Deja Vu

Had an coding assignment work this week - and we had to sit together and get it done in 3 days.
Went to a lab and did some minor brainstorming followed by coding - and deja vu : remembered the good old days of working as a team at E-Learning lab..

Although it was a short stint for 3 days - it did remind some wonderful days of the WikiPES project.

Reaching almost never on time,
chatting with and meeting friends,
being online for no reason except for network connected systems,
4 to 5 computers around and just one summer project,
HOD doing inspections and supporting for its release(although it didnt fare well later on!!),
being enthusiastic about it,
ending the day with chats and juice,
and if the mood was there - Work!
And later on came an internship too - same lab, more work, more coding(relative to what we did earlier!), and beyond other things: more fun!!!
Seems sort of cliche and funny to say - Ah! Those were the days :)

The environment here is not all the same - but it get me to do some coding after a long time, and it did include some of the fun aspect as well..
Anyway, it brought back some old memories - some of them captured in pics and stored on my hard disk; and a lot more stored inside the mind :)

I have discovered that I have the pulse for having such fun environment to work at - Finally something on my checklist to look out for in my next job. 

How things change - Talking to Teachers

Here is yet another of my personal experiences that depict how certain good things have become sort of normal in academic life.

In the good old school days - talking to teachers was fun. I am not sure whether thats a general opinion, but I would be quite eager to speak to them; probably because back then our teachers were quite caring and gave attention..

Later on came PU college - with a class that was more seasoned with tuitions; and me not in that rat race; the only reason for going to class and listening to teachers was the syllabus. Talking to teachers was only a matter of staying on par - a Talk on Need basis; but there wasnt anything that would pull back and not let me talk to them.

Then came the professional world - Engineering.
Some of today's hurdles started surfacing here. For reasons both known and unknown - I was not in the list of those who were keen on talking to teachers. If at all there were talks, it was about seminars, projects and stuff. There was never perhaps the ideal reasons such as gaining knowledge, learning from their experience etc etc..

And now Mtech - most of it is B.E reloaded, except that the interactions with the professors is minimal. Quite naturally, the reason for this would be that I am perhaps intimidated by their stature. And more importantly observed - if you generally approach a Prof with a problem, you come back with more problems!!

Hmm, there does not seem to be a lucidity in this post; possible after-tremors of meeting a Professor :D 

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