Having seen the latest episode of House M.D, it brought up a very curious question. The existence of God. It is a topic of vast ideologies and oft misplaced faith. It is a question, however, that has survived the vagaries of the many centuries and remains, to this date, unanswered. And perhaps, for a long time to come, will remain so. There are many different viewpoints and many varied beliefs. But, in my opinion, that is what it is - belief.
Yes, nobody can prove that God exists. Conversely, nobody can prove that He doesn't either. There are many documentaries that discuss religion and how so many religions have so much in common etc. Personally, I do not believe in religion, but I do believe that there is a higher power, some higher authority. It is inexplicable scientifically. But that is where a little bit of faith, or belief, plays a big role.
A very common argument with most people on this question is that if God does exist, and if he is this all-powerful, all-knowing being, why do people get sick or die? Why do bad things happen in this world? In my opinion, this "higher power" is not another being. It is just a way of instilling self-belief in people and giving them the faith that is necessary to get themselves out of difficult situations. We all feel that much safer and secure if we believe that there is someone taking care of us and keeping an eye over us.
It gives us a sense of self-confidence, especially in tumultuous times, to make it through the darker parts of our life. That is precisely why the whole concept of God has always been about belief and faith. It is belief and faith in yourself, not some other being. This is just my opinion, and I may be wrong, but, as this post has been about, I believe this.
Well, on another note, exam week has started and more or less, come to an end. With four done and just one more to go, this marks the ending of yet another semester. Time really does fly when you least want it to. I can almost remember every detail of New Year's day of 2010 (including losing my phone!) and it's nearly time for 2011 already! But well, thats how life rumbles on and like most others, I'm just hoping to get through this semester.
These final year exams have been a different experience altogether. With none of the tension derived from lofty expectations, these exams didn't even feel like a usual exam week. Yes, there were the same old night-outs. And there was a certain amount of studying done. But the difference was, the previous years we studied to get grades. If we wanted an 8, we studied for a 9 and so on. This time was different. This time, it was all about getting through. Anyway, like all other final years, the last but one is done and the final semester is here and surely, we're going to make it one to remember.
P.S - Please excuse the dryness of this post. There has been a caffeinical disaster in college and that has left me with no coffee in over two days!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Facebook me?
The Social Network. I was finally able to catch the movie this evening after hearing a lot about it. Luckily, it lived up to every word said about the movie. A superb movie in all departments - short, gripping, intense and neatly done. But above all, it is an extremely inspiring movie. The first idea that comes across one's head as the title credits roll is - so, how am I going to make my ₨45.23 ($1) billion?
The movie is based on the true story of the origins of the popular networking site, facebook.com. From a website started on the computer of a 19 year old Harvard undergraduate student, it now garners more hits in a day than even Google. With over 500 million users and nearly a billion dollars in revenue, it is easily one of the biggest success stories of the new millenium. And at just 24, Mark Zuckerberg, the founder, became the youngest billionaire ever.
Overwhelming facts, the above tend to be. But it also shows you that you don't necessarily need to have a crazily innovative, novel idea to start a company. All you need is for your product to sell, and sell well. When Facebook shot to fame, there was already Orkut, MySpace and Friendster doing reasonably well. Facebook wasn't exactly a novel idea but what they did, they did well. They were clean, relatively ad-free and catered to the adolescent population.
Coming back to the movie, the screenplay was absolutely outstanding. Aaron Sorkins has done an outstanding job when it comes to writing the screenplay for the movie. It keeps you gripped throughout and there is not a point in the movie when your attention isn't captured in its entirety. The dialogues are simply outstanding. One that still remains in memory, not only for its delivery, but for its sheer simplicity - "The internet isn't written in pencil, Mark. It's written in ink."
All in all, a very neatly done movie. An evening well spent, definitely. And even while walking out the theatre, the characters were deeply etched in my mind. And the one question that still remains in my mind - how am I going to make my ₨2,939.93 ($65) million. Now, I am going to get to work to answer that question!
Saturday, November 6, 2010
The Man from Earth
After hearing rave reviews, I finally got down to watching 'The Man from Earth' today. Its a very interesting movie with a novel concept. What if, hypothetically, there was a man who survived the Stone ages, the Medieval ages and continues to live in the Modern age. This brings up a plethora of possibilities. Would he still be a caveman? Would he be able to communicate with anyone else in any humanly understandable way? Such are the questions brought up by the movie. Answers too, albeit hypothetical ones they may be.
Yes, thats right. The 14,000 year old protagonist is called John 'Oldman'. A very creative pun, indeed. This movie makes you think. What if you could live so long? Would you want that in the first place? Would you want to remain alive while those around you continue to die? Or can you detach yourself enough to enjoy living through all the phases of our planet? These are difficult questions to answer, but definitely worth many a conversation! All in all, a very enamouring and captivating movie. A must-watch for any movie buff and a really good evening for all others. My rating - 85/100.
To put it briefly, the movie is about a man who is actually 14,000 years old and may actually be a cro-magnon. It is an extremely low budget movie. It required only ₨8,804,316.96 ($200,000) to produce. The screenplay was written by Jerome Bixby on his deathbed. It is pretty riveting work for a man about to die. For any man, in fact. The underlying notion through the movie is that even though the protagonist's story is so incredulous, there is absolutely no way to either prove he's right or prove he's wrong. This just arouses added interest, not only in the other characters of the movie, but in all the viewers to know more about John Oldman.
Yes, thats right. The 14,000 year old protagonist is called John 'Oldman'. A very creative pun, indeed. This movie makes you think. What if you could live so long? Would you want that in the first place? Would you want to remain alive while those around you continue to die? Or can you detach yourself enough to enjoy living through all the phases of our planet? These are difficult questions to answer, but definitely worth many a conversation! All in all, a very enamouring and captivating movie. A must-watch for any movie buff and a really good evening for all others. My rating - 85/100.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
October Round-up
Alright, another long break and another crazy couple of weeks! Time just flies when you are in final year, I tell you. It feels like just yesterday that I was sitting in the same place and conjuring up adjectives to describe a particularly fascinating innings by Sachin. And yet, as the clock tells me, its two weeks hence.
However, the last week and a half has pretty much been an entrepot of memories. It started with the trip to Goa. Some six of us had planned on attending the BITS Goa fest, Waves. But after numerous plan-changes and drop outs, just three of us ended up going. And, we only spent the one day in the fest out of three. Nonetheless, it was one hell of a trip! Karaoke, great food and a legion of trips to the many beach-shacks made it all the more memorable.
The weekend after was our annual technical fest, Engineer. But before we could get to that and enjoy a further four days of freedom, we all had to make it through a dreadful assignment. The fear of a fail-grade made everyone that much more careful, so as to not have it seem that their assignment is copied. But once we were done with that, there were no more worries.
It was time for Engineer. Touted as one of India's biggest technical symposiums, it sure did live up to its name this time around. Although a vast majority of the people around had either gone home or on other surreptitious trips, those who did stay had a good time. Last time around, Engineer brought about a sort of manic depression. However, this time, we attended quite a few events, and in high spirits at that.
To cap it off, there is a chance of a tournament being there this weekend. That would be a perfect finish to a good month, one that started with basketball and may very well end with it, but had so much more in between. Until my next post, adios.
However, the last week and a half has pretty much been an entrepot of memories. It started with the trip to Goa. Some six of us had planned on attending the BITS Goa fest, Waves. But after numerous plan-changes and drop outs, just three of us ended up going. And, we only spent the one day in the fest out of three. Nonetheless, it was one hell of a trip! Karaoke, great food and a legion of trips to the many beach-shacks made it all the more memorable.
The weekend after was our annual technical fest, Engineer. But before we could get to that and enjoy a further four days of freedom, we all had to make it through a dreadful assignment. The fear of a fail-grade made everyone that much more careful, so as to not have it seem that their assignment is copied. But once we were done with that, there were no more worries.
It was time for Engineer. Touted as one of India's biggest technical symposiums, it sure did live up to its name this time around. Although a vast majority of the people around had either gone home or on other surreptitious trips, those who did stay had a good time. Last time around, Engineer brought about a sort of manic depression. However, this time, we attended quite a few events, and in high spirits at that.
To cap it off, there is a chance of a tournament being there this weekend. That would be a perfect finish to a good month, one that started with basketball and may very well end with it, but had so much more in between. Until my next post, adios.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Assorted Tidbits
It's been a week or more since my last post. And a hectic week it has been, at least by final year standards.
It started off with our trip to Chikmagalur for the Divisional district-level basketball tournament. Our college was chosen to represent D K District by virtue of winning the qualifier tournament the previous week. A walkover, a win and a loss summarises our tournament. But for all of us, it was more than the results. We were able to pin-point our weaknesses at the end of the tournament and we were reasonably impressed with our game throughout. Ofcourse, it also included the formal 'induction' of our freshers into the team! All in all, a good game, a great trip and some amazing memories.
The day that followed was supposed to be one of those traditional lazy days where you just wake up at your own will and laze around while moving within a maximum radius of 100 metres from your room. Instead, we found ourselves in Mangalore carrying out plans that had been in the works for more than two weeks now. It also meant we had no choice but to see Anjaana Anjaani as there was nothing better running (read 'Endhiran is not a movie I'm willing to shell out that much money to see!'). The movie was your typical, run-of-the-mill Hindi rom-com. The plus point, a big one at that, was Priyanka Chopra. Her recherché body exudes pulchritude in every scene of the movie!
A bit of running around after the movie eventually resulted in us finally finding the TV Tuner card we were looking for. The TV in our wing was finally functional. It also meant the end of any form of studies henceforth, but that's a consequence we shall deal with later on. As of now, we're busy watching the TV. The week also included the first episode of the returning show, Kaun Banega Crorepati. It's been a while since we've all seen the Big B in his familiar role opposite the 'Hot Seat' and it was pleasantly refreshing to see that again. It does, however, get repetitive after a day and that was all that most of us could handle.
To round it off, we were also really lucky to see a few records broken in the cricketing world. Twenty one years in cricket and one would think his hunger for runs and his passion to dominate opposition bowling attacks would die down. And yet, here he is, ever hungrier and renascent after the debacle of the 2007 World Cup. It also happened to be the tenth day of the tenth month of the tenth year of the new century. Only once in a 100 years does this happen. And it was on this day that a man, whose lucky number is ten and whose name contains 'ten' in it, came out to bat and once again, try and rescue India from a potentially risky situation. Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.
This diminutive Mumbaikar has been India's go-to guy for the majority of his career. The mere fact that at the age of 37, twenty one years into the game, his is still the wicket the opposition bowlers value the most tells us why he is considered God by many in India. In a special innings for the Little Master, he surpassed the mountainous stratum of 14,000 runs in Test cricket. He also notched up his 49th century in Tests and his 6th double hundred, tying him with Virender Sehwag for most double hundreds by an Indian. A simple statistic for those that say he is beyond his prime, Tendulkar has achieved two of those six double hundreds and crossed 1,000 runs yet again in the last ten months. And there appears the number ten again. Coincidence? Some would say it is destiny. Either way, it is a strong substantiation of the famous saying, 'Form is temporary, but class is permanent'. And Sachin is sheer, out-and-out class.
In hindsight, it was a great week on the whole. Receiving my offer letter made it that much better. As I said before, getting placed is like a hurdle. Passing all your interviews and getting the job is like jumping the hurdle. Getting your offer letter is comparable to landing safe on the other side. All eyes are now on the fifth day of play of the second Test match tomorrow. Should be an interesting one!
It started off with our trip to Chikmagalur for the Divisional district-level basketball tournament. Our college was chosen to represent D K District by virtue of winning the qualifier tournament the previous week. A walkover, a win and a loss summarises our tournament. But for all of us, it was more than the results. We were able to pin-point our weaknesses at the end of the tournament and we were reasonably impressed with our game throughout. Ofcourse, it also included the formal 'induction' of our freshers into the team! All in all, a good game, a great trip and some amazing memories.
The day that followed was supposed to be one of those traditional lazy days where you just wake up at your own will and laze around while moving within a maximum radius of 100 metres from your room. Instead, we found ourselves in Mangalore carrying out plans that had been in the works for more than two weeks now. It also meant we had no choice but to see Anjaana Anjaani as there was nothing better running (read 'Endhiran is not a movie I'm willing to shell out that much money to see!'). The movie was your typical, run-of-the-mill Hindi rom-com. The plus point, a big one at that, was Priyanka Chopra. Her recherché body exudes pulchritude in every scene of the movie!
A bit of running around after the movie eventually resulted in us finally finding the TV Tuner card we were looking for. The TV in our wing was finally functional. It also meant the end of any form of studies henceforth, but that's a consequence we shall deal with later on. As of now, we're busy watching the TV. The week also included the first episode of the returning show, Kaun Banega Crorepati. It's been a while since we've all seen the Big B in his familiar role opposite the 'Hot Seat' and it was pleasantly refreshing to see that again. It does, however, get repetitive after a day and that was all that most of us could handle.
To round it off, we were also really lucky to see a few records broken in the cricketing world. Twenty one years in cricket and one would think his hunger for runs and his passion to dominate opposition bowling attacks would die down. And yet, here he is, ever hungrier and renascent after the debacle of the 2007 World Cup. It also happened to be the tenth day of the tenth month of the tenth year of the new century. Only once in a 100 years does this happen. And it was on this day that a man, whose lucky number is ten and whose name contains 'ten' in it, came out to bat and once again, try and rescue India from a potentially risky situation. Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.
This diminutive Mumbaikar has been India's go-to guy for the majority of his career. The mere fact that at the age of 37, twenty one years into the game, his is still the wicket the opposition bowlers value the most tells us why he is considered God by many in India. In a special innings for the Little Master, he surpassed the mountainous stratum of 14,000 runs in Test cricket. He also notched up his 49th century in Tests and his 6th double hundred, tying him with Virender Sehwag for most double hundreds by an Indian. A simple statistic for those that say he is beyond his prime, Tendulkar has achieved two of those six double hundreds and crossed 1,000 runs yet again in the last ten months. And there appears the number ten again. Coincidence? Some would say it is destiny. Either way, it is a strong substantiation of the famous saying, 'Form is temporary, but class is permanent'. And Sachin is sheer, out-and-out class.
In hindsight, it was a great week on the whole. Receiving my offer letter made it that much better. As I said before, getting placed is like a hurdle. Passing all your interviews and getting the job is like jumping the hurdle. Getting your offer letter is comparable to landing safe on the other side. All eyes are now on the fifth day of play of the second Test match tomorrow. Should be an interesting one!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
A Very, Very Special Day
Yes, as the more perceptive of you might have realised, the title refers to the recently concluded Test match between India and Australia. It was a historic win for India in more ways than one, but the stand-out factor, no doubt, was another scintillating performance from VVS Laxman under immense pressure. Usually the first person to get axed even with the slightest doubt over fitness or form, VVS has proven time and again why he deserves a spot in the middle order of a batting-heavy lineup.
Statistics would just say that he scored 73 off 79 deliveries and would just be one more among the 46 fifties through his career. They do not take into account the fact that he is nearing 36 years of age. Nowhere in his numbers will it be mentioned that he batted through with a sore back. And it will soon be forgotten that he has saved us on two consecutive occasions - today and the third Test against Sri Lanka barely a month or two ago. But such is the spirit of a man who has by and large been sidelined by a more stellar and star-studded batting lineup throughout his career.
There is something to his batting that is so aesthetically pleasing to the eye. It is a real delight to watch a free-flowing Laxman innings. His innings are never about his scores, but about the way he scores. When he does retire, the world will surely miss those ravishing drives and stunning flicks. His presence at the crease, even in dire situations, brings about a calm serenity in the midst of a fiery tempest. His teammates would definitely concur.
Another unsung hero of the Test match was Ishant Sharma. This tall, lanky fast bowler from the suburbs of Delhi has yet again proved that grit and determination go a long way in swinging the fortunes of a team. Ruled out of the first innings with a knee injury following a bad spell of bowling, he did brilliantly to come back in the second and literally bowl India within striking distance of the game. Not only did he account for three important Australian batsmen, he also came out to bat with 92 runs required and just a couple of wickets left.
He batted with exemplary patience to compile 31 important runs. More importantly, when he departed, falling to a wrong decision, he had left India needing only 11 runs. What followed was a tense finish which could have gone either way. A little bit of luck and a slightly misdirected throw made sure the valiant efforts of Laxman and Ishant would not go in vain.
At the end of the day, sheer determination and a greater hunger for victory is what set the two teams apart. After the last ball of the Test, even a staunch stoic could not have held back his emotions. Yes, one may ask why I singled out only the performances of these two even though everyone did contribute to the victory. I did so because a lesser performance from either of these two would not have led me to write this post in the first place. Ironically, neither of them was awarded the Man-of-the-Match.
On a completely unrelated note, Happy birthday GShah! :)
Statistics would just say that he scored 73 off 79 deliveries and would just be one more among the 46 fifties through his career. They do not take into account the fact that he is nearing 36 years of age. Nowhere in his numbers will it be mentioned that he batted through with a sore back. And it will soon be forgotten that he has saved us on two consecutive occasions - today and the third Test against Sri Lanka barely a month or two ago. But such is the spirit of a man who has by and large been sidelined by a more stellar and star-studded batting lineup throughout his career.
There is something to his batting that is so aesthetically pleasing to the eye. It is a real delight to watch a free-flowing Laxman innings. His innings are never about his scores, but about the way he scores. When he does retire, the world will surely miss those ravishing drives and stunning flicks. His presence at the crease, even in dire situations, brings about a calm serenity in the midst of a fiery tempest. His teammates would definitely concur.
Another unsung hero of the Test match was Ishant Sharma. This tall, lanky fast bowler from the suburbs of Delhi has yet again proved that grit and determination go a long way in swinging the fortunes of a team. Ruled out of the first innings with a knee injury following a bad spell of bowling, he did brilliantly to come back in the second and literally bowl India within striking distance of the game. Not only did he account for three important Australian batsmen, he also came out to bat with 92 runs required and just a couple of wickets left.
He batted with exemplary patience to compile 31 important runs. More importantly, when he departed, falling to a wrong decision, he had left India needing only 11 runs. What followed was a tense finish which could have gone either way. A little bit of luck and a slightly misdirected throw made sure the valiant efforts of Laxman and Ishant would not go in vain.
At the end of the day, sheer determination and a greater hunger for victory is what set the two teams apart. After the last ball of the Test, even a staunch stoic could not have held back his emotions. Yes, one may ask why I singled out only the performances of these two even though everyone did contribute to the victory. I did so because a lesser performance from either of these two would not have led me to write this post in the first place. Ironically, neither of them was awarded the Man-of-the-Match.
On a completely unrelated note, Happy birthday GShah! :)
Sunday, October 3, 2010
A new life, a new beginning?
Well, this is something I have wanted to do for a long time. And finally, as the bore-child of a 4-day long weekend spent in college, here it is. My blog. There were a lot of things on my mind that I wanted to write about. But as one of my friends aptly put it, it should be about the beginning of final year and all the jazz and spiel it brings along with it. So, here goes my attempt at keeping a blog. Hope you all enjoy it :).
For the first time (for most of us), we had just completed our internships and just had our first peek into the corporate/research life. Some of us liked it. Others had a clearer picture of what they wanted to do next. And some others were just as confused as they were the first time we stepped into this college. But each one of us had one thing in common. We were all looking forward to 'Final Year'. As a person three months into final year, I can safely say that this is something that is completely different from the image one constructs when he enters college. It has so much more to it that it has to be experienced to be understood completely.
All conversations leading to the return to college were all about how final year is going to be the most exciting year of our lives and that its going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And so far, its lived up to those expectations! The first week of college was all about catching up with friends, especially the ones who had gone abroad. It was about exchanging those spicy stories that made our summers worth remembering. These 'exchanges' were, of course, made over some memorable trips to Sai Bhavani. The 'fun' times didn't last long though. Within a week, the most opened webpage quickly changed from Facebook to the college placement website.
The good news was that the placement season seemed pretty good this time. The bad news was that we didn't really have all that long to prepare. But, as they say, all's well that end's well. This was one of the major hurdles that needed to be crossed in final year and as luck would have it, most of us were able to cross it pretty early. Everyone says that one can do anything and can choose to study anything he wishes. While that is true, what is also true is that a graduate from an engineering college in India has more or less three choices - Job, MBA or MS. Once one of them gets decided, it makes the rest of final year that much more gratifying.
This brings me to the last aspect of my final year. Basketball. This has been a passion for us for a long time. 'Practice at 530' is probably the most read message by most people on the team. And most days, all you do is while away time in any way possible till 5:30 comes. Its that part of the day that you enjoy the most. Its not just the game that makes it so jolly but the people also. As some would say, it is 'more than just a game'. Though most practice sessions were marred by rain, the few that did happen were sure to leave us hungry for more.
I would say one major difference between final year and the other three is quite simple really. It all comes down to just one main factor. Free time. At 9-10 hours of classes and just 3 working days a week, this is the biggest noticeable change when one enters final year. The excess of TV shows, movies, spirit, games etc just follows as a direct consequence of the enhanced amount of free time we get. The need to attend classes occurs more as an afterthought. Most people's attendance status corroborates that fact.
On that note, I'd like to bring up a question that I was just asked. Considering all this, and the obvious change that corporate life is going bring about in most people's lives in a year, is final year really 'a new life, a new beginning'? Think about it, and if it is, I sure hope we can all make it count.
For the first time (for most of us), we had just completed our internships and just had our first peek into the corporate/research life. Some of us liked it. Others had a clearer picture of what they wanted to do next. And some others were just as confused as they were the first time we stepped into this college. But each one of us had one thing in common. We were all looking forward to 'Final Year'. As a person three months into final year, I can safely say that this is something that is completely different from the image one constructs when he enters college. It has so much more to it that it has to be experienced to be understood completely.
All conversations leading to the return to college were all about how final year is going to be the most exciting year of our lives and that its going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And so far, its lived up to those expectations! The first week of college was all about catching up with friends, especially the ones who had gone abroad. It was about exchanging those spicy stories that made our summers worth remembering. These 'exchanges' were, of course, made over some memorable trips to Sai Bhavani. The 'fun' times didn't last long though. Within a week, the most opened webpage quickly changed from Facebook to the college placement website.
The good news was that the placement season seemed pretty good this time. The bad news was that we didn't really have all that long to prepare. But, as they say, all's well that end's well. This was one of the major hurdles that needed to be crossed in final year and as luck would have it, most of us were able to cross it pretty early. Everyone says that one can do anything and can choose to study anything he wishes. While that is true, what is also true is that a graduate from an engineering college in India has more or less three choices - Job, MBA or MS. Once one of them gets decided, it makes the rest of final year that much more gratifying.
This brings me to the last aspect of my final year. Basketball. This has been a passion for us for a long time. 'Practice at 530' is probably the most read message by most people on the team. And most days, all you do is while away time in any way possible till 5:30 comes. Its that part of the day that you enjoy the most. Its not just the game that makes it so jolly but the people also. As some would say, it is 'more than just a game'. Though most practice sessions were marred by rain, the few that did happen were sure to leave us hungry for more.
I would say one major difference between final year and the other three is quite simple really. It all comes down to just one main factor. Free time. At 9-10 hours of classes and just 3 working days a week, this is the biggest noticeable change when one enters final year. The excess of TV shows, movies, spirit, games etc just follows as a direct consequence of the enhanced amount of free time we get. The need to attend classes occurs more as an afterthought. Most people's attendance status corroborates that fact.
On that note, I'd like to bring up a question that I was just asked. Considering all this, and the obvious change that corporate life is going bring about in most people's lives in a year, is final year really 'a new life, a new beginning'? Think about it, and if it is, I sure hope we can all make it count.
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