“This award is bestowed upon a fellow blogger whose blog’s content or design is, in the giver’s opinion, brilliant.When accepting this auspicious award, you must write a post bragging about it, including the name of the misguided soul who thinks you deserve such acclaim, and link back to the said person so everyone knows she/he is real. Choose a minimum of seven (7) blogs that you find brilliant in content or design. Or improvise by including bloggers who have no idea who you are because you don’t have seven friends. Show the seven random victims’ names and links and leave a harassing comment informing them that they were prized with Honest Weblog. Well, there’s no prize, but they can keep the nifty icon. List at least ten (10) honest things about yourself. Then pass it on!”
So Mathew thinks the blog's content is brilliant and all (the design certainly hasn't been changed one bit from what blogger provided me). Thanks Mathew! I take a bow! Then an arrow! I aim, and shoot him with it. For he has put me in spot of bother. It is very hard for me to write about myself. I don't I have any very clear notion of what I'm like. But here's my list:
1) I think I have little fear of money today. Since I started earning, which was about 3 years ago when I started my PhD, I have made a deliberate effort to overcome fear of money. I have splurged in a number of ways to overcome all inhibition to spending money and to avoid the rut of the saving mind-set. This has liberated me considerably from over-valuing money. Now I see it completely as a means to desired ends. I find that this has been a source of much happiness and freedom to me.
2) That said, I also like to keep a minimalist lifestyle. Hence, most of my splurging has been on non-durable goods and services. I have not splurged on acquiring material possessions. To illustrate, I still wear in the US my T-shirts from my school days and shirts that my grand-dad used to wear decades ago. Even in the future, I do not see myself acquiring a big home or a big car or other such possessions off my own desire. I am not interested. In fact, I find them a burden.
3) I am atheist. I am actually an agnostic in that I can't disprove the existence of god. However, I am reluctant to say this because too many believers are ignorant of Russell's teapot, and keep trying to prove the existence of god through a gap-filling exercise in one's arguments, rather than by making a proper proof for god's existence.
4) I am a sports addict. I absolutely LOVE playing sports. With all modesty, I am reasonably good at volleyball, table tennis, basketball and cricket. I am currently actively looking to improve at raquetball.
5) I try to be objective in thought. I certainly wish to be.
6) I used to be a terribly ill-tempered kid. In particular, I have troubled my brother, and hence my mother, a lot. But I have turned out alright. I rarely lose my temper any more. And my family would agree.
7) I love my family very much. However, if you were ever to meet us, you would never get that impression because we have almost no explicit show of affection.
8) I honestly think I am happier in the present than in the past, and that conscious effort goes a long way in helping to keep one happy. I see myself only getting happier in the future.
9) I don't feel a sense of belonging with any one community in my country. I was born in Kerala, brought up in Hyderabad, and speak a vague palakkad iyer-ish tamizh at home. So although I know malayalam, tamil, telugu and Hindi, I don't ever feel a sense of belonging with any one community wholly.
10) I make acquaintances easily but I don't make friends easily. The former because of my familiarity with so many regions and languages(including English of course), and the fact that I am curious about people. The latter because most Indian boys/men, I've noticed, move in regional groups, and since I am not properly a part of any one, I get left out or feel odd. Secondly, I might be too judgemental for my own good. That makes it very hard for an individual to jump the acquaintance/friend barrier.
I don't really think there are 7 people I know who read this blog regularly. So I tag:
Gounder Brownie
Rukmani Ram
Mukta
Anant
Parikshith
Amitabha
You reading this line.
Phew!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Demo-crazy
I am certain democracy isn't the best form of governance for a nation, in terms of efficacy. But pics like this make me think it IS the most lovable form of government :)
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8014949.stm
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8014949.stm
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Manmohan Sick!
I seriously feel like puking after reading that Manmohan Singh took Obama's autograph after the G20 summit! YUCK! The rest of the article makes for an interesting read too.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Uncular
I remember that either one or both of Bush and McCain used to say 'nucular weapons'. But having little respect for either I thought it was an individual idio(cy)syncrasy. However, today I witnessed an interview of former Joint Chief of Staffs Richard Myers on the Charlie Rose show and even he said 'nucular' weapons! I was a little taken aback by this and after some thought I finally managed to convince myself that given the informal nature of American communications even at official levels, they must be very used to saying 'nuke's. So out of that habit they just say 'nukular' like tubular or granular and mean by 'nukular weapons' 'nuke-like weapons' or WMDs. Finally, things are cular!
Monday, April 06, 2009
Why not?
Why is it south/north-west/east and not west/east-south/north?
******************************************************************************
In general, there is a time lag between the institution of an economic policy and its consequences being reflected in the economy. The reasons could be a combination of factors like market inertia, time for enforcing of the policy measures, time for the ensuing changes to become significant etc: If the elections happen at a spacing that is equal to the lag, the ratio of bad governments to good governments for the nation would be 2 to 1 given a voting populace whose default state is anti-incumbent and a two party system. This is because when we have a good government that implements beneficial economic policies, the changes will only be seen when the next government(the bad one) is voted in to power. Now when the bad government is in power, it will benefit in its first term from the previous government's good policies, although it would be sowing the seeds for disaster with its own economic policies. So it will be re-elected by the public, and the public will find a poor performance in its second term due to the bad policies of the first term. Now the bad government will be voted out and we have the good government back in again, but during their governance the economy will reflect the bad policies of the previous government and hence they get voted out, and this cycle repeats! So as you can see, if the spacing between elections is not calculated to be over twice the lag between the institution of an economic policy and its impact reflecting in the economy(in a theoretical world this can be quantified), we'll have a greater period of bad governance than good given a two party system and a populace that is anti-incumbent. I didn't really pull this out of a hat. What prompted all this thought was the possibilities in the present system. India, it has been observed, is invariably anti-incumbent. Also, at present, while there is no single party majority, there is essentially a two-party or to be more precise a two-coalition system(viz the UPA and the NDA). The UPA has been shining in the limelight of the average educated public's eyes largely because of brilliant and active liberalisation policies pursued by the NDA government when it was in power. So now you see what got me thinking about this whole business!
******************************************************************************
In general, there is a time lag between the institution of an economic policy and its consequences being reflected in the economy. The reasons could be a combination of factors like market inertia, time for enforcing of the policy measures, time for the ensuing changes to become significant etc: If the elections happen at a spacing that is equal to the lag, the ratio of bad governments to good governments for the nation would be 2 to 1 given a voting populace whose default state is anti-incumbent and a two party system. This is because when we have a good government that implements beneficial economic policies, the changes will only be seen when the next government(the bad one) is voted in to power. Now when the bad government is in power, it will benefit in its first term from the previous government's good policies, although it would be sowing the seeds for disaster with its own economic policies. So it will be re-elected by the public, and the public will find a poor performance in its second term due to the bad policies of the first term. Now the bad government will be voted out and we have the good government back in again, but during their governance the economy will reflect the bad policies of the previous government and hence they get voted out, and this cycle repeats! So as you can see, if the spacing between elections is not calculated to be over twice the lag between the institution of an economic policy and its impact reflecting in the economy(in a theoretical world this can be quantified), we'll have a greater period of bad governance than good given a two party system and a populace that is anti-incumbent. I didn't really pull this out of a hat. What prompted all this thought was the possibilities in the present system. India, it has been observed, is invariably anti-incumbent. Also, at present, while there is no single party majority, there is essentially a two-party or to be more precise a two-coalition system(viz the UPA and the NDA). The UPA has been shining in the limelight of the average educated public's eyes largely because of brilliant and active liberalisation policies pursued by the NDA government when it was in power. So now you see what got me thinking about this whole business!
Saturday, April 04, 2009
Just when I thought I couldn't decide on my vote!
I see this. But I don't believe it! That seals it for me. There is no way anyone in praise of the terrible fiasco that was the attempted socialism of the Indhira Gandhi days can be trusted with my country in today's globalised world when India is finally developing thanks largely to hard fought and won efforts at liberalisation. India is still nursing the sore wounds of the Indira Gandhi regime and here we have her progeny praising that same nationalisation debacle that stalled the liberalised regime of the 1950s and even the relatively liberal regime of the early 1960s and finally dealt death blows to private and foreign investment in India! And to top it all, I don't quite understand why Sonia speaks of Indhira's move to nationalisation as if it was calculated to benefit the nation. Here is what the above article quotes her as saying:
"Every passing day bears out the wisdom of that decision. Public sector financial institutions have given our economy the stability and resilience we are now witnessing in the face of the economic slowdown,” Gandhi told a conference in New Delhi on Friday morning.
But here's the truth(Source: India - The Emerging Giant, Arvind Panagariya p.53):
In his memoir, I. G. Patel (2002, p. 135), who served as the economic secretary in the Finance Ministry at the time the banks were nationalized offers an interesting account of the decision-making process:
It was, I think, later in July 1969 that I was sent for once again. No one else was present. Without any fanfare, she asked me whether banking was under my charge. On my telling her it was, she simply said, “For political reasons, it has been decided to nationalize the banks. You have to prepare within 24 hours the bill, a not for the Cabinet and a speech for me to make to the nation on the radio tomorrow evening. Can you do it and make sure there is no leak?” There was no pretence that this was not a political decision, and the message was clear that no argument from me was required. I assured her that we will keep to the timetable and keep the secret. I summoned courage, however, to make two suggestions: to leave the foreign banks alone, and nationalize only the major ones. The former was intended to avoid a sharp reaction abroad; and the latter because the purpose would be served by taking only the major banks and leaving the scores of small banks alone. She immediately agreed and added that she could trust the details to me.
That political decision was in reference to a power struggle between I Gandhi and the Syndicate(Morarji Desai et al).
p.s: I am not sure how much influence Sonia might exert over Manmohan's decisions or the finance and commerce minsters' portfolios but it is a risk I'm unwilling to take.
"Every passing day bears out the wisdom of that decision. Public sector financial institutions have given our economy the stability and resilience we are now witnessing in the face of the economic slowdown,” Gandhi told a conference in New Delhi on Friday morning.
But here's the truth(Source: India - The Emerging Giant, Arvind Panagariya p.53):
In his memoir, I. G. Patel (2002, p. 135), who served as the economic secretary in the Finance Ministry at the time the banks were nationalized offers an interesting account of the decision-making process:
It was, I think, later in July 1969 that I was sent for once again. No one else was present. Without any fanfare, she asked me whether banking was under my charge. On my telling her it was, she simply said, “For political reasons, it has been decided to nationalize the banks. You have to prepare within 24 hours the bill, a not for the Cabinet and a speech for me to make to the nation on the radio tomorrow evening. Can you do it and make sure there is no leak?” There was no pretence that this was not a political decision, and the message was clear that no argument from me was required. I assured her that we will keep to the timetable and keep the secret. I summoned courage, however, to make two suggestions: to leave the foreign banks alone, and nationalize only the major ones. The former was intended to avoid a sharp reaction abroad; and the latter because the purpose would be served by taking only the major banks and leaving the scores of small banks alone. She immediately agreed and added that she could trust the details to me.
That political decision was in reference to a power struggle between I Gandhi and the Syndicate(Morarji Desai et al).
p.s: I am not sure how much influence Sonia might exert over Manmohan's decisions or the finance and commerce minsters' portfolios but it is a risk I'm unwilling to take.
Friday, April 03, 2009
Its a good thing I don't have to vote
The BJP said it was also committed to building a temple to Hindu god Ram in the northern town of Ayodhya.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7980656.stm
So much for secular government! :(
I am utterly confounded as to whom to vote for! (if I were in the country that is)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7980656.stm
So much for secular government! :(
I am utterly confounded as to whom to vote for! (if I were in the country that is)
Friday, March 27, 2009
A lesson before voting
If history is any lesson on the relationship between academic qualification and efficient political leadership/management in India then Shashi Tharoor must definitely not be voted in at Thiruvananthapuram. An example that comes to mind on the inverse relationship that exists between academic qualification and management skills is the ridiculously well-qualified yet utterly disappointing manager of our nation, our prime minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh. This is a good article which highlights the poor performance of the UPA government. However, it still doesn't mention the increasing budget deficit that has been a Manmohan Singh speciality since he's taken on the role of PM. This article predicts a staggering fiscal deficit that is 6.4% of GDP. I wished to highlight these facts about our performance during Manmohan Singh's leadership because I was shocked to find how ignorant some of these educated bloggers are, and how empty of facts their arguments are for bringing a party back into power(It turns out the so called arguments he has provided too are unreferenced and copy-pasted from here. Of course that Shashi Tharoor made these arguments doesn't impress me any further. It only detracts from his value) Coming back to what I intended to say, although Shashi Tharoor should not be voted in based on history, I am more inclined to leave history aside because ultimately it is common sense that educated leaders are more capable leaders than illiterate ones and I do want to encourage educated men to participate in the administration of our country. So with this end in mind I would vote for Shashi Tharoor. His intentions are sincere, but so were Manmohan's. So one must hope that if he is voted into power, he can do a better job with the implementation.Among other such cheerful developments, the charming JPN has decided that politics cannot be cleansed of corruption by sitting outside of it. Yay!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Advani advocates
Today Advani challenged Manmohan to a live TV debate a la US presidential elections. While this challenge was blurted out more in fury at the criticism by Manmohan Singh of his essentially destructive presence in Indian politics, the suggestion in itself is a one I welcome and even hope will be realised this year. Based on the US TV presidential debates it is clearl to me that debates will not be any indication of a party or individual's capacity. All things popular are ultimately about the right rhetoric. If the masses are educated, then the rhetoric must come with a generous dose of teary-eyed elocution from a man with a university degree to appeal to the educated man's own sense of being intellectual. Anyhow, I still welcome live TV debate because a democracy is ultimately a popular system of governance and it is essential to keep the populace in the loop, to borrow an americanism. Although Indians will refuse to buy or be ignorant of condoms, they are all aware of and will save up to buy a TV. The reach of this device is incredible, and I think it is a powerful means for both sides to spread the rhetoric. Although there are TV ads, a 'special occasion' can attract the attention of a significantly greater audience than regular annoying ads. Take the example of the Filmfare awards in India or the Oscars. Like these events, with sufficient media propaganda, we can have the whole nation engaged in watching the event. The US media propaganda for instance has been so successful that people not just in US but all over the world watch the two noise-makers make noise in the noise-making event. And so, the live debate can form an important platform for rhetoric and get the people involved. This is critical. Besides, because it does have the title of a debate. Although the individuals contesting can say just about anything they want about the future, the past has to be cited(even if unverified) and the overall appearance has to be of a rational process of dialogue, to a reasonable extent. The benefit that this could have is to get the lesser educated masses thinking of the democractic process along rational lines instead of personal sops. Of course, it is a far fetched hope that one debate can make our uneducated masses see reason. But that is not what I expect. A human being has an instinctive capacity for reasoning, however primitive it may be. When he is bombarded for an hour or so with dialogue and debate on policies and reforms and such like instead of promises of sarees and lungis, I expect somewhere in that primitive brain a blob will shift uneasily and wake from its slumber. It will sense something wrong and wonder. That much is enough.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Thought for the day
I don't know what these Americans are complaining about. They have a baby boom generation. We have a baby boom nation!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Some thoughts for the day
Chili is hot.
When I say something clever and imaginative on chat and I get a reply 'Quel artist!', do I read it as good French or bad English?
Who are those people all over India who call up various dial-in shows (like Pepsi Uma)? Do they really exist?
When I say something clever and imaginative on chat and I get a reply 'Quel artist!', do I read it as good French or bad English?
Who are those people all over India who call up various dial-in shows (like Pepsi Uma)? Do they really exist?
What do you do with half a toilet?
An ad I found in the mallu ASU orkut community:
Soumya
FEMALE ROOMMATE NEEDED FROM MAY 2009
Hello Everybody,
We are four Indian girls, looking for another Indian girl to replace one of us, (preferably vegetarian, but its fine if not) from May 2009.
Our house is on the Apache and Terrace Intersection. It is a neat, well maintained townhouse, in a safe and hospitable community. It is a 2 bedroom 1.5 bathroom house, with a nice patio. It is unfurnished, but we have some furniture and appliances that are sufficient (dining table, chairs, book-shelf, rice cooker, blender etc.). The kitchen is provided with Microwave oven, Refrigerator, Burner, Dishwasher, etc.
Soumya
FEMALE ROOMMATE NEEDED FROM MAY 2009
Hello Everybody,
We are four Indian girls, looking for another Indian girl to replace one of us, (preferably vegetarian, but its fine if not) from May 2009.
Our house is on the Apache and Terrace Intersection. It is a neat, well maintained townhouse, in a safe and hospitable community. It is a 2 bedroom 1.5 bathroom house, with a nice patio. It is unfurnished, but we have some furniture and appliances that are sufficient (dining table, chairs, book-shelf, rice cooker, blender etc.). The kitchen is provided with Microwave oven, Refrigerator, Burner, Dishwasher, etc.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Inertia
Usually phones in the US are designed such that it is possible to dial the emergency services even if the keypad is locked(I am talking about non-flip phones). For some reason, almost any two digits pressed on my keypad followed by the dial button calls the emergency services, apart from the usual 911 dial. As a consequence, I have rung inadvertently for 911(08 dial has been the most common random combination I've achieved!) at least 20 times (counting) in the past 3 years. I've now had this T-mobile service for well over its contract period and I AM eligible to change to a new, better phone for free! Yet, I remain in this same unperturbed state out of sheer inertia to call up t-mobile and request a new phone. It is a good thing the police department is also expected to serve shepherds!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Cold reality
Although I've read numerous articles on the impacts of the recession, most of those are by journalists for big newspapers. As I read the journalist's well-scripted and poignant story of suffering, I can't help but notice the ads flashing on the sides of the article making me wonder how much profit my sympathy brings into their coffers. Nothing hits me so painfully as a brutally simple and unembellished rendering of one's suffering without seeking an ounce of pity. This is a letter written by a resident of Tempe to the editor that came in today's 'The State Press', the free on-campus daily:
EFFECTS OF A RECESSION
My world came crashing down last August when my housemate lost her job at ASU I depended on her income to keep my canine family and me afloat.
In 1994, an impaired driver plowed into me as I walked my dogs. The impact sent me hurling through the air, and I landed in a ditch, bruised bloodied and battered. Lingering injuries from brain trauma, seizure disorder and other broken bones left me disabled. I'd rather work than collect disability, but that's just not possible.
A letter arrived a few days ago telling my house-mate her unemployment benefits were exhausted. In this grim economy, a doctorate from Harvard might be useful in India, but it does nothing here.
We both scrounge for aluminum cans in the garbage. It is shameful and degrading, especially when neighbours see us, but it's a source of income. I started grocery shopping in the dollar store. The bank won't refinance the house because she has no job and my income isn't enough. Unless there's a miracle soon, our home will be added to the glut of foreclosures in Arizona.
We are both in our mid-50s. At the time my house-mate was fired, she was under treatment for heart and spinal cord disease and major depression. She has no health insurance and no way to pay for medicine.
The prospect of losing our home, our dogs and everything we own is terrifying, but it's likely to happen. We could panhandle, but we are too proud to beg. The bank may take our home. ASU took her job, but no one can take away our dignity. There are thousands of people facing foreclosure, job loss, surrender of their beloved pets, and there is no end in sight to the misery.
While students at ASU may protest budget cuts, the real conern should be what happens when you graduate. You, too, may end up like me. I played by the rules my entire life. I never thought that homelessness would be right around the corner.
Debra J. White
Tempe resident
The last two lines kill me.
This is HILARIOUS!
EFFECTS OF A RECESSION
My world came crashing down last August when my housemate lost her job at ASU I depended on her income to keep my canine family and me afloat.
In 1994, an impaired driver plowed into me as I walked my dogs. The impact sent me hurling through the air, and I landed in a ditch, bruised bloodied and battered. Lingering injuries from brain trauma, seizure disorder and other broken bones left me disabled. I'd rather work than collect disability, but that's just not possible.
A letter arrived a few days ago telling my house-mate her unemployment benefits were exhausted. In this grim economy, a doctorate from Harvard might be useful in India, but it does nothing here.
We both scrounge for aluminum cans in the garbage. It is shameful and degrading, especially when neighbours see us, but it's a source of income. I started grocery shopping in the dollar store. The bank won't refinance the house because she has no job and my income isn't enough. Unless there's a miracle soon, our home will be added to the glut of foreclosures in Arizona.
We are both in our mid-50s. At the time my house-mate was fired, she was under treatment for heart and spinal cord disease and major depression. She has no health insurance and no way to pay for medicine.
The prospect of losing our home, our dogs and everything we own is terrifying, but it's likely to happen. We could panhandle, but we are too proud to beg. The bank may take our home. ASU took her job, but no one can take away our dignity. There are thousands of people facing foreclosure, job loss, surrender of their beloved pets, and there is no end in sight to the misery.
While students at ASU may protest budget cuts, the real conern should be what happens when you graduate. You, too, may end up like me. I played by the rules my entire life. I never thought that homelessness would be right around the corner.
Debra J. White
Tempe resident
The last two lines kill me.
This is HILARIOUS!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Dear stupid Obama maniacs of India
This is why it is important for you to read matters of foreign and economic policy of a party before you cry hoarse in jubilation and run around proclaiming the goodness of god with tears in your eyes over a pretty-faced glorious-sounding man. It was part of the Democrat policy all along to reduce outsourcing in order to improve local employment.
P.S: The theory that outsourcing is affecting local employment rates is a myth. But since nobody seems to care to know facts, I'll not waste my time.
P.P.S: That protectionism doesn't help the US cause is not a myth!
P.S: The theory that outsourcing is affecting local employment rates is a myth. But since nobody seems to care to know facts, I'll not waste my time.
P.P.S: That protectionism doesn't help the US cause is not a myth!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Alcohol abuse and trouble fingering
It is not so much that I abuse alcohol to harm myself as it is that I abuse alcohol to harm alcohol itself.
It is also not so much that I am inexperienced at fingering as it is that I am having trouble of late.
Let me explain. In the India stores in my neighbourhood you get this wonderful product called 'mango pulp' in a can(Yes, that's the beginning!). If one adds yoghurt and some water to some of this pulp and blends it all together it makes a most delicious mango lassi! I bought one such can yesterday. There are two stores close by and I usually get all my desi products only from one of them because the other is reputed to have outdated stuff often. But this latter store is open longer. So at the sunset hour that I went, only the latter store was open. I searched the store and didn't find this mango pulp can. So I asked the store owner if they had any, in case I overlooked, and he pulled one lone can out of some corner. Naturally, it was terribly old, and quite rusted too. But I figured the rust must only be on the outside and was a little uncomfortable at the thought of refusing to buy it when he took all the trouble to hunt one out for me. I bought it and took it home to make my lassi. The can had a large circular base. So in order to open the can fully, one has to crank the opener several turns. Now, there are three openers at my home, but all three are rusted. So it takes quite some effort to do all that cranking. So what I did, I opened a little and then thought I'd let my muscle power do the rest for me. Accordingly, I put the tip of my index and middle finger against the edge of the cut lid of the can and exert my muscle to try and rip the can open. Instead, I nearly rip my index finger against the sharp edge of the lid that was sticking out. Oddly enough, the edge was rusted. That wasn't good news. Now all this I did at around 6:15 pm in the evening. At 6:30 I had to go play sand volleyball. I didn't want to miss my dear volleyball so I did what I usually do when I have blood oozing out of my body. I poured some of my aftershave on the wound. It has alcohol which would temporarily do something to kill all the unwanted stuff looking to have an orgy on my wound. BUT, I cannot forgo volleyball. So I poured lots of aftershave and ran to the sand courts to play. I played for a good one hour and got the cut covered in a mixture of dried blood and sand and it remained that way for a good hour or so till the germs probably formed an army large enough to concur the world. I came back and washed my hands with running water and soap, and poured more aftershave on it. But today at work, it started hurting again when I tried to lift some piece of equipment which was heavier than I expected and ended up putting the cut against the edge of that equipment while trying to lift it. There are some little luxuries of being in an experimental science lab. There is bound to be alcohol, which a good solvent and is often used for cleaning stuff. So I went to pick up the usual ethyl alcohol squeeze tube and pour some of it on the wound. It stings of course. But that's a sign, hopefully, that it is screwing those germs! Unfortunately, today the ethyl alcohol squeeze tube was empty. So I took the isopropyl alcohol squeeze tube instead and poured it on the cut. My lab mate then put a band-aid on the cut and wound it up with some tape to keep it in place because it was more at the fingertip, which has a curvature to it. So far so good. But what I didn't tell you was that yesterday's mango pulp not only looked old on the outside, but also tasted a little odd. As I wasn't prepared to risk an upset stomach, I threw the can away and bought one from the other store today. Laziness prevailed again. I cut through half the circumference of the lid, which was more than I had done yesterday, but it still proved insufficient for my muscle power act. Same story, I cut a finger? No. There's a twist. I cut two! Two new ones. So now I had three fingers with cuts on them. Two bleeding. More aftershave. Call for volleyball comes. Irresistible urge. At the courts, I found that today's cuts were starting to bleed while fingering. (We Indians call the 'setting' fingering. Actually, that is how it used to be called in the US too, until the more perverted connotations took prevalence I believe.) So what I did, I pulled the extra tape off the band-aid and wound the tape directly on top of the cuts to stanch the flow of blood. I hope that adhesive contains harmless stuff. The odd shape of the fingertip and the fact that I was still trying to spike and finger the ball meant that the tape fell of in a few shots. Some great matches today. A good three hours in the sand courts. Good fun. But all three cuts were covered in a mixture of dried blood and sand. I do hope I don't suffer from Tetanus. It is a while since I've taken my last shot but I'm reluctant to go and get a shot. We'll wait and see?
It is also not so much that I am inexperienced at fingering as it is that I am having trouble of late.
Let me explain. In the India stores in my neighbourhood you get this wonderful product called 'mango pulp' in a can(Yes, that's the beginning!). If one adds yoghurt and some water to some of this pulp and blends it all together it makes a most delicious mango lassi! I bought one such can yesterday. There are two stores close by and I usually get all my desi products only from one of them because the other is reputed to have outdated stuff often. But this latter store is open longer. So at the sunset hour that I went, only the latter store was open. I searched the store and didn't find this mango pulp can. So I asked the store owner if they had any, in case I overlooked, and he pulled one lone can out of some corner. Naturally, it was terribly old, and quite rusted too. But I figured the rust must only be on the outside and was a little uncomfortable at the thought of refusing to buy it when he took all the trouble to hunt one out for me. I bought it and took it home to make my lassi. The can had a large circular base. So in order to open the can fully, one has to crank the opener several turns. Now, there are three openers at my home, but all three are rusted. So it takes quite some effort to do all that cranking. So what I did, I opened a little and then thought I'd let my muscle power do the rest for me. Accordingly, I put the tip of my index and middle finger against the edge of the cut lid of the can and exert my muscle to try and rip the can open. Instead, I nearly rip my index finger against the sharp edge of the lid that was sticking out. Oddly enough, the edge was rusted. That wasn't good news. Now all this I did at around 6:15 pm in the evening. At 6:30 I had to go play sand volleyball. I didn't want to miss my dear volleyball so I did what I usually do when I have blood oozing out of my body. I poured some of my aftershave on the wound. It has alcohol which would temporarily do something to kill all the unwanted stuff looking to have an orgy on my wound. BUT, I cannot forgo volleyball. So I poured lots of aftershave and ran to the sand courts to play. I played for a good one hour and got the cut covered in a mixture of dried blood and sand and it remained that way for a good hour or so till the germs probably formed an army large enough to concur the world. I came back and washed my hands with running water and soap, and poured more aftershave on it. But today at work, it started hurting again when I tried to lift some piece of equipment which was heavier than I expected and ended up putting the cut against the edge of that equipment while trying to lift it. There are some little luxuries of being in an experimental science lab. There is bound to be alcohol, which a good solvent and is often used for cleaning stuff. So I went to pick up the usual ethyl alcohol squeeze tube and pour some of it on the wound. It stings of course. But that's a sign, hopefully, that it is screwing those germs! Unfortunately, today the ethyl alcohol squeeze tube was empty. So I took the isopropyl alcohol squeeze tube instead and poured it on the cut. My lab mate then put a band-aid on the cut and wound it up with some tape to keep it in place because it was more at the fingertip, which has a curvature to it. So far so good. But what I didn't tell you was that yesterday's mango pulp not only looked old on the outside, but also tasted a little odd. As I wasn't prepared to risk an upset stomach, I threw the can away and bought one from the other store today. Laziness prevailed again. I cut through half the circumference of the lid, which was more than I had done yesterday, but it still proved insufficient for my muscle power act. Same story, I cut a finger? No. There's a twist. I cut two! Two new ones. So now I had three fingers with cuts on them. Two bleeding. More aftershave. Call for volleyball comes. Irresistible urge. At the courts, I found that today's cuts were starting to bleed while fingering. (We Indians call the 'setting' fingering. Actually, that is how it used to be called in the US too, until the more perverted connotations took prevalence I believe.) So what I did, I pulled the extra tape off the band-aid and wound the tape directly on top of the cuts to stanch the flow of blood. I hope that adhesive contains harmless stuff. The odd shape of the fingertip and the fact that I was still trying to spike and finger the ball meant that the tape fell of in a few shots. Some great matches today. A good three hours in the sand courts. Good fun. But all three cuts were covered in a mixture of dried blood and sand. I do hope I don't suffer from Tetanus. It is a while since I've taken my last shot but I'm reluctant to go and get a shot. We'll wait and see?
Monday, February 16, 2009
Funny americans
So Obama arrived today in Arizona to show off his deceptive smile and dole out more hyperbole that the american public, and the world in general seems to be craving from this man. He is greeted by the mayor of Phoenix who gifts Shaquille O'Neal the basketball player's SHOE as a souvenir! The president proudly displays it for the cameras and then departs in his cavalcade. If all this isn't amusing enough, Shaquille O'Neal was born in New Jersey and played for the Los Angeles lakers for most of his basketball career and transferred to Phoenix only last year.
God Bless America.
Proof: http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2009/02/17/20090217obamavisit0217-ON.html
God Bless America.
Proof: http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2009/02/17/20090217obamavisit0217-ON.html
Fantastic idea
http://www.rangde.org/
About
What's in a Name?
The word /rung de/ in Hindi means to give colour. Through Rang De we hope that many of us will be able to share and spread the colours of joy with other individuals. Rang De is an attempt to bring together the India that is economically progressing rapidly and the India that has been ignored and needs all our attention. Rang De is a platform for individuals to make a sustainable difference and join a mission to alleviate poverty.
Genesis of Rang De
Living in India had prepared us to accept everything. We sure did complain about things that were not right or about the system that needed a revamp but never did anything to question the status quo. It seemed as if we had built a feeling of comfort that arose from the myth that it was a difficult to change anything in India. The same comfort began to impinge on our senses when we left India. We began to realise that bridging the gap between the developed and the developing India needed concerted efforts from everyone and we as individuals had a responsibility too.
It took a little more research for us to realise that most of the issues India faced were manifestations of a deep rooted and a multidimensional situation- "Poverty".
The quest to find a sustainable solution to poverty led us to Microcredit and the different approaches to it. This helped us crystallise our core beliefs that shaped Rang De into what it is today.
The Core beliefs that shaped Rang De are:
1. That most social issues if not all, are manifestations of poverty. Unless we address poverty holistically, our attempts will remain futile.
2. That microcredit is a sustainable means of alleviating poverty if it is affordable and can be accessed by all.
3. That charity and donations are hardly sustainable means to financial independence. In fact, it hinders an individual's spirit to fight against poverty.
Rang De's mission is to make microcredit accessible to all by lowering interest rates by doing things differently. To know how you can become a part of this mission please read further.
Why Rang De?
When we look back into our own lives, most of us realise that there were times when we faced a financial crunch. Thanks to the plastic card, the crunch was overcome almost instantly. What happens to those who do not have access to credit cards or even a bank loan for that matter? This is the situation of most low income households in lndia. Thanks to microcredit, many such people are beginning to gain access to small loans and credit. And it is our firm belief at Rang De that unless opportunities to access financial credit are provided through a holistic approach, the impact will remain insignificant.
Rang De is a unique platform for individuals to become Social Investors and connect with borrowers of microcredit by lending small sums of money.
You too can make a difference today as a Social Investor - At Rang De, a social investor is someone who can lend at least Rs.500 to an individual in need and in turn earn a nominal return as well as make a positive social impact.
Unique features of Rang De are:
1. Mission to drive down interest rates and make microcredit accessible to all. Rang De will always remain non profit to ensure this happens.
2. The only online microlending platform that does not use a payment gateway and still makes payments possible. Register and see how we make this possible.
3. 30 day loan disbursal guarantee.
How Rang De works?
Step 1. Register and become a Social Investor.
Step 2. Choose borrowers to make a social investment. You can invest as little as Rs.500.
Step 3. Rang De 's field partners receive and disburse loans to their borrowers.
Step 4. Borrower repays loan according to a repayment schedule.
Step 5. You receive a return of 3.5% on your social investment at the end of the tenure.
What's in it for Rang De?
Rang De is an initiative to make low cost microcredit a reality. By enabling individuals to become online Social Investors, Rang De hopes to bring microcredit and online lending to the forefront. Rang De is a non profit entity with the sole objective of connecting individuals who need money to social investors like you. Rang De will create a sustainable alternative to charity by promoting online lending as a way of life.
Warning: At present, international credit cards are not accepted.
About
What's in a Name?
The word /rung de/ in Hindi means to give colour. Through Rang De we hope that many of us will be able to share and spread the colours of joy with other individuals. Rang De is an attempt to bring together the India that is economically progressing rapidly and the India that has been ignored and needs all our attention. Rang De is a platform for individuals to make a sustainable difference and join a mission to alleviate poverty.
Genesis of Rang De
Living in India had prepared us to accept everything. We sure did complain about things that were not right or about the system that needed a revamp but never did anything to question the status quo. It seemed as if we had built a feeling of comfort that arose from the myth that it was a difficult to change anything in India. The same comfort began to impinge on our senses when we left India. We began to realise that bridging the gap between the developed and the developing India needed concerted efforts from everyone and we as individuals had a responsibility too.
It took a little more research for us to realise that most of the issues India faced were manifestations of a deep rooted and a multidimensional situation- "Poverty".
The quest to find a sustainable solution to poverty led us to Microcredit and the different approaches to it. This helped us crystallise our core beliefs that shaped Rang De into what it is today.
The Core beliefs that shaped Rang De are:
1. That most social issues if not all, are manifestations of poverty. Unless we address poverty holistically, our attempts will remain futile.
2. That microcredit is a sustainable means of alleviating poverty if it is affordable and can be accessed by all.
3. That charity and donations are hardly sustainable means to financial independence. In fact, it hinders an individual's spirit to fight against poverty.
Rang De's mission is to make microcredit accessible to all by lowering interest rates by doing things differently. To know how you can become a part of this mission please read further.
Why Rang De?
When we look back into our own lives, most of us realise that there were times when we faced a financial crunch. Thanks to the plastic card, the crunch was overcome almost instantly. What happens to those who do not have access to credit cards or even a bank loan for that matter? This is the situation of most low income households in lndia. Thanks to microcredit, many such people are beginning to gain access to small loans and credit. And it is our firm belief at Rang De that unless opportunities to access financial credit are provided through a holistic approach, the impact will remain insignificant.
Rang De is a unique platform for individuals to become Social Investors and connect with borrowers of microcredit by lending small sums of money.
You too can make a difference today as a Social Investor - At Rang De, a social investor is someone who can lend at least Rs.500 to an individual in need and in turn earn a nominal return as well as make a positive social impact.
Unique features of Rang De are:
1. Mission to drive down interest rates and make microcredit accessible to all. Rang De will always remain non profit to ensure this happens.
2. The only online microlending platform that does not use a payment gateway and still makes payments possible. Register and see how we make this possible.
3. 30 day loan disbursal guarantee.
How Rang De works?
Step 1. Register and become a Social Investor.
Step 2. Choose borrowers to make a social investment. You can invest as little as Rs.500.
Step 3. Rang De 's field partners receive and disburse loans to their borrowers.
Step 4. Borrower repays loan according to a repayment schedule.
Step 5. You receive a return of 3.5% on your social investment at the end of the tenure.
What's in it for Rang De?
Rang De is an initiative to make low cost microcredit a reality. By enabling individuals to become online Social Investors, Rang De hopes to bring microcredit and online lending to the forefront. Rang De is a non profit entity with the sole objective of connecting individuals who need money to social investors like you. Rang De will create a sustainable alternative to charity by promoting online lending as a way of life.
Warning: At present, international credit cards are not accepted.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
My valentine
So the randomness of the world conspired to fetch me a valentine. Most of the day went by in a happy way, with nothing spectacular. By about 9:30 pm I was really frustrated I didn't have a valentine! Actually, I was reading a non-fiction book the facts of which were overwhelming me AND I hadn't had dinner because I was too lazy to cook. My stomach had started to mourn. So I called up a certain someone with whom I have a very ambivalent relationship and suggested that we go have some ice-cream downtown. We got to the Coldstone ice-cream shop there and ordered one large bowl of dark chocolate ice-cream(no prizes for guessing who made the order). I courteously offered to pay for the two of us, and then we happily took two spoons, went outside and sat under one of the awnings in front of their store, making conversation while enjoying the FANTASTIC weather(it was slighly windy and about 10oC). Somewhere in between, a guy selling flowers passes by. He sees the two of us, probably notices that we are eating ice-cream from one cup, walks up to us and asks if we'd like to buy flowers. Only, he looks at one, then the other, and repeats his question still unsure whom to look at.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Shakespeare in me
If Shakespeare can invent words, so can I. It is another matter whether people choose to use them. These modern feminist type women tend to get offended by the use of the entirely arbitrary word 'chick', more because of the connotation attached to it. Since it is an entirely arbitrary choice of word for a woman. I hereby offer that the women may refer to a man who is looked upon as nothing but a bodily object as 'chuck'. The name has a masculine tint to it, and in order to be given a word origin for wiki entries and stuff, I propose that it originates because of the extreme popularity of the hot bod and looks of Chuck Norris which led to its initial coinage by me, and then the later use by the larger public in general!
So if you are a girl reading this, the next time someone refers to you as a 'hot chick' and you are offended, just reply, "You are a cold chuck!" and amuse yourself.
So if you are a girl reading this, the next time someone refers to you as a 'hot chick' and you are offended, just reply, "You are a cold chuck!" and amuse yourself.
Friday, February 13, 2009
My advisor's valentine
So today, Friday the 13th, I head to lab a little dull from a shortage of sleep, and not too excited at the prospect of some experiments I had to repeat. As I sit at my desk in the morning, promptly catching up on world news, I take a peek into my advisor's room to see if he's free for a meeting. I get the shock of my life when I find a big bouquet of flowers with glittering balloons sticking out of it reading 'Happy Valentine's day'. Now my advisor is married with a wife and a kid. Although I realise America is wilder than India I didn't know my advisor to be this sort of a man! So later that afternoon, when I did meet him, I stole a glance towards the label on the bouquet to find that it was from his wife and darling son of 5 years! :) They were celebrating the love of family I guess. Something less illusory than the love of teenagers, and perhaps worth celebrating.
Since I'm on the theme of love and valentines, I might as well narrate another incident. I was returning from some volleyball yesterday evening when I saw a professor from my department. Now he is this big shot PhD from Stanford whose advisor collaborated with Shockley(of transistor fame). But he's a terror to work with because he is extremely demanding, and very manipulative. He would've been a very successful businessman. And he partly is, because he is one of the best funded professors in the university. Anyhow, perhaps because of his poor character, or for other reasons, his first wife divorced him, and one of his students had informed me that he had a new girlfriend. Now mind you, this is a professor of 50 something. So I was quite mortified when I saw him coming towards me, holding hands with his girlfriend. I was also very amused at the site of this stern, shrewd, scheming and terrfiying man holding and swaying hands like a teenager with his girlfriend. Love is indeed a funny thing. But it is a good thing. It does more good than evil, on the whole.
Since I'm on the theme of love and valentines, I might as well narrate another incident. I was returning from some volleyball yesterday evening when I saw a professor from my department. Now he is this big shot PhD from Stanford whose advisor collaborated with Shockley(of transistor fame). But he's a terror to work with because he is extremely demanding, and very manipulative. He would've been a very successful businessman. And he partly is, because he is one of the best funded professors in the university. Anyhow, perhaps because of his poor character, or for other reasons, his first wife divorced him, and one of his students had informed me that he had a new girlfriend. Now mind you, this is a professor of 50 something. So I was quite mortified when I saw him coming towards me, holding hands with his girlfriend. I was also very amused at the site of this stern, shrewd, scheming and terrfiying man holding and swaying hands like a teenager with his girlfriend. Love is indeed a funny thing. But it is a good thing. It does more good than evil, on the whole.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Fat Boy and Fat Man - the Twin Bombs on the United States
First a failed $700 billion stimulus package attempting to directly buy out the bad bank loans and stimulate bank lending. This when the total of bad debt is in several trillions of dollars.
Then, Obama and the Democrats' $800 billion stimulus package which happily spends on everything from discount coupons for digital TV conversion to improvement of highways and projects on climate research. For all I know a part of the money might also be allocated to financing his kids' education so that they may become future presidents. Only about 20% of the 800 billion will flow into the economy during FY '09 as a stimulus. Another 40% percent during FY '10. The rest is a clever manoeuvre to get funding for general ambitious projects for the future while the economy is still in tatters now. Does anyone even know the Republicans had an alternate bill proposing greater tax cuts' and more money allocated to 'stimulus' plans? That is why the democrat bill passed House with 0 republican votes. The poor souls were yelling their lungs out in the debate to get the point across that the package needs more programs that have effect NOW!
Then, Obama and the Democrats' $800 billion stimulus package which happily spends on everything from discount coupons for digital TV conversion to improvement of highways and projects on climate research. For all I know a part of the money might also be allocated to financing his kids' education so that they may become future presidents. Only about 20% of the 800 billion will flow into the economy during FY '09 as a stimulus. Another 40% percent during FY '10. The rest is a clever manoeuvre to get funding for general ambitious projects for the future while the economy is still in tatters now. Does anyone even know the Republicans had an alternate bill proposing greater tax cuts' and more money allocated to 'stimulus' plans? That is why the democrat bill passed House with 0 republican votes. The poor souls were yelling their lungs out in the debate to get the point across that the package needs more programs that have effect NOW!
Monday, February 09, 2009
The pink chaddi campaign
The pink chaddi campaign is awesome! Well done.
Send your chaddis to:
BANGALORE
The Pink Chaddi Campaign,
C/O Alternate Law Forum,
122/4 Infantry Road
(opposite Infantry Wedding House)
Bangalore 560001
Karnataka
Send your chaddis to:
BANGALORE
The Pink Chaddi Campaign,
C/O Alternate Law Forum,
122/4 Infantry Road
(opposite Infantry Wedding House)
Bangalore 560001
Karnataka
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Is India creating a growth bubble?
The inflation is at a staggering 5.4% in spite of a drop in commodity and oil prices and a slowdown of the economy(the US inflation by contrast is 0.1%). It was as high as 13% around July 2008 last year. The main reason for the rising inflation, I gather, is the price of primary articles like food stuffs. What worries me now is that India, in the name of economic growth, is laying undue emphasis on growing the Industrial sector(that is, IT and financial services primarily) while completely neglecting the already inefficient agricultural sector! How is this economic growth? It will only lead to surging inflation and an empty growth bubble that is going to come crashing down when the corporate sectors become unable to borrow money, leading ultimately to hyperinflation followed by a recession that might slip into a depression! Isn't anyone concerned? Or am I wrong?
Friday, January 30, 2009
When an idiot writes a fortune cookie it reads...
"Many of your doubts will be cleared early this month." on a fortune cookie picked up from an asian restaurant on the 30th of January! :-| The sensible thing of course would've been to replace 'this' with 'next'.
Also, I know I'm in the midst of a bunch of people growing older, and maturer, and wiser, and generally more boring when the time for a birthday party changes from 12 a.m. to 10 p.m. because they have an assignment to worry about, and then from 10 p.m. to 8 p.m. because they now sleep at 9 p.m. in order to go slave the next day! Of course I know I am not allowed to complain about birthday parties but at least I have been sensible enough to do away with a birthday altogether instead of making it this wish-wash, toned down and sober affair with cliched jokes backed by fake laughter and a general artifice of pleasantries attempting to stifle the boredom of the same humdrum birthday routine for one birthday after another. Anyways, I am quite out of touch with people so it doesn't bother me. So long as they have fun, all is well! :)
I wrote this today because I suddenly got an invitation to attend some party at 10 p.m. and feel terribly uncomfortable at the prospect of going as I haven't been speaking to any of the members of that circle that she's invited for at least a few months now and I am at a loss for what to say to the various people and the birthday girl in general, except of course, 'Happy Birthday!'. If I go too early, there's too many people to greet and talk to as they drop in one by one. If I go too late, then everyone will see me enter at the odd time and get curious to talk to me. Its best to go in just before the cake-cutting, when they switch off the lights, and quietly sneak in at the back. Then wish her at the right time, take a big slice of the cake, then some chips and coke, and keep stuffing myself in a very preoccupied manner so that nobody is really interested in coming anywhere close to me. And then make a hasty exit with some doomsday excuse(its saturday tomorrow so excuses are harder to come by and I haven't found a good one yet. Suggestions welcome.).
Also, I know I'm in the midst of a bunch of people growing older, and maturer, and wiser, and generally more boring when the time for a birthday party changes from 12 a.m. to 10 p.m. because they have an assignment to worry about, and then from 10 p.m. to 8 p.m. because they now sleep at 9 p.m. in order to go slave the next day! Of course I know I am not allowed to complain about birthday parties but at least I have been sensible enough to do away with a birthday altogether instead of making it this wish-wash, toned down and sober affair with cliched jokes backed by fake laughter and a general artifice of pleasantries attempting to stifle the boredom of the same humdrum birthday routine for one birthday after another. Anyways, I am quite out of touch with people so it doesn't bother me. So long as they have fun, all is well! :)
I wrote this today because I suddenly got an invitation to attend some party at 10 p.m. and feel terribly uncomfortable at the prospect of going as I haven't been speaking to any of the members of that circle that she's invited for at least a few months now and I am at a loss for what to say to the various people and the birthday girl in general, except of course, 'Happy Birthday!'. If I go too early, there's too many people to greet and talk to as they drop in one by one. If I go too late, then everyone will see me enter at the odd time and get curious to talk to me. Its best to go in just before the cake-cutting, when they switch off the lights, and quietly sneak in at the back. Then wish her at the right time, take a big slice of the cake, then some chips and coke, and keep stuffing myself in a very preoccupied manner so that nobody is really interested in coming anywhere close to me. And then make a hasty exit with some doomsday excuse(its saturday tomorrow so excuses are harder to come by and I haven't found a good one yet. Suggestions welcome.).
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Short story
A shriveled and shrunken old man wearing sunglasses crosses the street urgently on a dark and cloudy day as if god were calling him to heaven from across the street. The devil picks him up from the side.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Middle name
After much thought, I have decided to give myself the middle name 'Candidappan'. I shall henceforth be called Karthik Candidappan Sivaramakrishnan.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
BULB
This is just ROFL bulb by me.
vaishnavi: i am in good spirits now after going to Indian Institute of biotechnology and toxicology.
Have u seen an electron Microscope?
me: yes :)
which one did you see
vaishnavi: used one?
me: scanning or transmission?
12:12 AM vaishnavi: scanning
me: nice
what do you mean used one?
:O
its a microscope
Obviously the one I saw is a used one!
:)
vaishnavi: I was asking if u have used one
me: oh!
lol
vaishnavi: i am in good spirits now after going to Indian Institute of biotechnology and toxicology.
Have u seen an electron Microscope?
me: yes :)
which one did you see
vaishnavi: used one?
me: scanning or transmission?
12:12 AM vaishnavi: scanning
me: nice
what do you mean used one?
:O
its a microscope
Obviously the one I saw is a used one!
:)
vaishnavi: I was asking if u have used one
me: oh!
lol
Vanaprastham query
If anyone has seen the malayalam movie Vanaprastham, I have a question: Why was Kunhikuttan treating his wife so terribly? I don't mean by loving Subhadra. He basically never showed any affection towards her :-? He dotes on his daughter, loves his mother, but ignores his wife, although she loved him :-? Did I miss something?
Opinion on movie: Shaashtanga namaskaram to Mohanlal for his acting! But story was way too melodramatic and fairy-tale-istic I thought. And Suhasini's acting was terrible! Ugh. Poor thing couldn't emote well at all. They should've cast Shobana.
Opinion on movie: Shaashtanga namaskaram to Mohanlal for his acting! But story was way too melodramatic and fairy-tale-istic I thought. And Suhasini's acting was terrible! Ugh. Poor thing couldn't emote well at all. They should've cast Shobana.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
How about a cooking blog?
I've seen some ladies run cooking blogs. I am thinking of starting my very own cooking blog too. While they tell you how to make great recipes, I can tell you how to avoid devastating disasters!
So I was going to have some good old fashioned curd rice with peas. Last week's yoghurt was over so I opened a fresh carton that i'd bought this week. It turns out I'd accidentally picked up strawberry flavoured yoghurt. But a man has to eat, so I thought, "Ah, what the heck!" and poured a tonne of it over the rice and happily mixed it. Then I dumped the peas on top of all that as I usually do. Since I don't wish to waste food, I think I'll be having strawberry flavoured curd rice for the rest of this year.
So I was going to have some good old fashioned curd rice with peas. Last week's yoghurt was over so I opened a fresh carton that i'd bought this week. It turns out I'd accidentally picked up strawberry flavoured yoghurt. But a man has to eat, so I thought, "Ah, what the heck!" and poured a tonne of it over the rice and happily mixed it. Then I dumped the peas on top of all that as I usually do. Since I don't wish to waste food, I think I'll be having strawberry flavoured curd rice for the rest of this year.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Please save the Chimpanzee
It is perhaps a defeatist cause to be writing something like this on a blog that is hardly read. But I have nothing to lose.
See this.
I'm not being all emotional here about the cuteness of the animal or something. We are wiping off several species everyday anyways, and I shut up and mind my business. But the chimpanzee is our closest relative, and a critical element in understanding our own evolution, and our nature. We just cannot afford to wipe off such a species! Too much information is lost in the process. Of course we can clone them or breed them like we do chickens and preserve them. But that alters behavioral patterns tremendously from when they are in the wild. So while it may help with structural and genetic studies, it destroys considerable behavioral information I think. So I mechanically signed here. I'm feeling kinda desperate right now, so I won't even urge you. Its just some rant.
I also sometimes imagine a world without animals. But I suppose I'll never live to see that day. So its all good.
See this.
I'm not being all emotional here about the cuteness of the animal or something. We are wiping off several species everyday anyways, and I shut up and mind my business. But the chimpanzee is our closest relative, and a critical element in understanding our own evolution, and our nature. We just cannot afford to wipe off such a species! Too much information is lost in the process. Of course we can clone them or breed them like we do chickens and preserve them. But that alters behavioral patterns tremendously from when they are in the wild. So while it may help with structural and genetic studies, it destroys considerable behavioral information I think. So I mechanically signed here. I'm feeling kinda desperate right now, so I won't even urge you. Its just some rant.
I also sometimes imagine a world without animals. But I suppose I'll never live to see that day. So its all good.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Because I'm stranded
My advisor has left for home and is on a two week vacation starting yesterday. That kills all incentive to work because things were already pretty relaxed at work and I was under no deadline pressures. I am reading a book which I enthusiastically took to lab this morning thinking I'd read it there. But we made other plans, and the book is in lab, and I'm at home now. Its too late and too cold for me to go all the way to lab and get it. So I have nothing to do. Hence I'm going to try one of those ramble posts.
I had finished the work for some paper a little ahead of the thanksgiving deadline that my professor had assigned. So that tuesday I was totally idle, and my labmate and friend was bored. The advisor had left for some conference out of campus and would be heading home. He was in the thanksgiving mood already it seemed. So friend and I decided to catch a matinee by slipping out of lab. At the ticket counter, I flashed my asu id in the hope of getting the usual student discount. The issuer replied, "Sir, the matinee tickets are already at the discounted rates so we don't offer any further discount." Embarassed, I slipped my id back in and bought the tickets. As we stepped in, I realised why they were already discounted: There was not a single person in the entire multiplex which had almost 14 screens! That was a little eerie. My friend and I were laughing at ourselves and our vettiness for having come to a matinee movie on a tuesday! Anyhow, we had bought tickets for this movie called Madagascar, which turned out to be a movie which even Miss teen south carolina would find dumb. We were 15 minutes ahead of time and when we took a peak inside the theatre, there was no one! Naturally. So we idled away the time by looking at the various new movies to be released on all the 14 screens in the next month or so. About 5 minutes prior to the movie we entered the theatre again, and to our mortification saw three young blonde kids, and their parents staring at us two young men in disbelief! I literally ran out of the room at top speed because I had burst out laughing at our awkward situation! After uncontrolled riotous laughter for almost 10 minutes, my friend and I decided that it would be best if we kept our faces down and quickly moved to the last row of seats and slid down on our seats and stayed that way till the end of the movie. As we walked in, I burst out laughing again and walked in only after another 5 mintues, while my friend managed to make it successfully.
Today was another such day. No advisor, no work. Labmate/friend and I decided to go hiking on a mountain range in the phoenix area. We took friend's roommate along too. He's this stupid, impulsive and hence hilarious character. Friend and I were going to look for directions on google maps when be butts in declaring he's been to the starting point before and hence knows the directions! We ask him for reassurance at least 10 times and are still skeptical. He's one of those show off types. Anyways, we didn't want to offend him, because he's also one of those short-tempered types. So we decided to take him on faith and hit the streets. We decided to lunch before starting the trek as we were hungry. So I had taken a gallon of water from my home because I drink a lot of water in general and the last thing I want is to fall short of water on a trek. My friend knew about it but his roommate didn't. So we are sitting there and lunching and his roommate declares, "We forgot to get water for the trek." Before I could let him know that I'd brought a gallon he impulsively blurts: "But that's ok. We can asked for a sealed cup of water at the counter." Happily, I ROFLed inside my head at this precious gem! I was imagining us carrying sealed coffee cups filled with water in one hand and trying to do a trek which is rated as strenous! See:
http://www.phoenixasap.com/camelback-mountain.html
Summit Trail. ( Echo Canyon)
Trail ascends through spectacular sandstone rock formations and unparalled views from the summit into Greater Phoenix.
Trail Length: 1.2 miles
Elevation Gain: 1,264 feet
Summit: 2,704 feet
Difficulty: Strenuous
It turned out we had to use both hands at several places as there were some really steep climbs. Let alone that we ended up needing a lot more than just one sealed coffee cup of water!
Anyways, so we finished lunch and headed of towards the mountains following this chap's directions. As we approached the mountains, he got confused. I said, we should call someone up and ask for directions to the parking. He said, "No dude. That's not necessary. We can see the mountains right. Let's just head towards it and we should be there." Ahem, a mountain range extends over several miles and all roads in phoenix probably lead to the mountain range ultimately. He then started pointing to random houses and saying they looked familiar and he had a strong gut feeling we were on the right track. So friend and I humoured him and we continued on. Eventually we realised we took a road that was actually climbing up the hill! Not exactly our idea of trekking. So after going about a quarter of the way to convince him that his familiar houses were perhaps deceiving him, we took a u-turn and headed back down. Eventually, I got off the car and trespassed into some private mansion, where a dog charged at me and was stopped only by the owner closing the gate just in time, and took directions on how to get there. It sucked that we couldn't all go up together. The friend's roommate gave up at 1/3rd of the way. Friend gave up at half way and asked me to go ahead. I was determined to finish for having taken all this trouble to get here. So I marched on and got to the top. It wasn't all that bad. Friend meanwhile managed to gather some determination and made it 3/4ths of the way. So I met him on the way down and at least down part we did together. It started raining on our way down and the rocks became a little slippery, so that made it somewhat tricky to climb down these steep rocks. Turns out even a monolayer of water is sufficient to make palpable difference to friction coefficient. Friend twisted ankle on one of those slippery rocks. That's not good.
I saw moonam pakkam over the weekend. Thilakan was brilliant as always. I realised that Jagathy can act as more than just a goofy idiot. He was impressive in the movie. I also realised what happens if one creates a movie/story where the main character is killed mid-way. It started off realistic and interesting. Everything upto the killing of the main character was nice. Tragedy in movies is rare, and hence appealing to me. But when the rest one hour was spent in different people taking turns crying it taxed me emotionally, and when they took turns staring at the sea in the hope of spotting a dead body, it taxed me intellectually. Its like having a one hour cookery show and completing the preparation of the dish in half an hour. The rest half hour being spent on showing different people chewing on the food.
Good, so I've killed time and can now go to sleep and pick up that book tomorrow. That reminds me, library has been giving me hell. About a month back I got a notice to return a book called 'Digest of catholic mission history'! I went to them and said, I'd never issued such a book. I also hinted that they could take a look at the other books I'd had issued to rest any doubts they might have on my claims. They agreed to do three searches in their library to see if they can spot it(don't ask me why three!). They've done that and not found the book. So now i've got a notice to pay up for a book I never took!
I had finished the work for some paper a little ahead of the thanksgiving deadline that my professor had assigned. So that tuesday I was totally idle, and my labmate and friend was bored. The advisor had left for some conference out of campus and would be heading home. He was in the thanksgiving mood already it seemed. So friend and I decided to catch a matinee by slipping out of lab. At the ticket counter, I flashed my asu id in the hope of getting the usual student discount. The issuer replied, "Sir, the matinee tickets are already at the discounted rates so we don't offer any further discount." Embarassed, I slipped my id back in and bought the tickets. As we stepped in, I realised why they were already discounted: There was not a single person in the entire multiplex which had almost 14 screens! That was a little eerie. My friend and I were laughing at ourselves and our vettiness for having come to a matinee movie on a tuesday! Anyhow, we had bought tickets for this movie called Madagascar, which turned out to be a movie which even Miss teen south carolina would find dumb. We were 15 minutes ahead of time and when we took a peak inside the theatre, there was no one! Naturally. So we idled away the time by looking at the various new movies to be released on all the 14 screens in the next month or so. About 5 minutes prior to the movie we entered the theatre again, and to our mortification saw three young blonde kids, and their parents staring at us two young men in disbelief! I literally ran out of the room at top speed because I had burst out laughing at our awkward situation! After uncontrolled riotous laughter for almost 10 minutes, my friend and I decided that it would be best if we kept our faces down and quickly moved to the last row of seats and slid down on our seats and stayed that way till the end of the movie. As we walked in, I burst out laughing again and walked in only after another 5 mintues, while my friend managed to make it successfully.
Today was another such day. No advisor, no work. Labmate/friend and I decided to go hiking on a mountain range in the phoenix area. We took friend's roommate along too. He's this stupid, impulsive and hence hilarious character. Friend and I were going to look for directions on google maps when be butts in declaring he's been to the starting point before and hence knows the directions! We ask him for reassurance at least 10 times and are still skeptical. He's one of those show off types. Anyways, we didn't want to offend him, because he's also one of those short-tempered types. So we decided to take him on faith and hit the streets. We decided to lunch before starting the trek as we were hungry. So I had taken a gallon of water from my home because I drink a lot of water in general and the last thing I want is to fall short of water on a trek. My friend knew about it but his roommate didn't. So we are sitting there and lunching and his roommate declares, "We forgot to get water for the trek." Before I could let him know that I'd brought a gallon he impulsively blurts: "But that's ok. We can asked for a sealed cup of water at the counter." Happily, I ROFLed inside my head at this precious gem! I was imagining us carrying sealed coffee cups filled with water in one hand and trying to do a trek which is rated as strenous! See:
http://www.phoenixasap.com/camelback-mountain.html
Summit Trail. ( Echo Canyon)
Trail ascends through spectacular sandstone rock formations and unparalled views from the summit into Greater Phoenix.
Trail Length: 1.2 miles
Elevation Gain: 1,264 feet
Summit: 2,704 feet
Difficulty: Strenuous
It turned out we had to use both hands at several places as there were some really steep climbs. Let alone that we ended up needing a lot more than just one sealed coffee cup of water!
Anyways, so we finished lunch and headed of towards the mountains following this chap's directions. As we approached the mountains, he got confused. I said, we should call someone up and ask for directions to the parking. He said, "No dude. That's not necessary. We can see the mountains right. Let's just head towards it and we should be there." Ahem, a mountain range extends over several miles and all roads in phoenix probably lead to the mountain range ultimately. He then started pointing to random houses and saying they looked familiar and he had a strong gut feeling we were on the right track. So friend and I humoured him and we continued on. Eventually we realised we took a road that was actually climbing up the hill! Not exactly our idea of trekking. So after going about a quarter of the way to convince him that his familiar houses were perhaps deceiving him, we took a u-turn and headed back down. Eventually, I got off the car and trespassed into some private mansion, where a dog charged at me and was stopped only by the owner closing the gate just in time, and took directions on how to get there. It sucked that we couldn't all go up together. The friend's roommate gave up at 1/3rd of the way. Friend gave up at half way and asked me to go ahead. I was determined to finish for having taken all this trouble to get here. So I marched on and got to the top. It wasn't all that bad. Friend meanwhile managed to gather some determination and made it 3/4ths of the way. So I met him on the way down and at least down part we did together. It started raining on our way down and the rocks became a little slippery, so that made it somewhat tricky to climb down these steep rocks. Turns out even a monolayer of water is sufficient to make palpable difference to friction coefficient. Friend twisted ankle on one of those slippery rocks. That's not good.
I saw moonam pakkam over the weekend. Thilakan was brilliant as always. I realised that Jagathy can act as more than just a goofy idiot. He was impressive in the movie. I also realised what happens if one creates a movie/story where the main character is killed mid-way. It started off realistic and interesting. Everything upto the killing of the main character was nice. Tragedy in movies is rare, and hence appealing to me. But when the rest one hour was spent in different people taking turns crying it taxed me emotionally, and when they took turns staring at the sea in the hope of spotting a dead body, it taxed me intellectually. Its like having a one hour cookery show and completing the preparation of the dish in half an hour. The rest half hour being spent on showing different people chewing on the food.
Good, so I've killed time and can now go to sleep and pick up that book tomorrow. That reminds me, library has been giving me hell. About a month back I got a notice to return a book called 'Digest of catholic mission history'! I went to them and said, I'd never issued such a book. I also hinted that they could take a look at the other books I'd had issued to rest any doubts they might have on my claims. They agreed to do three searches in their library to see if they can spot it(don't ask me why three!). They've done that and not found the book. So now i've got a notice to pay up for a book I never took!
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Evolution isn't evolved!
Stupid evolution! Why the hell did nature lose wings along the way?! Couldn't there have been some random mutations to permit growth of hands on top of the wings? And all creatures subsequent to birds retained those wings? You know where I'm headed? Yes, I could've been flying now, damn it!!
On second thoughts, if that did happen, would there have been too many flying creatures then making me feel so damn bored of flying about with all those other stupid creatures?
Who knows!
On second thoughts, if that did happen, would there have been too many flying creatures then making me feel so damn bored of flying about with all those other stupid creatures?
Who knows!
Monday, December 08, 2008
2 minute crash course in cooking
I'd bought a can of condensed mushroom soup this weekend. Having returned home late from lab I wasn't in the mood for a full fledged dinner. Thought I'd make the soup. Here's how I did it:
1) Place a large empty vessel on the stove and turn the flame to maximum so that the soup will be ready in 2 minutes to eat!
2)Then, get down to washing a ladle with which to stir the soup, and a spoon with which to empty the condensed can of soup into the vessel.
3) Read the instructions on the back of the can. All this while the pan is still on maximum with nothing in it.
4) Read the following instruction: Heat soup + 1 can of milk. Also read that it serves 4 people.
5) Wonder if I should really be emptying a one gallon can of milk into just 10 ounce of condensed soup.
6) Decide wisely against it but pour 5 cups anyways so that it can be had twice.
7) Dig around in the fridge for some veggies to make the soup tasty.
8) Find a huge bag of cole slaw veggies lying around and discover with considerable shock that it is one whole day past expiry.
9) Decide to get creative and quickly empty the whole bag into the soup only to realise there's so much cabbage it rises to twice the height of the soup which already has 5 cups of milk in it.
10) Decide there's just way too much milk already and wisely avoid adding any more water.
11) Go sit in front of TV while milk reaches a boil and ask roommate whether one should really be adding a one gallon can of milk to just 10 ounce of consensed soup??
13) Get the following response: One can milk implies fill the empty soup can with milk and pour once!
14) Lavish praise on roommate's intellgence.
15) Comment on the stench that always arises from cabbage.
16) Realise that its not the stench of cabbage but a strong burning smell.
17) Run hastily to switch off gas.
18) Empty half the unnameable unsightly uninhalable mess into a bowl and attempt to taste it.
19) Burn tongue.
20) Wait a minute and taste again.
21) Retch.
22) Make realisations:
Realise that it is the milk that burns if flame is on maximum. Cabbage doesn't.
Realise that cabbage too burns given enough time.
Realise that a pound of cabbage in half a gallon of burnt milk+condensed mushroom soup is not quite creativity.
23) Take consolation in the fact that it was all done in 2 minutes at any rate! :)
1) Place a large empty vessel on the stove and turn the flame to maximum so that the soup will be ready in 2 minutes to eat!
2)Then, get down to washing a ladle with which to stir the soup, and a spoon with which to empty the condensed can of soup into the vessel.
3) Read the instructions on the back of the can. All this while the pan is still on maximum with nothing in it.
4) Read the following instruction: Heat soup + 1 can of milk. Also read that it serves 4 people.
5) Wonder if I should really be emptying a one gallon can of milk into just 10 ounce of condensed soup.
6) Decide wisely against it but pour 5 cups anyways so that it can be had twice.
7) Dig around in the fridge for some veggies to make the soup tasty.
8) Find a huge bag of cole slaw veggies lying around and discover with considerable shock that it is one whole day past expiry.
9) Decide to get creative and quickly empty the whole bag into the soup only to realise there's so much cabbage it rises to twice the height of the soup which already has 5 cups of milk in it.
10) Decide there's just way too much milk already and wisely avoid adding any more water.
11) Go sit in front of TV while milk reaches a boil and ask roommate whether one should really be adding a one gallon can of milk to just 10 ounce of consensed soup??
13) Get the following response: One can milk implies fill the empty soup can with milk and pour once!
14) Lavish praise on roommate's intellgence.
15) Comment on the stench that always arises from cabbage.
16) Realise that its not the stench of cabbage but a strong burning smell.
17) Run hastily to switch off gas.
18) Empty half the unnameable unsightly uninhalable mess into a bowl and attempt to taste it.
19) Burn tongue.
20) Wait a minute and taste again.
21) Retch.
22) Make realisations:
Realise that it is the milk that burns if flame is on maximum. Cabbage doesn't.
Realise that cabbage too burns given enough time.
Realise that a pound of cabbage in half a gallon of burnt milk+condensed mushroom soup is not quite creativity.
23) Take consolation in the fact that it was all done in 2 minutes at any rate! :)
Saturday, November 29, 2008
An idea
It occurred to me that we do not have great libraries in India and books are not very affordable. However, there's a vast reading public in all the major cities, whose home collections if brought together would provide for an excellent library. With this in mind, I am thinking of the possibility and issues with setting up an intermediary, a company which sets up one or multiple offices in a city(depending on the size of the city) which act as nothing but an exchange medium for books in the following way: People can become members of the library on the company's website. They can then upload the list of books they possess with basic information like author ISBN no. etc: When a user request is placed for a book, the search will retrieve all the sources of the book and the edition/year etc: If they are interested they then place a request for a copy of that book. The source can drop off the book at the nearest office of the company and the requester can pick up the book from the nearest location to the user. The company can commute between its various offices transporting the books. The company would be charging a monthly/annual membership fee and a borrowing fee which will be a fixed daily rate ensuring that the source gets a fee in accordance with the number of days the requester keeps the book and the company gets a commission out of each transaction. Any issues with this? If you can think of none and you are person with entrepreneurial ambitions reading this, you are free to take up the idea and start a company.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Another gem I need to remember:
Some of us friends were camping in the Colorado mountains over the labour day weekend when one friend came up with this absolute gem(it loses some of its 'effect' when translated from tam to english but the idea itself is still stud)!:
Why do you think Indian women wear sarees? Way back in the past our great ancestral men realised that all our Indian women bloat up into 'drums' (peepas for those who know tam) soon after they are married. Earning only mediocre incomes they realised they can't afford to keep buying new clothes every year, so they decided to come up with the these 9 yard long sarees so that the women will never grow out of their clothes!
^:)^
Why do you think Indian women wear sarees? Way back in the past our great ancestral men realised that all our Indian women bloat up into 'drums' (peepas for those who know tam) soon after they are married. Earning only mediocre incomes they realised they can't afford to keep buying new clothes every year, so they decided to come up with the these 9 yard long sarees so that the women will never grow out of their clothes!
^:)^
A couple of gems:
Just so that they are registered in my memory(:-|):
"Stable relationships are for horses" - Gautam Prakash
"Stable relationships are with horses, after all you can ride a horse" - Satya N Vishwanathan
"Stable relationships are for horses" - Gautam Prakash
"Stable relationships are with horses, after all you can ride a horse" - Satya N Vishwanathan
Thursday, November 13, 2008
A game I like
It was 6 in the evening on Halloween. I was waiting for a bus at some isolated place in order to get home. The stop was deserted except for a young mom with a cat's mask waiting with her kid who was in the costume of 'hulk'. As I approached the bus stop the mom started staring at me. Being November it gets dark early and it was just about dark then. I thought she might be suspicious and to put her mind at rest I was walking about far away from the seats at the stop. One could see youngsters in costumes galavanting about. It reminded me that I must go to downtown later that evening. So many people gather on that one street that it really is more crowded than the mumbai station. Its a sight worth absorbing because usually the people keep a goods train distance from each other. The bus was being unusually late; one would think it was getting into its costume for the evening. I could see the mom turn back and throw quick furtive glances in my direction now and again. But I got tired of standing and went to sit down anyways. I sat in the seat farthest from her. As we waited, the kid got restless. Eventually, he struck conversation with me, and having heard me for a while the mom got friendly too. Meanwhile, a man jumped the waist high wall that defined the parking space of a fast food store behind the bus stop and approached us in haste. Before we realised what was happening, he pulled out from behind him a big bag of chocolates and said, "My wife thinks this kid has the cutest costume she's seen all evening and wanted to give this to the boy." The mom accepts it gratefully, but abashed by the unexpected kindness. The man jumps back up over the wall and departs in his car. The kid plays around with the bag of chocolates while the mom and I get acquainted with each other. Time flies by during conversation and the bus arrives. As we get in, the driver pulls out a bag of chocolates, shows it to the kid and says, "I just picked up this bag before the beginning of this trip so you're lucky kid." As we are seated in the bus, we are given company by a couple of drunks, one of whom was a guy intending to sell drugs to the college students at the mall close to campus(I know because he showed us the stuff in the middle of happy conversation). At the next stop, a couple of white trash people walk in. The lady has just enough teeth to prevent the jaws from colliding. The man is hunched enough that if you put a mirror to his face, you can see the outline of a dome from the side. As the lady sits down, she is feeling around in her purse for something. I presumed it was a vanity case, because that's the only thing I've seen women ever feel around for in their handbags for during bus journeys, apart from cellphones. She pulls out a candy, and hands it to the kid saying, "I don't know how it got in there, but that's for you kiddo!" The kid must've been pleased with his good fortune because he was all hyper in the bus and doing various antics that had me smiling and indulging him with attention from my cell phone camera. I got some really neat snaps(one of the drunkards can vouch for that!) considering the bus was moving and I didn't exactly have image stabilization and a tripod to work with. So the drunkard asked the mom is she wanted to give her email address so that I could send it to her. I made no offer because I thought she was somewhat the shy sort. She smiled and said nothing. After about five minutes, while I was still indulging the kid with my camera, she asked for one to be taken with her and the kid together. I knew the email address was coming. Five minutes later she passed me a little piece of paper with her phone number on it. Coincidentally, we were getting down at the same stop. She asked me to call her so that she may give me her email address to which I could send her the photos if I would. I agreed to that and she quickly disappeared in the opposite direction to which I had to go in.
Later that evening I went to Mill Avenue, the downtown. I went with a book in hand because there's a bookstore (Borders for those of you familiar with it) nearby and I had a feeling that I would get bored of the costumes. I took a quick scan of the two sides of that street. It was mostly what I'd seen in the previous two years: Young girls in slutty costumes showing plenty of meat, guys in scary costumes, and kids in cute costumes feeling a want of attention from all the elders furiously trying in vain to catch each other's attention. I went into the bookstore and sat reading till the store closed. As I sat there, I thought of that mom and her kid who were merely returning from the kid's school as on any routine day. It amused me to think of the curious game of Chance in which the kid got completely unexpected gifts of chocolates from strangers whom he'd never asked for "Trick or treat?", photographs of himself to admire from another stranger, and compliments on his delightful costume from drunkards and drug peddlers, while in stark contrast there were gathered the several hundreds crowded into this one street desperately seeking attention, and may be a bit of 'luck' in their own notion of it.
Here are some pictures:
Later that evening I went to Mill Avenue, the downtown. I went with a book in hand because there's a bookstore (Borders for those of you familiar with it) nearby and I had a feeling that I would get bored of the costumes. I took a quick scan of the two sides of that street. It was mostly what I'd seen in the previous two years: Young girls in slutty costumes showing plenty of meat, guys in scary costumes, and kids in cute costumes feeling a want of attention from all the elders furiously trying in vain to catch each other's attention. I went into the bookstore and sat reading till the store closed. As I sat there, I thought of that mom and her kid who were merely returning from the kid's school as on any routine day. It amused me to think of the curious game of Chance in which the kid got completely unexpected gifts of chocolates from strangers whom he'd never asked for "Trick or treat?", photographs of himself to admire from another stranger, and compliments on his delightful costume from drunkards and drug peddlers, while in stark contrast there were gathered the several hundreds crowded into this one street desperately seeking attention, and may be a bit of 'luck' in their own notion of it.
Here are some pictures:
I feel an emotion is a feeling
A discussion with a friend got me wondering 'what is a feeling?' I thought for a while and the only thing I could conclude was that the feelings are different forms of vanity. But in a sense that might be trivial because all things might ultimately boil down to that. So I went to the lord who provides all the answers. Google's first worthwhile hit was wikipedia. It taught me a valuable lesson in tautology.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Reality professor
Below is a picture of a note that was stuck on one of the professor's doors during his absence. The numbers beginning with 'B' are room numbers in which he might be located. Below that is other places where you might find him available and open to discussion:
Friday, November 07, 2008
Shop till you shop
I just thought of a nice line to represent the consumerist women:
"I'm going shopping for clothes to wear when I'm going shopping for clothes."
"I'm going shopping for clothes to wear when I'm going shopping for clothes."
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Aaj kal, mere kuch pal
I've been tagged by Silverine. A few years down the line I fear my memory might not permit me to do such tags so it is very fortunate that I received it now.
The Tag
Two questions in each category answer them and then tag your friends from the blog-o-sphere. Leave a comment on their blog letting them know they have been tagged and you are all set.
Yesterday
Your oldest memories...
The oldest memories that 'I' can recall are probably from the third standard. I recall having a fat friend called Jaganath whom I really admired for some reason(yeah, oldest memories are like that only!). I had a friend called 'Vaidish' who was the principal's son and I was strangely excited at being his friend. I viewed the principal of the school with the same kind of awe with which a religious man might view god. So I was pals here with Jesus no less, and always felt a special thrill to be going around shoulder-to-shoulder with such an important man! Then what I have a very vivid memory of is this incredible thing called 'soya milk' which used to be served chilled in little steel containers at the lunch hour from a steel drum for Re. 1 by one of the 'aayah's . There would be a mad rush for it, and that drink always felt like ambrosia to me. I never lost my desire for it but they stopped the supply that year or the next :( I also remember our 'pochaiah' ringing the bell after every period. (I believe that was his name and he was actually the peon, but I was for a very long time under the impression the guy who rings that bell is called 'pochaiah'.) I also remember a guy called 'Sunil' who was actually the school watchman's son. I have a distinct recollection of his face with his half-chipped front tooth. I remember his clothes were always very yellow(we had to wear white shirts). I knew he came from the hut behind one of the classes. I understood that he was poor. I remember feeling sad about it. I remember him as being an extremely fast runner. I greatly admired him for that. I wanted to run like him. I also remember that this other guy called 'sohail' used to beat me in running. I must've taken my running very seriously back then.
What were you doing ten years ago?
I was a stranger in my own home :( Perhaps many of you don't know this but I was in the US during my 7th because my dad had to come to the US on some research assignment for a couple of years and he wanted the whole family to be with him for the last year before returning. When we went back, I was quite lost. I remember that when I first went back to my school, I came across my third standard teacher. I knew her well so I wished to make a salutation. But I didn't know whether to say 'hello' as I was used to saying or to say 'namaste ma'am' with the hands pressed against each other as we were used to doing in school. I think I ended up saying hello with my hands pressed together. I had a hard time in school that year having become very stupid from staying in school in the US I suppose, and my ambitious dad sent me to sanskrit and mathematics tuitions. I hated the mathematics tuitions because the teacher was a tyrant but I liked the sanskrit teacher so I really began to enjoy the sanskrit subject. Apparently, I had a terribly american accent :( Till my last day in school I used to be mocked for this incident which occurred: On the first day I resumed school, which was a little late, the class teacher asked me to stand up and introduce myself. I gave my name. Then he asked me where I stayed. I replied, "Yellareddyguda" and the whole class including the teacher was in suppressed grins. Apparently it sounded very funny in the american accent. I tried very hard to get rid of the accent after learning that. But the sad part was I never knew there was an accent so I didn't know that I actually sounded different from others. In my head I thought I was speaking exactly like them. So for a while during that year I used to check with friends after random periods of time to see if I was speaking normally yet :(
Today
Today was an interesting day. I had lunch with my groupmate, his girlfriend and his girlfriend's groupmates. The whole lunch we sat discussing politics and had some interesting discussions. I had on an earlier day got sucked into helping out with some propagating materials science event in the evening. On that day I thought it would be fun to help out, which it was but then I also really wanted to work today because I was trying to understand some results so I was a bit disappointed about that. However, there was some work I had to do for collaborators that was going to do me no good and I got done with that so that pain's out of the way and I can deal with my work in peace the rest of this week. Also, I am currently listening to 'aaro viral neeti' by KJ Yesudas. I just love the man's voice! Wish I had a voice like his.
If you build a time capsule what would it contain?
Time capsules are too hard to comprehend, but taken to mean what's most precious to me, I'd say my family.
Tomorrow
Tomorrow I hope to do the work I didn't do today.
What do you see yourself doing 14 years from now?
I don't think so far ahead any more. I am happy I'm not in a position where I can answer that question. I am afraid of being in a position where I can answer that question. Also, in general, I'm finding it very hard to think about the future. I find that my notions of 'the future' are very vague. Although I say stuff like, "I'm looking to graduate in two years" to the most common question asked me, the truth is, I'm not looking to graduate in two years. I have no idea when I want to graduate. Its not something I think about seriously. I also find it pointless to think about questions that reach so far ahead. The complex network of possibilities almost make the question seem absurd. I bring this up because I also find this to be the case with the near future. I am highly unable to think about the future in a sincere way because I realise that in truth I can't even define my present state of mind and the present course of action I'll follow. Making plans for the future seems a futile waste of time. Those are my present thoughts on the future.
I tag:
jk
Ramku
ED
CC
Turkey/Hari/Babe(if you guys still write on your blogs?)
The Tag
Two questions in each category answer them and then tag your friends from the blog-o-sphere. Leave a comment on their blog letting them know they have been tagged and you are all set.
Yesterday
Your oldest memories...
The oldest memories that 'I' can recall are probably from the third standard. I recall having a fat friend called Jaganath whom I really admired for some reason(yeah, oldest memories are like that only!). I had a friend called 'Vaidish' who was the principal's son and I was strangely excited at being his friend. I viewed the principal of the school with the same kind of awe with which a religious man might view god. So I was pals here with Jesus no less, and always felt a special thrill to be going around shoulder-to-shoulder with such an important man! Then what I have a very vivid memory of is this incredible thing called 'soya milk' which used to be served chilled in little steel containers at the lunch hour from a steel drum for Re. 1 by one of the 'aayah's . There would be a mad rush for it, and that drink always felt like ambrosia to me. I never lost my desire for it but they stopped the supply that year or the next :( I also remember our 'pochaiah' ringing the bell after every period. (I believe that was his name and he was actually the peon, but I was for a very long time under the impression the guy who rings that bell is called 'pochaiah'.) I also remember a guy called 'Sunil' who was actually the school watchman's son. I have a distinct recollection of his face with his half-chipped front tooth. I remember his clothes were always very yellow(we had to wear white shirts). I knew he came from the hut behind one of the classes. I understood that he was poor. I remember feeling sad about it. I remember him as being an extremely fast runner. I greatly admired him for that. I wanted to run like him. I also remember that this other guy called 'sohail' used to beat me in running. I must've taken my running very seriously back then.
What were you doing ten years ago?
I was a stranger in my own home :( Perhaps many of you don't know this but I was in the US during my 7th because my dad had to come to the US on some research assignment for a couple of years and he wanted the whole family to be with him for the last year before returning. When we went back, I was quite lost. I remember that when I first went back to my school, I came across my third standard teacher. I knew her well so I wished to make a salutation. But I didn't know whether to say 'hello' as I was used to saying or to say 'namaste ma'am' with the hands pressed against each other as we were used to doing in school. I think I ended up saying hello with my hands pressed together. I had a hard time in school that year having become very stupid from staying in school in the US I suppose, and my ambitious dad sent me to sanskrit and mathematics tuitions. I hated the mathematics tuitions because the teacher was a tyrant but I liked the sanskrit teacher so I really began to enjoy the sanskrit subject. Apparently, I had a terribly american accent :( Till my last day in school I used to be mocked for this incident which occurred: On the first day I resumed school, which was a little late, the class teacher asked me to stand up and introduce myself. I gave my name. Then he asked me where I stayed. I replied, "Yellareddyguda" and the whole class including the teacher was in suppressed grins. Apparently it sounded very funny in the american accent. I tried very hard to get rid of the accent after learning that. But the sad part was I never knew there was an accent so I didn't know that I actually sounded different from others. In my head I thought I was speaking exactly like them. So for a while during that year I used to check with friends after random periods of time to see if I was speaking normally yet :(
Today
Today was an interesting day. I had lunch with my groupmate, his girlfriend and his girlfriend's groupmates. The whole lunch we sat discussing politics and had some interesting discussions. I had on an earlier day got sucked into helping out with some propagating materials science event in the evening. On that day I thought it would be fun to help out, which it was but then I also really wanted to work today because I was trying to understand some results so I was a bit disappointed about that. However, there was some work I had to do for collaborators that was going to do me no good and I got done with that so that pain's out of the way and I can deal with my work in peace the rest of this week. Also, I am currently listening to 'aaro viral neeti' by KJ Yesudas. I just love the man's voice! Wish I had a voice like his.
If you build a time capsule what would it contain?
Time capsules are too hard to comprehend, but taken to mean what's most precious to me, I'd say my family.
Tomorrow
Tomorrow I hope to do the work I didn't do today.
What do you see yourself doing 14 years from now?
I don't think so far ahead any more. I am happy I'm not in a position where I can answer that question. I am afraid of being in a position where I can answer that question. Also, in general, I'm finding it very hard to think about the future. I find that my notions of 'the future' are very vague. Although I say stuff like, "I'm looking to graduate in two years" to the most common question asked me, the truth is, I'm not looking to graduate in two years. I have no idea when I want to graduate. Its not something I think about seriously. I also find it pointless to think about questions that reach so far ahead. The complex network of possibilities almost make the question seem absurd. I bring this up because I also find this to be the case with the near future. I am highly unable to think about the future in a sincere way because I realise that in truth I can't even define my present state of mind and the present course of action I'll follow. Making plans for the future seems a futile waste of time. Those are my present thoughts on the future.
I tag:
jk
Ramku
ED
CC
Turkey/Hari/Babe(if you guys still write on your blogs?)
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
The beginning of election soap
The 1960 presidential campaign was marked by one novel development, the scheduling between September 26 and October 21 of a series of four nationally televised debates between the two candidates. Although the format for each session was precisely drawn, the debates did not serve to distinguish sharply the candidates' specific positions on the issues. The major differences that emerged during the debates and more generally during the campaign were those of style and personality. Kennedy stressed the need for more dynamic leadership to get the country moving again, extend the nation's international influence and improve the quality of life in America. Nixon, in contrast, emphasized his experience and ability to stand up to the Russians, sought to make an issue of his opponent's youth and wealth, and blamed the Democrats for inflation.
The television debates were not without significance. Television offered possibilities for a new political strategy. Brilliantly exploiting television's communication possibilities, Kennedy projected an image of efficiency, detailed knowledge, and vibrancy and recognized the distinction between scoring point and winning audiences (which Nixon did not because he was convinced of his superior debating skills). Not surprisingly, then, a Roper poll revealed that, of four million Americans who admitted having been influenced by the debates, three million voted for Kennedy. Television had made its mark and further transformed American politics by reducing the importance of issues and political philosophy and strengthening factors like personality, appearance, and projected image.
The television debates were not without significance. Television offered possibilities for a new political strategy. Brilliantly exploiting television's communication possibilities, Kennedy projected an image of efficiency, detailed knowledge, and vibrancy and recognized the distinction between scoring point and winning audiences (which Nixon did not because he was convinced of his superior debating skills). Not surprisingly, then, a Roper poll revealed that, of four million Americans who admitted having been influenced by the debates, three million voted for Kennedy. Television had made its mark and further transformed American politics by reducing the importance of issues and political philosophy and strengthening factors like personality, appearance, and projected image.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Beating around the bush
Its fortunate my acquaintances at ASU don't know my blog. Info you need to know: 'opto' below refers to an optoelectronics course that this chap's taking now and that I had taken in an earlier semester.
Note: If one has a question, one should just ask!
Shail: hey dude
me: hye
Shail: i have question
i spoke to my prof
abt opto
its no way related to my research
and she asked
if i wanted to do anything in future
i was like kinda
no
she gave me a option of withdrawing from it
i just give too much of time
to that subject
and other 2 subjects
hardly get time for her work
should i withdraw?
me: your call
Shail: asking ur advice?
does W on transcript
matter a lot?
me: Oh, like that. I don't know
Note: If one has a question, one should just ask!
Shail: hey dude
me: hye
Shail: i have question
i spoke to my prof
abt opto
its no way related to my research
and she asked
if i wanted to do anything in future
i was like kinda
no
she gave me a option of withdrawing from it
i just give too much of time
to that subject
and other 2 subjects
hardly get time for her work
should i withdraw?
me: your call
Shail: asking ur advice?
does W on transcript
matter a lot?
me: Oh, like that. I don't know
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
8/22
Was bored at lab today so came home by about 5:30. Didn't sleep enough last night so was feeling groggy, but didn't want to sleep at an odd hour due to a sensitive bio-clock. So made myself a warm drink of instant coffee, filled a plate with crisp chips and sat down to eat while staring at the TV. We've got a basic internet connection at home so about 22 channels air free to our home. 8 out of the 22 were showing the presidential debate live. So I switched the TV off and wrote this post.
Sunday, October 05, 2008
I'm in love
I never thought it was possible.
I also never doubted my orientation.
But I'm seriously in love with independent candidate for the 2008 elections Ralph Nader.
If I were a citizen, I'd vote for him not only this time, but in every election he might ever contest!
All this because I saw an interview of him on c-span by the commonwealth club. There's too much in it for me to narrate. They said the video would be uploaded on c-span.org/politics. It isn't there just yet. May be in a few days. I'll surely update this post with the link to that interview when it gets uploaded.
I never heard of him before, and in one interview, I'm a complete devotee of him!
Of course he won't win, and he explains why too in that interview :)
But Ralph Nader, may you live really long! Here's to your health!
Here it is!
It is a 1hr 7 minute video with no breaks.
PLEASE PLEASE watch this interview if you've read this post! It is the most awesome interview I have ever seen in my life! Such men are rare and it is such a delight to know they exist! :')
I also never doubted my orientation.
But I'm seriously in love with independent candidate for the 2008 elections Ralph Nader.
If I were a citizen, I'd vote for him not only this time, but in every election he might ever contest!
All this because I saw an interview of him on c-span by the commonwealth club. There's too much in it for me to narrate. They said the video would be uploaded on c-span.org/politics. It isn't there just yet. May be in a few days. I'll surely update this post with the link to that interview when it gets uploaded.
I never heard of him before, and in one interview, I'm a complete devotee of him!
Of course he won't win, and he explains why too in that interview :)
But Ralph Nader, may you live really long! Here's to your health!
Here it is!
It is a 1hr 7 minute video with no breaks.
PLEASE PLEASE watch this interview if you've read this post! It is the most awesome interview I have ever seen in my life! Such men are rare and it is such a delight to know they exist! :')
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Wish list
1) An ipod news reader app: Basically an app in which if you key in the website, it reads out the day's news on that website. If you aren't interested in that article, you just hit fwd and like playing the next song it plays the next article! This would be really convenient for when I'm engaged in mindless work.(One may ignore the 'when' for more accuracy)
2) Laptop lighting that can resemble reading a book outdoors on a cloudy day.
2) Laptop lighting that can resemble reading a book outdoors on a cloudy day.
Miner achievements
"The one strike that proved an exception to the wartime rule of short spontaneous walkouts, was the long, caotly and bitter 1943 bituminous coal strike. Again defying mine owners, Congress, the president, the military, and the public - which "damned his coal black soul" - John L. Lewis led his miners to a remarkable victory. As a result of the 1943 strike settlement, coal miners became the nation's highest paid industrial workers."
Monday, September 29, 2008
Democracy combined with technology can be a disaster
So the 700 billion dollar bail out proposal for the US economy got rejected and I learnt that it was mostly republican candidates who voted against it in the House. I was wondering why and I thought it must've been because the republicans need popular votes to win the upcoming elections. I guessed popular sentiment would be against this proposal because the stupid short-sighted media was talking about it in terms of taxes and stealing from the poor to feed the rich. But then, I figured, that couldn't really have made the candidates turn their back on a proposal that was initiated by their own party representatives! But I just read a BBC report where they state that thousands of individuals wrote emails to their own members of congress angrily demanding that they reject a scheme which is universally perceived here as a bail-out of Wall Street bankers.
May be technology isn't such a good thing after all. It gives too much power into the hands of ignorant people. Most congressmen i'm sure have a better grasp on the situation than the stupid average american public, and if they didn't get thousands of emails giving them an alarming reminder of the upcoming elections, they might've made a sensible decision after all.
When I read the flash news of the bail out in my lab, I turned to my American friend and told him in excited tones, "The bail-out proposal just got rejected!!" and he replied without even turning his face from the monitor, "Yeah." I said, "So you just read that?" He said,"No!" I: "Then how do you know?" He: "Because it was expected." I replied a little stunned, "What?!?! How?" He said, "Because we the people don't like it!"
*sigh*
May be technology isn't such a good thing after all. It gives too much power into the hands of ignorant people. Most congressmen i'm sure have a better grasp on the situation than the stupid average american public, and if they didn't get thousands of emails giving them an alarming reminder of the upcoming elections, they might've made a sensible decision after all.
When I read the flash news of the bail out in my lab, I turned to my American friend and told him in excited tones, "The bail-out proposal just got rejected!!" and he replied without even turning his face from the monitor, "Yeah." I said, "So you just read that?" He said,"No!" I: "Then how do you know?" He: "Because it was expected." I replied a little stunned, "What?!?! How?" He said, "Because we the people don't like it!"
*sigh*
Thursday, September 18, 2008
What are the odds
Yesterday, we were playing table tennis doubles. At the table were three Indians, and one Asian. One of the Indians casually asked in the middle of a warm-up rally, "Are you from China/Taiwan?" The guy replied, "Yeah, I"m from Taiwan. How did you guess?"
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Around the world in 800 days
Photographs taken at a bicycle stand on the ASU campus in Tempe, Arizona:
Monday, September 15, 2008
Worthless lives
This trash is very aptly located right behind the rear entrance to the Engineering Research Center. In fact, my office is at the rear entrance on the first floor, so every time I take a break and go look out the window, I see this message, sigh in disappointment and get back to work.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Brain fries
I went to Burger King for lunch today and a friend came along later. She asked me to order apple fries for her. It wasn't on the menu, but she said they'd have it. So it seemed like a special item. I asked for the apple fries along with my burger and apple pies. Here what the apple fries looks like:
Its about a quarter of an apple sliced in the shape of french fries.
Its about a quarter of an apple sliced in the shape of french fries.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
President's prophetic prediction
1928 - Herbert Hoover at the Republican Convention: "We in America are nearer to the final triumph over poverty than ever before in the history of any land."
1929 - The greatest economic catastrophe in United States history.
1929 - The greatest economic catastrophe in United States history.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
and still...
"In addition, adopting advertising techniques increasingly employed by private business, American politics became more packaged and American politicians more image conscious.
The ablest practioners of this public relations politics were Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge. Whatever their limitations as statesmen and political thinkers - neither had a vision of a just society or an appreciation of fundamental problems - both Harding and Coolidge were masterful politicians. Nor were they merely accidental presidents. Both men attained the presidency and commanded popular support by astutely using rhetoric to cultivate and project an image of sound, responsive leadership. Harding's speeches, as pompous and meaningless in content as they often were, were impressive policical performances. "
The ablest practioners of this public relations politics were Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge. Whatever their limitations as statesmen and political thinkers - neither had a vision of a just society or an appreciation of fundamental problems - both Harding and Coolidge were masterful politicians. Nor were they merely accidental presidents. Both men attained the presidency and commanded popular support by astutely using rhetoric to cultivate and project an image of sound, responsive leadership. Harding's speeches, as pompous and meaningless in content as they often were, were impressive policical performances. "
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Still
"When autumn came sports excitement did not abate. College football teams took up the slack, as each Saturday they waged their wars on countless athletic fields. Between later September and Thanksgiving of 1927, some thirty million fans paid over $50 million to watch college football. To accommodate the crowds earger to see the performances of such collegiate celebrities as Red Grange of Illionois and Bronco Nagurski of Minnesota, American universities built stadiums, sometimes derided as “lunar craters”, that held between 70,000 and 100,000 spectators."
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Some goats I like
I've been tagged by Silverine. For the past 4 years or thereabouts, I've been in the habit of taking notes from books I read in the hope of documenting the worthwhile because I usually forget everything. Such being the case it is naturally impossible to take on the task of listing a mere 5 quotations as per the rules of the tag. Today, I was going through some of the notes I've made over the years and picked out a handful of the choicest from what little I managed to go through. I am pleased with the final collection I have assembled here because it covers a fairly interesting range of subjects, and that is very satisfactory considering I'm only culling out from a tiniest collection of my notes. A note of caution: The content of the quotations aren't necessarily ideas I subscribe to. They are merely quotations that appeal to me.
I enjoyed going through my notes and must go through some more again some time. I tag:
Myself
Babe
Jk
Ramku
Kiran
I am not sure if even these 4 have RSS feeds to my blog. So if you are reading this and you have a blog ID, and you've left a comment, then you are tagged as well.
-
Friedrich Nietzsche’s beautiful description of Arthur Schopenhauer:
He was absolutely alone, with not a single friend; and between one and none there lies an infinity. -
Arthur Schopenhauer:
Most of our suffering lies in retrospect or anticipation; pain itself is brief. How much more suffering is caused by the thought of death than death itself. -
Arthur Schopenhauer:
Only a philosopher can be happy in marriage, and philosophers do not marry. -
Jonathan Swift in Gulliver’s Travels(Note: Read the book to know definition of ‘Yahoo’):
-
Arthur Schopenhauer:
We are unhappy married, and unmarried we are unhappy. We are unhappy when alone, and unhappy when in society: we are like hedge-hogs clustering for warmth, uncomfortable when too closely packed, and yet miserable when kept apart. It is all very funny. - TAG ENDS HERE.
- Sriram Sivaramakrishnan:
Is quantum mechanics Ψ-Φ ?
-
Anjali Philip:
I learnt to cook at the tender age of 8 months, when I lifted a jar of salt and emptied it into a bowl of chicken curry. -
Socrates:
Tragedy itself is proof of the fact that the Greeks were not pessimists . - Bertrand Russell:
We think of education as the transmission of a certain body of settled knowledge, when it should be rather the development of a scientific habit of mind. - George Santayana:
Religion is human experience interpreted by human imagination.
- William Somerset Maugham:
The most important thing that money can buy is time.
I enjoyed going through my notes and must go through some more again some time. I tag:
Myself
Babe
Jk
Ramku
Kiran
I am not sure if even these 4 have RSS feeds to my blog. So if you are reading this and you have a blog ID, and you've left a comment, then you are tagged as well.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)