Friday, December 14, 2007

Quarter Life Crisis


It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are a lot of things about yourself that you didn't know and may or may not like.

You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now.

You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have ever met and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones.

You look at your job. It is not even close to what you thought you would be doing or maybe you are looking for one and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and are scared.

You miss the comforts of college, of groups, of socializing with the same people on a constant basis. But then you realize that maybe they weren't so great after all.

You are insecure and then secure. You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life; You feel alone and scared and confused; Suddenly change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward.

You want to be independent but suddenly, the idea of having the stability of a special someone to trust and lean on doesn't seem all that bad. You want to be your own person and yet be taken care of at the same time.

You go through the same emotions and questions over and over and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision.

You worry about loans and money and the future and making a life for yourself and while winning the race would be great, right now you'd just like to be a contender.

We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out.

-A Fellow Blogger ..


Sounds Familiar? Don't worry folks! We are all on the same boat! =D

Thursday, October 11, 2007

The tale of a sad thief!


SINGAPORE (Reuters) - A Singaporean judge sentenced a man to four months in jail for stealing a Bible, admonishing him with Scripture before hauling him off to prison, The Straits Times newspaper reported Wednesday.

District judge Bala Reddy also gave a new Bible to the 26-year-old thief, who said he had tried to steal the book from a bookshop last month because he wanted to replace his old, tattered copy.

At the Tuesday sentencing, the judge told the defendant -- who has previous convictions for theft -- to open his gift.

"You will see at page 65 that it says "Thou shalt not steal. While you are in prison, sit in prison and read the Bible, and ensure that you don't come before the courts again," Reddy said.

Sunday, October 07, 2007

Comic Craze





- www.phdcomics.com

Friday, October 05, 2007

100 Seitersweg


Well, for a good period of my childhood, I dreamt of living in a small hut in the middle of a forest or grass patch or a field. In my imagination, the field was a green grass one with fruit trees here and there and my home, a small hut, sat in the middle of it. Just outside my home was a pristine white tea table and my mom clad in her typical simple sky blue cotton saree served tea and hot bhajji and vadas on my dream tea table....!

This, was my dream home. When my school bus dropped me off, I would take the grass route instead of the pavement route to my home. I closed my eyes and imagined I was walking to my dream home through the field sometimes and forest at other times.



Now ...100 Seitersweg ..

When I first reached germany, I landed there alone and knew not a single soul. I was tremendously lonely and I badly needed to make friends with english speaking people till i got a hang of the german language. During break time at work, I vigourously browsed the net for people living in my city whom I could make friends with. Responses were slow and things were still bleak. Till across my brain flashed an idea! I had heard that Sai baba bhajan groups are wide spread and found in most countries and perhaps there would be a Sai Bhajan Centre in my city or somewhere nearby, and thr I could get to know people. So I did the regular search for that and wola! found it.. So I wrote to Robert, the president of the centre and his reply was as follows:

SAI RAM dear Raji,

i am not in germany in the moment and will come next week back to Darmstadt. Of course you are wellcome to join our Group, will be happy to meet you when i am back. Here is the adress, where we are singing:

Seitersweg 100
Darmstadt

Maybe i can contact someone else, whom you could ask to find the way. Our singing is every thurstday as usual at 19:30h. Will write you again, as possible.

Nice greetings and
Sai Ram
Robert


I awaited Thursday eagerly as I printed out maps to find my way. Thursday evening, I left my office sharp at six and made my way to 100 Seitersweg. I found my way somehow asking around and using the map to 1 Seitersweg and from then on followed the house numbers. I reached 99 and then realised there was no 100 next to it, instead the beginning of a field.

Confused, I had to only continue walking because there was no other way to go. And as I walked I began loving it and realized that it was nothing but my dream home materialising!! In the cold winter of -15 degrees, the long walk along the fields was divine (and a little scary I must admit!). As I neared the end of the field and saw the fence that probably marked the 100th house finally,my heart began beating faster!



The fence had a small wooden door only to my height..the number 100 was scribbled on it with chalk.. As the fence was covered from the other side by extensive growth of trees, the house that I had been unable to see came into clear view as I looked through the door.. Mann!! Was it be-auti-ful. It was a mini brown house (also a lot like the chocolate cake house in hansel and gratel) and by its side sat my dream white tea table. Portions of snow had gathered in random places on the roof. I stood watching the house and struggled to absorb it all at the same time. I followed a foot path that led to the house and to the door. As I entered the really small and cosy house the warmth comforted the loneliness I had faced all this while. I left my coat and bag in a room and entered the bhajan room.


There, in the front portion of the room was a big picture of Sai Baba, and three big candles had been lit making the whole atmosphere oh-so-serene. At the side was a small fire place where someone was renewing wood pieces. The fire led to a small "stove" that contained a big pot of water. The steam from the boiling water helped heat the room. I loved the simplicity and the serenity of the house. The warm faces of the people gathered there were welcoming, and before I knew it I was part of them.

I went every thursdays for bhajans. They loved the way I sang bhajans (not that it was great, just the fact that I was indian i think!) and before long I was singing every week and for them who were family to me there! We celebrated Shivarathri together and before long summer had arrived. We had an unforgettable summer fest!!

I miss 100 Seitersweg and the Sai family in Darmstadt!

Thats robert below..!





Monday, September 24, 2007

2nd Anniversary and Birthday!!

Hey there!

Today is an especially blue Monday. Rainy day + first day of the week syndrome + Hangover from a really exciting weekend!

Well for one.. Its been 2 years since I started writing my blog. My first blog was just a few days after my 21st birthday, September 22nd 2005, I am proud of it .. its still alive and kicking with 33 posts.. I dunno if people read it but it still survives on my excitement and cranky mood swings!

So other than the 2nd anniversary for my blog, day before yesterday was MY 23rd anniversary (i.e. birthday)!

Well, Friday night I had odissy class as usual, went home and hit the bed, it had been a very tiring day! Well at 12, among the calls I got wishing me was Bhav’s. “Happy Birthday. Could you open the door?” I was sleeping in the hall with the windows open and realized I smelt smoke. Awww.. I thought as I opened the door and saw her with a cake and candles all lit. So she had a chance for solo performance as she sang the birthday song and I blew the candles. I was so touched.

The rest of Saturday was pretty normal. Spent time mostly with my family. We had a nice family dinner and did the usual temple stuff. Met Div at North point. And we had our usual small talk, cursed a few guys for being mean and insensible (our usual venting session), had some nice ice cream at Swenson’s. A nice evening meet.

Sunday Evening, Anita (dance friend) had called me home for “birthday lunch”. I went over, and everything seemed normal till Anita got “the call” when, well I guessed it a bit. So sorry guys..hehehe.. And then when I saw the quantity she had cooked my doubt confirmed itself. Heheheh.. But well, when the door bell rang and I opened the door to a group of excited dance mates and an enticing cake I was very very touched. There was all the usual hugging and the wishing and gossiping and eating. It was super duper fun. Thanks anita, aruna, kalai, bhav, devi ma, mal and serena!!!

Overall, awesome birthday weekend.

Loves in Loads!

Thursday, September 13, 2007

For The Cynical ...


  • Whenever I find the key to success, someone changes the lock!
  • To Err is human, to forgive is not company policy
  • The road to success? ..is always under construction
  • Alcohol doesn't solve any problems, but if u think again, neither does milk
  • In order to get a loan..u gotta prove that you don't need it first!
  • All desirable things in life is either illegal, expensive or fattening
  • If at first you don't succeed? ..Then destroy all evidence that u even tried!
  • You can never decide which side of the bread to butter.. If it falls down it always lands on the buttered side
  • As soon as u mention something.. If its good its taken.. if its bad? It happens!
  • If u come early the bus is late, if u come late? The bus is still late!
  • When in a queue the other line always moves faster, and the person in front of u has the most complicated of transactions!
  • If u have a paper u don't have a pen, If u have a pen u don't have paper. If u have both? No one calls!
  • The door bell or the mobile always rings when u r in the bathroom

No more cynicism for the day!

- Raji

Monday, September 10, 2007

....It's just one of those days....


I woke up today feeling all rotten..

Why won’t she reply to my sms? Why can’t she stop bugging me? Why is she not even bothering to call? Why on earth is she so stuck up?? Amma!! Just stop nagging me for God’s sake!! Why isn’t this woman walking fast enough? Did she HAVE to come and bang me?? Why cant he give up his seat for that old man?

Sounds familiar?

Well…..

Its just one of those days..
When u’ve gotten up on the
Wrong wrong bad side of the bed

Its just one of those days..
When everything seems wrong
When your best friend seems irritating
When your mom seems naggy
When your collegues seem to be angry with you

Its just one of those days..
When crowded trains make you want to scream
When an accidental hit gets you staring angrily
When seemingly inconsiderate people get you steaming

Its just one of those days..
Its a crazy one day of many..
That I’m glad occurs every once in a while
For it makes me thankful for all the many days
That I’ve been always happy and cheerful

because i love my best friends
and I have got very caring parents
coz' i live in a warm country with excellent transport
coz' its not everyday that's just like one of those days!

-Raji

Friday, August 24, 2007

The True Software Nut

Dear Tech Support Team

Last year I upgraded from Girlfriend 5.0 to Wife 1.0.I soon noticed that the new program began unexpected child-processes that took up a lot of space and valuable resources.


In addition, Wife 1.0 installed itself into all other programs and now monitors all other system activities.Applications such as BachelorNights 10.3, Cricket 5.0, BeerWithBuddies 7.5, and Outings 3.6 no longer run, crashing the system whenever selected. I can’t seem to keep Wife 1.0 in the background while attempting to run my favourite applications. I'm thinking about going back to Girlfriend 5.0, but the 'uninstall ' doesn't work on Wife 1.0.


Please help!

Thanks,

"A Troubled User "

REPLY: What if u upgraded Girlfriend 5.0 to Wife 1.0

Dear Troubled User:

This is a very common problem that people complain about. Many people upgrade from Girlfriend 5.0 to Wife 1.0, thinking that it is just a Utilities and Entertainment program.

Wife 1.0 is an OPERATING SYSTEM and is designed by its Creator to run EVERYTHING!!! It is also impossible to delete Wife 1.0 and to return to Girlfriend 5.0.It is impossible to uninstall, or purge the program files from the system once installed. You cannot go back to Girlfriend 5.0 because Wife 1.0 is designed not to allow this. (Look in your Wife 1.0 Manual under Warnings-Alimony- Child Support).. I recommend that you keep Wife1.0 and work on improving the environment.

I suggest installing the background application “Yes Dear" to alleviate software augmentation. The best course of action is to enter the command C:\APOLOGIZE because ultimately you will have to give the APOLOGIZE command before the system will return to normal anyway. Wife 1.0 is a great program, but it tends to be very high maintenance. Wife 1.0 comes with several support programs, such as Clean 2.5, Sweep 3.0, Cook 1.5 and DoLaundry 4.2. However, be very careful how you use these programs. Improper use will cause the system to launch the program NagNag 9.5.

Once this happens, the only way to improve the performance of Wife 1.0 is to purchase additional software. I recommend Sarees 2.1 and Jewellery 5.0STATUTORY WARNING: DO NOT, under any circumstances, install SecretaryWith Short Skirt 3.3. This application is not supported by Wife 1.0 and will cause irreversible damage to the operating system.

Best of luck,

Tech Support....

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

"Want Anything?".."erm.. Whatever!"


How many of you ask your friends where they want to go and they reply "Anything la anything"! The words "anything" and "whatever" have become so part of Singa Lingo that a start up marketing company Out Of The Box have intelligently (and rather lamely) capitalized this...

The anything drink comes in 6 different flavours .. but the "anything" part of it is that you dont get to choose the flavour for the can does not mention the flavour..! This would hopefully be a rather good lesson to the indecisive local population .. who might then decide on what they want and put a few brain cells into small decision making activities!

Sunday, June 24, 2007

The Man who changed my life

"So..what is the equation of xxxx" .. Mr Robert (pseudo name) looked around and landed his scrutinizing eye on the distracted me.. Startled, I looked up to face him and wondered what he had just asked.. Carol, sitting right next to me whispered.. "..F....m a.." ..That was all i could fathom.. I gulped and made the bold decision to answer him instead of asking him to repeat his question.. "erm..The equation is ..erm.. F = MA? " .. His face flushed in anger as he made his way to the front of the class and hit his head against the white board thrice.. The class fell into peels of laughter as I wished the earth would part and I could disappear that very moment.. "Raji.. how many times did i repeat in the past two hours.. SUMMATION F = MA .. NOT F = MA" ..

That was the day i made my royal entry into Mr Robert's bad books..From then i was the butt of his jokes.. Mr Robert was my class form teacher cum physics tutor.. He would ask "Raji, what would u want to become" .. "An Engineer" I would reply proudly.. "hahahahaah.. u ? engineer? look at your physics scores..Please dont dream" he would say sarcastically .. True, my results were not good at all but thats because I was not motivated enough to learn..

On parents-teachers' day at the end of my first year in junior college.. he told my dad..i would never make it.. I may not make it through my A-levels with my attitude and poor results. I had never seen my father more disappointed; I used to be a studious pupil in previous years..That year, I had been playful ..

But the beginning of my second year brought me a new resolution.. I hated Mr Robert then and I would do anything to prove him wrong. My resolution was to prove him wrong. That year was a turning point in my life when I began working very hard and concentrating on nothing but my studies, and dance. Dance gave me the exercise i needed to improve my concentration. Slowly but steadily my E grades turned into A grades, and I excelled in my A-levels. On receiving the letter of admission, I went proudly to Mr Robert "I got admission into NUS engineering faculty. I am going to be an engineer" .. The smirk that I expected would leave his face remained as he said "Raji dear, you are going to be competing with the best students locally and abroad.. I doubt you will make it through all four years" ..

That challenged me further to prove him wrong.. I had to survive and had to survive well.. I challenged him that I would make it and promised to appear in front of him the very day I am presented my scroll ..my degree certificate... My excitement and anticipation grows as i wait for my commencement eagerly.. hungrily.. for it would take me back to my teacher with my scroll and an offer letter from a company... Like a silly child I would enjoy the challenge that I have won for myself.. that did good to me...process that allowed me to rediscover my inner strengths and weaknesses..

I owe this success to him.. the Man who changed my life.. for if not for him.. I would have never been where I am today.......

Thank you sir!

-Raji

Sunday, May 06, 2007

Bye Bye NUS!

And the time has come to bid my beloved university a farewell!

As I unbelievably look back at how fast 4 years had sped .. I reflect upon the changes that have occured in me. June 05th 2003;- I recieved a letter in my post.. that confirmed my admission to NUS, Engineering Department. The wave of joy that hit me, is one never to be forgotten. Young, reckless and childish was what I was when I began my first day in NUS, 11th of August 2003. I had promised my father that I was going to support myself financially, for the four years of undergraduate study. I carelessly took up tuition students, enrolled myself in several dance programmes as well as several Extra curricular activities at school and tried to juggle them with the new education system in NUS.

The first month in NUS introduced me to my worst nightmare of C programming and I promised myself at the end of the semester that I was never again going to do anything with programming.. Alas, after 4 years in NUS, I am vigourously looking for software related jobs! :p..how things change! The results of my first semester was suprisingly good!

Slowly I learnt to cope with disappointments and difficulties, hardwork and sometimes easy luck, smart ways of getting things done and focussed goal oriented hard work.. Semesters sped by.. Beginning of semester normally began with promises such as "I am going to study every module from day 1" (which of course was not implemented beyond week 2),,.. Mid sem break, a hurry burry of 10s and 1000s of CAs..and before we know it .. End of semester examinations.. Social life in NUS though was fantastic.. as i met people from various backgrounds and learnt so much from them..

Then came the semester of Exchange to germany..where i learnt and saw so many new things.. my first winter, first time to a place where i knew noone, first time in a non english speaking country, first time in a hostel..and a whole new first times...That was my 21st birthday gift..Where i really saw myself transform into an adult.. from the innocent ideas i had about life and the world that blindfolded me from all evil, as well as to the world of possibilities. There in germany i lost my blindfold..

Before i knew it, i was in my final year, doing my last projects.. Then too I learnt alot as you might have known from my previous posts..

Woa .. What an amazing 4 years.. Unforgettable and sweet in my memories.. The only and beautiful remains.. my friends whom I hope to always keep in touch with!

Now, here I am ..facing the world of possibilities and insecurities.. What sort of job am I going to get? Where is my life going to head towards? What and where is my tomorrow? Confused, insecure, excited and anticipating.... I wait.............

Friday, April 27, 2007

Need a moral boost?

A man sets out to climb the Mount Everest. His aim was to reach the peak and set his country's flag. Close to reaching the tip, he tripped and tumbled several metres down. Due to injuries, he had to return, unsuccessful.

When interviewed, he was asked what he gained by trying to climb the mountain and failed in the end.. if he thought his efforts were of waste.. and his reply was that compared to men who dint try, or men who tried and reached the top, he had gained the experience of failing. He had learnt the meaning and the pain of a fall, that would allow him to avoid such falls the next time. And this was solely experienced only by him ...he who failed.

Friends! Also remember that every incident in our lives hold extreme significance. Even negative incidents have something to be learnt from ..

Yet another man who lived in a village of farmers, owned a huge farm. One day, a herd of wild horses passed by his fields, and grazed on them while he was out of town. He lost all the plantation he had grown for months in a matter of hours. The other villagers pitied his situation and told him how sorry they were that this happened.. and the farmer replied "Dont be sorry, everything happens for the best!".

He began rearing those wild horses and soon he owned a stable. He rented the horses out to rich men and made lots more money than he made out of selling what he grew in his farm. The villagers envied him and told him how lucky he was. And he said "Not so soon my friends. You never know! "..

That evening, his son rode on one of the horses and due to some unfortunate mishap, fell from the horse and had a major injury.. Yet, the farmer was steadfast in his belief that even that happened for the best of reasons. A week later, the government of the country the village belonged to instructed all young men to join the army to fight a war and the farmer's son who was badly injured was excused.. :)

So, always stay positive. Jobless? (like me?).. Uncertain of your future? Lost a job? Screwed up results? No worries! Its all happening for the best!!

oh well..i needed this boost myself!

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Thanks to one and all who got me thru!

Yes, this semester was indeed an unforgettably, unbelievably, insurmountably, unjustifiably ACADEMICALLY CRAZY SEMESTER. Trust me..


However, I really could not have done all of these without the help of my dear friends:

Friends who..

- Bought me lunches and dinners and drinks for me because I had no time for those
- Offered locker unable to bear the sight of me carrying my heavy laptop and huge toolboxes around
-Carried around my laptop half the time scared that I might either fall or drop my laptop
-Print notes for me along with his for the module we took together (for every single class)
-Listened to me whine
-Sat thru hours with me while I nervously waited to present my FYP and said some kind encouraging words that kept me going
-Bore with me not contributing much to group projects till I had a bit of breathing time that allowed me to put the project aside till I finished other work.

-Did the same FYP as me last year and offered to meet up with me just to reassure and tell me I did a good job.
-Gave me place in her room to bunk in
-Gave me 1001 wake up calls

Thank you guys so much! I would not have made it without you :)





-Raji