The heaven

A bit of disappointment and a bit of apprehension was what we had in our hearts when we reached at the top of the hill from where we had decided to walk towards the “Hebbe Falls”. Due to the kind of road, there are only two options, either take the Jeep which costs 125 per person or walk. Since we were short on cash, we decided to walk. Our driver stopped at the top of the hill, at 3 pm, and when I got down all I was surrounded by clouds. The clouds were drifting on the mountain, cool and soaking us as we stood there and absorbed the spectacle. It was blissful, peaceful and yet the whole body was so excited that I was on top of the world and I guess I really was. I could see genuine smiles and astonishments on all the faces and the disappointment was long gone from the system. All I wanted was to walk down that beautiful raod that stood inviting for one adventurous journey. We took the road that was used by the jeep so that we wont get lost. It was lined by tall trees that were amply spaced to give a spectacular view.

Forest down the hill lining the path

The journey was a memorable one. The shortcuts we took, the jokes we made, the snacks we shared, the leeches we battled, the places we saw. As we moved, at one turn we came across a cliff and from there, we could see all the neighbouring hills that stretched to the horizon and the clouds blurred the boundary. When we reached that place almost everyone were transfixed for few seconds before we started shouting and expressing our joy and excitemnt. It was truly amazing to just stand there and watch nature flaunt its truest beauty and feel how insignificant everything else in life was. I could have stood there for an eternity staring into gently drifitng clouds over the densely covered mountains; a swirl here, a troop there. Then suddenly I realised I had stopped breathing. As I closed my eyes and drew that pure, cool, moist air into my lungs, I knew I was in heaven. Ah! The bliss.

Heaven

Reluctantly I joined the group and followed the path till we all reached the falls. I had to walk along with the river till I reached the falls. As I took a turn with the river, I got the first glimpse of the falls. I really am short of words to describe the feeling that everyone of us had at that instance. It was like we had FOUND what we had been looking for. It felt like I could really rest at that place for sometime. Take a break from everything in my head and just BE. That half an hour I spent there was the best part of the trip for me. That was what made the trip more than what I had expected. I really miss it when I sit here and type its description. I feel that this is one place which everyone must visit, and more importantly WALK down that hill.

small Hebbe and big Hebbe falls

Me and the falls

When we got back to our vehicle, we all lingered there among the mist to take “snaps” but we all knew that we didn’t want to leave the place. The best trip ever for me! The most enjoyed and the most spectacular trip ever. The added bonus was that no other group was there when we went there. We were all by ourselves and away from the judging eyes, as a result we all enjoyed ourselves to the fullest

YAY

Warning: Unknown state!

More than there always is

What I want, what I need

Always immersed in strange thoughts

Thoughts that never end. Never.

.

Purpose is an unknown entity

Elusive, and ever changing

Never decisive, never sure

Never ending uncertainty

.

What rules is complexity

Of thoughts and thoughts alone

Only place where ‘c’ doesn’t matter

Actions cannot keep up here!

.

What are actions really?

Is it the thought that matters?

Thoughts to choose from though

In the end action alone is seen

.

In my chaotic little world

Whose reach is infinite

The only thing certain Is

The unknown state of my mind

The food

I have always hated waiting.. So, as i wait today in a hotel for my food to come, i can’t help but think about the whole concept of food. I gulped a glass of “jaljeera” that had been ordered for me as it would help in digestion of the food I was about to eat. I have read a little bit about digestion to know just how this drink would help. It was going to supplement the acid and a few enzymes to break the food into its constituent compounds that the body really needs. But whats amazing is that the lump that is going to form in the stomach comes from various, mouthwatering delicacy. I had watched a video where the speaker was talking about human evolution and he asked a question, “Why do we like the food that we eat? The sweet especially?” Well the answer was simple, evolution made us develop the kind of taste buds that sense sweet and carbohydrates. Why? That is what our body needs to get energy. That is the reason we like those foods. In short, the various ways in which we fix our dinner is just triggered by human evolution. So simple yet so not obvious. Ultimately its all going to mix and will be reduced into a sticky lump due to the acid and digestive juice. So, do we live to eat or eat to live? Evolution says its the latter even though the food fanatics like me thinks it is the former

Am I an Engineer now?

After 4 years there is not much to be said about the whole college experience. Its always true that there is no real satisfaction to our hearts. No matter how much we get we ask for more. Probably the same holds good for this situation too. We had fun, some had differences and others became more than just friends. Some became closer than others and then turned distant before you could figure out what happened. The details are somehow murky in my memory. Its always the same with me. I can’t remember stuff with even normal amount of details. So, all i see when i “look into” my mind is a set of hazy images and noisy voices. Yet, I know what they all are trying to say or show.

After so many days, going separate ways is always a bit difficult. Some will be nearby and in touch. But others are going back to their home now. Far from here and probably us meeting as often is not going to happen. To be honest this is depressing and and a bit sad. And to add to this chaos, life has now become uncertain again. I don’t have anything against uncertainty, but I prefer it to be in the equations rather than real life. Everything now becomes
more and more serious and there may come such times now that you will become truly alone.Its not fear really; the system will not collapse completely. But there will be some abnormalities and this is due to the complete and sudden change in the environment. Adaptation is not new to us in EC anyways. We will survive and excel as we have repeatedly shown in the past years. But there were a few failures that I will always regret. The major ones will be that we couldn’t conduct the departmental fest “Ayaskanta”. It was the legacy of ECE students who wanted to create their own culture and make a point that EC department is not yet dead. But, our batch was the one where this tradition was, sadly, broken.

The ever elusive IEEE chapter did not take off as I had expected it would. The beginning was good and the whole team loved it, but then I failed to take it forward. Not that there is no hope, I am pretty sure it will pick up pretty soon and the team will convert everything that we talked about into reality. Then there was the send off that did not go well. It felt like we were kicked off the campus in a grand ceremony that was not so grand at all! I always imagined it would be more ….er. … emotional that what I expereinced. I have never liked the department and I am sure not many did either. But, maybe I didn’t get those right people to really appreciate the department. But after much analysis and arguments (with myself) I can say with absolute certainty that I definitely am an engineer now. I give more credit to the people I associated with rather than the College or the Department. After 4 years, my opinion is that I  don’t think anybody holds any value to the degree that I am about to get. Its all for namesake, for its the spirit that matters and not a piece of paper alone

Technorati Tags: Engineer, final, year

Tagged by Shaivya

The task is :

Share seven facts about yourself in the post.

~ 1. The language I love the most is Kannada.

~ 2. I dont listen to new songs. I always explore those that are not in the top tens anymore

~ 3. I analyse things a lot

~ 4. I dont like Bollywood movies and yet I watch them

~ 5. I like white or black clothes a LOT

~ 6. I have christened my jeans. Silly names

~ 7. I love riding bicycles

Yet another reason I hate the concept of religion

As if the castes are not enough, you have sub-castes and these subs have subs again!! Damn these people. When will people learn?

Train bogies were torched at the Jalandhar Cantt station, a key highway blocked and vehicles and shops set afire as large parts of Punjab came to a standstill Monday after news that a top leader of the Dera Sachh Khand sect had died of his injuries following a clash in a Vienna gurdwara.

Er.. So why burn the trains and buses and PRIVATE vehicles here in India?? Those bastards dont even give a thought as to what value a vehicle will carry to its owner! It could have been someone’s first vehicle bought by saving money right through a long career. But these blinded dolts dont realise that. All they know is BREAKING every single rule that their “religion” sets. Are they specifically targetting those from their “rival” sect? No. They are just like mad dogs biting anyone who comes in front of them. Screaming words that they dont even UNDERSTAND or COMPREHEND, words they dont believe in at all; those words that are fed by a few opportunists and these sheep follow the herd guided by the DOGS.

I feel such such shame when my younger cousins ask me to write them speeches for Independence day or Republic day ceremonies. Indians are NOT responsible and maybe cannot handle independence, nor do they respect it anyway. They continually fall prey to those crafty predators who feed on the hatred forever and sport a bulging tummy to stick it in our faces while they laugh at our hopelessness and lack of character. I can quote a lot of people who will agree with what I said, but that is redundant and silly. This is not some random event that has suddenly caught my attention; its the time I decided to speak my mind. To keep too many things bottled up is not such a nice thing. So, this post is to all those two faced bastards that say India is tolerant and secretly despise anyone from any other caste. Grow up, you are not in dark ages anymore. If you still continue to discriminate then you are not a human and definitely not an Indian. From today I will be outspoken and always object when someone brings religion where is does not belong. I urge those who read this also to do the same. Its about time we stood up for what we believe than what OTHERS think is right.

And I add no disclaimer to this post for if anyone is hurt by this, then I am NOT sorry; you truly and rightly deserve it.

Make the world a better place!

The project report is the worst thing ever. ACTUALLY doing a project is nothing compared to making a report of it. At 4 am, when I pinged my friend back after sending him a half finished PPT, I realised he had slept off a long time ago! Sleeping at that hour seemed pointless so I watched some TV. Then the sun came out and the morning paper was at my door steps. Literally (There are three steps in front of the door). Two articles caught my eyes today, one about a man arrested for molesting an underage girl (The man had previously committed the same crime with the same modus operandi) and the other one was about Akshay Kumar’s clarification regarding his recent visit to the Police Station. How are they connected? Hmm…

Lets examine Akshay’s case first. His wife unbuttoned his jeans in a fashion show and a “Social worker” filed a complaint against indecent behaviour in public. I believe it was just to obtain instant fame but, let us take the ideal case here and say the person who filed the complaint was indeed worried about the moral issue that he described in his complaint. Having said that, we turn our attention to all those who file such complaints against the celebrities ( there are a lot of them) and say that they too cared genuinely about their particular moral issues. Now, this means that the people of India are very vigilant people who dont even let a small incident go past their scanner. They are here to put an end to all the immorality that exists in our country. I think you know where I am going with this!

What about that guy? The criminal who commits the same crime twice and that too in the same fashion. Why didnt that become the biggest issue? Why didnt the vigilant people make sure that the first offense was the last offense? Was it that there was no fame involved here? I guess there would be a fair amount of fame in this too. It was mostly fear if you ask me. Celebrities have to maintain their image in the media. They are not to get into these controversies and are very vulnerable and are often the victims. But the thugs that are loose on the streets dont care about their image. That naturally brings fear and hence, the vigilance falters, the people are distracted and they no longer care about the moral issues that are at stake. The worst part is, these issues are genuine and probably are in desperate need of these “social workers”.

I am not sure about how many years the case will go on before the criminal is sentenced. Given the complexity of the Judicial system (Which is unavoidable in Democracy), it will not be anytime soon. We must focus our energy on things that need attention. Einstein once said, “Force always attracts men of low morality”. Force, of course, can be replaced here with fame or power or anything relevant.

P S: I dont think that unbuttoning of jeans should be given that much of attention.

Humanity?!

Quite a topic isnt it?

The word brings a picture of kindness, passion and morality. But,is it really the case? There are a lot of work that indicates that if humans were to go extinct, then the world would not be affected at all. Infact, the other species would flourish better than ever before. Will humans ever go extinct? We have seen ‘n’ number of movies on killer viruses and natural catastrophes and alien invasion pushing the humans to the brink of extinction. But, somehow, the humans always manage to wriggle out of this tight spot and still continue to live. I had a chat with one of my friend’s about the same. Would a war make humans extinct? We agreed that humans are too lazy for that to happen

In this magnificiant age of technology, we have made some remarkable breakthroughs. We have stumbled upon some very powerful and fundamental laws of nature. Not only that, we have also discovered a way in which we can play around with these laws and “create”. Some dont see it as creating, they say its merely rearranging what already is there in nature. How powerful are these tools you might ask. Well, lets take the example of molecular biology, DNA synthesis in particular. Now, DNA is present in every cell and controls the cell. Its like heart and brain of the cell. You take it out, the cell is just a collection of chemicals.

Injecting DNA into the cell

Now, DNA is made of genes ( Segment of DNA that controls one particular function/trait). A collection of these genes is called a genome. Now, biologists are able to create the entire genome of a bacteria synthetically. Meaning, if you know the structure of the genome, you can create it in your lab. Not only that, they plugged this synthetic genome into a cell whose DNA had been taken out and guess what? The cell started functioning again. Further, you dont even need to have the same cell whose genome you  created! You can plugin the genome of a bacteria you created into a yeast and it will work. We have indeed progressed even more further where we have decoded the genes and have identified what functions they perform. Meaning, while synthesizing,if we want the cell to perfom any specific operation, then we just insert that gene into its genome! Imagine a bunch of microbes “programmed” to find and destroy cancerous cells. isn’t it such boon? Even more, you can have these microbes custom made for your own genome. Thats all fine. Now imagine the same microbes but this time programmed to destroy every living cell!!!

Its Intel Atom 1.86 GHz processor. It can do all the things that a computer can

Another example would be the supercomputing. As the chip design shrinks in size and its complexity increases exponentially, time is not far when a very small chip will be capable of performing very complex operations in real time. With the advent of technologies like DNA computing (Mainly used to find best possible solutions when millions of solutions are available), quantum computing and advancement in AI, it is estimated that the supercomputers will outgrow human brain. In other words, very small chips can be designed in the future, that are cleverer than humans. Now, combine this with artificial tissues developed from stem cells( Stem cell technology is where cells from your body are taken and using that they can grow an entire organ like retina or even kidney). Now, if you apply genetic modification to the stem cells and then grow an eye, then you can implement different type of power in it. Meaning, you can make that eye sensitive to IR rays just as normal rays. You can implant a small chip that detects sound directly to the nerves so that a deaf can hear. But, you can program this chip to do more than just listen to normal sound!!!! Variables are numerous!

After 1945’s infamous Atomic bomb explosion, it only took 7 years to develop the Hydrogen bomb (Thermo nuclear bomb) which was 1000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb. But, we are still struggling to convert that technology into a power resource. Constructive work is somehow much harder than the destructive work. So, care must be taken when using these technological advancements for the welfare of humans. One person’s flawed reasoning can bring the whole world down. So, as we give this world into the hands of these few people who are going to develop technologies that can either make or break the society, the need for ethics has become necessary more than ever. Lets hope people will feel that building stuff is much more necessary that destroying them

Education. What exactly is it?

This is something that everyone has discussed extensively. What ever I might say here may seem redundant and it might actually be true. But, the purpose of this blog was to give my opinion on anything that I am currently thinking. So, here it goes

The most common conclusion to this discussion is that we need to nurture the creativity and imagination of a student and allow it to grow properly and by its virtue alone that student will be successful in his life. Einstein once said, “Its a miracle that curiosity survives formal education”. And we tend to agree with him, not because he was a genius; we dont exactly need a genius to figure that out. So, everyone talks about this “creativity” and “imagination” a lot. But what exactly is it? I am pretty sure that not every kid is interested in art and drama. So, what is this creativity? Lets go ahead and call it as creative thinking. So, what does that mean? To give you an example, I can take you to my 5th standard mathematics class. We used to do the statement problems those days. The problem would be given in words and we should isolate and extract the numerical information and obtain the solution for the stated problem.

This was fairly easy job once you got hold of those numbers.  So, the major issue here was comprehension. My math teacher, for some unknown reason, had this thing where she asked us to write sentences from the problem that held the numerical information. And then from those written sentences obtain the numbers and do the subsequent math. Now you might ask, “Er… isnt it the way its done?”. Well here it is. The way you learn comprehension in English is way different than what is described above. Comprehension is based on the context and it is very essential. But, if we do it in pieces as we did while solving the problem, we lose that natural ability to comprehend on the go. Even now, I find it pretty difficult to solve a 5th standard statement problem in my head. Mind you they are very easy when compared to the differential equations. Point is, it made me weak in comprehension. English in my school was pretty much non-existent. So, by the time I entered college, I had become a slow reader and to this day have abysmal comprehending skills.

The above method of problem solving also squashes one’s imagination. Though I solved the problem in my head and wrote the answer, the steps used were demanded. Which meant, I had to follow their system of designed rules for problem solving. The rules are good, but they dont have enough elbow space. You cannot contain everyone in those rules since everyone is different. I agree these rules help, but even in my engineering math paper, if I am asked to show the steps of getting a solution to a quadratic equation in complete details, it just completely beats the purpose. That solution is so trivial when compared to the kind of derivation I am about to do, that it is a complete paradigm shift. To put it in other words, you lose the flow and the interest. This will not apply to everyone. I know. But, it will apply to a few people who think the same way I do. And, there are numerous other ways how one’s imagination gets shunted. If I use a scale to draw grass, why is it wrong? You dont mind when “great artists” spill paint on the canvas and display it in a gallery. If you can appreciate their coloured boxes, or the abstract paintings as they are called, then why question how I draw the grass? What ever we do, must inspire us. And if it inspires others too, then its just an added bonus! We must not be forced to create something that inspires OTHERS. Thats just silly. Maybe Mona Lisa inspired millions of people to take up painting, but it did not inspire me to do the same! Its all very subjective.

Let our own imagination inspire our creative thought process.

P S : You can now subscribe to this blog by email. The link is on the right side at the bottom of those widgets

Tag – By Shaivya

~~~LAST~~~

1. Beverage:  Tea, at home
2. Phone Call:  Mom
3. IM:  GTalk, the only one I use
4. Song listened:  The unnamed feeling – St. Anger, Metallica
5. Time you cried:  Around a month ago I think
6. Sms you received:  Google

~~~Have you ever~~~

1. Dated someone twice:  Yes
2. Been cheated on:  I dont understand this one!
3. Kissed someone and regretted it:  Yes
4. Lost someone special: Yes
5. Been depressed:  Yes

~~~Three favourite colours~~~

Red.
Black.
White.

~~~This Month Have you~~~

1. Made a new friend: Yes
2. Laughed untill you cried: Yes
3. Met someone who changed your life:  Nope. But came across some people online who did it. Does that count?
4. Found who your true friends were:  I know who they are.
5. Found out someone who was talking about you:  There is always someone
6. Kissed anyone on your friends list: Yes.. (This is annoying question)

~~~How many~~~

1. People on your friends list do you know in real life: Which friend’s list???!!!! Orkut – 10%, gmail – 90%
2. Kids do you wanna have: One probably
3. Pets you have:  None

~~~|~~~

1. Do you wanna change your name: Nope. Its good enough for me
2. What did you get on your last birthday: Lots of wishes
3. What were you doing at midnight last night: Debugging!! Honest response, make no assumptions
4. Name something you cannot wait for:  Nothing I can think of!
5. Last time you saw your father: Yesterday when he came back from office. I “saw” him morning in bed while I was leaving for college, does that count?!
6. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life:  I could think before I acted.
7. What are you listening to right now: Nothing else matters – Metallica, Metallica
8. Have you talked to a person named Tom: Yes. My senior, Graduated now.
9. Most visited webpage: Google – 50%, Google products – 30%, Rest are just random clicks from google search
10. What’s your real name: Anoop
11. Nicknames: Nick names
12. Status: www.diagrama.wordpress.com
13. Zodiac sign: Aries (I think)
14. Male or female: Male
15. Elementary:  Hubli
16. High School: Hubli
17. University: VTU – Belgaum (And if you meant college, then its BMSCE)
18. Hair colour: Black and White
19. Long or short: Short
20. Are you a health freak: Whats that?
21. Height: 5′ 11″
22. Do you have a crush on someone:  Nope
23. What do you like about yourself:  I love math! Maybe you wont understand this.
24. What don’t you like about yourself: Almost everything there is.. Mostly irrationality
25. Righty or lefty: Righty

~~~Firsts~~~

1. Surgery: I disected a cockroach.. But didnt sew it back
2. Piercing: Ears – The one that parents get done when you are an infant
3. Best friend(s): There are many. I dont name them. They know it.
4. Award: LKG – Set the record for fastest writing. I wrote from A to K. Missed out C and inserted a X and yet got a steel cup. I drank milk in that cup till I was in 3rd standard. Then it got replaced by those cool bournvita cups.
5. Sport(s) you joined:  Badminton
6. Pet:  A Tortoise. It had somehow come into my compound. It got kidnapped and eaten up by local villagers!
7. Vacation:  I can remember going to KRS dam, Mysore, Karnataka with my family a LONG time ago
8. Concert: None
9. Crush: Dont remember her name, was in 5th standard.

~~~What are you~~~

1. Eating: Nothing
2. Drinking: Nothing
3. I’m about to:  Go and eat dinner
4. Listening to: The wierd sound that the Tube light is making.. need to fix it!!!
5. Waiting for:  A revelation!!!

~~~Your future~~~

1. Want kids: Redundant question!!!!
2. Want to get married: Hmm… Do I now?! It seems to be in the plan!
3. Careers in mind:  Agriculturist/Farmer(in simple terms). Sigh!

~~~Which is better with the opposite/same sex~~~

1. Lips or eyes: Both. Otherwise it would be weird!
2. Hugs or kisses: Hugs.
3. Romantic or spontenous: Spontaneous romance.
4. Nice stomach or nice arms:  Again, both.
5. Sensitive or loud: Sensitive
6. Hook-up or relationship: Whats the difference really??!
7. Trouble maker or hesitant:  Mayhem!!
8. Lefty or righty: Ambidextrous would be cool!!!
9. Shorter or taller:  hmph! Irrelevant
10. Older or younger: Irrelevant

~~~Have you ever~~~

1. Lost glasses/ contacts:  No. I dont use lenses and I havent lost sun glasses( That my bro owns and I use )
2. Ran away from home:  No. I am pretty comfortable here
3. Kissed a stranger:  Well… Yes to be honest. Again, dont jump to conclusions!
4. Drank pepsi:  Yes
5. Broken someone’s heart:  Regretfully, yes.
6. Been arrested: No.
7. Turned someone down:  Yes…
8. Liked a guy/girl friend: Yes.. Like all of my friends!

~~~Do you believe in~~~

1. Yourself:  Yes. I think I am NOT imaginary.
2. Miracles:  Nope. Probability, now thats something
3. Love at first sight: Yes.
4. Heaven:  No
5. Santa Claus:  No. Not the fairy tail one. But, there are Santa’s in real life (Humans doing his work). I believe that.
6. Kiss on first date:  Its highly subjective.
7. Angels: Not the fictionals. But there are Humans who do the angel’s job.

~~~Answer Truthfully~~~

1. Happy with your life:  No.
2. Believe in God: GodS you mean? Nope.
3. Posting it as 100 truths on your blog: No, that title doesn’t go with my “ordering”. But If its an indirect way of asking if I have answered truthfully, then YES!

My opinion:

The tag was a bit lengthy and many questions were annoying and repetitive! 100, though represents a milestone, doesn’t necessarily mean you need to “stuff”  questions that are irrelevant!

I tag none!