Yet yet Another Tag Post ...

And this time the focus is 7. And have been tagged by 2 people - Rao and Khurana. However, this one is quite tougher. Anyways, lets face the challenge ...


Seven Things I want to do in my life:

1. Travel around the world and maybe beyond 8->
2. Be rich and renowned 8->
3. Start a hugely successful company ...
4. Drive the best convertible around :D
5. Live in a lot of countries (should atleast cover all continents even antartica!)
6. Fund a help organisation and see that it does its work honestly
7. Write a novel ..
8. Maintain a library in my house :D
More than 7? so what? A lot more havent been mentioned for scarcity of space and time

Seven Things I can do:

1. Blog
2. Write about any topic (even if i have no idea about it)
3. Act as if i have understood everything even when i have no idea what was said
4. Survive a day or two without any food
5. Keep chatting and chatting ...
6. Keep secrets .. :D
7. Write computer programs i.e programming .. (almost forgot :D)

Seven Things I say the most:

1. hmm
2. really?
3. chaa
4. crap
5. sucks
6. what rubbish
7. cool
(am not sure about the veracity of these answers .. the people around may know better)

Seven Things I can't do:

1. Not blush when being teased (tried a lot)
2. Play any game well (didnt try that much :D)
3. Stay away from checking mail ever so often
4. Feel comfortable when with new acquaintances
5. See (without my spects i mean)
6. Not use smileys when using the keyboard :D
7. Stay awake in classes (:|

Seven Things that attract me to the opposite sex:

1. Intelligence
2. Versatility
3. Taking everything coolly without much ado
4. Simple appearance (lack of make-up, jewellery .. natural beauty ?)
5. Slim Figure :D
6. Ability to keep a conversation going and interesting ...
7. Smile

Seven Celebrity Crushes:

1. Catherine Zeta jones
2. Alizee
3. Kajol
4. Amrita Rao
5. Meg Ryan
6. Liv Tyler
7. Hilary Duff

Seven People I Tag:
Not many left untagged .. and those left untagged probably wont respond.

1. Persephone (prove me wrong :P)
2. Su_cooldude (you would never even read this)
3. Pati (guess u ll do this :P)
4. Optimist
5. Ravi (mareenu ra nuvvu ... resume blogging)
6. Lord
7. Kunal (another tag for u :p)

FYP - Find Your own Project ??

Was supposed to have been a cool MSBR i.e dual degree student. After the success of the honours project, was looking around for a challenging topic. The semester was quite busy and was lost in a great many things ... though at hindsight, cant identify what exactly kept me busy :-s. Yeah, wrote Gre, searched for good universities to apply to. But was supposed to have been doing MS right? Yeah, it all depended whether I got through or not. Looked around when people around me slogged for deciding their FYPs and then later for writing their FYP report1. One fine day, get a mail from your advisor asking to meet him. He informs you coolly that you are no longer a research student, but a Btech final year like most of the others (fired?) and that you better buck up and start submitting Fyp reports from the next deadline. In shock, initially, quickly recover and start searching for an Fyp.

So, listen to the ideas, try to understand what exactly is required. Feel that most of the suggestions are impossible to be accomplished (atleast in the limited time available). Just in time, for the first report (second for the others), the topic is decided. But the topic is so vast that there have been conferences conducted specifically on it! What exactly is supposed to be done? No clear idea at all ... Slog around the papers sometimes, talk to the experienced and try to make sense of what my Fyp is supposed to be. After lot of contemplation and great many discussions, the position wasnt any better. Approaching the next deadline soon. And today, found out that the atleast the first part of my Fyp is to find a suitable topic. Find out all that has been done in the area, the technologies, the challenges tackled and those that havent been tackled and those that havent yet been discovered. In short a survey .... and later what? We shall see ....

Sop? Applications and Jobs ....

Lots of things going on as usual. As usual, i have some very tough deadlines to meet. As usual, i have brought this condition unto myself through the fine art of procrastination. :-s
Am supposed to write my 'statement of purpose' soon. Actually am supposed to have already written it by now. Most of my peers are atleast half way done. And, i have been waiting all this time for some kind of an inspiration and then hoped to do it quickly like say in a day after which just some minor editing would be needed. Sadly, the inspiration has been as elusive as ever. Or maybe the 'inspiration' is the approaching deadline?? When i asked our sage for advice, he replies as: "Answer one question - what do you want to see yourself as in the future?". Well, as i have oft said, the answer is "I dont know". I rather believe in taking life one step at a time. Did i even think of going in for further studies when i joined IIIT? Not at all. I had no idea what i wanted to do next. Same now. All i know is that i was to post graduate doing some research in the field of AI preferably agents (as i am acquainted with that). Guess, thats where the whole problem lies in. However, most of the 'Statement ofPurpose' or Sop is generally devoted to your past achievements and academic pursuits.

Theres the other thing too, placements .. jobs. Supposed to select 3 dream companies. My dream companies? Unless i know the kind of work i would have to be doing in them, i have no criteria on which to decide my 'dream' company. Ofcourse the pay package is always a major factor :D. My fyp? Its in the doldrums ... waiting and waiting ... when will it progress?? Nothing seems to going right or rather going at all. Even the choice for an open elective does not seem to be easily settled. But, that doesnt have any space in my thoughts right now .... :-s :-?

Felt like writing a poem, hence ....

And so you thought i didnt exist
or maybe you just wished me away.
You hoped I vanish into the mist
or that maybe with time, I would decay.

I stood firm to my ground.
Not an inch did I displace.
I slowly grew tall and round.
Your rejection, I had to embrace.

You knew me when I was a seed.
You ate my house and threw me out.
I had to live among the grass and weed.
The injustice! To whom could i mouth?

During sun and rain, day and night
I grew stronger with the resolve
I was just a kid, yet had to fight
and so my character soon did evolve

I now had leaves and deep roots
I altered the beauty of your lawn
The world now enjoyed my fruits
The birds nested and the squirrels ran.

Finally, I was taller than your home
My shade was my gratitude to you
So you called up a truck and an axe!!

Being a tree ..
I could
never be free ...

Various things and none in particular

Well, yeah i have been to and back from kolkatta. This post is not about the trip. That is going to make a nice story with all the regular elements of drama like suffering, disappointment, frustration, elation and exhaustion. The exhausting post about the trip will be written rather typed later. Yeah, it needs considerable amount of patience and energy. "It is a thrilling tale, I wish to do it justice." by Dumbledore is quite applicable here. Finally started reading the sixth book of the hari-puttar series. Thought i had the time but sadly i was mistaken. Yet, once started, guess it will be completed quite quickly.

The Brother of Agastya aka the Sage has been stalking the corridors of our hostel to collect monetary contribution to the Kashmir quake fund. I admire his perseverence and determination. He spent around 5 hours, met around 150 people and collected significant amount. No idea how he can spare so much time for this. It is being discussed by people as to whether it is prudent to contribute to Pakistan and whether the money may not finally end up financing the terrorists of the like who recently bombed delhi etc. My take on this, .......... no idea. I guess I would feel more confortable if i knew where the money is going and how it would be used. Though, the question i ask is, "Is a disaster a prerequisite to do some charity?" There are needy people all around our city, state and country and abroad. Yeah, the people affected by a disaster need help since, their lives have been considerably worsened by the incident. But what about the people whose lives are in the same kind of state without even having to face a calamity? They are much much more in number and are always in need of help. Charity should be a continuous process and not a one off event that succeeds every large scale disaster. Guess, our IIIT's 'muskaan' is a great endeavour. We should expand this activity so that it touches many more lives. Enough of preaching for today :D.

Have so many things to do in the coming days that i am forced to keep a todo list. A todo list which tells me what are all the things that are yet to be done as quickly as possible. Yeah, just added 'write the acm post' to the list. I have had two small figurines on my table since first year. One is a cute Laughing-Buddha and the other a tiny statue of Lord Ganesha. No idea why they have been with me. Never been a religious person. Dont even remember the last time i was taken to a temple. I dont think i ever went to one on my own accord. I just recollected when i last went to a temple. It was in Kyoto. Went to a lot of temples that day.
Time to get back to the non-muggle world. Bye for now, my friendly muggles.