Sunday, October 30, 2005

HALLO!! Stressed Raji

Hi all,

I am really so stressed.. 2 assignments, Deepavalli, 2 projects..exam in 2 weeks.. My life is so 222222222.. I miss everything peaceful in life..

But yet, in a way i enjoy this exam period because there is this excuse that i can give everybody.. Sorry I cant do this coz i have exams.. sorry i m too busy coz i have exams..hahahaha.. and in a way this is the time when all of us realise our maximum potential in last minute mugging.. For the past few semesters i have noticed something about myself.. In the two weeks before exams I will realise and learn things i had never known throughout the semester..hehe..its simply amazing..i will be like thinking..oh ..there is so much to this subject? not bad not bad..

Anyway, amidst all this craziness, my friend Divya and I were talking about being passionate about what u learn. I have been reflecting on this ever since we spoke abt it 2 days back. Learning and mugging and everything becomes so much more bearable if we enjoy what we study .. To tell u the truth, I am suddenly beginning to fall in love..with my faculty and especially electrical engineering. And esp from third year. I actually enjoy lectures.. Mayb NUS has transformed me into being a nerd..hahaha

My time of leaving singapore is nearing.. and.. i have made no preparations. The visa processing and the work permit..everything is taking forever.... I am looking forward to seeing my mom and living an European life and take a break from my conservative asian one...

Regards,
Raji

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

A blog entry after a long long time

Hi all,

Today is 25th October and it is 11 45 am here.. Pretty cold at computer cluster in NUS ..And i have abother 15 min to my 2010 tutorial class as I decide to make this quick entry..

My past weekend was terribly hectic! On friday night I left to JB to start practicing for my dance performance on Sat and Sun evening. The practice went on and on and on and on till 4 in the evening on Saturday and all of us were completely exhausted though in high spirits and energy to perform and do our best after so much last minute practice..

This was my first time performing odissy properly .. as in with all the costume and everything.. It was just so exciting for me.. However I was really nervous about my really quick change in between from one costume to another in a span of 10 min between 2 items...esp given the fact that I am slow in all this dressing up matters.. Added to that was my infamiliarity with the odissy costume tying..

My first item went really well because of the whole atm ..it was so divine and energised.. just kept us going though we were totally exhausted! When time came for me to change.. i really panicked and tried to pull all my cloths out of me at one go.. i must have looked really stupid..haha.. till one of my dance mates had to remind me not to panic. I think I had like 4 ppl helping me .. I got ready much earlier than required actually.. Second item was good too..

Sunday went on well..much less stressed..on home grounds..hahaha.. Only thing..the whole weekend disappeared without me studying one bit even..now ultra stressed and with things to do..

ok ..the time now is 11 55.. better get gg..

Hey.. what has been going on on ur side? Fill me in...

Love,
Raji

Monday, October 17, 2005

Today, October 17th





Hey all!!

Today was just such a remarkable day. I loved the way it started in the morning.. I had my favourite class, MNO..Today was the big day when we could show the 8-min video that we had conceptualised and created to the rest of the class. We had worked day and night on it!! Our group was the first to present and it looked so awsome on the big screen.. I was really so happy and had such a great sense of satisfaction!!!! Loved it..And i love my group mates.. We took a few photos after class today.. we were so dilirious..




Then of course there was the EG1415 report that we had to submit. I should say it was pretty badly done.. i dunt wanna talk abt it!

After school today.. met up with Hafidz and Divya today for our group project, EE3001. We got some good work done today..but more than that we were laughing away. We were all so burned out after all the stress of handing in projects and what not..that we were going mad!!!!! And some really wierd things happened.. This old man who is a cleaner at the canteen somehow just could not stand the three of us sitting there and chatting.. I had milo from macdonalds and Hafidz had milo and fries! The old man cleaned our table then snatched the milo from my hand..!!!!!! it was so unbelievable.. and i was trying to pull it away from him.. this tickled divya so much that she could not stop laughing. Even funnier was that that man tried to do the same thing with Hafidz and he held his milo and fries far away from that old man's reach..hahaahahaaa.. it was such a comical project meeting.. nothing was that funny..but me and divya were so stressed that we cracked up for every single minute thing..hahahah

Infact, i m still laughing thinking of those silly things that we found so funny!haha..

Love,
Raji

Saturday, October 15, 2005

15th October..Work Work Work

Hey all,

Today is Saturday, the 15th.. of October..my most dreadful weekend of this semester. I have so much work to do.. At 10 am today I had a systems and Controls test. After which, I am staying back to do a project with Divya.. for the next 6 hrs or so I think.. (seriously interesting project..but.. loads of work)! and After that.. from 10pm onwards.......................................I am staying night out at school to finish my MNO project.. Looks like I might have to stay back on Sunday to finish EG1415 project. Help!!!!!!

Also, quite upset that I can't take part for shabdham since my dance performance also falls on the same day.. Can't attend sitar practices regularly either.. So sad! I miss sitar and my dahling sitar mates!

Just met my best buddy in Year 1(haha.. I make it sound like some award!!), Flash.. Ya.. funny name right? His actual name is Jun Xiong and proudly calls himself Flash! Flash is from Malaysia and an absolutely fun chap to hang out with. However, we hardly hang out together any more now that he is in ISE and I am in EE. Kinda miss those year 1 days when things were still not all that stressful!!

Friendships are so wonderful. However, I have come to realise that I might be close to the same degree with quite a number of friends and be different with them all. With a few of my close friends I feel that I dont need to keep in touch and yet I never miss them..With a few others, just not talking for 2 weeks or so builds a gap between us. I feel the necessity to talk to a few ppl everyday while some others..just saynig everything one day a year is more than wonderful.. Everything in this world so complex.. So many things that cannot be mathematically/scientifically defined..

Sigh.. Life..

Raji

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Today.. October 12th!

Today is October 12th and as i count down to the number of days to exam.. I panick! Just 4 weeks! How come semesters are always like this? I feel like it has just begun and now it is ending in another 4 weeks..

In a way, I want it to just end.. Then time for me to escape this sad island, and even sadder university..haha.. and time to see my mom!!!!! yipee..just cant wait for that..

Well..what did i do today? Had school today from 9 to 2..rather short day .. Then I met Srivi, and spent some really good and quality time with her.. After which, I left school and went to meet Indhu my dance buddy and set off to dance class...(spent some nice time with her too coz i met her near her workplace and we travelled to dance together!)

Today is the Vijaya Dhasami, one of the most important days of the Navarathiri. This day is really important to me because, this is the day we thank all our teachers for the knowledge they have imparted to us. We went to dance class, and presented flowers and fruits to all the teachers. I felt really good. When we had the prayers today before the presentation of gift and respect, I thought about all my Gurus.. As many as i could (not just dance..but also school teachers!)and thanked them in my mind..However much we may find fault with any of our teachers, in uni..or elsewhere.. Where would we have been without them? And ... they are God sent ppl to put us in the right tracks and elevate us to a higher level. I really loved today and am happy that I got a chance to express my appreciation mentally and physically to all teachers I have known since young.

Me,being a "relief teacher" in my dance class, was also presented with a beautiful saree... I was wondering just when I should wear it.. Probably on New Year in Germany!! haha..

Ok guys..that was me today.. what about u?

Raji

Monday, October 10, 2005

Today, October 10th..with Embarassment............

Hey guys!

I just finished my MNO tutorial. And I am essentially done for the day since I am going to skip my lecture later in order to study for two of my tests tomorrow.

Today's MNO tutorial was really interesting. We had to share our experiences at making mistakes that we have committed at work. One unforgettable one that I had made was when I was working at a travel agency after my A-levels. What happened was that, when I first joined the company my boss was trying to teach me how to use the system there. He asked me to practice by booking a few tickets ... just for practice .. So I just kept coming up with names and flights and destinations in order to play around with the system. I was constantly warned by my boss though that I should delete these pseudo bookings once i am done practicing with them.

I did delete most of them.. but forgot about one. This one that i will never forget ..I had created the pseudo name "kukubuku" and gave some date of travel. When tt day arrived the airlines company called up my boss and asked what happened to Mr Kukubuku..When my boss asked me since the sys showed that i was the one who made the booking..I was really so embarassed and told him i did that on the first day when he had asked me to try out tt sys. The airlines was mad at him for making a false booking and warned him tt he had to pay a fine the next time something like this happened. Of coz I got a nice scolding from my boss that day.

I can never forget that incident!

Raji

Sunday, October 09, 2005

Happy Navarathiri

(Here is a pic of Goddess Durga)
Navarathiri is a ten-day festival celebrated by indians.. It is believed that Goddess Durga on her 10 day journey around the earth removes all evil....... May Goddess Durga destroy all evil around you and fill your life with happiness and prosperity.

Wish you a happy Navarathiri..




Saturday, October 08, 2005

Today, October 8th

Hey all!

Finally its the weekend.. Hell of a lot of work to do. This coming week I have two project submissions, two mid terms and one lab session .. So much prep work and all..phew! To top it all off, i have a dance performance coming up on the twenty second of October. So my dance teacher wants to see me really often in dance class....Actually these days.. I m not so inclined to perform anymore.. I just want to go there when i m free and just learn up something new..Mayb its because I have other priorities now that come above dance..when once upon a time.. it used to be number one on my list.. I see myself deteriorating in dance due to this. Puts me down real bad.

Today I did some social work at a home in Sembawang. Served food, sang some bhajans(Devotional songs)..Felt really good at the end of it all!! Just came home at like ten in the night and totally shacked. This morning had to go to school for project work.. Also got a call from my close uni friend, Raghuram who is in US now doing a one year programme at U-Penn. Was really excited to recieve his call and to learn that calling from US to singapore is cheaper than local calls there!

I hope your day was good too! : )

Regards,
Raji

Friday, October 07, 2005

Today, October 7th

Hey all!

Today morning, in my Management and Organisation lecture, my professor Dr Mcallistor had a Charlie Chaplin video clip to show us.. it was sooooo hilarious. I love my MNO module.. It is realllyyy fun,..to tell u the truth, it is more than a module to me. In many ways, i feel like i have become better person and learnt to deal with ppl better after taking this course.

The rest of today wasnt all that great for me though.. Had a small performance(Actually there is a festival going for one week and its called Navaraathiri. So every evening in my dance class.. there is one gp dancing and another singing, dedicating it to God..Not exactly what u call a performance) and I danced really bad..Put me down like anything

Hey.. and while i was bored studying for my GEM module.. something inspired me to search for poems.. I found this one really nice. It has not been written by any famous poet or anythng..just ordinary human being like u n me..I love reading poems like these..coz the emotions would have been conveyed so simply and so directly.. that makes it very close and applicable to us!

Her name is Jasmine Johnston and she has written a poem for her best friend who left her.. this is her message .."This is a poem about losing a best friend to shallow jealousy. Keep in mind all that is important to you. If you squeeze and hold on too tightly to your friends, eventually they will release their hold.." .. All of us would have experienced somethings like these i suppose..
(http://www.netpoets.com/poems/lost/0392001.htm)

Losing A Piece Of My Soul

I came to you the hour I was in pain
Looking for answers, I cried to you in vain.

I shared the many skeletons hiding in my heart,
I knew then you'd be my friend,
I knew it from the start.

Troubles ran like rivers, flowing through my life,
You picked the pieces up and help me through my strife.

When home wasn't home to me no more,
You opened up your heart, and opened up the door.

We cried into night until the early morn.
We solaced each other's pain and shared our many thorns.

As time flew, the air grew thick,
I saw our friendship fading, and my heart grew sick.

The day had arrived,
When it was time to say goodbye.

Now I sit alone,
reminiscing the past I'd blown.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nice right? So meaningful and down to earth..

Love,
Raji

India I am proud of you!

"In the middle of 1965 India-Pakistan war, US govt - then a close
friend of Pakistan - threatened India with stopping food-aid (remember
"PL-480"?). For a food deficient India this threat was serious and
humiliating. So much so that in the middle of war, Prime Minister
(Late) Lal Bahadur Shastri went to Ram Leela Grounds in Delhi and
appealed to each Indian to observe one-meal-fast every week to answer
the American threat. As a school boy, I joined those millions who
responded to Shastri ji's call. I continued the fast even when the war
was over and India became self sufficient in food. Hurt deep by the
national humiliation suffered at the hands of the US govt, I had vowed
to stop my weekly fast only when India starts giving aid to USA.

It took just 40 years. Last week THE day arrived. When Indian ambassador
in Washington DC handed over a cheque of US$ 50 million to the US govt,
two plane loads of food, medical aid and other relief materials were
waiting to fly to the USA. Time to break the fast? With no bad feeling
about the USA, and good wishes for the Katrina victims, this humble
Indian feels proud of the distance India has covered in 40 years. Let's
celebrate a New India!"

- Vijay Kranti.
Dean - IIT Madras

Thursday, October 06, 2005

Today, October 6th


I woke up with a jolt. The time was 7.30 and I had to be in school by 9;-Miraculously impossible. And, it was not any simple lecture or tutorial.. It was LAB! I hate labs.. I hate anything hands on. I would rather just give the idea behind how i want something to work than to make something work, myself. Sigh.. Feel like a useless engineer.

Anyway, after that, i nearly fell on my dad's feet, begging him to take me to school by car. Fortunately for me, he agreed. We were stuck in the jam though, and I ended up in school at 9:15. Usually, the first ten min were for the lab tutor to explain how the lab is to be done and what readings are to be taken. I had missed it! And top it all off, I forgot where the lab was. So i made a quick sms and sent them around to friends who took the EE2011 module. One gal replied immediately and following her instructions, i went to the room she had indicated only to realise that it was the wrong one. She had accidentally given my the lab add of another module, EE2010. Called her and got the right add and by the time i rushed to the lab it was 9.30.

Next, i dig thru my bag..din't have my lab manual. *Grunt*.. Ran out of the lab.. Ran to the computer cluster, got the lab printed out.. Ran back.. Settled at a table. There was a complicated looking circuit.. an Oscilloscope and a few wires.. I just sat there,clueless. Thank god, the lab tutor was quite compassionate and came over noticing my exasperation from a distance. She explained everything all over again, exclusively.hehe..sigh!

Somehow, my day was over at school today...a tough one. Finished some project work and realised it was already 4. I am back home now and about to leave for tuition. Supposed to go dancing today.. (would love to) but looks like i cant now..too much work..tuition will end late..

okok.. enough of grumbling!

So ppl...How was ur day?

Raji

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Poems!!!!!EDITTED

Hey dudes and dudettes..

Guess what! I am into this poem writing thing all of a sudden. Really.. It is pretty dumb..but for starters i think not too bad ..a bit lame but bare with it.hehe.. The poems have essentially been written by me and my dance buddy, Kalai when we had nothing better to do! (Ray..your poem has been included now..hehehe)


My password is funny

Anyone can take my money

You can’t call me honey

Cos I’m else’s bunny

Oh, it’s so sunny

I’ve got some potatoes in the gunny

I hope my nose isn’t so runny

Or not it’ll be rainy

Stop being so whiny

It all started with my password being funny

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi, my name is AK

I work at BK

I wear a shirt from CK

My boyfriend’s name is JK

And he was born at KK

And settled at HK

I love LK

Cos he bought me jewellery from SK

And we like to hang out at TK

Now everything is OK

---------------------------------------------------------

I want to go down

Cos I’m a clown

There’s no one uptown

Because of my birthday gown

Can you make out the sound?

Well, everything is a noun...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You are a great friend

Setting a trade trend

Not allowing me to fend

Neither to bend

Thanks is the gratitude I send

Remember friendship is a garden to tend

-----------------------------------------------------------------

No prob

Dun sob

As long as you dun rob

From any bob

Always be at the top

I’ll always be your mob

That’s my job

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Salty Salty tears

No fears

Always think of tears

No harm will come near

I am always praying for u here

Coz’ u r my dear

Life is like a beer

Smells when u go near

Don’t u travel in 4th gear

That will pierce u like a spear

Take life like a mere

Just like ur salty salty tears.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

hey ray
have you had hay
do you have anything to say
dont just say nay
relax and on the beach u should lay
will u do that okay?

Interview with God

Dear all,

This is just so fantastic..check it out(for believers of God)!!

http://www.theinterviewwithgod.com/popup-frame.html

Really touched my heart!!!


Sunday, October 02, 2005

My 21st birthday

Hallo all!

The first and most memorable incident as an adult was my first day as a 21-year old!

It was 12am and I got a few phone calls and smses and MSN messages from my friends wishing me! It was really nice of everyone to have remembered! My first shameless incident: Siva(EE classmate of mine+Great friend..) had called to wish and I picked up the phone and said "thank u" instead of "hello".. haha.. such a shameless me.. She was shocked at my attrocity! Ambica(My best friend) had called from US too...Best was talking to my mom on the phone.. Used up a whole 10 dollar calling card talking to her for one and a half hours..We were sharing all the latest gossips in Singapore and Chennai..hehe..The day had started off well..

Woke up at about 8.. got all the mornign stuffs done.. Nice and cute dad of mine tried cooking some special stuff like Kesari(a sweet indian dish) and fried rice,etc. Went to the temple near my home. Came back home and did some studying. That evening i was to meet Sheila and Ray(these r few of my closest friends in Uni..both in engin) at PS. Decided to go to another temple nearby b4 meeting them. So i did just that..

When i met up with sheila and ray.. they were at starbucks.Kiran joined us in a while(Kiran is my besty in JC) and we all "decided" to go for dinner at Pizza Hut! When we entered.. I was like OH MY GOD!!! .. and there i saw a gp of my friends waiting there already.. hmm..so it was all preplaned..(i thought to myself)..haha..nice surprise it was.. (there was Gita and srivi-another few of my closest friends in Uni.. Divya, my project gp mate and a great buddy, Swepna whom i had met earlier in PS and she actually lied to me tt she was waiting for her dad there..hehe).. and then more ppl kept streaming in.. Kumutha(sitar friend) .. wan'er..and TC(shiela's boyfriend)..everyone uni related..

And then another surprise was my dance buddies who joined us later too! It was like..all my friends all over the world all assembled there or something..Just a really nice feeling.. and then there was all the normal stuff tt followed..cake cutting, smearing, feeding..haha..

Overall..great and unforgettable day..!! Thanks to all my buddies for making it so eventful..

Raji