I have the Visa power!

Howdy everyone! Got my visa day before yesterday..yippee.. the appointment was as follows
23rd June
Mumbai Consulate
Time 9 30 am

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I reached at around 8 45 at the embassy directly( hadnt taken the VFS lounge option) and saw people from 9 am appointments getting in line. I stood around in the back for a few minutes after which the line for 9 30 was called. I was so relaxed on the earlier day and even today morning but somehow the whole atmosphere at the embassy is so charged up and intimidating that you can bet your last buck even "Ice Man Steve Waugh" will get a bit zonked out!

So anyway, i waited in line for about 15 minutes, the time was 9 20..took out my i-20, sevis, passport and hdfc receipt and waited some more.
Finally i was called inside for security check. I had left my wallet,watch etc with Dad so no probs there.. i was given the wooden stick which i took in the inner hall. Inside the scene was that of total commotion, gujrati announcements and usual anxious faces, serious discussions..however i turned left and joined the line to get the pink token.

Here the person stapled my passport with the token quite horribly,handed me the processed DS forms and asked me to proceed to fingerprinting, right ahead. I was so friggin tense that my hands were sweating and the lady out there had to wipe them 4 times with some sorta spirit to finally get a reading on the electronic screen.

The scenario was like that of a bank. So many people bumbling about that it was kinda funny and relaxing too! Then i took a seat in the waiting area(it is advisable to take a front row seat) in front of the counters and waited for my turn. Contrary to everyone's experience, i could easily make out the announcements being made for the applicants as to which applicant no is called to which counter.

At about 9 45 my number was called alongwith a couple of others to counter no 6 occupied by a pleasant young lady. She must be hardly 30.
So i step inside

I went in and suddenly all fear, anxiety and stress vanished away. The booth is sound proof and the quiet atmosphere somewhat chills you down.


VO:Hi! Good Morning! How are you?
Me:Good Morning! I am fine thank you(Big smile!)

VO:Ok, so why did you choose Indiana University at Bloomington
Me: M'am coz its CS department is highly ranked and has one of the best labs when it comes to research in Distributed Systems, which is my interest.

VO:Ok. Good. So why CS?
ME:(D-uh, if im interested in Distributed,what else would i take? Civil?)
So i explain the whole interest in the subject all over again

VO:Ok. (with a smile)But you really dont have to stoop and talk in the mike, i can hear you perfectly well!
Me: (in my nervousness and stupidity, i stoop down again to say) Oh, sorry M'am!(with an equally sheepish grin!)

VO: (Laughing) ok so do you have any brothers or sisters?
Me: Yes. I have one brother who is doing his Masters in the US

VO:Show me your i-20
Me:Here it is(Hands over the i-20 lying in my hand...folder still closed)

VO:So how are your parents going to afford your 29k$ mentioned in the i-20 AND your brothers education as well?
Me: Well they have saved up for both our education and have enough assets to pay for our education. Should i show my liquid assets summary statement?

VO: No, no need
Me:OK (Phew!..Visa power..here i come..though somewhat regretting the effort wasted in arranging the file!)

VO:So what do your parents do?
Me:My Dad is a General Manager etc etc and my Mom is a professor of English Literature

VO:(Completely baited..i just reel her in) Wow! thats great...english lit huh..(prolly wishing she could discuss Chaucer with her)..cool
Me:(Smiling)

VO:Ok im issuing your visa. Passport will be couriered in a few days. Thank you!
Me: Thank you! (mwaaah meri jaan..life banaa di)

Grinning proudly, i step out..10 15 am..the mere mortals in the waiting room look at the absence of passport in my hand and realize i have been granted the visa. They clap, they cheer, they do a standing ovation and the girls come out and we all discoed till the evening!

LOL sorry couldnt help the end

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Well finally the journey which started from last july when i started my GRE prep has finally come to an end. All that remains is what i do witht he chance i have been given. An intimidating thought but still a path i am really looking forward towards!

Farewell

Here is the speech i gave yesterday in the auditorium of our college for the BE farewell
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Hi everyone! Good morning and welcome to all who have gathered here today!

I’ll try my best to avoid the “Papa Kehte speeches of koi engineer ka kaam karega, business mein koi apna naam karega”


Its kind of funny that we have got to bid farewell to this college today only to come back in a few days to give our vivas and 8th sem exams. But then I guess we have to make do with what we have, and I’m happy that I got a chance to speak to all my friends from college on this occasion

I think that a farewell speech is probably the ONLY speech where students actually listen to the speaker (well I am hoping at least that is the case right now!)

Now that I have your undivided attention, let me share a few experiences I had during the past 4 years of my life in K.J Somaiya Engineering.

It was a scary feeling when all of us got in this college through the admission rounds at VJTI. When I came out of the inner hall with the confirmation slip in my hand I hardly knew anything about the college. It was chosen only for its proximity to my place. And what a decision it was – in return for an engineering seat in an unknown college I got back innumerable friends and loads of good times.

First Year Engineering must be THE most memorable year for any of the students out here. I think all of us would agree that the Symphony during our First Year –when Parikrama had been here - was the best one we had. The best part about FE was that the college management had not divided the students according to branches. This gave us a chance to interact with people from all the branches for one whole year. This helped a lot by keeping us acquainted, even when we were separated from the second year onwards. I can remember it clearly - FE classes in the old workshop building with temperatures reaching boiling point, all students fresh HSC graduates- absolutely clueless about what engineering is going to be like and the best part was - no screams of BE COMPS BE MECH or any form of branch rivalry. We all were the same and we all became close buddies.

From Second year onwards we all got into the mould of our respective branches. Personally, I got a taste of what Computer Engineering is like. I don’t know about you guys, but I had NO clue what Computer Engineering was about when I took admission. My knowledge of hardware was restricted upto which cd-writer was the cheapest and that of software was whether the latest computer game has cheat codes or not. It was a bit tough initially. The only difference we could make out then was that instead of writing assignments about Trusses and Kirchoff’s Law, we were writing even lengthier ones about stacks and queues. On one occasion, I recall we had even written a 40 page assignment and the total submission file size had exceeded more than 200 pages! But, as we all started learning, I realized it wasn’t such a bad deal after all. The fundamentals that were taught to us then helped a lot for courses in the next year.

The Third year got us firmly entrenched in the grind. The most significant memory was the House Cup that was started by the earlier council. It was an amazing event and really helped in building the inter branch-rivalry. Most of our college placements took soon after third year and lot of people got into good companies.

The Final Year has been an altogether different engineering degree by itself. Working on the BE Project, maintaining 75% attendance, completing journals, appearing for vivas, giving other competitive exams and the actual semester exam required the skill of a professional. However, all said and done, at the end of it, all of us have come through stronger. It has been the most eventful year of out engineering. The people who were unlucky earlier have got placed. We have geniuses who got calls from the IIMs, those applying for Masters degrees abroad have got admits from superb universities.

I think all of us can be sure of becoming fabulous managers after going through the past 4 years. We might not have sharpened our technical skills yet, but we definitely come up champions in time management. I think we can safely claim that engineers are the absolute masters of handling stress and work overload. If not in our technical aptitude as compared to the IITs, we can easily beat them in task execution capabilities! Now whether these qualities are inculcated in us by educational institutes intentionally or not is a different issue altogether!

It is a funny system – submission files over which you have toiled hard every semester getting holes punched right through them as soon as you give them, revaluation results declaring you have passed sometimes coming after you have given the KT exam. I don’t know whether it is BECAUSE of the system or INSPITE of the system, but the reality is that each and every one of us today has a bright future lined up for us. And it is after all due to our own - K.J Somaiya College of Engineering. I am indeed grateful to every person here involved in the process of making us into engineers. However, lets face it. Life begins on the day we step out, graduating from this college. What we had till now was a protected environment. Our biggest nightmare till now was something like not getting our certification in time. Now, bigger challenges lie ahead in life. But because of the last 4 years, this time, we know one thing for sure - we can handle anything that comes our way. Thank you very much.
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I am really glad i got this chance to express my views yesterday. It was a wonderful farewell with all the final year engineering students venting out their frustrations at the system yet rekindling fond memories. I will always remember these 4 years throughout my life. am sure same is the case with everyone who was with me in college.

Nostalgia

A thought has been occupying my mind for quite some time lately..

Its related to the fact that me alongwith hundreds of my friends in Mumbai University across several colleges are gonna graduate in about a month
People keep saying that we are really going to miss all the things we went through and experienced in engineering..
I hear Somaiya-ites from my college K.J Somaiya College of Engineering echoing this sentiment all the time these days..
The thought is captured fabulously in this blog by an ex-student..

And i wonder..

Are these the feelings that we really have? Are we really missing the submissions, the boring lectures, the tyrannical attendance regulations, and the constant pressure to perform in the exams?

Right.

Didnt think so!

So the memories we carry from the past 4 years are more likely going to be in the category of- canteen lukkhagiri, bunking, proxies.. you get the idea..
But even so i doubt these are the reasons we are bound to get teary eyed for..later on..

These are simply symbolic..for our lives till we graduate..
An existence completely sheltered from the big bad world where competition is lurking at every step of the way.. in your career and in your life ..

Never do we get to come back to this protected environment, and hence we will always remember this phase of our life with fondness

Pretentious education

Man am i angry.

Been hearing a lot of bullcrap over students protesting over reservations in IIMs and IITs..
Now if you have wandered over here wondering whether this is another ranting blog over the stupid reservation system and how the upper castes should have their own reservations instead..BUZZ OFFF!!

My point is this..for all those who are suddenly in a state of uproar over the "proposed" hike in percentage of seats reserved for OBC students in the IIMs and IITs -
"Where the #$%@ were you when these reservations were conducted for professional colleges?!?!"

And some of these so called angry rebels are the losers who have a chance of getting into an IIM/IIT as much chance there is of Mohammad Kaif hitting a century on current form.

Were u dozing in your pathetic rocking chair when similar reservations were announced for the engineering and medical colleges?
When you were affected, you were too busy trying to squirm into the 0.003% of the seats that were left for the open category after the Gujrathi/Kutchi/Sindhi/Malyali/Air Force/Kashmiri/Chemist/Watchman/Dhobi quotas that were drawn.

Why should these reservations be any more important?
No yaar, these are our country's pride..the premier institutions of our country..the last bastion of our education system which has been corrupted by reservations and populist policies.

Hmm.. so its ok for "premier" institutes not to allow people from a backward background to come into their campus while the thousands of universities in the rest of the country struggle with under-qualified professors, undeserving students and churn out substandard graduates so that the IIMS and IITs can be glorified?

This simply stinks of double standard shit and i am sick of it

Firstly, we introduce reservations for the lesser priveleged backward classes in colleges starting from grade 11 right upto final year engineering and medical streams. When the entire system becomes extremely competitive, resulting from millions of aspirants trying to get into their desired college, we do not even raise a squeal of protest.
Depressed students committing suicides..parents worried sick over their child not being able to attend "the good college with the decent people in our neighbourhood only"..but we dont say a word.
Maybe only crib about it in weddings..social circles - "the country is going to the dogs because of this Mandal Commission Report and reservations, i tell you"

But raise a voice against it?
Write letters against it?
Wear black arm bands about it?
Write emails..make petitions about it?

No thank you. We prefer to silently suffer, accept all this as government policy, at the most protest in the most mediocre way possible by giving your vote to the more forward looking party of the two.

Now, when the time comes to announce a proposal for increasing reservations for the countrys premier institutes....noooo how can they do this!!
This is absolutely outrageous...50% seats reserved!!!

Brotha, this doesnt matter about 50% or not.

You accepted reservations meted out to you like a lamb when you were in the same situation.You not only accepted it, you got admission through this hypocritical process, completed your education,forgot about raising the issue for others and are concerned about this reservation since it might concern you.
But when the same case is repeated for the hyped institutes where u barely have a chance of getting in, nooo..u will go ballistic..."this is downright unfairrr!!!"

Either accept the reservation system uniformly or do away with it altogether..
And try not to ignore the broader system

Wonder when i will hear about the administration and people, both more concerned about the millions of unlucky souls suffering in hell-holes called professional colleges than a batch of around six hundred people getting paypackets of 50 lakh rupees per year.

La..la..la ..LAAA

"If music be the food of life-play on"

I dont know to which person this line is credited, but it sure captures the true value of the emotions a simple word called "music" can conjure up in our minds
I heard somewhere that music is not the aim but the means to a higher sense of satisfaction. After listening to a seemingly incomprehensible fabulously captivating rendition yet of Tchaikovsky's 1812 overture by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra(the guys that were the S part of the memorable S&M collaboration with Metallica or Beethoven's 9th, i can finally grasp what this could mean.

What is it about a melody that enchants us, whisks us to a place only our mind can create?
We simply need to look at the astonishing variety of music enjoyed by people all over the world to realize that it could be the single uniting element within all of us.
If there is one aspect which is truly void of gender,race,caste or creed it has to be music.
There really is no explanation why i am fascinated with an Arabic song i happen to hear or why a German could find the vocals of M.S Subbalakshmi mesmerizing.
The only answer i can come up with is the thought i offer in the beginning of this post- it is a medium ,not an end by itself.A communication ,with a higher entity,perhaps.
Rock,Pop,Classical,Country,Hindustani,Carnatic,Gospel,Hiphop,Jazz,Ballad etc etc..the genres might be exceeding a 100 but they all serve the same purpose. To reunite us, to connect all us through a common experience to a bliss like no other

Fi-ga-ro!

Quality films

On watching a ceremony as magnificient as the Oscar awards, one can seldom do anything else other than wonder in awe.And i don't mean awe because of the majestic sets or the fancy lights or even the gorgeous women(well that does help a bit!)

The reason for this feeling of wonder and fascination is this -
How does an industry churn out films of such high quality year after year, ceaselessly, in the process ensuring the entire world's attention is drawn to them-in respect and amazement?

The sweeping range of emotions and stories told on the Hollywood screens is something our movies can only dream to portray.So why do Hollywood film makers decide to risk millions of dollars to make a film that does not exactly appeal to the mainstream( e.g "Sideways" or even this years "Capote" for that matter)

I can only assume but my conjecture is that Western audiences have reached such a level of maturity that they can see through films like The Rock or The Hulk or Pearl Harbour and identify and avoid them for their terrible cliches,hackneyed script and
over the top(by their standards) acting

Forget Hollywood. Take world cinema. Why would independant film makers from Serbia(No Man's Land) and Rwanda(Hotel Rwanda, God sleeps in Rwanda) risk the same with thier shoe-string budget?

It just shows that the world is ready for experimental cinema contributed by all countries. If only the Johar's and the Ram Gopal Verma's and the Chopra's would step out of their stereotyped views about Indian sensibilities and greed for the NRI crowd yearning for Indian Sanskar.

And in case they present the argument that Indian people just want to see fantasy, well, the rest of the world is surely welcoming you with their willingness to give Indian cinema a shot. If you overlook the need for only Indian people to watch your films, you open your minds to a far wider and tolerant audience.

Keeping in touch...

What does someone say to his friends when he graduates/migrates/shifts from his former location?
"I will keep in touch. Dont worry"

But how much of that actually does happen in reality?
Close to nil, wouldnt you agree?

Social networking sites like orkut are great to keep in touch though
If there is one good website i have recently found online its www.orkut.com

The feeling of panic especially increases as graduation time comes nearer and u realise most of the people in your life right now wouldnt be there in about 6 months

That is one SCARY thought!

Results

The disillusioned soul gets a 60%

Huraah..more cause for celebration
More power to mugging up meaningless facts

even more marks to undeserving idiots who do so with clinical precision!

Interesting Random Blog

I am a great believer of the KISS philosophy.
Now before you start hooting and whistling KISS or Keep It Simple, Stupid applies to any form of communication-be it writing a manual, a graphical user interface for a new software, a pamphlet, an announcement or even a post!

I think The British Council even has a group dedicated to promoting the use of simple English language amongst people. I think its message is needs to be spread especially in a country with a colonial mindest like India. Ever read college/university notices with the "HEREBY INFORMED" and the ultra-formal style of writing of office people? I think you will agree with me then.

The reason for me writing this is reading an interesting article from a random blog and with which i agree with completely- pontificate


It is absolutely impossible for men of ordinary intelligence to make up their minds to write as they think; they resent the idea of their work looking too simple. it would always be of some value, however, if they would only go honestly to work and in a simple way express the few and ordinary ideas they have really thought. But instead they try to appear to have thought much more deeply than is the case. the result is, they put what they have to say into forced and involved language, create new words and prolix periods which go round the thought and cover it up. They hesitate between the two attempts of communicating the thought and of concealing it. They want to make it look grand so that it has the appearance of being learned and profound, thereby giving one the idea that there is mych more in it than once perceives at the moment.
-Schopenhauer

The good things in life

The good things in life

LG-Life's Good. Starting off with a corny one liner made famous by a brand,let me list some of the things that make life worth living.
We all read those tacky slogans made up by Archies and Hallmark copywriters who have nothing better to do than to make conjure up the sappiest image of life,package it and sell it to teens thirsty for such products.
Though I have to admit, sometimes they prove quite handy
(example-When u have forgotten a special occasion and have to make up to a)Your Girlfriend b)your parents c)Your friends)
We all know how good these things are and their potency somehow multiplies exponentially when coupled with a box or two of heart shaped chocolates

But coming back to the topic. What are some of the things that are enjoyed by almost all the people in the world and can never be replaced by any amount of marketing or brainwashing?

This list follows in random order. These are just a few things on the top of my mind. More to come later maybe!

1. A super cool amount of sleep

Ahh..the bliss..the simple pleasures of life. I dont think i could have spent one half of my life more in a more satisfying way!
You come home dead tired after:
A) A hardass day with your boss/teacher/proj guide making you toil,toil and oh wait-toil some more to leave u drained and exhausted. Whats the solution?SLEEP
B) A crazyy rocking time at the club/party/hanging out with pals at the local katta. Whatcha gonna do when u are home? SLEEP
C) How about a a heavy dose of studying all night for during study leave-Nothing like a good satisfying amount of sleep..B-E-autiful
D) How about sleeping just for kicks! Nothing as good as that either..wonderful

2. A random memory recall of you chilling out with friends

You could be anywhere in the world,at any stage in your career but a memory from the past just gets you fired up for any amount of challenges u might face in the day.
A friend playing a prank, a common joke, a secret, a recollection of incidents occurring on those trips you used to make(almost always at the last moment and always haphazardly-hey whats the fun without the adventure element,right?), those times when u had fought with friends over something as pointless as who gets to bat first or maybe the first time u confessed something really important to your buddy..I wish we had some kinda technology to capture these moments forever in time..no PDA, handycam, digicam is ever gonna help me out on this one!

3. Your first love

Although this might be the only one amongst this list that is used by greeting card companies,somehow those big corporations.. they really dont strike the right chord now, do they?
What is it about the first time you fall in love that makes it so cool?
With a total disregard to feminists I take the liberty of writing this paragraph from the male point of view-females are requested to replace terms appropriately as and when required.
It could be anything from the first time you see the person to maybe the last time you see her(not necessarily though)
What could it be-that first glance,the first time you talk,the excitement you experience when you get the her number for the first time, your heart beating madly when u call up?
Or could be the stage after that- when you really start to know the person,and i dont mean likes-dislikes. I mean the point where you start CONNECTING.
A stage where you can read her mind, anticipate what she is gonna say and catch her words before she can say them-bringing that amazing smile on her face, both entwined in each others worlds..too caught up to notice the world around you.
Personally..sure the thrill is unbeatable, but give me that sense of closeness and bonding that follows any day, week or month of the year!
And the disagreements, the arguments..well?
I dont believe anyone ever remembers the fights that take place..they seem so important at that time but are reduced to indistinguishable remains in our memory.

4. The first appreciation of YOU

Self-respect and a healthy image of oneself is important, but a lil dose of encouragement or appreciation from a peers or elders never hurt anyone.
(Though some people feed and live on that...no harm in taking in some from time to time)
Look back, when was your moment in life. Absolutely no one but YOU held centerstage. All eyes on you. Or maybe the attention of someone you had really been trying to please.
Your first drawing, the first time you scored in something(maybe without expecting it!) or maybe you did something that made your folks feel really proud
I wish these moments repeat more often, but maybe they would lose their value then.

5.Unexpected Luck

A coin lying on the floor
A song you were thinking about..humming along..and bam..it starts playing on the radio
Finding out who the hell was that song by anyway when the RJ announces it
That moment when you find the cd u have been searching high n low for in the store
A friend comes n tells you heres your X amt of rs you lent him last week
Contests! You end up winning something as bad from a crap slogan t-shirt to a jackpot on a game show
Aapke foreign waale uncle brings home stuff that u had only just read about and were kicking yourself silly for not staying abroad
You come home to the wonderful aroma of your fav thing to eat(Maa ke haath ka gajar halwaa, anyone?)
After having given up all hope and switching off your TV, you grumble about and switch on the match after 1 hr to find Yuvi and Kaif leading India to a historic win!
Exams postponed!
Your friends calls u up and screams SCHOLARRR..and bugs you about how good an actor you are to pretend you are gonna flunk when you have got a first class in the results that have just been put up
That book you thought u lost somewhere turns up under your bed
A long lost buddy calls you up
Your girl surprises you by landing up in the most unexpected way somewhere u least expected!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!- ALLLLL THE people u know land up at your place to give u the best bday party in your life


Random good things

Smell of freshly baked bread
Doing a "rockbottom" on a pile of freshly laundered clothes
A friends pet actually liking you from the first instant he sees you
Lotsa mails in your inbox-none of them forwards!
Holding a baby for the first time in your arms
Sorting through childhood photos, smiling at how hard you were trying to look cool and how goofy you actually turned out looking
Screaming with thousands of supporters at the stadium-knowing that they too are connected to the same adrenaline rush
Finally killing the bad guy in that darned video game
Trekking in the hills,birds chirping in the forest all around you,realising that the uncomfortable train journey with was really worth all the trouble
Coming to know someone(worthwhile) secretly admires you!
Silence
Enjoying a re-reun of an old movie. Saying the funny lines along with the actors on screen.
Dreaming about more good things in life with a stupid grin on your face

Interesting take on BLACK

http://www.rediff.com/movies/2005/apr/19mishra.htm

Read the ENTIRE article
Bear in mind this man himself is a very gifted film maker as well
Somehow i couldnt help agreeing with him
I am not doing so in order to differ from the entire crowd's opinions but i do believe the man has got a point
It is a nice film, but maybe it is a bit overdone in terms of the melodrama
Could have done with a bit of subtlety

Raising quite a storm..
Now lemme sit back and watch the villagers pound on my door with torches and pitchforks..

Hollywood Stereotypes

Some Hollywood movie stereotypes

1.When a character is shot in the head, the bullet will impact the victim precisely between the eyes, and a trickle of blood will indicate that it is, indeed, a bullet wound.

2.To show he is grizzled or cynical, a character will walk toward the camera as an explosion happens in the background. He doesn't flinch while everyone in the background runs and screams.

3.In movies, whenever a person asks a pianist whether he or she knows a tune, the answer is always a nod, followed immediately by the opening notes.

4.This is any aspect of a film that foreshadows future films by the same actor or director. In "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," Ang Lee named the sword the "Green Destiny" and went on to direct "Hulk." In Christopher Nolan's "Following," there's a Batman sticker on a front door. Nolan, of course, went on to direct "Batman Begins." Willem Dafoe thinks he's Jesus Christ in "Platoon" and then played Jesus in "The Last Temptation of Christ."

5.When a female character has something of direct use to the plot in her purse (gun, real ID, pills), she will either put her purse down on the ground and leave it wide open so another character can look inside, or she'll drop it and the one thing she doesn't want anyone to see will spill out. It's a tactic seen in numerous noir films.

6.Whenever a movie character tries to (a) escape from prison or (b) access an impregnable fortress, once he reaches its perimeter, two guards, each one leading one menacing dog, will walk past him side by side without noticing him.

7.When a character has a photograph of a location he is searching for, the camera will cut to a close-up of the photo being held in his hand. The photo will then drop away, revealing the location the character is looking for, at exactly the same angle the photo was shot from. Corollary: If a person is in the photo but not in the scene, their absence is a plot point.

8.When two characters struggle for a gun, one shot will go off. Then nobody moves for a few seconds, and we can't tell which one got shot. Finally, one character dramatically drops dead.

9. Whenever there is a closeup of a digital clock, the shot always shows it at the exact moment when the minute is changing.

10.When unsuspecting victims are flattened by a speeding truck, the scene is always the same: Filmed from the side at a 90-degree angle to the street, so the truck runs directly across the screen from one side to the other; the person just stands there and gets wiped out. Why didn't the victim see or hear the truck coming, and why didn't the driver see the victim? This is related to the Helicopter on Mute Syndrome, in which a helicopter suddenly appears in the scene, totally unseen and unheard until it is right on top of the hero.

11.When it's two-to-a-room in a college dorm, it's highly likely that the protagonist's roommate will be a punk rocker/goth and almost certain that the roomie will have sex with someone in their bed while the protagonist tries to do homework.

12.Whenever an object or person is thrown through a glass window in a movie, it invariably shatters into vicious shards. Even in the future, safety glass is not used (see "Minority Report").

13.All Asian people know karate. All Latin people dance salsa. Any Russian character is related to some ex-KGB agent now working for the new Russian Mafia.

Disillusioned?

Quite ironic i start this topic 2 days before the 7th semester exams get underway
But i cant help letting out the frustrations every1 including me have been feeling for the past few days

Maybe its a feeling all u guys already have...maybe its a feeling some of you might realise when u get till 7th sem...maybe the lucky ones will never feel it at all..

The mood that i am in..has a variety of emotions responsible for it..but can be summed up in a single word..the name of the topic- Disillusioned

What am i disillusioned with?

The last 4 years

Look back..think about it..what have u gained by having a Bachelor's degree education from the "prestigious" Mumbai University?
I am gonna have a piece of paper that says Bachelor of Computer Engineering to justify me sitting for hundreds of lectures forcibly..copying assignments blindly and mugging up for exams and writing BS on the answer paper

Have i gained any knowledge? Zero
Have i learnt any valuable lesson? None
Do i have mastery over any single field? Nope
Am i happy with the deal that i have? duh..u dont need to think abt this if im posting this
Can i do diddly-squat about it? Fat Chance

That is what the dissatisfaction is about..queuing up in those looooong VJTI lines.waiting anxiously for some possibility of a good seat being available..feeling happy about the fact that i got a Somaiya Comps seat(albeit a paid one)..all those thoughts are just coming back to me..and they hold special significance when i have supposedly got what i had wanted at that time..

What sort of a system do we have anyway?
The frustration is that when a rookie pass out from 12th decides to take up engg..with ideals brimming up in his mind..that he is gonna get a sound education..after all he is paying nearly 2 lakhs for it..little does he know..or little is he warned about wat a raw deal he is getting..

I dont regret taking up engineering..i think it was a wise move
I dont think a degree from Mumbai Univ has spoilt my future as well

All i am mad about is the deal i have been given..all in all..its a contract..i pay them 2 lakhs..and they r supposed to give me a fair return

Can any of u guys say u have got that?

1.Professors barely able to talk english
2.Lab assistants having more knowledge than teachers
3.Profs taking out khunnas by making us write more n more assignments
4.Prof KNOWING well enough that no 1 is even bothered to write their own assignments..
5.Paying 50k per year only to find out u cant sit on the PCs with net connection..oh no..not even for ur BE project..coz lab timings are well from 1pm to 1 friggin 30 pm
6.Mindless ratofying of concepts throughout 4 years..no idea where these will be used

Case in point.. WHAT IS THE FRAME FORMAT OF THE IEEE FLOATING POINT INSTRUCTION IN INTEL X86 FAMILY OF PROCESSORS?

WHO THE mOTHA$#%#%# CARES????

WHY IS THIS NONSENSE BEING METED OUT TO US...WILL MUGGING UP THAT FACT HELP ME BE A BETTER COMPUTER SCIENTIST IN THE FUTURE?
OR WILL THAT GIVE ME EXCELLENT CAREER GROWTH?

HELL..IF I WANT TO USE IT..IL REFER THE INTEL MANUAL...
how can they expect us to remember that for the rest of our lives..what good is gonna come off it?

I guess this ranting is going on far enough..il do some cribbing later on..

Any feedback from u guys?
Solutions in sight?

Sentimental mush

OK..

Received this kinda senti and totally made up mail today..u know the ones we all get and usually delete without even looking.

Well my luck that i opened it and although it is factually wrong as well(Arthur Ashe died of AIDS and not Cancer) i liked the fact that it was small compared to the usual tonnnes of sentences to explain a small point.

HERE GOES--


One paragraph that explains Life......

Arthur Ashe, the legendary Wimbledon player was dying of CANCER. >From world over, he received letters from his fans, one of which conveyed: "Why does GOD have to select you for such a bad disease"? To this Arthur Ashe replied: The world over -- 5 crore children start playing tennis, 50 lakh learn to play tennis, 5 lakh learn professional tennis, 50,000 come to the circuit, 5000 reach the grand slam, 50 reach Wimbledon, 4 to semi final, 2 to the finals, When I was holding a cup I never asked GOD "Why me?". And today in pain I should not be asking GOD "Why me?"

"Normal" Mumbai

http://in.rediff.com/news/2005/aug/05sbhate.htm

This article couldnt have summed up what i feel about the whole situation.

(International Readers:Mumbai received 944 mm of rain in a single day which is close to 37 inches of rainfall flooding large regions of the city and killing over 900 people across the state as well)

ACCURATE AS ACCURATE CAN GET

What bugs me is that people keep on saying "Mumbaikar's spirit" was commendable Mumbaikars rule etc.

Agreed we did help out and what some people did does deserve recognition.

BUT LETS NOT MAKE A HUGE HUE N CRY ABOUT IT.

One question:The floods werent restricted to Mumbai alone..they occured in Satara..Sangli district as well 5 people died in far off Amravati as well.

The Koyna Dam overflowed and water HAD to be let out of the gates..raising a red alert in the villages downstream 60,000 people were evacuated in rural Maharashtra.

How self centred are we to focus our attention only on the spirit of Mumbai?

Do we mean to say that there is no spirit of Pandharpur?

Of Satara of Sangli of Koyna???

It is extremely distrubing that rather than venting out our anger constructively(and not by indulging in things "rail-roko"-stopping of Mumbai locals forcibly) we spend our time praising actions that are only acts necessary in such times.

If the same situation happens in some other city, do u think the people out there wont help out?

What is so great about our spirit?

The only thing great about this city is to act impulsively stop trains make other impulsive people's lives hell and most importantly FORGET.

Short Term Memory is something that Mumbaikar's can rightfully claim that they have patented instead of this false sense of spirit and courage in times of adversity.

Gujarat Earthquake..Tamil Nadu Tsunami..Annual Floodings in Orissa and Bengal..Cyclones near Coastal Andhra Pradesh..people live through difficult times and help each other out there is nothing UNIQUE that Mumbaikars have done.

Where we CAN differ from other people is the way in which we remember our mistakes and improve the situation once the disaster is over.

Woefully though we seem to be just like every other person in India. exploding in rage for 1 week against civic authorities mellowing down later only to become sitting ducks for future disasters

My First Blog

You might say i am new to this phenomenon
So late that i was afraid the world might get bored of it before i join the race
Nah! Nothing like that.
I just read my first blog a while ago and thought it might be interesting to see who bothers to read my posts
So,armed and ready,here i go!
Welcome!