since i posted here. Anyways, just found two interesting sites:

1: www.orcut.com
A good networking site. just ask your friends and all to join and wonder at the huge network of people you've created.

2. www.hotornot.com
Now this is cool site. Just post your photo there and look for its rating in a day or two, after being rated by hundreds of people!

Nothings much going on these days, except of course AOE!!

2004-05-03T02:25:00.000+05:30

I think its working now!!!!

2004-05-03T02:03:00.000+05:30

Just trying out the comments thing...

2004-05-03T02:01:00.000+05:30

2004-05-03T01:59:00.000+05:30

Just trying to get the comments thing working...

2004-04-23T10:45:00.000+05:30

Job Opening

Just wrote down a possible job advertisement.

Dear All,

This is to inform all that our Hostel HouseKeeping Service is looking for
hiring a few motivated professionals for their Washing Department. Please
note our requirements:

-Candidate should be willing to Work-with-Hands!
-Knowledge of English Language is absolutely redundant.
-Candidate should be familiar with latest Soaps/Detergents
-Experience in maintanance of Washing Machines will be an add-on.

If you feel you have in you, please feel free to mail [by post] us your
resume by this month end.

Best Regards,
Sukhi Ram.
HR Head.

2004-04-20T01:09:00.000+05:30

Richard P. Feynman

First heard about him in sixth grade. Yeah, seriously! My dad had gotten the complete three volume set of "The Feynman Lectures on Physics". I was always fascinated by new books in my younger years. So this natural curiosity got the better of me and I started flipping the pages of those volumes. Frankly, I read only the foreword by the author, but even then, I was impressed by the book in a strange kind of way. It was really my first close encounter [no not of the third kind!] with physics. I remember that I just browsed through the contents and stopped there. Anyways, it was not until my ninth grade that I could begin grasping some of the chapters especially on Classical Mechanics and on Gravity. It soon became my bedtime book! I used to read over the same chapters again and again, marvelling at physics more than at the author at that time. There was a chapter on Algebra which I used to find particulaly fascinating. It was written in a story kind of style and consisted of the history of number development and the ideas that brought about that evolution. I must have read that chapter not less than five times!

It wasn't until I joined IIT that I realized the books I had been reading all along my childhood were one of few classics in physics. Also, I learnt that the author, Dr. Feynman [CalTech] was a celebrated physicist of his time with extensive work in the area of quantum-electrodynamics [For which he was awarded the nobel prize]. Indeed I owe a lot to this man for whatever scientific temper I have, or maybe ever had. Listed below are few links which may be used to know more about him.

-Dr. Richard Feynman
-Feynman's Classic Talk [A must read]
-Feynman's Noble Lecture

2004-04-19T20:39:00.000+05:30

My DDP!

Well most of you got it wrong as the title is not even remotely close to what I have in mind. Actually this self-made acronym stands for My Drop Dead Poo. Ok now honestly speaking its really difficult for anyone to have a close look at my poo. Its incerdibly obnoxious smell has a lethal effect on its beholders. Some may cry out in pain. Some may manage to puke the thing off, but to most its a drop dead experience. It needs a huge heart and the nose of a sanitary worker to stand my excreta more than a few seconds.

I have well thought out plans to turn it into a Weapon of Mass Destruction. The only preparation required is a good diet of Eggs, Aloo Parathas with Biryani to top it all off. And there you have a potentially life-threatning chemical weapon. If you have a person you hate like hell, please do read on. The weapon can be purchased in a variety of colors, ranging from white (!) to yellow, to green and to even black at rough times. But dear potential customers, a worst case scenario of a permanent state-of-extreme-shock is guaranteed.

I have the state-of-the-art testing facility in my wing "Lesunos" here in my hostel. The testing procedure involves having a shit and leaving the toilet un-flushed, only to wait for the test subject to arrive. You may pretend taking a piddle just beside the toilet. The reaction of the unfortunate onlooker instantaneously testifies the quality of my product.

Hope this has generated enough interest for my newest range of products. Still unconvinced ? Try it out now, its free as a special introductory offer!

2004-04-19T20:33:00.000+05:30

Classic Definitions
1. Lecture : An art of transferring information from the notes of thelecturer to the notes of the students without passing through "the mindsof either".
2. Love affairs : Something like cricket where one-day internationalsare more popular than a five day test. 3. Marriage : It's an agreement in which a man loses his bachelor degreeand a woman gains her master
4. Divorce : Future tense of marriage
5. Cigarette : A pinch of tobacco rolled in paper with fire at one end &a fool at the other.
6. Conference : The confusion of one man multiplied by the numberpresent.
7. Compromise : The art of dividing a cake in such a way that everybodybelieves he got the biggest piece. 8. Tears : The hydraulic force by which masculine will-power is defeatedby feminine water-power ..
9. Dictionary : A place where divorce comes before marriage.
10. Conference Room : A place where everybody talks, nobody listens &everybody disagrees later on.
11. Ecstasy : A feeling when you feel you are going to feel a feelingyou have never felt before.
12. Classic : A book which people praise, but do not read.
13. Smile : A curve that can set a lot of things straight.
14. Office : A place where you can relax after your strenuous homelife.
15. Yawn : The only time some married men ever get to open their mouth.
16. e.t.c. : A sign to make others believe that you know more than youactually do.
17. Committee: Individuals who can do nothing individually and sit todecide that nothing can be done together.
18. Experience : The name men give to their mistakes.
19. Atom Bomb: An invention to end all inventions.
20. Philosopher : A fool who torments himself during life, to be spokenof when dead.
21. Diplomat : A person who tells you to go to hell in such a way thatyou actually look forward to the trip. 22. Opportunist : A person who starts taking bath if he accidentallyfalls into a river.
23. Optimist : A person who while falling from Eiffel Tower says inmidway "See I am not injured yet."
24. Pessimist : A person who says that O is the last letter in ZERO,Instead of the first letter in word OPPORTUNITY
25. Miser : A person who lives poor so that he can die rich.
26. Father : A banker provided by nature.
27. Criminal : A guy no different from the rest... except that he gotcaught.
28. Boss : Someone who is early when you are late and late when you areearly.
29. Politician : One who shakes your hand before elections and yourConfidence after.
30. Doctor : A person who kills your ills by pills, and kills you withhis bills.
31. Computer Engineer : One who gets paid for reading such mails......

2004-04-13T16:04:00.000+05:30

Infy to bhaiya infy cool hai!
Well its no secret that India is always short of icons, people/things which we poor souls can look up to and probably get somewhat motivated. You can count them on your fingers [yeah even with a normal hand ..no need for sixth Hrithik Finger]. Here's my list in no particular order...

{Sachin Tendulkar, Amitabh Bachhan, Mahatma Gandhi, IITs, Bollywood (?), Indian Railways, Spirituality, Taj Mahal, Infosys}

Well, the last entry in the above list is what I had intented to write about. Infosys is the dream come true for India. A lot may written about its success story, but the recent news that has made us all proud is that it crossed $ 1bn. in revenues! Here's an excerpt from the rediff article on the story...
----------------------
Is there anything that can go wrong for Infosys?
No, say information technology analysts from leading equity research companies.
Infosys is clearly on a roll and its results declared on Tuesday morning have beat market expectations. Despite, an appreciating rupee, volatility in the United States over the outsourcing issue and margin pressures, Infosys has managed to show a 31 per cent growth in revenues and has issued a glowing forecast for the forthcoming fiscal. Infosys earned a thumbs up from the stock markets when within a few hours of the announcement, its share prices went up by over 5 per cent

"It positions the company to increase the strategic relationship with its customers and drive incremental revenue opportunities in its customer base as well as with new customers," says Sameer Nadkarni, a technology analyst with WR Hambrecht, a financial services firm headquartered in San Francisco, in a research note put out a day before the results were to be announced.

Infosys added 2,425 employees during the last quarter compared to 3,052 in the previous quarter.As of March 31, 2004, Infosys had 25,634 employees compared to 23,209 in December 2003. During the entire year, Infosys added an astounding 11,900 employees. Analysts say that they are confident that Infosys can manage its growing flock. "The business model and the management are capable of handling these issues. Infosys has proven that it can handle large scale employee training and retention issues," says an analyst with a Mumbai-based equity research firm.

With the announcement of these results, Infosys has also managed to achieve another milestone - become a billion-dollar company. Apart from Infosys, the Mumbai-based Tata Consultancy Services is the only other company to touch the billion dollar mark in revenues. The scale will definitely help Infosys compete on a global canvas against established players like IBM and EDS, says analysts.

"Today, we have the required size, brand, compelling value proposition and ambition to build the next generation software services and consulting company," declares S Gopalakrishnan, COO, Infosys proudly.
-----------------------
Congrats Infy! You've sure done the country proud.

2004-04-13T15:47:00.000+05:30

Lara Lappa Lari Lappa!
Lara tussi desh ka naam roshan kar ditaa puttar!! No this isn't a punjabi munda lavishing praise upon Lara Dutta, instead the desi version of a Windies Fan crying his lungs out for the man called B. Lara. He yesterday became the first person to score 400 in a test match. And this is the second time he has smacked the three tonner. Can you believe it ?!! Boy! he sure started the agelong controversy over who being the current best batsmen all over again. Here's some comments posted on iitb.general by random users.

[1] history repeats itself after exactly 10 years!!!same opponent(england) and the same venue(antigua)....the only difference is the phenomenal decline of the windies in worldcricket....in '94, west indies were still carrying their unbeaten streak in testcricket (to be broken by the aussies in the very next season) and antiguawas hosting a dead rubber...now too, it's hosting a dead rubber, but with the windies desperatelytrying to avoid a whitewash....how times hv changed!!!

[2] I have seen 2 GODs , one from Bombay and another from Trinidad.

[3] Nah...i wonder if you can call Lara better than Sachin coz of this record. Maybe saying both of them are almost equal wud be fair.Sachin has greater consistency. If you see Lara's career graph it has many ups and downs. Sacin on the other hand has been quite consistent. That explains his 34 centuries. And all this inspite of the number of one-dayers he's played during this time! I think that's remarkable.

[4] sachin has accumulated a lot of runs. but seldom has he won test matchesfor us. u will find that his record in the fourth innings of a test matchis not so good. lara on the other hand has singlehandedly won matches forwindies over past years. hes definitely the better batsman.

[5] Lara has 24 hundreds, yaar. He has 5 doubles and 2 triples as compared tosachin's 3 doubles and no triples. in tests , lara is a touch better thansachin , while in one-dayers sachin rulz.

[6] Let's all remember that we ppl judge based on statistics...we can't judge the talent coz we know nothing about good batting...But look at ppl like the Don...he knows. He can judge who the best is. So can Barry Richards and Ian Chappel...and they all choose...not surprisingly...Sachin

[7] Well look at the stats given in the newspaper today...yes lara has more runs in lesser matches but onhly marginal...and sachin has a higher average...both have equal no. of man of the match awards...so both gave equal no. of match winning perfomances...its only that Lara's team went on to win and India failed... So Lara is not all that much better when compared to Sachin...and if u consider one-dayers too and the no. of matches each one of them plays...i think over-all Sachin stands out as the best.

...and the debate continues!!

[Listening to Upparwale from Khakee]

2004-04-12T23:17:00.000+05:30

The "Simplex" Phenomenon!
First heard about the company from two of my batchmates taking refuge in my room after being alomst thrown on to the road!!

[Aside: Nagax/Golu if you happen to read this piece, you know I love you guys :-) ]

Anyways, back to the theme, these two informed me about some Japanese company in the process of recruiting for the post of quantitative analyst. Now one may talk about the "right career options", the "most suitable career path" almost endlessly, but $60K are enough to water any and every mouth. More so in IIT, where an elec punter is ready to give up his four years of "education" for a career in Finance! So when the news of this particular company spread like fire inside the IIT Bombay's campus it required no survey to conclude that EVERYONE who can, is going to apply. So started the process of converting one's resume to look attractive, even if remotely, for a finance job. Last heard from some completely unreliable source that around 200+ people applied for the single post. All this, when there was absolutely no information available on the company's website.

Then after a few days [or weeks ?] people started receiving international calls. Some did for the first times in their lives. There was absolutely no prewarning of this "attack" from the company. Some of the people were reported to taking a shit while they got that all important call [Of course its another matter, that why they carried cellphones in the toilets. Some had the excuse that a lot of thefts were going on in IIT Campus, so nothing's safe these days! ] The lucky few who had the honor of attending that call, started googling for finance papers, reading about fixed income markets, derivatives and such stuff. People started analysing why a particular person got the call and why not the other. The conclusion was that the people who got the call possessed one or more qualities from the following set:
{Astronomical CPI, Courses in SOM, Neural Network Fundaes}

Finally, a mail from the company gave the rude shock [to most] that they had shortlisted only 4 from
the institute and 5 [!!] from outside IIT. Later on the knowledge that those "outsiders" were also IITB alumuni, the hullabaloo died somewhat down. So now I reach the climax of this story, which I guess I'll divulge in my next post!

PS: The Shrek OST is godlevel.

2004-04-11T22:14:00.000+05:30

Kill Bill Volume I

Don't know how many I have watched this film. QT's is GOD. His Pulp Fiction was equally superb with excellent dialogues and some great acting by Travolta, Samuleson & company. But personally, I found KB a class above. Probably bcoz of it's distinct story line, god awesome soundtrack, and of course the fight sequences. Anyways, the movie's definitely not for pussy-hearts, with the blood show and all!!

Here's excerpt from IMDB Review of the movie [Rating =8.3]

The fourth film by Quinton Tarantino', as the credits shamelessly explain, is yet another bankable classic from a director who's already changed the art with `Reservoir Dogs', `Pulp Fiction' and `Jackie Brown'.

From `Kill Bill's first surprising gunshot to its monumental cliffhanger ending (right up there with `Luke, I am your father'), the movie is relentlessly intense, tearing an audience between wanting more action and wanting a cigarette to calm frayed nerves. We follow the tale of `The Bride' (played to convincing, vengeful perfection by Uma Thurman) as she sets out to murder her former colleagues, members of the `Deadly Viper Assassination Squad', and their leader, the enigmatic, faceless Bill. After attempting to leave the group of assassins for a normal life, the Bride is tracked down on her wedding day and witnesses the murder of her wedding party, right before Bill puts her in a coma. Four years later, a very angry Bride wakes up.

Tarantino pulls no punches, creating, as one critic put it, `The most violent film ever released by an American film distributor'. Squirting blood and flying limbs abound, but the director does it all with a breathtaking sense of style. We witness one sword-dance in silhouette, one in black and white, one over a beautifully filmed snow-covered Japanese garden, and even a sequence in Anime. `KB's story is minimal, but Tarantino's aim is style: Sergio Leone, Cheh Chang and Bruce Lee are all paid homage, and then gracefully outdone.

The soundtrack, primarily Japanese artists performing American styles, is haunting: Tarantino breaks form by not using well-known American classic rock (who could forget being `Stuck in the Middle' of Mr. Blonde and a helpless cop?), but by doing so sets the perfect mood of the film. They're songs we've never heard before, but feel strangely connected to.

Yes, the movie is in two volumes. However, the end feels right, coming after an epic battle that puts `Reloaded's `Burly Brawl' to shame. `Kill Bill' is a testament to Tarantino's ability to take the craft of his idols and make it his own, mixing classic cult film style and mixing it with his own wicked sense of Cool. Not for the faint of heart or anyone looking for a `feel-good' film, but `Kill Bill' is at the very least an instant classic.

2004-04-10T01:54:00.000+05:30

been playing bouncing cow for the last 15 min. my highest so far is 420. its a cool game, especially when u can't think of anything else to do :D.

Also, don't miss the Yeti Sports. just search google for it and enjoy the coolest games ever !! My personal highest in Yeti Part I is 323.5. and in Yeti Part III I have managed 1709 (too bad i missed the last rank in top 1000 :(( ) Try out these super games and I bet u'll be addicted!

2004-04-10T01:34:00.000+05:30

Okay! So this is my last attempt at blogging. dunno whether i'll return to write anything else. mebbe i'll set a yahoo reminder to do so every nite!! anyways, gentle reader, for now please visit my homepage. and here's the link to it. yeah u got it right. i want it to be on google! u can help me in the process by mentioning the above link @ur homepage.