Happy New Year

May this year bring you all success and joy in the world

Starting an year with hopes and ending it with an uncertain future

An year gone since i landed in Singapore and my gosh!!! how much to look back... Let me go through the days that flew by..

Landing in Singapore on Chirstmas Eve 2007 and recieved by pradeep (a UG classmate and to be PG classmate). The day i came i was dumbstck by the grandeur of the airport. alighted at Terminal 1- Jet airways and the sight of huge walkways and travellators just excited me and my eyes couldnt ask for more. The first taxi trip to YOHA Hostel still remains in mind. My roommates were a wonderful mix. An indian, 2 malaysians and 2 indonesians. Celebrated New Year with a countdown and 5 mins of Fireworks in the shores of Singapore River along with Sathiyavelan. Registration, Orientation, Welcome Gathering, Subject Registration Medical Test, Immigration Formalities all flew by and MY!!!! classes started. Along with that came the challenge of starting my Dissertation work under Dr. Luo Fang Lin under the topic "Super Lift DC/DC Converter" (I ought to mention that he had found tat converter and any amount of googling would lead to his name only and also tat he has found 28 converters till date). Ought to mention the fact that i broke my 1 yr contract with the hostel and moved to a plush home with class mates and frnds. They are Naveen Basha, Lokesh, Saravanan, Nazreen Banu, Gomathi and her husband, Arunachalam on Jan 16th.

New atmosphere to contend with n of course the huge task of studying after 18 months of work. Sleep was inevitably round the corner whenever i open a book. Selected four papers and finally settled down with a plan of studyin everyday, but it was never to be and days flew past like months and classes were gettin over at rapid rates with some professors condcting class tests which further intensified the hate for exams. Got lot of new friends and among them most natably part time students like Prakash and Sethu. Some more classes and the truth hit me hard --- exams are a stone's throw away.. Prepared a timetable for preparing along with arun, sethu and prakash.

There came a jolt. Some problem in house(lets not get into it) and was told to request to vacate after the exams. It came as a lightning bolt from a blue sky and threatened to hamper preparations. But still managed to overcome it started perparations. Never would i forget those days. Sleep at 7 AM - Wake up at 1 PM - go to univ - study till 6 AM.... God!! my life style has changed. Sittin in Canteen B days(sorry... nights) passed with exams nearing and tons of stuff from printed papers being loaded into the fist sized brain. Exams went as usual with half the questions answered properly and other half scribbled. 2 weeks later i came to find out how stressed i was due to these exams and slept for 2 days to relieve that stress.

It was now time for searchin a place to shift and later me and lokesh decided to move into Hall 11 in the university for three months till the vacation ends. It was time when many went home but we stayed back in singapore. Time was hard to kill and occasionally Project Work and Part Time job helped in killing the time. Days meandered along at snail pace. Visited Sentosa, Bird Park, Night Safari and a horde of other places. Thanks to santosh the last 30 days of vacation went a bit faster(due to him stannering about missing home). And again come july first week, its was time to search for new accomodation. Found one in Student Hostel and myself along with lokesh, arun and ashok moved in on july 16th signing an one year contract again.

Arrival of new students and more friends. Second semester started and again choosed four papers. For the first time our group was split between two papers and i selected one along with santosh wheras arun, gomathi et all choosed the other. Started working on project in full swing which lead to the pressure of completing the project within 3 months increasing everyday. One month into the semester started facing problems and numerous doubts in the project. Prof guided me well and introduced me to a PhD student Jiao Yan Ping who was kind enought to help me out and again days and nights passed away in EPR lab and Canteen B in view of completing the project. Prof Luo's occasional help and guidance carried me through and his confidence in me grew as it neared completion. Days flew by without notice loads of syllabus finished and Mid semester holidays(Recess Week) announced its arrival after a jolt given by the internal tests conducted by professors. Deadlines approaching and classes nearing its end mounted huge pressure and climbing up the ladder in the "TO DO" list was job search. Somewhere in the fag end of september, got the go ahead for starting the thesis work and was much relieved for the simulation work had got over. Gave a rough draft to Prof Luo 15 days before the exams and told him that i'll continue work on the project after the exams.

Slogging out period started and yet again another timetable was prepared with everybody's ifs and buts sorted out. Night Out's in Canteen B started with arun, gomathi,, sethu, prakash and vellian joining. Serious slogging out and November 26 was the last exam i wrote in NTU. An evening get together agganged and stress of the exams was brought down with a nice and a calm dinner. End of exams and then a couple of days of sleep later back to thesis work. Numerous corrections and print outs later got the go ahead to submit the thesis to the programme director. Meanwhile job search was the priority and everything else was far behind in importance. Reports of recession poured in and anexity increased along with fear.

A couple of weeks later again after some corrections submitted the thesis for examination and wow.. i have completed the course successfully. Here i am today sittin at home and searching for job opportunities admist pouring reports of retrenchment and unemployment.

Looking forward to the next year.

Poem on Mumbai Blasts by Prasoon Joshi

An amazing and heart touching poem by a famous and well - known poet on the mumbai blasts...
here it goes... The translation is given immdly after each para...

Is baar nahin
Is baar jab woh choti si bachchi mere paas
apni kharonch le kar aayegi
Main usey phoo phoo kar nahin behlaoonga
Panapney doonga uski tees ko
Is baar nahin

(This time when that little girl comes to me with her bruises, I will not blow gently at her wound, nor distract her, I will let her pain grow.Not this time.)

Is baar jab main chehron par dard likha dekhoonga
Nahin gaoonga geet peeda bhula dene wale
Dard ko risney doonga,utarney doonga andar gehrey
Is baar nahin

(This time when I see pain on facesI will not sing the song that eases pain I will let the pain seep in, deep. Not this time.)

Is baar main na marham lagaoonga
Na hi uthaoonga rui ke phahey
Aur na hi kahoonga ki tum aankein band karlo,
gardan udhar kar lo main dawa lagata hoon
Dekhney doonga sabko hum sabko khuley nangey ghaav
Is baar nahin

(This time I won't apply any balm Nor will I ask you to shut your eyes and turn your head While I gingerly apply medicine I will let everyone see the open, naked wounds. Not this time.)

Is baar jab uljhaney dekhoonga, chatpatahat dekhoonga
Nahin daudoonga uljhee door lapetney
Uljhaney doonga jab tak ulajh sake
Is baar nahin

(This time when I see difficulty, uneasinessI will not run to solve the problems I will let them become complicated. Not this time.)

Is baar karm ka hawala de kar nahin uthaoonga auzaar

Nahin karoonga phir se ek nayee shuruaat Nahin banoonga misaal ek karmyogi ki
Nahin aaney doonga zindagi ko aasani se patri par

Utarney doonga usey keechad main,tedhey medhey raston pe

Nahin sookhney doonga deewaron par laga khoon

Halka nahin padney doonga uska rang Is baar nahin banney doonga usey itna laachaar

Ki paan ki peek aur khoon ka fark hi khatm ho jaye Is baar nahin

(This time I won't pick up my tools as a matter of dutyI will not make a new beginning Nor will I stand as an example of one dedicated to my job I will not let life easily return to normalcy I will let it descend into muck, on the twisting paths I will not let the blood on the walls dry out Nor will I let its colour fade away This time I won't let it become so helpless That you can't tell blood from paan-spit Not this time.)

Is baar ghawon ko dekhna hai
Gaur se
Thoda lambe wakt tak
Kuch faisley
Aur uskey baad hausley
Kahin toh shuruat karni hi hogi
Is baar yahi tay kiya hai

(This time the wounds need to be watched Carefully For a long timeSome decisions are needed And then some brave moves to be made We have to begin somewhere. This time this is what I have resolved)

This was wrote by Prasoon Joshi.... film lyricist and ad-guru.... Hats of to the man...

A solution???

hey as i was writing my previous entry i saw an article in our own rediff... a person with a solution... jus see the link...

http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/dec/01mumterror-will-the-messiah-of-the-hour-please-stand-up.htm

Political Gimmick or True Responsibility?

It has been clearly a week of shock and surprise for many world over in the aftermath of the mumbai terror attacks. Mumbai still reeling under fear and foregin tourists reconsidering their plans of visiting india as a whole. With peoples mind searching for a solution and a comfort in the aftermath of these attacks, what are the indian politicians upto. Political leaders blaming each other for the lack of security and vice versa there is a lot of noises made in the right areas but in the wrong context and wrong time. Lets have a look at these happenings and some of the questions being asked.

I was really amused by the media reporting that Shri. L.K.Advani (opposition party leader) postponing his take off from delhi to mumbai in order to make a joint visit along with Shri Manmohan Singh(Prime Minister). It was also surprising consedering the fact that the politicians try to gain political milage by these visits especially with elections round the corner. My surprise ended shortly when suddenly Advani was criricising the government's policies in mumbai... wher the hell did tat fellow go ther all of a sudden after makin such a statement of joint visit.,.... Shame on indian politicians...

Narendra Modi giving out 1 crore for killed police officers family in mumbai!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! wat the hell was this gujrat CM doing in Mumbai.... Is he gonna run for his second CM seat???

Sivraj Patil (Union Home Minister) Resigns Owing Moral Responsibility........!!! with three months left in office for the tenure to end.... wat will happen in three months... even a draft proposal could not be prepared(history says so..). will the leaders concentrate in campaigning or corrective action????

RR Patil (State Home Minister) Resigns!!!! Vilasrao Deshmukh (Maharastra CM) offers to resign..!!! Again congress people.... not in a position to comment..

PM orders increase of troops along border and cuts air and rail links to Pakistan!!.... (it looks similar to BJP's action during their end term, only to be recalled by the current govt..) making one believe that pakistan government is responsible when the other side begs to differ... Can the terrorists from pakistan sneak into indian roads without insiders help???

Where are the answers to these questions. Who will take the moral responsibility of answering these questions...?

Also it makes me wonder why the hell do teams from FBI, Scotland Yard and an Israel need to come to india for carring investigations into the attack. Are our officers not competent enough?? Where has all the tax-payers money in the name of investigation gone???

These are some questions raking my head when i read any news about the terror attacks...

Tribute to a Departed Soul

It is not common and a nice feeling when we hear close friends and colleauges departing forever from life in order to rest in peace. These kinds of things come as a surprise and a rude shock when it happens to us. One incident happened to me last week when i heard tat a junior of my collage in india named "VIJAY" fell from the cooling tower of a company (incidentely i was working in the same company but different branch) and was declared dead immediately. It came as a rude shock with grief engulfing many people... one person who has openly expressed his feeling for this is my professor (Prof K.R.K) who had sent a mail across to students he knew of.. it is rare for professors to come out with such things... here is a copy of that mail for your viewing

Dearest Vijay,
It is the 76th convocation day of our university. Sitting on the dais of the Sastri Hall I look at the young faces in the full Sastri Hall - the famed hall which have produced scores and scores of proven entrepreneurs, renouned scientiests, top class leaders, knowledgeable engineers, skilled surgeons and leading economists to name a few... I look at the faces of the budding graduates on a day in which their dreams have come true - at least partially in graduating from Annamalai university, the beaming parents whose eyes slowly well with tears of pride and joy, the teachers who, in all humility, toiled to produce a batch of hardworking talents for our nation - and the faces of the budding graduates.! a sizeable portion of them, from engineering facutly, offer me a gloomy picture at the day when they step out into the world proudly proclaiming they are qualified engineers now. I search, frantically, knowing fully well of the futility of the efforts, for a round face, always smiling with kindness and unlimited warmth, always ready to help others and always ready to be the man-friday! I search for the softspoken, ever smiling and ever willing wonderful person who was dependable, joyful and full of affection. It takes a few moments to realise that you are no more with us, vijay, but has departed for larger pasture - the most coveted position in heaven.....
I look back those fun filled days of your association with me and the team of the dedicated volunteers of the placement cell of the faculty of engineering and tech. The jokes, the night outs, the late working hours, the rejoices of the selectees, the dinners, the team efforts, the organisation, the teas, and what not? Most significant is your attitude of lending a hand, even when other departmental vacancies came up and the innumerable travels and paces up and down the staircases. The unerasable ooty trip, the rains and the unexplored areas of ooty, the walk on the roads, the tiring travel when we talked- you of your aspirations, your recent meditational endeaours, yoga, family, affectionate parents, loveable sister- why did you leave us all, vijay - so suddenly and so swiftly?

I am reminded of the day when you came to my office, beaming with joy and said " sir, i presented a saree to my mother in my first part-time salary. She was so happy. my grandmother blessed me and my father too."

We continue to look for you in future convocations as well and I am sure you will continue your dedicated efforts of helping others - now in heaven - with gods and goddesses searching for the loveable soul always.Vijay - i am sure you will continue to support your juniors and your friends alike, continue to return back in our dreams and thoughts, continue to be with us in our cherished memories. May your soul rest in peace.Vijay - we miss you!
affly
krk

realising the true importance of friends when they are nearby and hoping that this does not happen to us again... signing of with grief and hoping vijay's soul rests in peace...

Hooked to Chandrayaan

My friend "san" is really mad about space science and his eagerness and anxiety about chandrayaan's performance and success has affected me that i find myself reading anything and everthing about it being published. Though i myself am an avid reader of news on the go this addition in the already wide range of subjects i cover has made me think i had missed this earlier. Instead of me elaborating on it fully i request you to see this link..
http://san-sci.blogspot.com/


Some pics for making this blog look bright... :)

The first images, taken at an altitude of 9,000km, show the northern coast of Australia while others, snapped at a height of 70,000km, show Australia’s southern coast. The Terrain Mapping Camera is one of the eleven scientific instruments aboard Chandrayaan 1. The camera takes black and white pictures at a resolution of about 5m.

Blogging

Hi all...

I have been seeing many people spending some hours a day for blogging. It is well evident that blogging is catching the minds of virtually (almost) most of the net surfers. It is still brought forward with celibrities too starting their own blogs.. aamir khan having a dedicated site for this and now recently Big B too expressing his desire....

These make me start blogging and express my views on a horde of issues publically and in a global way....

And most important i was inspired in blogging after seeing my friend Ramnath (alais BODY) http://www.mid-wicket.blogspot.com/ http://ramnatharunachalam.blogspot.com/ who is regular with his blogs and hats of to him for inspiring me.

I'll be back wth a strong opening blog shortly once i get a juicy topic in my head.

Hope i get hooked on to this.