ಒಹ್ ! ಕನ್ನಡ

ಬಾಂಬೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಹಲವಾರು ಕಡೆ ಕೇಳಿ ಬಂದ ಉದ್ಘಾರ ಇದು - ಒಮ್ಮೊಮ್ಮೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಕಡೆಯಿಂದ, ಮಗದೊಮ್ಮೆ ನಾವು ಕಂಡ ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರಿಂದ...
ಇದಕ್ಕೆ ಕಾರಣವಾದದ್ದು ಭಾನುವಾರದ ಊರು ಸುತ್ತಾಟ.

ಸಂಕ್ರಾಂತಿ ಪ್ರಯುಕ್ತ(ಅಂತ ಅಂದುಕೊಳ್ಳೋಣ ಬಿಡಿ) ತುಂಬಾ ದಿನಗಳ ನಂತರ ಬಾಂಬೆ ಸುತ್ತಿದೆ - ಮೂವರು ಐಐಟಿ ಗೆಳೆಯರು(ಅವರಲ್ಲಿ ಇಬ್ಬರು ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರು), ಮತ್ತಿಬ್ಬರು ಗೆಳೆಯನ ಗೆಳೆಯರ ಜೊತೆ !!

ಮೊದಲು ಕಾಲಿಟ್ಟಿದ್ದು ಬಾಂಬೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಸಿದ್ಧವಾದ ಉಡಿಪಿ ಭೋಜನಾಲಯಕ್ಕೆ - ನಮ್ಮ ಕಡೆಯ ಊಟ ಮಾಡಿ ಪ್ರಯಾಣಕ್ಕೆ ನಾಂದಿ ಹೇಳಿದಂತೆ. ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಪೊಂಗಲ್ ಕೂಡ ಸಿಕ್ಕಿತು - ವಿಶೇಷವಾಗಿ ಕಬ್ಬಿಣ ತುಣುಕುಗಳ ಸಹಿತ !
ಆದರೂ ಕೂಡ ನಮ್ಮಲಿ ಇದ್ದಂತೆ ಸ್ವಾದ ಹಾಗು ಆತ್ಮೀಯತೆ ಆ ಭೋಜನಾಲಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಂಡು ಬರಲಿಲ್ಲ !
  
ನಂತರ ಎಲಿಫೆಂಟಾ ಗುಹೆಗಳ ಕಡೆಗೆ ಹೊರಟಿತು ನಮ್ಮ ದಂಡು - ಮೊತ್ತಮೊದಲ ಬಾರಿಗೆ ಸಮುದ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ದೋಣಿ ಪ್ರಯಾಣ ಅಧ್ಬುತವಾಗಿತ್ತು ..
ಸುತ್ತಮುತ್ತ ಬರೀ ಸಮುದ್ರದ ನೀರು, ಹಾಗು ಬೃಹದಾಕಾರದ ಹಡಗುಗಳು ನೋಡಲು ಒಂದು ರೀತಿ ರೋಮಾಂಚನ - ಸಮುದ್ರದ ಹಾಗು ಓಲಾಡುವ ದೋಣಿಯ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಭಯವಿಲ್ಲದಿದ್ದರೆ!
ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಕೂಡ ನಮಗೆ ಇಬ್ಬರು ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರು ಸಿಕ್ಕರೂ - ಭಾನುವಾರದ ಮಜಾ ಸವಿಯಲು ಅವರು ಕೂಡ ಅಲ್ಲಿಗೆ ಬಂದಿದ್ದರು..
ನನ್ನ ಸ್ನೇಹಿತನ ಪ್ರಥಮ ಪ್ರತಿಕ್ರಿಯೆ - "ಒಹ್ ! ಕನ್ನಡ"

ಆ ನಂತರ ಸಾಯಂಕಾಲ ಬಾಂದ್ರಾ ಕಡೆಗೆ ಹೊರಟೆವು - ಸಮುದ್ರದ ಮೇಲೆ ಕಟ್ಟಿರುವ ಸಂಪರ್ಕ ಸೇತುವೆ 'ವೊರ್ಲಿ-ಬಾಂದ್ರಾ ಸೀ ಲಿಂಕ್' ಹಾದು ಅಲ್ಲಿ ತಲುಪ್ಪಿದ್ದು ಯಾವ ಕಾರಣಕ್ಕೆ ??

ಮನ್ನತ್ - ಶಾಹರುಖ್ ಖಾನ್ ಮನೆಯ ಮುಂದೆ ಹೋಗಿ ಛಾಯಾಚಿತ್ರ ತೆಗೆಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲು!!
ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಕೂಡ ಮಾರ್ಗಮಧ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ರೈಲ್ವೆ ನಿಲ್ದಾಣದಲ್ಲಿ ಒಬ್ಬರು ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರು ಕ್ಯಾಂಟೀನ್ ನಡೆಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು - ಅವರ ಜೊತೆ ಕೂಡ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಸಮಯದ ಕಾಲ ಹರಟೆ ನಡೆಯಿತು..

ಎಲ್ಲ ಸುತ್ತಾಟ ಮುಗಿಸಿ ಸುಸ್ತಾದ ಮೇಲೆ ಅಲ್ಲೇ ಬಾಂದ್ರಾ ಸಮೀಪ ಇದ್ದ ಸಾಯಿ ಸಾಗರ್ ಹೋಟೆಲ್ನಲ್ಲಿ ಊಟ ಮಾಡಿದೆವು - ಅದು ಕೂಡ ಸಂಪೂರ್ಣ ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರು ನಡೆಸುವ ಹೋಟೆಲ್ಲೇ !
ಎಲ್ಲ ಮುಗಿಸಿ ಮಧ್ಯರಾತ್ರಿಯ ನಂತರ ವಾಪಸು ರೂಮಿಗೆ ಬಂದಮೇಲೆ ಇದ್ದದ್ದು ಒಂದೇ ಕೆಲಸ - ಮಲಗಿಕೊಂಡು ಸುಖ ನಿದ್ದೆ :-)
      

Proportional Efforts Theorem

The most important achievement of my first sem of MTech, and it somehow slipped out of my last post..

Although I can say it predates my MTech days - I actually came to this reasoning during my last year of Engineering itself..
In simple words - Put as much effort a task needs and no more, be it the case that it does not turn out to be perfect!

Quite often - we end up doing things very meticulously; without caring for the time and effort that we channel into it. I am not saying that it is wrong to do so; just that it is not always right - and not always needed.
Yes, perfection is needed; and perfection takes time and effort of various kinds - but at the end of it; if the gains are not worth the effort; there is nothing that can bring back the things lost in the process.

To quote some personal findings - I gave more importance to my 8th sem internship rather than my 8th sem project; cause the former had more 'gains'. And it turned out to be pretty good; albeit a few speedbumps in the project that raised some nerves - but in the end All was Well..
Also, due consideration to be given to the fact that proportional efforts theorem was applicable for both the tasks combined; which some of them interpreted as: I barely did enough work during my 8th sem.
And I might have been through it unvoluntarily since early college days as well.

Whats the toll ? - forget perfection, forget the extraordinary, learn to be complacent with what you achieve !!
Sounds hard ??
It often did to me - earlier in my life, but now I am all for it.
When the time comes, and when I might know it has come - I have to inevitably put the effort, the time and the dedication to do well; and I dont think I have got any signal about it now!

Of course, there are ramifications; and what better example than my first semester grades. Too much is too bad - learnt it the hard way !!

But still, I stand by what I have discovered for myself(well I am sure there are lakhs of followers of this idea, I havent invented something :D); and put it to practice it as long as it does not hurt.

Midnight Joggingu, 2nd sem Expectationu

It has begun - the less awaited, but more inevitable 2nd sem of MTech.
Not that I am totally negative this time - looking forward to it; certainly as a means for improvement over the first sem.
Besides, it cannot go worse than the first sem from any approach!

Planning to get a balanced semester going - and not end up with 5 dates like last time...
Technically this does not work here - but Best of Luck by me for me for the next academic session :D

Leaving out the lot of new sem expectations and promises, let me get to the one that I have been able to implement - Jogging.
Though not in its right sense - because my jogging partner happens to find time only at midnight, and he is definitely not a early bird, worse than me !!
So we end up midnight jogging - with some peculiar passerby stares :)

Hoping that this brings about some order and steady health in me..

Coming back to the semester expectations; well, there is pretty much only one thing - Get good grades!
Of course, also accompanying is the eternal goal of education - To keep learning something more..

And yeah, if anyone is looking at the time of the post and wondering what happened to tonight's jogging - my partner did not turn up; and I am not a self-motivated single jogger yet !

My significant achievements of first sem in IIT

Its been a real long time since I wrote a blogpost.
Seems like Home is not the most conducive atmosphere to write one for me..
Please bear with me in case I have lost the earlier panache(if there was any :D) of writing.

This one is not going to be another summing up of first sem post - I guess I have already done that.
However, some notable achievements I came across are the following:

• Learnt about Hostel Life and how to live it - well, not the fun part of it perhaps, but atleast the survival part :D
• Started blogging - more so about ranting whatever is not going right around me!
• The change of Food and extra relaxation habits have taken the toll - Need some TTT (Tummy Tucking Tips) now !!
• Mastered the art of overnight movie watching plus being online - Give me a connected laptop, and I can easily pull a "night-in" awake :D
• Stark dip in grades as compared to Undergrad - though I can getaway saying that it is MTech and all, many people know the real truth is me being lazy and uninterested; and I personally give more weightage to the latter..
• Long distance travel - Bus and Train. The previous longest travel I took up was to Hyderabad, but Mumbai is twice as far. Returning home at approximately once every month frequency - I am totally used to it now..
• I fear I am going more online and less personal - most notably the silent man when I meet a group of Friends, except maybe with my wolfpack :D
• There has been a continuing struggle between the optimistic Me and the Pessimistic Me regarding various issues - and more often than not, I resort to procrastinate rather than decide on such matters.
• It is hard to study without a sense of responsibility, and my sense of responsibility was majorly home and my family. Cant find a substitute for that here!
• Making and breaking resolutions has become a sort of a game nowadays!

The list can go on, but it is important to forget the past and get prepared for the future..
Looking forward to see how 2nd sem goes..

And yeah, Happy New Year 2012

Father-Son Bonding; with a twist

I always feel that movies show an exaggeration of whatever father-son bondage they show, or may be my case is a bit different..

The usual way of projecting this is probably going together for a family outing, or may be a fun game at home.
Mine is not in that circle - our bonding is usually cleaning in and around the home, or arguing about some menial issue, competing to be the last one to take a bath on a holiday; accompanied by occasional scoldings !!

And in those dire situations - for instance when I am in Bombay, even our phone calls are very limited - maximum of 2 minutes (and so seems the fate of this post - going to be short!!)

But I am so used to him being subtle, that if he is oddly expressive - it feels weird :)

I wonder if I am running out of topics for this blog - or it seems that I am no longer observant about my surroundings as I claim in the blog note !!

Experience at "Alma Fater"(and what the term meant anyway...) CISCO

I was actually surprised that no one found out that the word Alma Fater was peculiar, may be everyone considered it either to be a spelling mistake for Alma Mater, or just ignored it to be yet another of my insignificant gags...

Anyway, lets get into the derivation of it - Alma Mater refers to the school you went into, where you gained significant wisdom and knowledge; and if I recall, it means second mother.
So, considering that your father is mainly responsible for providing you financial stance and exposure to the world, Cisco was a kind of "Alma Fater" to me, if such a terminology actually exists :-)

End of lecturing, back to narration(or more aptly 'reporting')..

Left home at 9 - and reached the campus at 12; call it nostalgia, or call it unchanging conditions, but it never improves!

Meet people within meetings - It was a day of meetings for most of my friends back there - team meeting, progress meeting, one-on-ones and what not.
I am glad they could make some time for me there.
I could relate most of their daily routines to that of my dad's split hours of work - it is seriously a bad thing to have you working in India, whereas a sizable chunk if your team working in US; you end up working half the day at office, and then attend calls in the late nights from the US!!
It was also awkward to sit there with a guest badge - and just watch people busy with their work lives, being the only "academician" around, (and sometimes searching for ID cards to get their names ;-))..

VTV delicacies - Had the opportunity to grace the occasion of gracing Shruthi's birthday celebration, and get a taste of the building's birthday mandate pastry.
Followed this up with Veg Biriyani from probably the same caterers, from the same canteen, with the same objectionable taste!
Alas, I realized much later that the main Cisco campus beside VTV had a brand new building, with a brand new, diverse and large food junction...
* VTV - Vrindavan Tech Village, the place where I did my internship

Building 16 - The new Building 16 is definitely a great add to Cisco, right from its food junction at the bottom, or the familiar games section, to the video games and self-massage chairs for stress busting, and the sitout/hangout area; it is certainly a nice place to explore.
If anyone happens to visit Cisco campus, do not miss out Building 16..

Climax - So was the whole day just about meeting busy people, and just a killtime ??
Not exactly..
It turned out that in the end, I got my much needed "enlightenment".

Final thought - I realized that its better to meet friends outside the corporate aura, specially if you are not a tekkie with a IT company tag hanging around your collar !!   

Yet Another Post Exam Realizations and Aspirations session

With the end of one more era of exams - time for yet another thought train on what went right, what went wrong, what could have been better, what could have been worse etc.

The very simplest of the realizations would be coming out of the three hour paper, and realize how you goofed it up completely!
And the most thoughtful of them would be to realize how you were complacent during the course - be it in classes, assignments, projects or exams - that has brought you into this stage..

Come to think of it - It amazes how fickle your mind is..
Just before exams, you try for futile prioritization of studies and revisions(if possible, and generally has a small success probability :D); but once you are done, you are so relieved that it did not matter much, you never had to do it :D

So here goes my list of resolutions for the coming sem, that have been in my favorite lists for quite some time:

• Concentrate more on studies, and reduce that careless attitude.
• Get motivated on things pertaining to coding and research.
• Spend less time online(Deliberately not specific here!!), and divert that time to something more productive - New favorite and Top 1 in the list !!
• Maintain regular wakeup and sleep timings(which I am not doing as I am typing it out *!)
• Get serious and focused on what next in life....
  <add any of your thoughts here>...
  .....
  .....

Knowing that most of the above wont reach their expected fate, it does seem to be a lame exercise to even consider making a list - but well, it does use some brain cycles to do some 'useful' work...

Now looking at the other dimension - Holidays.
This is a whole new arena - you plan, chalk out a strategy and workout the best possible and fruitful way of spending it - meet friends, do some next sem planning, catch up with family events, learn something new, practice a hobby and what not; but more or less the scene would be ending up a couch potato at home!!

But this time, things seem to be different - so would be the holidays...
Time to forget all these rants, and Move On !!