I am feeling miserable today.Its one of those days when you dont want to wake up,when you feel there is nothing to look forward to.In fact that is my complaint about life at present.There is something missing,and I am still searching in vain for it.When I was in school,I always dreamed about a future,I worked for it and got it.When I was in college,I dreamed again,but the future then didnt seem to matter so much,for when the present is so joyous, who cares about the future anyway.But I nevertheless had a vison for myself,and now here I am,this is my today that I had wanted,but somehow there isnt the same charm about it now as it was then.How fun it was then dreaming together, about tommorow,about Ivy league universities and about the rosy life ahead.
I think,I brood,about myself,about my attitude to life and end up thinking in circles.I find no answers.Why am I disillusioned with life so far?Is it because I dream no dreams about tommorow now?Maybe.For, now I have to redefine what I want from my future.When you actually come to a place you have visualised all along,suddenly you feel afraid,for you dont know where to go next.
I am least interested in my assignment on Fluid mechanics.Was this the same subject that drove me on the last 4 yrs?
I do recognise however that what I feel is not simply because of where I am.Probably if I had joined work in India too I might have felt the same.I see people around me who are happy simply because they are here,and I dont identify with them.How easy it would be to slip into the mode of looking towards friday the whole week and then partying,and staying intoxicated the weekend,and repeat the thing again.Apparently that is "fun",whatever it means.But I have promised myself that I wont descend into that mode of life,and I will keep seeking that elusive "thing" which made me what I was,and which has been behind everything that I did so far.
Then yesterday I got a forward from someone titled "Being a twenty-something", apparently written by the author and musician Leonard Cohen.I could identify immediately with it and I cant help but quote some lines which I think are the crux of the problem.
"It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing
that there are many things about yourself that you didn't know and may
not like. You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a
year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are
now.
You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone
and scared and confused. Suddenly, change is the enemy and you try and
cling on to the past with dear life, but soon realize that the past is
drifting further and further away, and there is nothing to do but stay
where you are or move forward."
Maybe thats the reason,I thought.I am being held to ransom by a past thats gone into the sunset and by a future that I am afraid of.And I see some changes too.
I think I have stopped seeing the lighter side of life these past few months.From being with friends who knew me for raunchy remarks for everything and who laughed for hours like madmen everyday,maybe thats what I am missing.Humour.
I just wish that I would laugh till I cry,as I used to.Or cry myself hoarse hurling abuses at our teachers as I used to.Or feel the blood pound in my head,sweat pour down my arms,and feel the excruciating pain in the shoulders,leaden legs and thighs trying to bowl as fast as I can.Maybe thats what I need.Exercise.I remember how me and Pawan used to take out all our frustrations of Jayaram amd mechatronics,at the TT table.Its time I try that then.
Or maybe I miss the fire in the belly that used to come from being in a tough spot,of the fear of God that some exams could put in you.
All it needs for me is just some spark of life to ignite the charm again.Maybe one of these days I will just wake up and find what I am looking for.Or maybe a nice royal,old fashioned screw in some exam soon will rekindle the stomach for a fight again.
I am surely beggining to sound maniacal.I wonder are there other people who feel this way,or felt this way?And the thought just entered my head,should I publish this?What would people think...but I think I feel better after writing already, and Iam beyond caring...and anyway as they say the people who matter dont mind and the people who mind dont matter.
I am off now,to the library,to see a movie,and improve my mood.
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Enigmatic entropy
Have you ever heard the song "Return to innocence" by Enigma.I just love that song,for the eerie feeling of earthiness or ..I cant find the word...of the primeval..... that it brings,its lyrics,and most of all its theme.Have you seen the video of that song?Its the most creative video that I have ever seen.Now think of this.What is it that relates that song to thermodynamics and engines.I wanted to set this question in my Technical Quiz at Pragyan this year but I was scared off by others who said it was too random:) and too much like me:0,whatever that meant:)
Coming back to the question.Its a haunting video,which starts with an old man eating a poisoned fruit and dying.Thereafter it goes backward,with the fruit going back to the tree,the tree growing smaller,the man growing younger.Lots of other things-bread turning to wheat,a newly married couple with the wedding played backward,a notebook full of writing being "unwritten",all with glimpses of a Unicorn running backward all the while.It reminds me of what I read somewhere,that if we live life backward,it would end in an orgasm:)That sure is something to think about isnt it?:)(of course the video doesnt go as far back as that:))
The relation with thermodynamics is entropy-the dreaded term ..described loosely as the Second law of Thermodynamics.Entropy precludes the concept of reversible time,giving what is often termed as the 'arrow of time'.That is what prevents things from happenning backward.That is why you cant turn rice into paddy or bread into wheat,that is why time goes as it does. So that was the connection-that it was a thermodynamically unfeasible video that violated the IInd Law:)And not a bad question at all,I still think[;)]
There is lots more to say on entropy,but first more on the song.There is a school of thought that since time goes backward in the song,to understand what it really means ,you have to play the song backward.Well, one night in Topaz when myself and Somu were twiddling our thumbs,we did just that using CoolEdit.It was a pattern of rhythmic unearthly white noise for the most part,except for a small interval of a few seconds when you hear the words"Hell is nice".Thats why it is known as a song to the Anti Christ,the rumour we were trying to confirm.That track of a few seconds is still saved in Somu's computer;)
Returning to entropy,it is often taken as a measure of chaos,that like chaos which can only increase ,and never decrease,so is entropy .I will never forget the marvellous words that the HOD used in 3rd semester (it seems like aeons ago..) when closing the chapter on the second law.He likened entropy to a manifestation of divinity,and gave a brialliant analogy to the spoken word.Each word when spoken goes into the universe,and increases its entropy.And words once spoken cannot be recalled.This was a precis of what he said.Perhaps that is the basis of the adage speech is silvern,silence is golden?
Entropy is a rather subtle thing to understand,and it takes many readings before you come to appreciate its beauty,if you ever do.In fact the whole of Thermodynamics is rather abstruse,an opinion that will find many takers I am sure.That was the reason I balked at taking an Advanced course in ThermoD here.
Recently one of the profs here told us something interesting that bears out what we students have always felt.He quoted from a book titled (ironically), something like, The chequered history of ThermoD:)Apparently one of the reasons it appears to be difficult was that unlike other sciences which grew from mathematicians,this was developed mostly by skilled experimenters.They had to invent their own mathematics to expalin their results which is evinced by all its idiosyncrasies and confusing definitions of property,exact and inexact differentials and so on.In short its filled with traps for the unwary and there is nothing called lucidity in any book:)This view seems quite correct to me.
It is probably the hardest subject to explain to the layman.But I finally found one way.
To end my rant which seems to have digressed quite far from Enigma:),here is a wisecrack on the 3 Laws,(of thermoD, what else?:)
You will be able to appreciate it all the more if you know ThermoD.:)
1st law- You cant win
2nd law- You cant even break even.
3rd law- You cant get out of the game.
Probably as witty as it gets.How I wish I had come up with that.!!!!!!
Coming back to the question.Its a haunting video,which starts with an old man eating a poisoned fruit and dying.Thereafter it goes backward,with the fruit going back to the tree,the tree growing smaller,the man growing younger.Lots of other things-bread turning to wheat,a newly married couple with the wedding played backward,a notebook full of writing being "unwritten",all with glimpses of a Unicorn running backward all the while.It reminds me of what I read somewhere,that if we live life backward,it would end in an orgasm:)That sure is something to think about isnt it?:)(of course the video doesnt go as far back as that:))
The relation with thermodynamics is entropy-the dreaded term ..described loosely as the Second law of Thermodynamics.Entropy precludes the concept of reversible time,giving what is often termed as the 'arrow of time'.That is what prevents things from happenning backward.That is why you cant turn rice into paddy or bread into wheat,that is why time goes as it does. So that was the connection-that it was a thermodynamically unfeasible video that violated the IInd Law:)And not a bad question at all,I still think[;)]
There is lots more to say on entropy,but first more on the song.There is a school of thought that since time goes backward in the song,to understand what it really means ,you have to play the song backward.Well, one night in Topaz when myself and Somu were twiddling our thumbs,we did just that using CoolEdit.It was a pattern of rhythmic unearthly white noise for the most part,except for a small interval of a few seconds when you hear the words"Hell is nice".Thats why it is known as a song to the Anti Christ,the rumour we were trying to confirm.That track of a few seconds is still saved in Somu's computer;)
Returning to entropy,it is often taken as a measure of chaos,that like chaos which can only increase ,and never decrease,so is entropy .I will never forget the marvellous words that the HOD used in 3rd semester (it seems like aeons ago..) when closing the chapter on the second law.He likened entropy to a manifestation of divinity,and gave a brialliant analogy to the spoken word.Each word when spoken goes into the universe,and increases its entropy.And words once spoken cannot be recalled.This was a precis of what he said.Perhaps that is the basis of the adage speech is silvern,silence is golden?
Entropy is a rather subtle thing to understand,and it takes many readings before you come to appreciate its beauty,if you ever do.In fact the whole of Thermodynamics is rather abstruse,an opinion that will find many takers I am sure.That was the reason I balked at taking an Advanced course in ThermoD here.
Recently one of the profs here told us something interesting that bears out what we students have always felt.He quoted from a book titled (ironically), something like, The chequered history of ThermoD:)Apparently one of the reasons it appears to be difficult was that unlike other sciences which grew from mathematicians,this was developed mostly by skilled experimenters.They had to invent their own mathematics to expalin their results which is evinced by all its idiosyncrasies and confusing definitions of property,exact and inexact differentials and so on.In short its filled with traps for the unwary and there is nothing called lucidity in any book:)This view seems quite correct to me.
It is probably the hardest subject to explain to the layman.But I finally found one way.
To end my rant which seems to have digressed quite far from Enigma:),here is a wisecrack on the 3 Laws,(of thermoD, what else?:)
You will be able to appreciate it all the more if you know ThermoD.:)
1st law- You cant win
2nd law- You cant even break even.
3rd law- You cant get out of the game.
Probably as witty as it gets.How I wish I had come up with that.!!!!!!
Sunday, September 17, 2006
From me, to the Class of 2006.....
This post is long overdue.I have been thinking of this since the day I wrote the introduction to the REM.When I wrote that I realized there is so much more that defined our batch,that made us different from the ones earlier.When seniors go back to NIT and find changes,it would have been we who began them.
I could not write all that in the REM,for they were my personal observations,and I was writing then for all the four hundred odd people in our batch,something that will always stay with me.
To start with I saw different shades of life in each of my four years at NIT.And I interacted with three batches of seniors and juniors.Some of my observations might seem biased,and indeed they may be,but I write this not from my opinions of individuals but from the overall outlook and mentality of the people.Indeed maybe three years from now my juniors might feel the same.
It began with ragging.While nothing can justify slapping somebody in cold blood,we took it,simply because we could do nothing about it other than destroy someone's career.The fact that at the end of that ordeal I have discovered some admirable people does nothing to justify that,though I have no bitter feelings towards the same now.As we went along to second year,third year and so forth,we managed to cut down the incidents quite a bit.Now when we finally passed out there was hardly the same fear and fright associated with it.
There is also the whole idea of seniority.It was always taken as a potential weapon to win all battles,and to inflate bruised egos.You were never given the dignity due to you,and even after freshie party and everything,you had to remember that the seniors are always right.That changed completely when we became seniors ourselves and that is the greatest contribution we made,in my opinion.
As juniors ,the worst jobs always go to you.Nothing exemplified this more than cleaning up the food,which stinks up to high heavens,after the annual puja.The seniors would watch while the first years did all the dirty work.That made our blood boil.We had decided that we wouldnt make our juniors do what we ourselves wouldnt.When I waded into the job of carrying and dumping the leftovers,I realised for myself that I had earned their respect only then,not before.What I say is a general trend that was there in our batch.
Can there be anything more humiliating as a third year than getting slapped because you booed a senior during a cricket match?Or having to hide out in seniors hostels for the night because the losing senior team is out to get your goat for showing the middle finger during an on-the-pitch sledging incident?
This was what the Ruby Cup was till last year.Juniors never dared to applaud a shot for fear that the other team would beat them up.And as juniors you can never win a match.While you would hear the choicest abuses directed at you on the field,God save you if you retaliate!But we made sure things changed.The juniors(second and third years ) were in full force to watch the matches.Final years,including me drew boos,words,rebukes and all that happens in the field of play.But we took it like men,and not take the easy way out like earlier years.The result was the fairest Ruby Cup tournament ever,and not won by the final years!
Another refreshing change has been the interaction between boys and girls.The comments and taunts that I was so used to hearing when a junior is now a thing of the past.We have treated our juniors as equals,and the result has percolated down to all the batches now.Now when we see first years being rude and insolent,sometimes we wonder.Was it right?Why dont we fix them now?The temptation is there.But then hell,he has got the right to be rude hasnt he?
So my friends,let them be.We have ushered in a different and may I add,better culture into the college.Lets not change that.As final years we have earned our respect,and not demanded it.That will never change.
There are other accomplishments of ours that are well documented,and I would rather not go into those.This is more important.
When I was standing in Ashutosh Hall in Calcutta,in 2001,and there were 3 mechanical seats vacant in NIT Trichy,I didnt take it.Most of you know this.I have wondered hard and long in retrospect why I didnt.Perhaps it was because it wasnt meant to be.And so it was that at the same place the next year,I chose NIT Trichy.And what a difference its made to me.Whats a year in this whole lifetime anyway?I would have been much the loser even if I had gained a year.
This is dedicated to all of us-boys and girls of the Class of 2006.I am proud to be one of you,for I believe,truly,that we have made a difference.....
Cheers to the spirit of NIT Trichy...
Cheers to the Class of 2006...
I could not write all that in the REM,for they were my personal observations,and I was writing then for all the four hundred odd people in our batch,something that will always stay with me.
To start with I saw different shades of life in each of my four years at NIT.And I interacted with three batches of seniors and juniors.Some of my observations might seem biased,and indeed they may be,but I write this not from my opinions of individuals but from the overall outlook and mentality of the people.Indeed maybe three years from now my juniors might feel the same.
It began with ragging.While nothing can justify slapping somebody in cold blood,we took it,simply because we could do nothing about it other than destroy someone's career.The fact that at the end of that ordeal I have discovered some admirable people does nothing to justify that,though I have no bitter feelings towards the same now.As we went along to second year,third year and so forth,we managed to cut down the incidents quite a bit.Now when we finally passed out there was hardly the same fear and fright associated with it.
There is also the whole idea of seniority.It was always taken as a potential weapon to win all battles,and to inflate bruised egos.You were never given the dignity due to you,and even after freshie party and everything,you had to remember that the seniors are always right.That changed completely when we became seniors ourselves and that is the greatest contribution we made,in my opinion.
As juniors ,the worst jobs always go to you.Nothing exemplified this more than cleaning up the food,which stinks up to high heavens,after the annual puja.The seniors would watch while the first years did all the dirty work.That made our blood boil.We had decided that we wouldnt make our juniors do what we ourselves wouldnt.When I waded into the job of carrying and dumping the leftovers,I realised for myself that I had earned their respect only then,not before.What I say is a general trend that was there in our batch.
Can there be anything more humiliating as a third year than getting slapped because you booed a senior during a cricket match?Or having to hide out in seniors hostels for the night because the losing senior team is out to get your goat for showing the middle finger during an on-the-pitch sledging incident?
This was what the Ruby Cup was till last year.Juniors never dared to applaud a shot for fear that the other team would beat them up.And as juniors you can never win a match.While you would hear the choicest abuses directed at you on the field,God save you if you retaliate!But we made sure things changed.The juniors(second and third years ) were in full force to watch the matches.Final years,including me drew boos,words,rebukes and all that happens in the field of play.But we took it like men,and not take the easy way out like earlier years.The result was the fairest Ruby Cup tournament ever,and not won by the final years!
Another refreshing change has been the interaction between boys and girls.The comments and taunts that I was so used to hearing when a junior is now a thing of the past.We have treated our juniors as equals,and the result has percolated down to all the batches now.Now when we see first years being rude and insolent,sometimes we wonder.Was it right?Why dont we fix them now?The temptation is there.But then hell,he has got the right to be rude hasnt he?
So my friends,let them be.We have ushered in a different and may I add,better culture into the college.Lets not change that.As final years we have earned our respect,and not demanded it.That will never change.
There are other accomplishments of ours that are well documented,and I would rather not go into those.This is more important.
When I was standing in Ashutosh Hall in Calcutta,in 2001,and there were 3 mechanical seats vacant in NIT Trichy,I didnt take it.Most of you know this.I have wondered hard and long in retrospect why I didnt.Perhaps it was because it wasnt meant to be.And so it was that at the same place the next year,I chose NIT Trichy.And what a difference its made to me.Whats a year in this whole lifetime anyway?I would have been much the loser even if I had gained a year.
This is dedicated to all of us-boys and girls of the Class of 2006.I am proud to be one of you,for I believe,truly,that we have made a difference.....
Cheers to the spirit of NIT Trichy...
Cheers to the Class of 2006...
Saturday, September 16, 2006
With malice to none and charity to all.............
Today was a nice day.An unexpected peice of kindness really touched my heart.One of my class mates has got a job which pays quite well.There are more than three hundred applicants for the job ,and though I had applied,it seemed remote that I might get called for an interview even.But he surprised me by asking me for my CV.,saying he will forward it personally so that at least they read what is in it.It was unnecessary,he had no axe to grind,and yet he did.It was great.I dont care whether I get the job or get called for an interview,the gesture was worth more than anything else.In this place that so far has me unimpressed by anything in particular,it was a nice moment.Maybe there are nice people here too.But this just set the tone for the evening.
Every Friday,we have what is called Aggie Nights.You get free pizza ,bowling and pool till midnight.Its in a place called MSC( Memoral Students Centre) dedicated to all Aggies who have died, or will die,in wars,past or future.I went today for the second time.There is a magnificent lobby with plush sofas and chairs for students to eat,sit or simply hang around.There is also a grand piano which anybody can play.
I had my pizza and I was siting in one corner of the lobby,alone.Someone was playing the piano,beautifully, and the flute as well.The lilting tunes,the soulful melody,made me envious as always-for that gift of music which I lack and yearn for.But there was more.Having had enough to eat,it was so pleasant to just sit there and watch the world go by.More than that ,it was rare to just be.Without worry,without feelings,to be empty of thought and to be ,for lack of expression,I will paraphrase Lincoln,with malice to none and charity to all.People were rushing,people were eating,some were rushing off to the Bollywood Night,but I just sat there detached,a spectator enjoying the view perhaps,but with disinterest.
It made me realise that solitude is beautiful too at times.I will sign off by quoting, as always 2 more lines:)I dont why,it just leapt into mind.
"Tell me not in mourful numbers,life is but not an idle dream,
Life is real, life is earnest, grave is not its goal."
Every Friday,we have what is called Aggie Nights.You get free pizza ,bowling and pool till midnight.Its in a place called MSC( Memoral Students Centre) dedicated to all Aggies who have died, or will die,in wars,past or future.I went today for the second time.There is a magnificent lobby with plush sofas and chairs for students to eat,sit or simply hang around.There is also a grand piano which anybody can play.
I had my pizza and I was siting in one corner of the lobby,alone.Someone was playing the piano,beautifully, and the flute as well.The lilting tunes,the soulful melody,made me envious as always-for that gift of music which I lack and yearn for.But there was more.Having had enough to eat,it was so pleasant to just sit there and watch the world go by.More than that ,it was rare to just be.Without worry,without feelings,to be empty of thought and to be ,for lack of expression,I will paraphrase Lincoln,with malice to none and charity to all.People were rushing,people were eating,some were rushing off to the Bollywood Night,but I just sat there detached,a spectator enjoying the view perhaps,but with disinterest.
It made me realise that solitude is beautiful too at times.I will sign off by quoting, as always 2 more lines:)I dont why,it just leapt into mind.
"Tell me not in mourful numbers,life is but not an idle dream,
Life is real, life is earnest, grave is not its goal."
Thursday, September 14, 2006
life within, and without a classroom.
I am in a much better frame of mind today,primarily because of having submitted two assignments in two days and next due only on monday.So it time for what I hope is a light hearted look at life here so far,in and outside class rooms.I have been planning this for some time but the day has finally dawned today.
I will start with what seems funniest to me-meeting professors for Ra and TA.I met several so far and right from seeing their resume my anxiety mounts.Oh this guy is a stud,I tell myself.With what face do I mail him?Even pressing the send button for a mail seems to be an affront:)Mostly they dont reply,but some did,asking to meet at such and such hour.
The time comes,and it all seems to go wrong just then.For myself ,I never am short of words,people close to me know that :)In NIT I never felt afraid of any prof probably because I knew I am better than them.As a result talking to them was never a problem.I could always come up with some jargon that would frighten them.
But here as soon as I knock on the door and go I feel my knees quaking as though I would wet my pants:)I do not know what to say and there is an irresistible urge to blabber which I suppress with great effort.I mean these people have teaching careers since before I was even born.Suppose he asks me a question,I wonder.What if he asks me why my gpa is less?What if he finds out that I didnt write the CFD code of my final yr project myself?Such thoughts run through my head.Thankfully they dont ask.But they do ask what exactly do you want to do?And then I blabber.Words rush out,I talk incoherently.If there was a jammaster,he would penalise me for slurring,stammering, and sppech defect all at once, and the prof says politely-"say that again?"I do,take a deep breath and start repeating my cv verbatim.The usual answer comes back."I am sorry,there are no vacancies in my research group now,but you can check back in January."Thus after seeing the gold coated middlefinger,:) I go out.Outside you find another student ,Indian usually,waiting.:)He has heard all that happened and he goes in to try his luck.Simple variations of this incident everytime.At the ned I got very pissed off and very bold.I just barged into a chinky profs room without appointment.Imagine my brazeness when I tell an Aerosol prof that I am interested in fluid flows!:)I came out very quickly from there.Err...iblog..you have had such romantic interludes with profs before??:)
And that reminds me ,this week everything seems to incomprehensible.It seems these tensors were lying in wait for me all these years.I was relaxing in class,for everything was merely a repeat of what I knew,when suddenly I heard the name Fourier.For the uninitiated let me tell you whenever you hear the names Lagrange,Euler,Fourier or Cauchy,you better sit up, for they can do unspeakable things to you during examinations:).This warning of course is not for compsceez(have they ever done anything worthwhile?:)okay I am ready for the backlash to follow:)I did when I heard and suddenly the screen was filled with integration signs,summation signs and infinities.I am no village idiot at maths (thats enough of chest thumping for today:),but it was a horrible experience.Well, yesterday that and today these tensors.Perhaps this is grad life:(Lets see whats in store next week.Its going to be work I think after 4 yrs of picnic in NITT.:)Thats all now,am feeling hungry:)
I will start with what seems funniest to me-meeting professors for Ra and TA.I met several so far and right from seeing their resume my anxiety mounts.Oh this guy is a stud,I tell myself.With what face do I mail him?Even pressing the send button for a mail seems to be an affront:)Mostly they dont reply,but some did,asking to meet at such and such hour.
The time comes,and it all seems to go wrong just then.For myself ,I never am short of words,people close to me know that :)In NIT I never felt afraid of any prof probably because I knew I am better than them.As a result talking to them was never a problem.I could always come up with some jargon that would frighten them.
But here as soon as I knock on the door and go I feel my knees quaking as though I would wet my pants:)I do not know what to say and there is an irresistible urge to blabber which I suppress with great effort.I mean these people have teaching careers since before I was even born.Suppose he asks me a question,I wonder.What if he asks me why my gpa is less?What if he finds out that I didnt write the CFD code of my final yr project myself?Such thoughts run through my head.Thankfully they dont ask.But they do ask what exactly do you want to do?And then I blabber.Words rush out,I talk incoherently.If there was a jammaster,he would penalise me for slurring,stammering, and sppech defect all at once, and the prof says politely-"say that again?"I do,take a deep breath and start repeating my cv verbatim.The usual answer comes back."I am sorry,there are no vacancies in my research group now,but you can check back in January."Thus after seeing the gold coated middlefinger,:) I go out.Outside you find another student ,Indian usually,waiting.:)He has heard all that happened and he goes in to try his luck.Simple variations of this incident everytime.At the ned I got very pissed off and very bold.I just barged into a chinky profs room without appointment.Imagine my brazeness when I tell an Aerosol prof that I am interested in fluid flows!:)I came out very quickly from there.Err...iblog..you have had such romantic interludes with profs before??:)
And that reminds me ,this week everything seems to incomprehensible.It seems these tensors were lying in wait for me all these years.I was relaxing in class,for everything was merely a repeat of what I knew,when suddenly I heard the name Fourier.For the uninitiated let me tell you whenever you hear the names Lagrange,Euler,Fourier or Cauchy,you better sit up, for they can do unspeakable things to you during examinations:).This warning of course is not for compsceez(have they ever done anything worthwhile?:)okay I am ready for the backlash to follow:)I did when I heard and suddenly the screen was filled with integration signs,summation signs and infinities.I am no village idiot at maths (thats enough of chest thumping for today:),but it was a horrible experience.Well, yesterday that and today these tensors.Perhaps this is grad life:(Lets see whats in store next week.Its going to be work I think after 4 yrs of picnic in NITT.:)Thats all now,am feeling hungry:)
Monday, September 11, 2006
They flash upon the inward eye,which is the bliss of solitude...
Today I want to say so much but there is so little time.I was working and as I get paid mostly for getting bored,was reading blogs.I came upon a few really beautiful lines,that made me remember some of the best I have ever come across yet.Here are all of those that I could recall........
"Beware,you are heading where you are going to"-Chinese proverb
I had this pinned over my table in Topaz.It is the most subtle proverb I have ever read.It seems so trivial but when I first heard it I was bowled over by the sheer beauty of its phraseology.There is so much depth behind the simple words.Invariably everybody who ever came to my room would ask what it meant.
"A stick cut in half everyday, and so till eternity"-Chinese adage
I found this on the cover of a book by Tai Ran Hsu,on MEMS(Micro Electro Mechanical Systems).This is most mundane I know, but brilliantly contextual.It is the basic principle of working in the microdomain,to reduce all dimensions.It was my elective and though I recall nothing else this is etched in memory.
"To see the world in a grain of sand, and heaven in a wildflower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour"
I fell in love with these lines when they appeared as a footnote in the Pragyan souvenir and have never stopped thinking about them since.They are from William Blake's Auguries of Innocence.I have read the poem and its sheer musicality is mind blowing, and though I have never figured out what these lines mean,it has only deeepned the mystery around them.
"What though this radiance which was once so bright,
Be now forever taken from my sight,
Though nothing can bring back the hour,
Of splendour in the grass,of glory in the flower
We shall grieve not,rather find
Strength in what remains behind"
From Wordsworths Intimations of Immortality.I will never for get this,for I wrote it in the card we gave for our seniors farewell.Perhaps neither will they.More interesting is its context ,that Kabir Bedi quoted this when talking about his four wives:)
"If you can meet with truimph and disaster,and treat these impostors just the same,
If you can risk all your winnings on one turn of pitch and toss,
lose and start again at your beginnings and not breathe a word of your loss
If you can fill the unforgiving minute with sixty second worth of distance run,
Yours is the earth and everything thats in it, and whats more
You will be a man my son!!"
My favourite lines from Kipling's If.I think of it as my guide in life and it adorned the walls of my room in Topaz just like one more of my favourites,Lincolns letter to his son's teacher.
"The man who knows not,knows not that he knows not, is a fool-shun him.
The man who knows,knows that he knows not,is a simpleton-teach him
The man who knows not,knows not that he knows,is sleeping-awaken him"
-Arabian proverb
This was stuck on the door of my room,taken from The Hindu pages.It lasted till the ward boy thought better of it and tore it off one day while cleaning my room.
"This too shall pass"
The thing which cheers me up when I am down and sobers me down when I am too happy.
"The race is not to the swift,nor battle to the strong,but its to those who want it the most"
You cant put it any better.I know it now.
"mere man ye bata de tu,kis aur chala hai tu,
kya paya nahin tune,kise dhood raha hai tu
jo hai ankahee,jo hai ansuni,ek baat kya hai bata..."
The latest tune to capture my heart,and also the eternal question that I often think about.Though I have a pathological hate for Karan Johar,SRK,Aishwarya Rai and anything to do with their movies,atleast Johar has the good sense to choose good singers!:)
That will be all now.I shall put up more as and when I remember.I hope to discover and come across more like these in future.
"Beware,you are heading where you are going to"-Chinese proverb
I had this pinned over my table in Topaz.It is the most subtle proverb I have ever read.It seems so trivial but when I first heard it I was bowled over by the sheer beauty of its phraseology.There is so much depth behind the simple words.Invariably everybody who ever came to my room would ask what it meant.
"A stick cut in half everyday, and so till eternity"-Chinese adage
I found this on the cover of a book by Tai Ran Hsu,on MEMS(Micro Electro Mechanical Systems).This is most mundane I know, but brilliantly contextual.It is the basic principle of working in the microdomain,to reduce all dimensions.It was my elective and though I recall nothing else this is etched in memory.
"To see the world in a grain of sand, and heaven in a wildflower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour"
I fell in love with these lines when they appeared as a footnote in the Pragyan souvenir and have never stopped thinking about them since.They are from William Blake's Auguries of Innocence.I have read the poem and its sheer musicality is mind blowing, and though I have never figured out what these lines mean,it has only deeepned the mystery around them.
"What though this radiance which was once so bright,
Be now forever taken from my sight,
Though nothing can bring back the hour,
Of splendour in the grass,of glory in the flower
We shall grieve not,rather find
Strength in what remains behind"
From Wordsworths Intimations of Immortality.I will never for get this,for I wrote it in the card we gave for our seniors farewell.Perhaps neither will they.More interesting is its context ,that Kabir Bedi quoted this when talking about his four wives:)
"If you can meet with truimph and disaster,and treat these impostors just the same,
If you can risk all your winnings on one turn of pitch and toss,
lose and start again at your beginnings and not breathe a word of your loss
If you can fill the unforgiving minute with sixty second worth of distance run,
Yours is the earth and everything thats in it, and whats more
You will be a man my son!!"
My favourite lines from Kipling's If.I think of it as my guide in life and it adorned the walls of my room in Topaz just like one more of my favourites,Lincolns letter to his son's teacher.
"The man who knows not,knows not that he knows not, is a fool-shun him.
The man who knows,knows that he knows not,is a simpleton-teach him
The man who knows not,knows not that he knows,is sleeping-awaken him"
-Arabian proverb
This was stuck on the door of my room,taken from The Hindu pages.It lasted till the ward boy thought better of it and tore it off one day while cleaning my room.
"This too shall pass"
The thing which cheers me up when I am down and sobers me down when I am too happy.
"The race is not to the swift,nor battle to the strong,but its to those who want it the most"
You cant put it any better.I know it now.
"mere man ye bata de tu,kis aur chala hai tu,
kya paya nahin tune,kise dhood raha hai tu
jo hai ankahee,jo hai ansuni,ek baat kya hai bata..."
The latest tune to capture my heart,and also the eternal question that I often think about.Though I have a pathological hate for Karan Johar,SRK,Aishwarya Rai and anything to do with their movies,atleast Johar has the good sense to choose good singers!:)
That will be all now.I shall put up more as and when I remember.I hope to discover and come across more like these in future.
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