tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85278221798010789262011-11-28T04:52:54.222+05:30Stuff that's so relevant to us, it's very nearly sensible.Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.comBlogger621100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-6928197810214899972011-06-10T23:19:00.001+05:302011-06-10T23:36:53.528+05:30

Dear dad,I hope you'll be able to read this, wherever you are. You'll be glad to hear that we all are doing well here. Well, that's not exactly true. Rohan was down with pneumonia last week. We had to admit him to a hospital here. Thanks to God's grace, he is stable and getting better now.However, there is something that happened then that has motivated me to write to you now. The day he was

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-57644550088156738182011-02-23T01:40:00.002+05:302011-02-23T01:46:20.914+05:30

She was nervous. It was quite evident from the worried look she had on her face. But deep inside her heart, she knew that she needed this. She had never had this before; this was to be her first time. She was waiting. The wait was long and she was getting more tense. She had made up her mind to get it done this time, and that is how she wanted it to be.Then she saw him. His calm smile and his

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-45147994748903717342011-01-25T05:22:00.002+05:302011-01-25T06:38:05.712+05:30

Sitting at one of the talks in the conference I am attending today, I was reminded of an idea back from my IIT days. I consulted my notes from back then and was surprised at not having shared my views on this blog. Well, I guess doing that now would perhaps be a good way to restart this blog.This was when I was doing a course in bio-electricity, having decided that semiconductors is not for me (

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-41458046988447284672009-02-23T15:02:00.010+05:302009-02-24T14:05:46.727+05:30

A story from a few days ago. My cousin and her family had come over for the holidays and my snow white Maltese had just given birth to beautiful puppies and my nieces were very happy to welcome them into our family. But our parents said that they would not allow any more dogs in our home and with a heavy heart, we decided to give them away.As we had bought our Maltese at a pet store, I only felt

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-33137514366080369472009-02-20T14:51:00.006+05:302009-02-23T13:27:29.851+05:30

"... Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations. "Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America," he said on the T.V."

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-2119970882486258262009-02-02T17:04:00.005+05:302009-02-03T11:53:36.858+05:30

Mumbai, Feb. 2ndWith all the hoopla over global warming, efforts are now on to help the environment. People are (assumed to be) doing all they can to reduce the harm that they are causing to nature. Although I had heard this from my grandmother long ago, it seems that only recently have scientists been able to prove that deforestation is contributing to global warming. Efforts are on to stop the

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-38742198726132133202009-02-02T12:42:00.004+05:302009-02-02T12:58:15.312+05:30

1. Was watching the amazing match between Verdasco and Nadal on Friday. Desperately wanted Verdasco to win, but Nadal is simply too good to be beaten. Though I think none has given him such a challenge as Verdasco did in that match. What makes it more special is that he cramped up in the third set, yet went on to play for 2 more hours to take the match into the fifth, dishing out some excellent

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-29498955812928981242009-01-30T18:53:00.002+05:302009-01-30T18:59:20.649+05:30

I keep getting lots of forwards everyday... but some are so stupid that they are really amazing! Here's an excerpt from one I got yesterday:1. Bahaar Aane Se Pehle Fizaa Aa Gayii Bahaar Aane Se Pehle Fizaa Aa Gayii.... Phool Ko Khilne Se Pehle Bakri Kha Gayii!2. Saap Ne Piya Bakri Ka Khoon Saap Ne Piya Bakri Ka Khoon... Good Afternoon! Good Afternoon! Good Afternoon!3. Yashomati Maiyya Se Bole

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-17839933137846836282009-01-29T15:28:00.005+05:302009-01-29T17:45:42.812+05:30

I know I had announced that I won't be blogging here anymore. But that was a long time ago, and things have changed a lot since then. That was not such a long time ago, but things have changed more than ever since then too, and I am now left with too much time on hand to avoid blogging. So, here I am. Bear me if you can.--If there's one question you shouldn't ask me, it is, "So what do you want

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-33216919117314703202008-05-28T19:12:00.003+05:302008-05-28T19:37:05.843+05:30

Normally I don't follow such non sense, and wouldn't care for one to reopen my old blog only to close it again. But this being sent by Abhi, who has had more than his share of nonsense dished out by me, I have decided to play along and humor him :)Last movie seen in a theatre: Devani has finally managed to get the message into my head - movies aren't worth paying for in theatres; especially when

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-8226184049472516762008-04-15T09:42:00.003+05:302008-04-16T13:28:35.587+05:30

It has been a wonderful experience writing this blog, and I hope I made at least a few people happy with some of the posts that I would've put up. But now I feel it's time to move on. Don't feel the passion for blogging that I used to uptil a while ago. Find a different hobby, something challenging or something. Perhaps I may return to blogging, but it would be on a different blog.Thanks for

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-391941278930411552008-04-10T09:16:00.005+05:302008-04-10T09:38:54.813+05:30

People ask me how I can manage living by myself in hostel, given the updates in my physical condition. I don't see a problem here, I tell them, as there are a few friends that I still have who care for me while I am here (I didn't lose them all after this little accident you see, just the ones who weren't good enough. I think most of them will try coming back into my life after I get well, but

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-21193015779941544522008-04-06T14:16:00.004+05:302008-04-08T18:34:04.873+05:30

He lay there wounded on the street. Today was supposed to be a good day for him. At least that's what the astrologer had said in today's breakfast show. He was said to be in for a good news today, and would make financial progress. He was also destined to find luck in matters of romance and marriage. A perfect day, he had thought it would be.Now he lay there on the busy road. His first day at

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-68867226673802090592008-04-03T10:20:00.004+05:302008-04-05T10:36:08.228+05:30

Now that my right arm is showing signs of recovery, and that a new month has started, ushering in another 400Mbs of download limit for me, I felt I can finally resume my blogging habit.There have been many new things that I have learnt as I am recuperating now, many new experiences, and hopefully the learning curve hasn't already peaked off or plateaued away yet. Challenges are aplenty, with even

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-20964525221364856422008-03-19T20:11:00.003+05:302008-03-19T20:17:08.640+05:30

This is an excerpt from 'Tuesdays with Morrie', by Mitch Albom. It's a book that I would recommend to all readers - a bit on the philosophical side, but not lecturesque; in fact it is a wonderful account of a brave man's fight against a dreaded disease. This is one story that really touched my heart, and hence it is reproduced here.I heard a nice little story the other day," Morrie says. He

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-13826015299867693662008-03-17T15:20:00.010+05:302008-03-18T14:59:05.777+05:30

There are several reasons why I love my country. And there are also reasons why I love my county more than other countries that I've been to. And I shall now talk about one of those.Queues. I simply love queues. That's both - watching and waiting in them. And nowhere in the world do we find such a wide variety in the kinds and causes for queues than in India. We have queues for almost everything

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-62604829196639556762008-03-15T17:42:00.008+05:302008-03-18T23:16:15.948+05:30

"Chalo beta aaj ladki dekhne jaana hai! Tayaar ho jaao!"As I had earlier mentioned on this blog, going home has become quite rare for me these days, and as a result I find myself facing huge backlogs when it comes to being up to date with familial matters. I came to know last week that one of my distant cousins, who happens to be almost the same age as me, was getting engaged to his childhood

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-20656826785728526922008-02-29T13:57:00.001+05:302008-03-18T23:16:15.949+05:30

(This again from my old blog. Happens to be my favourite piece among all those that I have written)Ever since V-day, there has been much talk and speculation among my batchmates as to whether I have a girlfriend or not. So much so has been the debate, that I felt I should tell them all about an affair I once had (something for them to cheer about :D). And what better place to disclose the truth

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-56608977362834808592008-02-29T13:52:00.000+05:302008-02-29T14:11:23.903+05:30

(This from my old blog)What we have been told is a motivating gesture may be flak after all. A well put up disguise to mislead us poor souls into believing something unintuitive to be something implying a greater deeper meaning, that never seems to surface up and after trying a few times, you sort of accept the crowd's take on the issue. Here are some insights that may raise a few eyebrows:1.

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-44660164107431952812008-02-25T10:04:00.004+05:302008-03-18T23:16:15.950+05:30

It's that time in my life when I reminisce about my life here at IIT, and keep boring my friends by always telling them how much I am going to miss them and this place. When each treat ends with me becoming senti and saying that no matter where I go or what I manage to achieve in life, now is the best time in my life ever. What's sad though, is that I feel I don't have many 'interesting'

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-23258408897944811932008-02-19T18:48:00.004+05:302008-03-18T23:16:15.950+05:30

This is one incident I remember from my good old Ruparel days (that is, my junior college days). I don't have many memories from that time - firstly because I wasted most of time in my JEE preparation, which I then considered more important than my social life, and secondly, because I hardly ever attended college, mainly due to the earlier reason. This incident that I am talking about was on one

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-48908521184632424722008-02-17T13:49:00.004+05:302008-03-18T23:16:15.951+05:30

Going home has become rare for me these days, now that I have finally convinced my parents that they should let me enjoy my last few months of IIT hostel life, and also that my being at home is not going to be so interesting once I come back in May, my job now being in Mumbai. As a consequence I was not surprised to learn today at the bus stop that the BEST route number 498 for Borivli, which

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-65221956708351271762008-02-04T17:36:00.000+05:302008-02-29T14:11:23.903+05:30

Some reasons people give for explaining their urge to leave comments, even when not called for sometimes:1. To show that you read such and such blog regularly.2. So that the blogger would leave comments on your blog (and that you yourself value such comments highly).3. To make a point to strike up a conversation with the blogger the next time you find him/her online.4. To point out to the blogger

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-72621240885439242722008-02-01T19:31:00.000+05:302008-02-29T14:12:26.821+05:30

Hong Kong is known for its sea food. A vegetarian sure has a tough time out there.You do get vegetarian food if you know where to search. But for a south Indian chap like me, it seems a bit incomplete. I once ordered Spicy mushroom and exotic vegetables in noodle soup. What I got was broth with noodles floating in it and a luxurious serving of steamed vegetables and sauteed mushrooms to go with

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-11313816273892268172008-01-30T13:19:00.001+05:302008-02-29T14:11:23.903+05:30

This post is meant for someone whom I lovingly call arbit. If you are not arbit, please do not read this.Dear arbit,1. All IITians, like yours truly, are what I call 'socially challenged geniuses'.2. To understand true love, one should understand true surrender first.3. We are not as gifted as our lives may suggest unto others - we just happen to be lucky bastards I guess.4. We should go with the

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-54497614799075530082008-01-19T12:30:00.000+05:302008-02-29T14:12:26.821+05:30

Tonight I leave for Hong Kong. There's a conference on Information theory and Theoritical Computer Science being organised by the Chinese University of Hong Kong, from 21st Jan '08 to 26th Jan '08. As an effort towards furthering their collaboration with IIT Bombay, they are sponsoring the visit for 4 students for this event, including yours truly.Frankly speaking, I have never quite appreciated

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-9796098159060295372008-01-16T21:59:00.000+05:302008-02-29T14:12:26.821+05:30

Today I lost half a tooth. Again. Well, I had lost that very half about four years ago, courtesy some tooth decay or something, and today I happened to lose the filling that was very well concealing this gateway into my oral cavity. It was a soft dismissal, considering that the said debacle happened over a measly banana, that I was munching on happily until my tongue noticed hitherto unexplored

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-30204024079944029612008-01-15T11:09:00.000+05:302008-02-29T14:11:23.904+05:30

I recently belled the CAT. Well, at least that's what my folks tell me. But did I actually do it? I don't recall a single minute spent towards preparing for this test, nor do I remember having solved a single question for practice. What then, should I attribute my 'roaring success' (as a friend puts it) to? Sheer luck? Inherent skills? High level of confidence?I remember the 18th of November last

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-50458332976184460472008-01-14T14:17:00.000+05:302008-02-29T14:11:23.904+05:30

Coming back to the question of good friends, let me now focus on the type that I mentioned looks upon friendship as merely a business deal.These are the people who believe in the following formula:Friendship = treats + running errands + occasional sms/mail/callFor the time being, let me call such people as 'personalities'.The last term on the right hand side of the above equation is not mandatory

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-20996749614200369742008-01-14T09:31:00.001+05:302008-02-29T14:11:23.904+05:30

I am sure you, like me, have been taking your family for granted all these years. I realised this a few days back, when the CAT results were announced. I was competing with my sister for a seat in one of the 6 IIMs for pursuing a management degree. This too, when I knew beforehand that I can easily nail the CAT whereas for her, it was not going to be a cakewalk. This, when I already knew that I

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-88822190462093984182007-12-22T22:49:00.000+05:302008-02-29T14:12:26.822+05:30

I have been doing stupid things of late, but today I really crossed all limits when I decided to ride pillion with my dear friend (whom I shall not name :P) to wangle our way into H 13's laundry room to collect his clothes, 20 minutes past closing time. I was amazed at how we did manage to reach H 13, unharmed and unscathed (a distance of about a km from our hostel - too much to demand for a safe

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-41255980807225543902007-12-16T20:47:00.000+05:302008-02-29T14:17:45.644+05:30

I was really fortunate to have done an internship at Cornell University this summer. Very often though, I wonder how it would have been had I not bagged any offer from any university. I believe I would be really pissed off and I would have surely replied to some professor in this manner:Dear Sir,Thank you for your reply. After going through your email, I regret to inform you that I cannot accept

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-21954050737401800372007-11-03T21:36:00.000+05:302008-02-29T14:16:19.217+05:30

Underdog. Someone who enters a competition supposedly just as a filler, someone without any hopes of making it beyond the opening round. Wikipedia says an underdog is a person or group in a competition, frequently in electoral politics, sports, and creative works, who is popularly expected to lose. Yes that's what an underdog is - a supposed no hoper.There are times though when the underdog

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-45730889040329870242007-10-20T11:26:00.000+05:302008-03-18T23:16:15.952+05:30

I was recently at my cousin's place for a family get together and was relaxing in their patio after a sumptuous dinner party. The stars were out and were pulsating, blinking as if they were warming up for a grandiose exhibition eventually. The scattered cirrus couldn't dampen the tenor of the hour. The moon was in a playful mood, peeping through whatever clouds that subsisted on an otherwise

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-28737679722329234352007-10-11T13:47:00.000+05:302008-02-29T14:16:19.218+05:30

Been busy for a long while now, with lots of things actually, reading some wonderful books, preparing for the inevitable placement interviews, strumming my guitar and a host of other activities. A pity that I neglected my blog all this long. Nevertheless, I think I have rediscovered my blogging passion, now rejuvenated with a new vigour.Before I start penning down words on more tangible issues, I

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-9852594212661248462007-09-04T22:40:00.000+05:302008-02-29T14:15:01.182+05:30

Just finished reading this wonderful book by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, who, as a matter of fact, is going to deliver a speech tomorrow at IIT Bombay, as a part of the Teacher's day celebrations here, and also to kick off our Golden Jubilee event! It's an excellent book, and good that I read it after reading 'Against the tide'; as it supplemented the thoughts provided therein really well. I had

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-74362836251139223842007-08-31T21:17:00.001+05:302008-02-29T14:15:01.182+05:30

Mc Kinsey, Merill Lynch, BCG, J. P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley... or any other big name that is coming to IIT for recruitments this year - ask for one thing from the candidates in their 'What we look for in you' section - Leadership. I was intrigued by this demand of theirs'; maybe because I don't know what they mean by leadership. What then is leadership? I thought instead of looking at this from

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-50468121238960909232007-08-27T13:13:00.000+05:302008-03-18T23:16:15.952+05:30

There is commotion all around me. I am sure that all this is just a dream, a bad nightmare rather. 'Life can never be so cruel, this can't be the world that I live in...' Yet somewhere deep in my heart I know I could be wrong. I have always heard of things like this happening to others, but had never given it a thought, probably because I never was directly in the line of fire. 'I cannot die in

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-53108600265041352522007-08-23T12:13:00.000+05:302008-02-29T14:15:01.183+05:30

A nice read this book. I haven't yet finished reading the whole text, but from whatever I have read, this seems to be an excellent compilation of thoughts by S. K. Chakraborthy on the East-West distinction on world views. He presents the thoughts of 8 great thinkers on these aspects, 4 from the East (Gandhi, Tagore, Vivekanand and Aurobindo) and 4 from the west (Griffiths, Toynbee, Rolland and

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-54833401447066100592007-08-21T20:17:00.000+05:302008-02-29T14:15:01.183+05:30

Had to write this essay for the O. P. Jindal Scholarship application. The topic was what would I want the critical stakeholders in my life to say about me on my 50th birthday. This is what I had to say:Well, that’s an interesting question. More so considering that I haven’t yet lived to even half that age! So where do I see myself on my 50th birthday, and what do the most important people in my

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-89553880801999286102007-08-19T09:32:00.000+05:302008-02-29T14:16:19.219+05:30

If I ask you where do you see yourself on your 50th birthday, what would you have to say? Well, for one you cannot comment on what/where you will be (given you are about my age now), as 29 years is a long way into the future. I will share my views on this soon, but meanwhile I will like you to think on this for yourself, and maybe share your views with us all here.Good bye.

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-39292847717162180642007-08-15T23:40:00.000+05:302008-02-29T14:15:01.183+05:30

Came upon this great way of optimising your living costs and saving your time. Wow! I mean, what's new? Such things are pretty common in govt hospitals out here I believe. One thing concerns me though - who caught this shabbiness habit from whom - the Brits from us, or we from the Brits?How would it be like to turn over your dirty bedsheet, that has been there for probably a month or so, and

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-55433585135483245272007-08-13T14:01:00.000+05:302008-02-29T14:15:01.184+05:30

What do we mean by knowledge? Is it just a collection of facts? Or is it just an awareness of some ideas? I feel that a more correct description of knowledge could be that it is the absence of ignorance. Knowledge reigns where ignorance ceases to exist. Knowledge is not just born out of nothing; all the knowledge possessed by mankind today is a result of accumulation over ages; accumulation of

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-47971360446325680272007-08-08T11:08:00.000+05:302008-02-29T14:17:45.645+05:30

I have been away from blogging for a long while now, thanks to more pressing matters in my life. But now that I have become busy with my routine at IIT, I finally find myself left with enough time to spare for my blog. It's this thing with being kept busy that amuses me; I always feel that I have lots of free time to kill then. Give me nothing to do and I become preoccupied with boredom.Most of

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-749831530747758082007-07-24T04:40:00.001+05:302008-02-29T14:17:45.645+05:30

My only encounter with this martial art was way back when I was in second grade, and it lasted just three months. As far as I can remember, I quit before I got a belt (That's right; I quit). But I did learn a bit of Karate while I was at it back then. I learnt how to punch and how to kick. Well, that isn't much to speak of, but at least I can say this when I see anyone fighting - 'Hey, I know

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-9001619453011468882007-07-22T23:47:00.000+05:302008-02-29T14:17:45.646+05:30

Frankly speaking, there are two types of people in this world - smart people like us, and tens of billions of idiots who get in our way often. Idiots are difficult to handle, especially those who consider themselves to be smart like us. For now, let's stick to calling their stupidity as 'personality'. This has its own good reasons. For one, you can get away with an idiot easily without provoking

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-56984141038251790812007-07-20T02:06:00.001+05:302008-02-29T14:15:01.184+05:30

Ever since I can recall, I have this what I call a 'healthy' built. I never worked for this, which I believe somehow explains how I got it. I never played any game for my school back in my childhood, primarily because my school didn't have a team at all, nor I think would they have considered me in case they might have made one back then. Some fellow humans have long since confused my healthy

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-60210536837016157092007-07-12T22:01:00.001+05:302008-02-29T14:15:01.184+05:30

Here is one more in that series of seemingly strange perception of the universe. I am pretty sure I read this in some Scott Adams' book sometime.Gravity. Ever since seventh grade we have been taught to consider gravity as a force that causes masses to be attracted towards each other. The magnitude of that force is proportional to the product of the masses and inversely proportional to the square

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-37107358450112688282007-07-12T10:17:00.000+05:302008-02-29T14:15:01.185+05:30

Universe. Not long ago, people held the conception that the sun revolves the Earth, and that we live on a flat planet, a disc to be precise. The stars were only known as little dots of light spread out on the mosaic called sky. I guess before that time, living on a globe was only a fragment of one's imagination. One could have only imagined a universe where the earth wasn't in the centre, and the

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-17659645953711920402007-07-11T20:45:00.000+05:302008-02-29T14:17:45.647+05:30

I remember when I was a kid, my mother always told me to beware of strangers. Somehow I developed this strange notion of strangers being bad men with nice chocolates. Now that I have grown up though, I seem to notice that most helpful and generous people are strangers, as I see here in Cornell. In fact, I believe I am yet to meet the most insightful and helpful people in my life, as they are all

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-43749933113212559882007-07-10T20:49:00.000+05:302008-02-29T14:15:01.185+05:30

If there could be one good reason that the rising oil prices don't bother me as much as they bug my sister is that I don't drive while she does. It's her scooterette that I gifted her on her birthday this year that concerns her about the rising petrol prices. "Hey, it went up by 2 bucks so quickly!" she says. But I don't care all that. As long as the train and bus fares don't hop around this way,

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-68151351153422695652007-07-09T23:59:00.000+05:302008-03-18T23:16:15.953+05:30

2pm on a typical sultry Mumbai Wednesday afternoon. I have just returned from my hostel mess after a not-so-good-but-okay-nevertheless lunch. Wednesday afternoon is something I always look forward to, because IIT policies typically allow no lectures and labs on Wednesday afternoons, which paves the path for a nice brief siesta. I close the curtains to keep out the sun, pull out the soft music

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-88121809468084242902007-07-07T22:57:00.000+05:302008-02-29T14:19:15.921+05:30

I have been in the USA for about 2 and a half months now, and am eagerly looking forward to returning to India, which will be in another fortnight. My stay here has benefited me in many ways, but more importantly I got to see India in the light of a foreign culture. Many people here have a very wrong image of India in their minds. For some, India is just another developing country which supplies

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-61540672608166244352007-07-07T08:26:00.001+05:302008-02-29T14:19:15.922+05:30

This is an article I wrote long ago on my very first blog. On MaMu's request, I am transferring it to this blog. This one was published in the May '07 issue of the 'Kanara Saraswat' Magazine, and from what I know was received quite well.On nothing...Today, I have nothing to write about. So I've decided to write about nothing. It's not easy writing about nothing because something usually comes up.

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-14124155983895166862007-07-07T00:45:00.000+05:302008-02-29T14:19:15.922+05:30

This was a quote made by Dr. Samuel Johnson, one of England's most famous literary figures on the evening of April 7th, 1775. It is said that the reason why he said this is still pretty unclear, as it is not clear as to what or who he was referring to with this quote. Well, here's my own analysis of quote, and I shall view this in light of the administration of the President of USA, Mr. George W.

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-65297214846298240302007-07-06T02:43:00.001+05:302008-02-29T14:19:15.923+05:30

I have been reading Cosentino's 'Case in Point' lately and yesterday I came upon this observation by the author - Cosentino presented an excerpt from an article that talked about pricing methods. Two main methods were enlisted - cost based pricing, and price based costing. In the former method, the company calculates all costs incurred in developing the particular product or service, and attaches

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-33770739402738571032007-07-04T05:47:00.000+05:302008-02-29T14:19:15.924+05:30

One has different ways of looking at complexity. While some take delight in its sheer intricacy and the inherent puzzling aspect that it presents, others look upon it as a problem and try to simplify it, attempting to create a simpler version of the otherwise complex problem, so as to derive more benefits more easily from that former.I like my life to be simple, and hence abhor complexity. But

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-56488732994732276562007-07-01T23:33:00.000+05:302008-02-29T14:19:31.804+05:30

Boyhood - they say you should be done away with this at an early age, or it causes a catastrophe if it surfaces when you grow up. At times, adult life can seem a bit difficult, especially when you pass through such childish phases along the way, much like a worm (caterpillar, say) who leaves the cocoon and spreads out its wings. You leave your own little universe and enter a very complex system,

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-61745302281088758092007-06-29T23:32:00.001+05:302008-02-29T14:19:15.924+05:30

The iPhone takes on USA today. The newest member of the Apple family is publicised as the coolest gadget on this planet, and no wonder thousands have queued up outside shops since Monday for this product that shall be launched today. The fact that this baby comes with a price tag of 599$ (for which you may get a PS3 easily), and a two year contract with AT&T (that's another 60$ per month) hasn't

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-85331774566506972442007-06-28T04:45:00.000+05:302008-03-18T23:16:15.953+05:30

The other night we all roomies were sitting outside in the grass in our backyard after a good dinner, when Shashikant said, "Sid yaar, kuch bol. Tu kuch bolta hi nahi hai, hamesha chup chap baitha rehta hai." And the first thing that crossed my mind was - 'How odd! Tell this to my hostel friends back at IIT, and they may probably split their sides laughing.'But yes, it is true. I have kept more

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-76264855392063619962007-06-27T04:00:00.000+05:302008-02-29T14:19:15.925+05:30

Ask any toddler these days about oil prices, and chances are quite good that he may reply back - 'They're rising!' One may thus be tempted to think that this is a lucrative business now, with lots of money pooling in.But just consider this - I happened to read today in the news that the Indian Government has decided to bill ONGC in Indian rupees now onwards. What was happening was that ONGC was

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8527822179801078926.post-20678528943786653462007-06-23T21:16:00.000+05:302008-02-29T14:19:15.926+05:30

Last Sunday I was in Washington DC sightseeing with my cousins, Krishnanand Dada and Gayatri. Like most tourists out there, we covered most of the monuments and the National archives of USA before signing off our trip at the Smithsonian National museum of natural history. It was a good experience; this coming from someone like me who is usually indifferent towards sight seeing should imply that

Sidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11179045325571609918noreply@blogger.com0