I am slowly beginning to love life at its hectic best! After all, that is exactly what life was meant to be.
In one of my very few 'jobless' hours, I was pondering over this thought - "Why has India never produced a 'biggie' table tennis player!". A lot of credit for invoking this 'extremely rare' thought has to be given to my hostel-mates here. I have already come across some serious talents here; even more so because of the fact that there can't be a more weird ( and obviously pathetic :P ) way of playing the game than the way I do!
Even worse, I have been playing it the same weird way for almost 8 years now! :P
It took me only a couple of moments to realize my biggest challenge with the game - the table, the ping pong ball and the racquets. Let me elaborate. The thing that strikes me the most about these 'challenges' is their size. All of them so small!
More precisely, all I meant was this - For a nation that thrives on its 'freedom', I sincerely believe the sizes are just too 'inadequate'! Read on. I promise, I will not talk a thing nonsensical. Believe me. :-P
The most evident thing about this great nation is its 'vastness'. Freedom is what thrives on this soil ( even more so, owing to the lack of it for almost 200 years!!??). We are vast in terms of the population ( actually its not even worth mentioning now! Its synonymous with India! ); area-wise I was told in school, that we stood 7th; natural resources are available in such outrageous abundance that 'Young India' (that's such a fancy word, that fits in with at most ease every time something positive about India is being discussed) has a common hobby of experimenting with them (you call it wastage? nobody cares anyways!).
Our residential areas, public transport systems and recreational spaces are symbols of 'freedom'. I was told by one of my friends that public transport buses and bus - stands in his place always looked red; reason the freedom in his place. Nobody could actually stop a human being from painting a place red with his favorite 'pan' flavor!
I know a couple of parks in the heart of the city, which are lush green, serene and
boast of a heaven - like calm. The freedom (that is available only in the absence of a security guard) finds its utility here in the form of a responsibility; that of adding to the 'fragrance' (or is it'stink', sorry my English actually stinks!)quotient of the beloved place! You know what I mean!?
Our freedom enables us to play any 'regional-masala' top of the chart numbers, any place, any time and any loud, don't give a damn at a student if he is studying in the same place; he is a sickening nerd after all!
One of the recent inventions in a similar field is the complete utilization of the bandwidth available at a place, when on the phone! Don't give a damn at someone who unfortunately is on the phone at the same time; or even if there is someone who will know every chapter of your family tree by the end of your call! That is his/her freedom after all!
The point I was trying to make using the disgusting examples is that we Indians don't really like being tied up, or being contained. We basically don't endorse the idea of 'boundaries'. In more 'truthful' terms, we always believe in 'One India'. "This place is as much mine as is yours."
Coming back to the 'purpose', I would be glad if you could foresee where I was heading ( though I firmly believe I am being too optimistic! ).
The thing that irks every Indian when he enters the vicinity of the 'table', is its size; its 'nano' scale boundaries!
We are creatures that are more used to having our arms wide open, wide enough for a free swing and full swing. We are more used to having the mouth wide open; to pump-out a sound wave that's capable of beating the world. We are basically 'open' by birth( Some of my friends at my under-grad college actually understand this thought better than the rest of the world :-p).
Hence, when an Indian is forced to play a game, within a table so small; the results are quite obvious.
My argument is best endorsed by the game that drives India crazy!
You could give me a million counter examples; but none would hold because I have already promised - I would speak nothing nonsensical! :-p
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Brain Hemorrhage!
Two weeks and 2 hectic ones at that! But its all been fun; in the most 'Geek'ish of senses though! You know where I am heading! :P
Programs, a few more of them and in fact, a lot more of them! I am getting used to them now ( or I must say this has been the case for almost 5 years now!).
What I have been discovering with every passing 'program' is this - they are like any other form of writing!
-> There is always this concept of free will tagged to it - No bar on the way you approach the problem.
So much like poetry or fiction; you always have 6.023 X pow(10,23) ways of writing a program.
-> There is always this concept of 'genre' associated with every program/programmer.
Like in any form of 'literature' programming could be of different 'styles'. I come across programmers who would stuff code worth 10 lines into one mammoth case. So, my program could be like a piece of work (may be fiction) that goes on for 5 pgs describing just the sunrise!
-> What you write about could be of 1 million different scales!
There are these 'high-definition' programmers who would do big-time algorithmic stuff and play around with 'system' level code; as against the 'kids' who slog over 'toy' applications. Just like the Indian Chetan Bhagats ( and perhaps this fella here! ? :P) etc who would do the filmi-masala kind of things as against the more serious and authentic Wordsworths and Shakespeares.
After 3 of the most outrageous analogies man has ever seen; here is the reality.
Freewill?
What you write about as a 'writer' is what's on your mind. Programs are merely done in response to a problem statement. The concept of freewill is hence 'NA' (read Not Applicable).
Genre?
A description of a sunrise that runs 4 pgs adds aesthetic value to the literary work; code that runs too long ( for all you techies - in terms of the source code; not compiled yet! ) only looks scary, and could only earn you a few sarcastic remarks from the team lead!
Scales?
A program can only be 2 things - either correct or incorrect. What is not correct goes into the bin. What is correct often times goes into the 'bin' (thats the 'bin' folder dumb heads!). You won't have a fan following for writing the 'filmi/masala' type!
Scaling down; I must admit, watching your 'code' work (correctly at that) is a feeling thats tough to express! Guess it matches the feeling of seeing your name on the cover of a book!
Now thats how hectic the last couple of weeks have been!
Ok, I will cut the nonsense here! Thanks for all the patience. You will probably take a wiser decision here next time!
Programs, a few more of them and in fact, a lot more of them! I am getting used to them now ( or I must say this has been the case for almost 5 years now!).
What I have been discovering with every passing 'program' is this - they are like any other form of writing!
-> There is always this concept of free will tagged to it - No bar on the way you approach the problem.
So much like poetry or fiction; you always have 6.023 X pow(10,23) ways of writing a program.
-> There is always this concept of 'genre' associated with every program/programmer.
Like in any form of 'literature' programming could be of different 'styles'. I come across programmers who would stuff code worth 10 lines into one mammoth case. So, my program could be like a piece of work (may be fiction) that goes on for 5 pgs describing just the sunrise!
-> What you write about could be of 1 million different scales!
There are these 'high-definition' programmers who would do big-time algorithmic stuff and play around with 'system' level code; as against the 'kids' who slog over 'toy' applications. Just like the Indian Chetan Bhagats ( and perhaps this fella here! ? :P) etc who would do the filmi-masala kind of things as against the more serious and authentic Wordsworths and Shakespeares.
After 3 of the most outrageous analogies man has ever seen; here is the reality.
Freewill?
What you write about as a 'writer' is what's on your mind. Programs are merely done in response to a problem statement. The concept of freewill is hence 'NA' (read Not Applicable).
Genre?
A description of a sunrise that runs 4 pgs adds aesthetic value to the literary work; code that runs too long ( for all you techies - in terms of the source code; not compiled yet! ) only looks scary, and could only earn you a few sarcastic remarks from the team lead!
Scales?
A program can only be 2 things - either correct or incorrect. What is not correct goes into the bin. What is correct often times goes into the 'bin' (thats the 'bin' folder dumb heads!). You won't have a fan following for writing the 'filmi/masala' type!
Scaling down; I must admit, watching your 'code' work (correctly at that) is a feeling thats tough to express! Guess it matches the feeling of seeing your name on the cover of a book!
Now thats how hectic the last couple of weeks have been!
Ok, I will cut the nonsense here! Thanks for all the patience. You will probably take a wiser decision here next time!
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Work, Study, Play and Sleep..
The Friday of the previous week has to be the most eventful day of my life. A day I will cherish all my life. I did nothing life-changing. Nor did I kick start a new enterprise! It was just one cool span of 15 odd hours where I lived life the way I love.
The morning was just about perfect; 7 'o' clock start, no sobbing about an early start. The breakfast did not even matter, for I had a test coming up in two and a half hours time. A few stares at my 'facebook home' (Boring as ever). Done, time up and the semester's last set of question papers were calling.
The set up for the tests here is unusually calm. A 'basic computing and C programming' test; the question paper ( all objective barring one coding question ) looked Ok, and had no stars ! ( Those scary pointers that generally don't serve any purpose ). One section of Linux looked good too. The program-section was not intimidating either, although it demanded serious brains.
True, all of this sounds 'Geek' ish. Just read on with some patience .:p
The exam was over like a game of T20. Moved to the food court. One blast of a lunch (always the case with this fella!). An ideal afternoon nap of 90 minutes. ( A little too long for an ideal nap; I was jobless anyways! )
Around 3:15, and the two 'hard-working' hostels came down to the playground for a game of cricket. 10 overs a side, 'fast - food' cricket. Batted in the middle order and helped my team play out the quota and then returned to pick up 2 crucial wickets. ( Got culped, 2 sixes in two overs and a total of 17 runs conceded! )
Another game, this time opened the bowling. Picked up 3 wickets ( Again, 3 sixes in 3 overs ). Again, middle order. Chasing 59 in 10 ovrs, lost the game by 3 runs( needed 4 of the last ball, I was at the non striker's end! ). In fact, not once has my team won with me at the crease in the last over ( I would prefer calling it consistency )!
Done, weekend; time to return home. Shower for an hour, and 'Maggi' to gain some stamina (that's a nice excuse!). Off I went, out of the campus, bidding bye to all my cricket-mates; across the road, to the bus stop. The 'chariot' for my joy-ride arrived after the 30 minute 'wait' ritual ( I am always terribly timed! ).
Bangaloreans don't seem to have an eye anymore, for the beauty that surrounds them; thanks to the traffic jams ( Traffic jams are the most outrageous of phenomena the human kind has ever lived with; you cause them, and you crib about them too! What a paradox! ). To me, once a joy-ride ; always a joy-ride. The traffic density does not change things (for, I don't have to drive!).
Home, sweet home. Mum's smiling, sis' keen about her cookies. The desktop's waiting with arms wide open. First things first, one blast of a dinner; this time home-made.
Some 'fiddling around' social networking. Off I went, into a sound sleep.
Work. Study. Play. And Sleep. Can I ask for more!
Love life the kid's way!
You are never 'done' with your childhood; you live it all your life. It's all in the eye.
The morning was just about perfect; 7 'o' clock start, no sobbing about an early start. The breakfast did not even matter, for I had a test coming up in two and a half hours time. A few stares at my 'facebook home' (Boring as ever). Done, time up and the semester's last set of question papers were calling.
The set up for the tests here is unusually calm. A 'basic computing and C programming' test; the question paper ( all objective barring one coding question ) looked Ok, and had no stars ! ( Those scary pointers that generally don't serve any purpose ). One section of Linux looked good too. The program-section was not intimidating either, although it demanded serious brains.
True, all of this sounds 'Geek' ish. Just read on with some patience .:p
The exam was over like a game of T20. Moved to the food court. One blast of a lunch (always the case with this fella!). An ideal afternoon nap of 90 minutes. ( A little too long for an ideal nap; I was jobless anyways! )
Around 3:15, and the two 'hard-working' hostels came down to the playground for a game of cricket. 10 overs a side, 'fast - food' cricket. Batted in the middle order and helped my team play out the quota and then returned to pick up 2 crucial wickets. ( Got culped, 2 sixes in two overs and a total of 17 runs conceded! )
Another game, this time opened the bowling. Picked up 3 wickets ( Again, 3 sixes in 3 overs ). Again, middle order. Chasing 59 in 10 ovrs, lost the game by 3 runs( needed 4 of the last ball, I was at the non striker's end! ). In fact, not once has my team won with me at the crease in the last over ( I would prefer calling it consistency )!
Done, weekend; time to return home. Shower for an hour, and 'Maggi' to gain some stamina (that's a nice excuse!). Off I went, out of the campus, bidding bye to all my cricket-mates; across the road, to the bus stop. The 'chariot' for my joy-ride arrived after the 30 minute 'wait' ritual ( I am always terribly timed! ).
Bangaloreans don't seem to have an eye anymore, for the beauty that surrounds them; thanks to the traffic jams ( Traffic jams are the most outrageous of phenomena the human kind has ever lived with; you cause them, and you crib about them too! What a paradox! ). To me, once a joy-ride ; always a joy-ride. The traffic density does not change things (for, I don't have to drive!).
Home, sweet home. Mum's smiling, sis' keen about her cookies. The desktop's waiting with arms wide open. First things first, one blast of a dinner; this time home-made.
Some 'fiddling around' social networking. Off I went, into a sound sleep.
Work. Study. Play. And Sleep. Can I ask for more!
Love life the kid's way!
You are never 'done' with your childhood; you live it all your life. It's all in the eye.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Sunday at a Police Station!
No.. I was not convicted for "mental harassment by means of insane, immature, nonsensical permutations of the 'Oh! Too Few' English Alphabet; under the name of 'Blogging'" .. Or.. At least "Not Yet!"..
I was asked to be present at the J C Nagar Police Station by 11:00 AM in the morning on a lazy, beautiful Bangalore Sunday for a police verification as part of the Passport 'Acquiring' Process (Or was he supposed to come down to my place to see if I really lived in the place I reported to the GoI?!). Any which way, A Sunday of one of the two had to be ruined; even worse, could be the fate of Sundays of both!
IST ( read Indian Standard Time ), has a distinct and real meaning many know but don't recognize. Indian Standard Time actually includes a factor "( + X where X >= 15 minutes )" in addition to the precise mathematical figure. We Indians adore it here; and the in-charge of the Passport wing was a proud and true Indian! More so, owing to the lazy Sunday.
" Excuses are the most abundant, natural, renewable resources mankind has ever had. "
I had to endure a factor of 2X at the beautiful place. ( Now take the Sunday as the default excuse hereafter ) The in-charge arrived and the actual IST had arrived ( Or was it a mistake on the part of Mr. IST that he arrived 30 minutes early??!! ).
The verification began; not with the details of my residence, but his birthplace instead. The reason; my surname matched the name of one village close to his hometown. 12:00PM , not into the actual business yet!? ( Need I mention the excuse again?) I observed though; that 2 criminals had disappeared from the lock-up in the meantime! ( Oh no! I really did not mean they 'escaped', some short and swift legal procedure saw them out ).
5 document-proofs were thoroughly examined; all looked true and proper. Time for some 'baksheesh'(Need I explain; just consider the backdrop and you ll not need an explanation). 1:00 PM and the Sunday was over.
No point cribbing folks!
Cheer up..
I was asked to be present at the J C Nagar Police Station by 11:00 AM in the morning on a lazy, beautiful Bangalore Sunday for a police verification as part of the Passport 'Acquiring' Process (Or was he supposed to come down to my place to see if I really lived in the place I reported to the GoI?!). Any which way, A Sunday of one of the two had to be ruined; even worse, could be the fate of Sundays of both!
IST ( read Indian Standard Time ), has a distinct and real meaning many know but don't recognize. Indian Standard Time actually includes a factor "( + X where X >= 15 minutes )" in addition to the precise mathematical figure. We Indians adore it here; and the in-charge of the Passport wing was a proud and true Indian! More so, owing to the lazy Sunday.
" Excuses are the most abundant, natural, renewable resources mankind has ever had. "
I had to endure a factor of 2X at the beautiful place. ( Now take the Sunday as the default excuse hereafter ) The in-charge arrived and the actual IST had arrived ( Or was it a mistake on the part of Mr. IST that he arrived 30 minutes early??!! ).
The verification began; not with the details of my residence, but his birthplace instead. The reason; my surname matched the name of one village close to his hometown. 12:00PM , not into the actual business yet!? ( Need I mention the excuse again?) I observed though; that 2 criminals had disappeared from the lock-up in the meantime! ( Oh no! I really did not mean they 'escaped', some short and swift legal procedure saw them out ).
5 document-proofs were thoroughly examined; all looked true and proper. Time for some 'baksheesh'(Need I explain; just consider the backdrop and you ll not need an explanation). 1:00 PM and the Sunday was over.
No point cribbing folks!
Cheer up..
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