Deadline slips by, silence
Boss realizes -
Ten screeching crows.
Saturday, December 31, 2005
Friday, December 30, 2005
Effect on MEI of the IISc incident
By now everyone would know of the incident at the IISc. For those who have just arrived from the Andromeda galaxy, go here for an insiders account.
This post is to chronicle the effect that this incident has had on My Esteemed Institution(MEI) mainly for my readers most of whom I gather are away from MEI but still retain an interest in it.
The first effect was immediate. The gates of the institute were shut immediately and for further protection a small wooden stick was driven through the bolts. Quite innovative!
Next the security guards were actually trying to guard the place, not just playing cards or discussing their children's progress in school or solving the daily crossword in Saamna.
The real pain started the next day. When entering the institute something unusual happened. The guard asked for my I-card - which is a good thing, no doubt. The bad thing quickly followed. My I-card had expired in June.
What followed was a tirade about why I should renew my I-card and how important it is. I made an excuse that I had a lecture to attend and made a quick exit, promising that I will get it renewed soon.
The icing on the cake was yet to come. The lecture was by a Great Scientist from Abroad (GSAB) who incidently had done his Ph.D from IISc! The conversation which I report well and truly happened.
My boss: It is sad what happened in IISc.
Head of Department: Well, IISc security is almost non-existent.
GSAB: That was the beauty of it. We could come and go when we wanted. I have seen all sorts of things happening on the campus.
*Slightly embarrassed silence*
My boss: Now the security will increase.
GSAB: Yes now no more walking around holding hands with your girl-friend!
*Totally embarrassed silence*
Did someone say something about scientists not being good at social conversation?
This post is to chronicle the effect that this incident has had on My Esteemed Institution(MEI) mainly for my readers most of whom I gather are away from MEI but still retain an interest in it.
The first effect was immediate. The gates of the institute were shut immediately and for further protection a small wooden stick was driven through the bolts. Quite innovative!
Next the security guards were actually trying to guard the place, not just playing cards or discussing their children's progress in school or solving the daily crossword in Saamna.
The real pain started the next day. When entering the institute something unusual happened. The guard asked for my I-card - which is a good thing, no doubt. The bad thing quickly followed. My I-card had expired in June.
What followed was a tirade about why I should renew my I-card and how important it is. I made an excuse that I had a lecture to attend and made a quick exit, promising that I will get it renewed soon.
The icing on the cake was yet to come. The lecture was by a Great Scientist from Abroad (GSAB) who incidently had done his Ph.D from IISc! The conversation which I report well and truly happened.
My boss: It is sad what happened in IISc.
Head of Department: Well, IISc security is almost non-existent.
GSAB: That was the beauty of it. We could come and go when we wanted. I have seen all sorts of things happening on the campus.
*Slightly embarrassed silence*
My boss: Now the security will increase.
GSAB: Yes now no more walking around holding hands with your girl-friend!
*Totally embarrassed silence*
Did someone say something about scientists not being good at social conversation?
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Melancholiness is a state of the mind
I am unhappy.
My boss just told me to make a poster in two days flat. I am to integrate two things that are as different as chalk and cheese into one poster and in only nine slides!
Back to the point. I am sad. So what right do you guys have to be happy?
Therefore here is a poem gauranteed to make you sad too.
There, I feel much better now.
For insightful comments, hidden meanings and other melancholy stuff go here.
My boss just told me to make a poster in two days flat. I am to integrate two things that are as different as chalk and cheese into one poster and in only nine slides!
Back to the point. I am sad. So what right do you guys have to be happy?
Therefore here is a poem gauranteed to make you sad too.
My Father's Love Letters
On Fridays he'd open a can of Jax
After coming home from the mill,
& ask me to write a letter to my mother
Who sent postcards of desert flowers
Taller than men. He would beg,
Promising to never beat her
Again. Somehow I was happy
She had gone, & sometimes wanted
To slip in a reminder, how Mary Lou
Williams' "Polka Dots & Moonbeams"
Never made the swelling go down.
His carpenter's apron always bulged
With old nails, a claw hammer
Looped at his side & extension cords
Coiled around his feet.
Words rolled from under the pressure
Of my ballpoint: Love,
Baby, Honey, Please.
We sat in the quiet brutality
Of voltage meters & pipe threaders,
Lost between sentences . . .
The gleam of a five-pound wedge
On the concrete floor
Pulled a sunset
Through the doorway of his toolshed.
I wondered if she laughed
& held them over a gas burner.
My father could only sign
His name, but he'd look at blueprints
& say how many bricks
Formed each wall. This man,
Who stole roses & hyacinth
For his yard, would stand there
With eyes closed & fists balled,
Laboring over a simple word, almost
Redeemed by what he tried to say.
-- Yusef Komunyakaa
There, I feel much better now.
For insightful comments, hidden meanings and other melancholy stuff go here.
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Sangeeta Singh, Ph. D.
The first South Asian character on Ph.D. comics - Sangeeta Singh.
It is strange how the choice of name for a peripheral character from a particular community reflects the perception of the community by outsiders.
There were a few smatterings of South Asian characters in Jeffery Archer and Arthury Hailey novels - very typecast, very typical. Either they were the counter clerks or loyal employees.
They were usually called by some very general name like Mr. Singh or something terribly wrong like Dr. Rao Shastri. (Strong Medicine). For God's sake, both Rao and Shastri are surnames. You would never find a real person named like that. Another was the cashier in the Simpsons but I dont recollect his name. I dont know whether he has one in the first place.
Asok (the IIT graduate from the comic strip 'Dilbert') was the first character whose name was apt somehow. I love his dialogue -"At the IIT, we are trained to sleep only on national holidays". He was shown to be super-intelligent, super-deductive. Type-casting? I say, yes!
J.K. Rowling was better with Parvati Patil but there was the still-unbelievable Padma Patil. Here they are thankfully just students not menials or super-smart geniuses. (Though no fault of hers, IMHO these things were negated when the characters were made to wear those terrible ghagra-cholis at the Yule ball in the movie)
Sangeeta Singh from Ph. D. comics seems just right. Though the cynic in me wishes that George Cham could have used a more unique(?) surname.
Too bad that she is just from the past of Professor Smith.(She was a fellow student that Prof Smith supposedly had a crush on during his grad school days). That means she won't be a recurring character!
See the comic here and here!
Friday, December 23, 2005
Geekiness gone too far?
Presenting.....the ultimate geek accessory.
A blank keyboard! That's right. The keys are there but they are blank. Nothing insribed on the keys at all. As blank as a black hole.
In case you are flummoxed, their website explains why it is a geek must-have.
If there are no keys to look at when you are typing, you will look down less and therefore will be able to type more rapidly. Soon you will be so fast that you will be the envy of your colleagues and then no other keyboard will do.
They had to coin a new word just to describe the kind of people that would use it - uber-geeks.
See it here!
But my point is that instead of spending such a lot of money why don't I just cover the letters of my keyboard with plastic tape?
In case any of you come across someone who actually buys it let me know....
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Ghosts and presences
The world of research with its late nights and long waiting periods in between(read incubation times) is uniquely suited to the generation of stories about the supernatural. Quite contrary to our purported scientific and logical ability. These stories reflect the imagination of the students and are directly related to the level of loneliness while working.
During my Masters in the M.S. University of Baroda, where the buildings are old and far apart there were quite a few stories. The site on the third floor near the stairs was said to have a 'presence' which was attributed to a labourer that fell during the building construction. This is a picture of the place taken from here.
But regarding the subject of ghosts, our adjacent department at Baroda was more fertile.
Their old building and the new building was seperated by a walk-way that was on the first floor. To go to the ground floor of the new building you would have to enter the old building, go the first floor, then the walkway and then walk down to the ground floor of the new bulding. Heaven only knows why they had this clumsy arangement. But this ensured that the ground floor of the new building was totally 'cut-off', thus becoming a breeding ground for ghosts!
Students working at night had claimed seeing a yellow dupatta that fluttered across the walkway. Then there was the distillation unit on the ground floor that started on its own one night. Interesting times indeed! A good ghost story needs a solid reason. Some said that the whole department was cursed. Some said that this curse extended to the faculty becuase none of them save two had children! Why this curse? No good reason.
Comparitively MEI was a desert - no stories at all. Maybe it was because of the security that sits at the main entrance throughout the night or maybe the students here are really scientific and don't bother about illogical things.
Our Sister Instituion Down South (SIDS) was much better in this regard. There the labs are placed far from each other and some labs also have a terrace seperating them form each other. Some labs are empty. Perfect for the generation of stories!
There are rumours of an entire section of the building being haunted, with people seeing things over their shoulders when sitting at a tissue culture hood. People encoutering things when taking the long walk to the hostel from the institute. The reasons for this vary from a 'pregnant labourer falling to her death' (ho hum...heard this before) to 'the institute was built over a graveyard' (priceless!).
Recently closer home (MEI) a talk with a driver gave some interesting anecdotes. Opposite the canteen we have several sofas which serve as a place for general meetings, discussions and such-like. Earlier drivers used to sleep there at night. But one day a driver slept there and was woken up by some old lady. What happened to the driver? Legend is silent on that matter.
I have never seen or felt anything supernatural yet. However I am thoroughly convinced that I might soon.
My boss currently occupies the lab that was once used by the founder of our department - a very, very revered person. He has now shifted to Banglore and is very old. I am utterly convinced that when he dies, he would want to visit the place from where it all started. Maybe I will see a subjective ghost.
During my Masters in the M.S. University of Baroda, where the buildings are old and far apart there were quite a few stories. The site on the third floor near the stairs was said to have a 'presence' which was attributed to a labourer that fell during the building construction. This is a picture of the place taken from here.
But regarding the subject of ghosts, our adjacent department at Baroda was more fertile.
Their old building and the new building was seperated by a walk-way that was on the first floor. To go to the ground floor of the new building you would have to enter the old building, go the first floor, then the walkway and then walk down to the ground floor of the new bulding. Heaven only knows why they had this clumsy arangement. But this ensured that the ground floor of the new building was totally 'cut-off', thus becoming a breeding ground for ghosts!
Students working at night had claimed seeing a yellow dupatta that fluttered across the walkway. Then there was the distillation unit on the ground floor that started on its own one night. Interesting times indeed! A good ghost story needs a solid reason. Some said that the whole department was cursed. Some said that this curse extended to the faculty becuase none of them save two had children! Why this curse? No good reason.
Comparitively MEI was a desert - no stories at all. Maybe it was because of the security that sits at the main entrance throughout the night or maybe the students here are really scientific and don't bother about illogical things.
Our Sister Instituion Down South (SIDS) was much better in this regard. There the labs are placed far from each other and some labs also have a terrace seperating them form each other. Some labs are empty. Perfect for the generation of stories!
There are rumours of an entire section of the building being haunted, with people seeing things over their shoulders when sitting at a tissue culture hood. People encoutering things when taking the long walk to the hostel from the institute. The reasons for this vary from a 'pregnant labourer falling to her death' (ho hum...heard this before) to 'the institute was built over a graveyard' (priceless!).
Recently closer home (MEI) a talk with a driver gave some interesting anecdotes. Opposite the canteen we have several sofas which serve as a place for general meetings, discussions and such-like. Earlier drivers used to sleep there at night. But one day a driver slept there and was woken up by some old lady. What happened to the driver? Legend is silent on that matter.
I have never seen or felt anything supernatural yet. However I am thoroughly convinced that I might soon.
My boss currently occupies the lab that was once used by the founder of our department - a very, very revered person. He has now shifted to Banglore and is very old. I am utterly convinced that when he dies, he would want to visit the place from where it all started. Maybe I will see a subjective ghost.
Monday, December 19, 2005
Movies Part Deux
This being December is 'Oscar Season' for the movies. Therefore I have had to come up with a list of 'movies to see' very soon compared to the first.
These movies won't be here for a few months at least. Therefore I vent my frustrations by blogging about them.
1) Syriana: This is about oil poilitics. I love a good conspiracy theory and if there are huge barrels of oil at stake even better. I am looking forward to see how Arab Sheikhs are portrayed in the movie.
2) Aeon Flux : This movie is not exactly critically acclaimed but I am a sucker for science fiction. Add to that, the publicity blurb goes "400 years in the future, as a disease has wiped out most of the Earth's population, those who have survived live in Bregna, a walled city-state ruled by scientists". Now how can I miss that?
Movie that I will definitely not see even if someone pays for the ticket, the cab fare and the dinner afterwards.
1) King Kong: No, no no I dont understand what can be so appealing about a huge gorilla falling in love with a small tiny female. Big gorrillas are impossible. They have not existed in the past and will not in the future either. To top it all this movie has a rating of 8.3 at IMDB and is currently ruling the U.S. box-office. Life is unfair.
These movies won't be here for a few months at least. Therefore I vent my frustrations by blogging about them.
1) Syriana: This is about oil poilitics. I love a good conspiracy theory and if there are huge barrels of oil at stake even better. I am looking forward to see how Arab Sheikhs are portrayed in the movie.
2) Aeon Flux : This movie is not exactly critically acclaimed but I am a sucker for science fiction. Add to that, the publicity blurb goes "400 years in the future, as a disease has wiped out most of the Earth's population, those who have survived live in Bregna, a walled city-state ruled by scientists". Now how can I miss that?
Movie that I will definitely not see even if someone pays for the ticket, the cab fare and the dinner afterwards.
1) King Kong: No, no no I dont understand what can be so appealing about a huge gorilla falling in love with a small tiny female. Big gorrillas are impossible. They have not existed in the past and will not in the future either. To top it all this movie has a rating of 8.3 at IMDB and is currently ruling the U.S. box-office. Life is unfair.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Ten Things
Ten things that are not supposed to happen but always do by some arbit extension of Murphy's law.
1) It is when you are not wearing your specs that a cockroach will dart across your room. What follows is a hunt for the specs followed by hunt for cockroach.
2) It is the most important experiment for the paper that will require the most troubleshooting.
3) You will spend three hours trying to fix the microscope computer so that it will give you beautiful images but it is when you are 5 minutes into playing Mah-jong solitaire that your boss will walk in and ask "So what are you upto?"
4)It is the night, when you have to give a presentation at 9 a.m. the next day and therefore need a good nights sleep, that your next door neighbour will choose to play tymphanic membrane splitting rock music at the highest volume possible.
7) When your boss has a discussion with you he will invariably ask you about the experiment which you have not done.
8) By corollary, he will not ask you about the experiments which you have done and which have worked.
9) It is the reference ,that you need the most, that will be in a journal which the institute library does not subscribe to.
7) You may attend all (ummm...well....MOST) of the talks in the department but it is the talk that you do not attend which will be attended by the Head of the Department and you absence will be noted.
8)It is the one talk that you will not attend in which the molecule that you work on will be mentioned and hotly discssed. To add insult to injury, there will be public annoucements of "Where is samudrika?Where is samudrika?"
9) It is when you are dressed like something the cat dragged in that your boss will insist that you show your data and discuss things with the Great Scientist from Abroad(GSAB) whose talk you have not attended by the way. (see 7 and 8 above)
10) It is when you have composed your most creative, most witty post (which you think will receive the most comments) that it will be gobbled up by Blogger and sent to the Great Recycle Bin in the Sky.
More details on the GSAB later.
1) It is when you are not wearing your specs that a cockroach will dart across your room. What follows is a hunt for the specs followed by hunt for cockroach.
2) It is the most important experiment for the paper that will require the most troubleshooting.
3) You will spend three hours trying to fix the microscope computer so that it will give you beautiful images but it is when you are 5 minutes into playing Mah-jong solitaire that your boss will walk in and ask "So what are you upto?"
4)It is the night, when you have to give a presentation at 9 a.m. the next day and therefore need a good nights sleep, that your next door neighbour will choose to play tymphanic membrane splitting rock music at the highest volume possible.
7) When your boss has a discussion with you he will invariably ask you about the experiment which you have not done.
8) By corollary, he will not ask you about the experiments which you have done and which have worked.
9) It is the reference ,that you need the most, that will be in a journal which the institute library does not subscribe to.
7) You may attend all (ummm...well....MOST) of the talks in the department but it is the talk that you do not attend which will be attended by the Head of the Department and you absence will be noted.
8)It is the one talk that you will not attend in which the molecule that you work on will be mentioned and hotly discssed. To add insult to injury, there will be public annoucements of "Where is samudrika?Where is samudrika?"
9) It is when you are dressed like something the cat dragged in that your boss will insist that you show your data and discuss things with the Great Scientist from Abroad(GSAB) whose talk you have not attended by the way. (see 7 and 8 above)
10) It is when you have composed your most creative, most witty post (which you think will receive the most comments) that it will be gobbled up by Blogger and sent to the Great Recycle Bin in the Sky.
More details on the GSAB later.
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
A Poem and A Vision
The Gardener (LXXXV)
Who are you, reader, reading my poems an hundred years hence?
I cannot send you one single flower from this wealth of the spring,
one single streak of gold from yonder clouds.
Open your doors and look abroad.
From your blossoming garden gather fragrant memories of the vanished
flowers of an hundred years before.
In the joy of your heart may you feel the living joy that sang one
spring morning, sending its glad voice across a hundred years.
-- Rabindranath Tagore
Poetry is like the distillation of emotion. A good poem can transport you to the place that the poet is writing about and a good poem can also make you have 'visions'.
Permit me to a little flight of fantasy along the same lines.
These words that I write in my blog they will forever stay here in cyberspace long after I go away. Some lost soul will come here, read my works and be inspired. He will accept my words as his religion. Thereafter, his life will change. My words and works he will carry to others and convert them to my disciples. He will be my prophet and I WILL BE GOD.
*HA HA HA HA HA*
Who are you, reader, reading my poems an hundred years hence?
I cannot send you one single flower from this wealth of the spring,
one single streak of gold from yonder clouds.
Open your doors and look abroad.
From your blossoming garden gather fragrant memories of the vanished
flowers of an hundred years before.
In the joy of your heart may you feel the living joy that sang one
spring morning, sending its glad voice across a hundred years.
-- Rabindranath Tagore
Poetry is like the distillation of emotion. A good poem can transport you to the place that the poet is writing about and a good poem can also make you have 'visions'.
Permit me to a little flight of fantasy along the same lines.
These words that I write in my blog they will forever stay here in cyberspace long after I go away. Some lost soul will come here, read my works and be inspired. He will accept my words as his religion. Thereafter, his life will change. My words and works he will carry to others and convert them to my disciples. He will be my prophet and I WILL BE GOD.
*HA HA HA HA HA*
Monday, November 28, 2005
Glitter Glitter
Some more bling for my blog!
Just to show that beneath all those layers of smart talking, ass kicking and shooting-from-the-mouse nerdiness is just a girl who wants to be loved.
*Runs before I drown in the sarcasm dripping from that statement*
Just to show that beneath all those layers of smart talking, ass kicking and shooting-from-the-mouse nerdiness is just a girl who wants to be loved.
*Runs before I drown in the sarcasm dripping from that statement*
Sunday, November 27, 2005
For Depp fans only!
I found this on IMDB posted by Beth William from UK. I quote her completely since I cannot do a better job!
"For anyone interested in listening to a review of The Libertine plus hearing Johnny Depp saying the amazing prologue
1)Go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4
2)Choose the purple box that says Listen again.
3)Go to S and choose Saturday review.
4)The review is about 9 and a half to 10 minutes into the programme if you don't want to hear the whole thing."
I cant stop listening to it. ;)
"For anyone interested in listening to a review of The Libertine plus hearing Johnny Depp saying the amazing prologue
1)Go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4
2)Choose the purple box that says Listen again.
3)Go to S and choose Saturday review.
4)The review is about 9 and a half to 10 minutes into the programme if you don't want to hear the whole thing."
I cant stop listening to it. ;)
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Anatomy of an MEI scientist
MEI (My Esteemed Institution) scientist male
1) Faded kurta or jeans. Both for better effect.
2) Absolutely vacuous look on the face.
3) Snob. You have to have at least five meaningful scientific conversations with him before he even acknowledges you.
4) Must have one of following charactersitics (long hair or overgrown beard or pipe or must publish in big journal(*) every month)
5) Can discuss the beginning of the universe and the latest administration fiasco in the same breath.
6) Thinks that that world outside MEI is a big, bad place.
MEI scientist female will be another post. I promise.
*- big journal means one with impact factor of more than 10.
1) Faded kurta or jeans. Both for better effect.
2) Absolutely vacuous look on the face.
3) Snob. You have to have at least five meaningful scientific conversations with him before he even acknowledges you.
4) Must have one of following charactersitics (long hair or overgrown beard or pipe or must publish in big journal(*) every month)
5) Can discuss the beginning of the universe and the latest administration fiasco in the same breath.
6) Thinks that that world outside MEI is a big, bad place.
MEI scientist female will be another post. I promise.
*- big journal means one with impact factor of more than 10.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Gulf Asian English School
I went to judge an inter-school debate competition today. That made me extremely nostalgic about my school. I remembered all my school days and the fun that we had.
I did my schooling in a land far, far away. I have been in Bombay for three years then went off to do my Masters in a city (not so far,far away but this I am not going to tell you).
During my Bachelors the pain of leaving a country I had grown up in, was too much and I did not talk to anyone. My Masters friends I realised later were too CENSORED to have a meaningful conversation with. Anyways, the result of all this, is that I do not have one single close friend in the city of my birth - Majhi Mumbai.
The only close friends that I can last recall were my school friends which brings me to the subject of my post. I left my school exactly 10 years ago in 1995. Yep, that was my school name. Gulf Asian English School. Nothing fancy or pretensios like St. Pauls blah blah. (It was earlier called Sharjah Montessori School.)
When we seperated we knew full well that we would never meet up again. Indeed our last words were "We will meet....in the next life!"
But now it the age of the Internet and I have hopes that we will meet up. I so desperately want to talk to them if only to ask them how they are doing and whether they are alright.
I guess putting their names on the Internet is as good way as any of getting in touch with them.
So here goes.
Ishrat Jahan Haque, Anees Fathima, Niketa Jethani, Somia Khan, Huda Parveen, Yasmin Akhter, Bilquis Khannum, Protima, Masuma, Afshan
Vishal G. Nair, Vikas G. Nair, Shah Imran, Nawaz Khan, Salim, Shane Mathew, Devendrajit Singh, Abdul Rahim, Jerry T. George, Manesh Jacob, Bejoy Issac, Beniyl Mugudan, Jacob Mathew(my oldest friend by far - I have know him since I was in Kindergarten!), Jehangir Khan, Shane Mathews, Reji George(?)
In fact with Jacob Mathew, I remember an incident where I my mother had packed my favourite biscuits for my lunch. I fell and the entire contents spilled out. Jacob helped me up and even offered to share his lunch with me. That was when we were 6!
The girls and guys names are seperate in the spirit of segregation. People who did their schooling in the Middle East would know what I am talking about!
Since I am at it, I will see if I can remember their siblings
Abaraham Mathew, Salma Fathima, Juveriyah Fathima, Malan Begum, Sumbul Khan, Shelly Mathews, Hitesh Jethani.
Cool! Quite good. Now if Lord Google will bestow his benevolence on me.....
I did my schooling in a land far, far away. I have been in Bombay for three years then went off to do my Masters in a city (not so far,far away but this I am not going to tell you).
During my Bachelors the pain of leaving a country I had grown up in, was too much and I did not talk to anyone. My Masters friends I realised later were too CENSORED to have a meaningful conversation with. Anyways, the result of all this, is that I do not have one single close friend in the city of my birth - Majhi Mumbai.
The only close friends that I can last recall were my school friends which brings me to the subject of my post. I left my school exactly 10 years ago in 1995. Yep, that was my school name. Gulf Asian English School. Nothing fancy or pretensios like St. Pauls blah blah. (It was earlier called Sharjah Montessori School.)
When we seperated we knew full well that we would never meet up again. Indeed our last words were "We will meet....in the next life!"
But now it the age of the Internet and I have hopes that we will meet up. I so desperately want to talk to them if only to ask them how they are doing and whether they are alright.
I guess putting their names on the Internet is as good way as any of getting in touch with them.
So here goes.
Ishrat Jahan Haque, Anees Fathima, Niketa Jethani, Somia Khan, Huda Parveen, Yasmin Akhter, Bilquis Khannum, Protima, Masuma, Afshan
Vishal G. Nair, Vikas G. Nair, Shah Imran, Nawaz Khan, Salim, Shane Mathew, Devendrajit Singh, Abdul Rahim, Jerry T. George, Manesh Jacob, Bejoy Issac, Beniyl Mugudan, Jacob Mathew(my oldest friend by far - I have know him since I was in Kindergarten!), Jehangir Khan, Shane Mathews, Reji George(?)
In fact with Jacob Mathew, I remember an incident where I my mother had packed my favourite biscuits for my lunch. I fell and the entire contents spilled out. Jacob helped me up and even offered to share his lunch with me. That was when we were 6!
The girls and guys names are seperate in the spirit of segregation. People who did their schooling in the Middle East would know what I am talking about!
Since I am at it, I will see if I can remember their siblings
Abaraham Mathew, Salma Fathima, Juveriyah Fathima, Malan Begum, Sumbul Khan, Shelly Mathews, Hitesh Jethani.
Cool! Quite good. Now if Lord Google will bestow his benevolence on me.....
Monday, November 21, 2005
I, Nerd
What does this mean? Your nerdiness is:
Supreme Nerd. Apply for a professorship at MIT now!!!.
Only 6% scored more than me. Yayyy!!
Now I will celebrate by treating you guys to an ultra-nerdy quote.
Backups are for wimps. Real Men upload their data to an FTP site and have everyone else mirror it.
- Linux Torvalds (the creator of Linux)
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Indipop
That , ladies and gentlemen, is the new face of Indipop. Now put your hands together for........Ganesh Hegde.
Fast, racy music that you would want to dance to. Fresh with a touch of naughtiness.
Enchanting. Reminds me of what "Indipop" used to stand for in the days of Alisha Chinai and Remo Fernandes. To top it all, his moves on the dance floor are sooooo smooooth.
Although, I do suspect that he is gay. Anyone out there who can confirm this?
Of course, even if he is, I will not stop liking him. Go listen!
Fast, racy music that you would want to dance to. Fresh with a touch of naughtiness.
Enchanting. Reminds me of what "Indipop" used to stand for in the days of Alisha Chinai and Remo Fernandes. To top it all, his moves on the dance floor are sooooo smooooth.
Although, I do suspect that he is gay. Anyone out there who can confirm this?
Of course, even if he is, I will not stop liking him. Go listen!
Saturday, November 19, 2005
Heart of Gold
I tried out this quiz for fun. I was very surprised with the result!
I liked the bling bling look of the picture so I put it here.
Heart of Gold
What is Your Heart REALLY Made of?
brought to you by Quizilla
I liked the bling bling look of the picture so I put it here.
Heart of Gold
What is Your Heart REALLY Made of?
brought to you by Quizilla
Friday, November 18, 2005
Women in Science
I representated my esteemed institution (which will go unnamed as I will adhere strictly to the Blogger's Code though I assure you it is reputed) at a Science Exhibition on Sunday. Lots of people came to our stall and asked us questions. But one of them really intrigued me.
One guy (must have been in his late thirties) came up, asked the usual questions and then the trumper
"Is the sex ratio at the institute the same as represented here?"
Whaaaa...! We looked around and saw that there were 4 women and 1 guy to represent my esteemed institution (MEI). We were stunned. But this guy, he went on
"no I am really glad to see so many women in MEI. That is really great. Keep up the good work!"
I was infuriated. One of the things that I cant stand is a patronizing attitude and especially of the male chauvinistic variety.
What if this guy goes home and praises his daughter the same way "Oh my! You are doing really well at Maths being a girl!" His daughter will think twice about excelling in Maths next. She will think "this is not expected of me. Therefore I am different. I should do more girly things."
I can understand and allow for things involving strength were we are at a biological disadvantage. But other than that when it comes to a question of thinking women are as good as the guys.
I am grateful to my parents who never allowed me to think that because I am a girl I am different in anyway from my brother. Maths and Science was important to me as to him. There were no limits, percieved or otherwise, placed on me or my career.
But more than that I am also grateful to MEI. In spite of being a male dominated, I do not percieve any such patronizing attitude here. There is no glass ceiling that prevents women from succeeding or deliberately stalls their progress. Even without those "Affirmative Action" and "Equal Opportunities" that I see on ads for other institutes.
At these times, I am really thankful to the Lord for these small mercies.
One guy (must have been in his late thirties) came up, asked the usual questions and then the trumper
"Is the sex ratio at the institute the same as represented here?"
Whaaaa...! We looked around and saw that there were 4 women and 1 guy to represent my esteemed institution (MEI). We were stunned. But this guy, he went on
"no I am really glad to see so many women in MEI. That is really great. Keep up the good work!"
I was infuriated. One of the things that I cant stand is a patronizing attitude and especially of the male chauvinistic variety.
What if this guy goes home and praises his daughter the same way "Oh my! You are doing really well at Maths being a girl!" His daughter will think twice about excelling in Maths next. She will think "this is not expected of me. Therefore I am different. I should do more girly things."
I can understand and allow for things involving strength were we are at a biological disadvantage. But other than that when it comes to a question of thinking women are as good as the guys.
I am grateful to my parents who never allowed me to think that because I am a girl I am different in anyway from my brother. Maths and Science was important to me as to him. There were no limits, percieved or otherwise, placed on me or my career.
But more than that I am also grateful to MEI. In spite of being a male dominated, I do not percieve any such patronizing attitude here. There is no glass ceiling that prevents women from succeeding or deliberately stalls their progress. Even without those "Affirmative Action" and "Equal Opportunities" that I see on ads for other institutes.
At these times, I am really thankful to the Lord for these small mercies.
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Star Trek Centrifuges
Prologue: Centrifuges are devices that are used to increase the g force on an object to increase the sedimentation rate. They consist of a square block of metal with a round disc inside it in which you can put your sample (usually in tubes). They look very ugly.
The big ones are terrible . The small ones are better. Here is a picture of the one we use frequently in the lab. I went to a neighbouring lab today and I came across a very sleek looking dome like thing.
Me: what is this? is this a sovenir of the IMAX dome? a miniature replica?
She: No
ME: then is it some sort of paper weight?
She(with a Cheshire cat smile): No
ME(desperate now): Then what is it? pleeaaasse tell me!!!
She: A centrifuge....
ME (stunned into silence, struggling to get words out of my mouth): ummm..yeahh...
It was a amazingly sleek dome like thing. I mean, if it was in my lab then I would use it just for the sake of experiencing its utter smoothness.
So aerodynamic like something out of Star Trek. Almost, as if you would press a few buttons and say "Open hailing frequencies" then there would a reply in Klingon.
What if all the instruments in the lab were to become sleek and good looking? What would the future lab look like?
Epilogue : The dreamer/poet in me was ecstatic. The scientist in me wondered "But is the centrifuge any good?"
The pictures are from here.
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Science and Poetry
I first read this poem in a book of molecular biology protocols (from the second edition of Maniatis in case anyone is interested). I liked it very much then and copied it into my lab note book.
Recently, I wanted a poem to go along with some DNA related talk that I was giving and I thought of this. Many Google searches were fruitless. Therefore I went back to my attic, fished out all my books and searched till I did.
On reading it after all these years, I found that I still enjoy it very much. As a scientist, I appreciate the accuracy of the poem. As a poet, I appreciate the word arrangement that feels as if it is going round and round forever which truly speaking DNA is doing.
“Cell DNA”
I am the singular
in free fall
I and my doubles
carry it all:
Life’s slim volume
spirally bound
It’s what I’m about,
it’s what I’m around.
Presence and hungers
imbue a sap mote
with the world as they spin it
I teach it by rote
buts its every command
was once a miscue
that something rose to,
Presence and freedom
rewording, re-beading
strains on a strand
making I and I more different
than we could stand
-Les Murray.
Recently, I wanted a poem to go along with some DNA related talk that I was giving and I thought of this. Many Google searches were fruitless. Therefore I went back to my attic, fished out all my books and searched till I did.
On reading it after all these years, I found that I still enjoy it very much. As a scientist, I appreciate the accuracy of the poem. As a poet, I appreciate the word arrangement that feels as if it is going round and round forever which truly speaking DNA is doing.
“Cell DNA”
I am the singular
in free fall
I and my doubles
carry it all:
Life’s slim volume
spirally bound
It’s what I’m about,
it’s what I’m around.
Presence and hungers
imbue a sap mote
with the world as they spin it
I teach it by rote
buts its every command
was once a miscue
that something rose to,
Presence and freedom
rewording, re-beading
strains on a strand
making I and I more different
than we could stand
-Les Murray.
Sunday, November 13, 2005
Movies!
These are movies that I am just dying to see. But I will not get to see them for a few months at least. The place where I live movies are always released at least 3 months after everywhere else.
1) The Libertine - The main reason that I am looking forward to this is Johnny Depp. The other is I love the idea of a rebel who breaks rules and the third is I love period pieces. There has been a lot of buzz in IMDB that his performance has been excellent in the movie. This movie might finally get him that long awaited oscar! This will be Johnny Depp at his darkest best.
2) Memiors of a Geisha - This stems from my interest in Japanese culture. It is a sad story about how her family actually was very poor. One very moving scene in the book is about how she is forced to pleasure a shopkeeper (so that he will give her money for a ticket to leave the city) while her brother waits outside for her in the rain. She becomes a Geisha who was so accomplished that she could entice a man with one look. Doesn't Ziyi Zhang (who plays the lead role) look absolutely fabulous in this picture?
1) The Libertine - The main reason that I am looking forward to this is Johnny Depp. The other is I love the idea of a rebel who breaks rules and the third is I love period pieces. There has been a lot of buzz in IMDB that his performance has been excellent in the movie. This movie might finally get him that long awaited oscar! This will be Johnny Depp at his darkest best.
2) Memiors of a Geisha - This stems from my interest in Japanese culture. It is a sad story about how her family actually was very poor. One very moving scene in the book is about how she is forced to pleasure a shopkeeper (so that he will give her money for a ticket to leave the city) while her brother waits outside for her in the rain. She becomes a Geisha who was so accomplished that she could entice a man with one look. Doesn't Ziyi Zhang (who plays the lead role) look absolutely fabulous in this picture?
Friday, November 11, 2005
A ship on the sea
This photo was taken from a seashore during sunset.
To me, the ship is a metaphor for life. Sailing through sunshine and shadow, always alone, but if looked at from a distance - very beautiful.
Photo taken by S.A.
Star Trek Lyrics!
I love Star Trek.
Recently, while browsing Wikepedia I came to know that the Star Trek theme song has lyrics too! Apparently Gene Roddenbury wrote them but never intended them to be published.
Here they are
Beyond the rim of the starlight
My love is wandering in starflight
I know he'll find in star clustered reaches
Love, strange love a star woman teaches
I know his journey ends never
His star trek will go on forever
But tell him while he wanders his starry sea
Remember, remember me.
Quite nice too....
Gives me visions of wandering through the universe looking for adventure.
Recently, while browsing Wikepedia I came to know that the Star Trek theme song has lyrics too! Apparently Gene Roddenbury wrote them but never intended them to be published.
Here they are
Beyond the rim of the starlight
My love is wandering in starflight
I know he'll find in star clustered reaches
Love, strange love a star woman teaches
I know his journey ends never
His star trek will go on forever
But tell him while he wanders his starry sea
Remember, remember me.
Quite nice too....
Gives me visions of wandering through the universe looking for adventure.
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
a new word
"Calculo"
Thats the new word I made today. As type is to typo, calculate is to calculo.
So now you dont have to go through telling colleagues "i made a mistake in the calculations" and then they give you the condescending i-can-do-that-in-my-head look.
Now you can stylishly say "fish! i made a calculo!" and then with grace go in search of your mobile or PDA device to do the needful. (which reminds me at the rate that they are charging shouldn't iPods have a calculator too?)
Remember! You heard it here first.
Thats the new word I made today. As type is to typo, calculate is to calculo.
So now you dont have to go through telling colleagues "i made a mistake in the calculations" and then they give you the condescending i-can-do-that-in-my-head look.
Now you can stylishly say "fish! i made a calculo!" and then with grace go in search of your mobile or PDA device to do the needful. (which reminds me at the rate that they are charging shouldn't iPods have a calculator too?)
Remember! You heard it here first.
Sunday, November 06, 2005
to thine own self.....
sometimes in life you reach a situation where you are given two options - one is right and ethical but will harm you in the near future and the other is bad but will benefit you immensely.
i was presented with two such situations recently.
situation one- a junior asked for help on a project. her project is going great guns right now (needless to say mine is as stalled as a donkey going uphill with a load on its back).she wanted my help with a technique that only i knew how to do. and in fact i had used the said technique to complete a project quite sucessfully a long time ago - so long in fact that now my boss has forgotten all about it. so what did i do? if i had showed it to her then she would have been the hero of my bosses heart (to my disadvantage) and if i did not show it to her it would not have affected me (my boss hates me anyways) but her work would have been slower.
situation two - there was an exam which i gave some time back. for my phd (yes people i am doing a phd) i have to pass this exam. but i did not. i failed miserably and since this exam is in the form of a presentation, i was humiliated in front of all the people in my deparmment. who was at fault for it is a debatable issue but it was a very traumatic experience for me. i had to give the exam again after a few months when i passed it. now my junior (not the same one as above)is giving this exam again. he asked my for help and suggestions. already it hurts me so much to see his presentation. one thing it brings back bad memories and the other he had done a good job of it. much better than me. my suggestions would have helped him out of potentially sticky spots. if i had not given them then his presentation would not have been excellent but he would have passed anyways.
so what did i do?
i did the things that i could live with for the rest of my life. i helped both of them as much as i could and to the fullest extent of my ability.
to thine own self be true.
i was presented with two such situations recently.
situation one- a junior asked for help on a project. her project is going great guns right now (needless to say mine is as stalled as a donkey going uphill with a load on its back).she wanted my help with a technique that only i knew how to do. and in fact i had used the said technique to complete a project quite sucessfully a long time ago - so long in fact that now my boss has forgotten all about it. so what did i do? if i had showed it to her then she would have been the hero of my bosses heart (to my disadvantage) and if i did not show it to her it would not have affected me (my boss hates me anyways) but her work would have been slower.
situation two - there was an exam which i gave some time back. for my phd (yes people i am doing a phd) i have to pass this exam. but i did not. i failed miserably and since this exam is in the form of a presentation, i was humiliated in front of all the people in my deparmment. who was at fault for it is a debatable issue but it was a very traumatic experience for me. i had to give the exam again after a few months when i passed it. now my junior (not the same one as above)is giving this exam again. he asked my for help and suggestions. already it hurts me so much to see his presentation. one thing it brings back bad memories and the other he had done a good job of it. much better than me. my suggestions would have helped him out of potentially sticky spots. if i had not given them then his presentation would not have been excellent but he would have passed anyways.
so what did i do?
i did the things that i could live with for the rest of my life. i helped both of them as much as i could and to the fullest extent of my ability.
to thine own self be true.
more upbeat
someone near and dear to me commented that my blog is too depressing.
here i try to justify myself.
it is supposed to be like that! it is going to serve as an emotional dump for me and i will be dumping all my negative emotions there....i mean why would i want to dump nice happy emotions? i have a short supply of those anyways.
just to offset that, here i list five things that make me happy right now.
1) listening to the soundtrack of "pirates of the caribbean". i can almost see in my minds eye Johnny Depp and his swagger.
2) that fact that i am going to get my first ipod on monday. that gives me a nice happy glow inside.
3) ummm......
4) ohhhh.....still thinking....
5) ahhhh.....*puts hands up in the air and gives up*
this did not turn out to be the nice happy post it was supposed to be.
by the way, this list does not include people so that what you are not mentioned, A.
here i try to justify myself.
it is supposed to be like that! it is going to serve as an emotional dump for me and i will be dumping all my negative emotions there....i mean why would i want to dump nice happy emotions? i have a short supply of those anyways.
just to offset that, here i list five things that make me happy right now.
1) listening to the soundtrack of "pirates of the caribbean". i can almost see in my minds eye Johnny Depp and his swagger.
2) that fact that i am going to get my first ipod on monday. that gives me a nice happy glow inside.
3) ummm......
4) ohhhh.....still thinking....
5) ahhhh.....*puts hands up in the air and gives up*
this did not turn out to be the nice happy post it was supposed to be.
by the way, this list does not include people so that what you are not mentioned, A.
Friday, November 04, 2005
Happy Diwali
It was Diwali yesterday - supposed to be the festival of light. A time for feasting, gambling, firing crackers and generally having fun.
I did none of those things.
In fact I had a fight with my mom.
Well, on this day we are supposed to get up early and have a ritual bath with scented soap and all that. But sleeping is one of the essential things in my life like oxygen. I slept late the earlier day and therefore woke up late on the day of Diwali which for my mother is sacrilege beyond forgiving.
Then she started nagging me about how I am going to get married soon and therefore I should learn a few things or else what will I teach my kids etc etc.
This resulted in me becoming more glum than before and to add to all that my teeth started hurting like bad (i got my braces fitted three days ago - more about that in another post!). So things were just downhill from there. No diwali cheer for me!
As for sweets, well one cant have them with braces on right? Each bite reminds me of the importance of my incisors!
No crackers, because i dont like the headache involved with buying them and lighting them? even though i do like seeing them.
No gambling, since I am against the idea of putting money into something which will get me nothing when the money is better spent at the neighborhood cake shop anyways..
So what kind of a diwali did i celebrate? like i told you my life is in a mess right now.....
I did none of those things.
In fact I had a fight with my mom.
Well, on this day we are supposed to get up early and have a ritual bath with scented soap and all that. But sleeping is one of the essential things in my life like oxygen. I slept late the earlier day and therefore woke up late on the day of Diwali which for my mother is sacrilege beyond forgiving.
Then she started nagging me about how I am going to get married soon and therefore I should learn a few things or else what will I teach my kids etc etc.
This resulted in me becoming more glum than before and to add to all that my teeth started hurting like bad (i got my braces fitted three days ago - more about that in another post!). So things were just downhill from there. No diwali cheer for me!
As for sweets, well one cant have them with braces on right? Each bite reminds me of the importance of my incisors!
No crackers, because i dont like the headache involved with buying them and lighting them? even though i do like seeing them.
No gambling, since I am against the idea of putting money into something which will get me nothing when the money is better spent at the neighborhood cake shop anyways..
So what kind of a diwali did i celebrate? like i told you my life is in a mess right now.....
Feeling a little jittery. This is the first time that I am trying to pen my thoughts and feelings in place that the world (!) will read.
First, why blog?
Well, I have realised that these days (umm..more like months) things have been happening in my life that are causing me a lot of anger and other negative emotions. I have to get rid of these feelings somehow or I will fall sick or something. Therefore I blog.
Another is that, everyone around me seems to have a blog so I might as well have one too.
More later. My boss just walked in. So I have to get back to work.
First, why blog?
Well, I have realised that these days (umm..more like months) things have been happening in my life that are causing me a lot of anger and other negative emotions. I have to get rid of these feelings somehow or I will fall sick or something. Therefore I blog.
Another is that, everyone around me seems to have a blog so I might as well have one too.
More later. My boss just walked in. So I have to get back to work.
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