My Favourite Wallpaper

This picture wins the award for being my cell phone wallpaper for the longest period of time. (Others never stay more than a few days.)
A couple of weeks back I changed it, not because I was as usual bored, but because of the feeling it's not very "me" to stick to the same image for so long... But within a day I was back to this one. It's so beautifully intriguing that I never get tired of looking at it—in fact I find myself staring at this picture for minutes at a stretch and admiring the beauty.

Never tried finding out whether it's real; don't remember where I downloaded it... Who cares. It's about the beauty. The simplicity. Which this has in abundance.

Why I Won't Put Ads on my Blogs

I write because I enjoy the writing part of it. And the typing part as well.

The free earnings would be great, but I wouldn't want to give up the cleanliness of my blogs, sustained by effort and passion, for a few dollars. These blogs started as attempts to let my voice reach people—this simple, honest intention deserves to remain pristine.

And the other thing is that with my writing right now, I don't intend to rake in any moolah; the idea to improve enough before I feel ready to launch my writing into the commercial space.

Things that Make Me Happy (Updatable)

In no particular order:

• Rain
• Babies
• Wet grass
• Dew drops
• Good food
• Cheese
• Coffee
• Flowers
• Writing/blogging
• Typing
• Cameras
• thxthxthx.com :)
• Shades of purple
• Being so busy with something, you involuntarily forget about lower-order needs
• Long phone conversations
• Smiling
• RAOKs (directed from or to me)
• Good stationery
• Clean desktops—real and virtual

An Open Letter to Whoever Can Change the Scenario Described

Sir/Madam

I have to clarify right at the outset that, no matter what people might say, I love life at Thapar. Everything about the place—the negatives totally included—make life so much fun and satisfying, and I'm probably blessed with the best people around too.

But anyway, frequently I think of how India's fourth best private engineering college fails to live up to its name in some ways. Rather than using engineering in a way that reflects the education being imparted, the campus is just an ordinarily equipped place. Here is a reality-check:

- We're churning out an exponentially rising number of Computer Science engineers every year, yet there is no official system (that is followed as well) to distribute notes online, and offer video-taped lectures. Even the attendance and testing systems have remained the same over the years while technology grows as warp speed.

The idea is to enhance communication among students and teachers (WebKiosk 2.0), an example of which is Mr. Apurva Bakshi's IPR blog: avbakshi.blogspot.com.

- Electronics and Electrical engineers have not been able to design greener technologies to mow lawns, water plants, power the campus... Not only are we yet to bring out a breakthrough in the existing technologies, despite the generous revenues, even already-available technologies are yet to be put to productive use.

- Despite the high desirability of Civil engineering courses, the real thinktanks have been rather uncivil in not having bettered the walkways, which are sure to ruin a good pair of shoes with the oodles of quicksand during the rainy days.

- Most courses are based on the theoretical aspect of things, and the practical applications only come as a footnote. Unless we realize the manifestations of its concepts, how are we expected to find interest in the course? And what real innovation are we bringing learning exactly what the past generations of engineers have been studying?

- The labs are a wonderful way to waste/utilize time trying to prove the proven. The curriculum overall, and the labs in particular, have no flexibility, and that goes directly against the very idea of engineering.

The list has more than can be recounted, but the general idea is to inject more engineering into a campus like ours.

On the shiny side, however, some of the ongoing research is highly awe-inspiring. The potato-tomato hybrid, and the zapping cars of the mechanical engineers of course do us all proud. Let's try swinging the scales in favour of the delicious side of engineering.

Truly

100806095

Life Lessons from a Theatre Director

If I start it, the story will be use up a million words, so I'll directly skip to the point(s):

Make it fun

Nobody enjoys injecting effort into something that they don't relish. I'd be sorry for you if you were one of the people who are stuck doing something they inherently don't enjoy, but the point is that even in activities we revel in, light moments are always welcome. Create an atmosphere around that is light, humorous and fun.

Acknowledge your role as the team leader...

and make sure that you always give out positive vibes and stay optimistic. Don't let your negative thoughts rub off on the team and get you all down.

Welcome criticism, but know where to draw the line

Be open to ideas from people who might not be authorized or asked to help. Genuinely consider ideas that may turn out to be for the greater good. Nevertheless, know that you'll have to put your foot down at some point and take decisions that not everyone will appreciate. The director may be "only just a director" but in the end it is her call.

You're never too prepared

No matter how far the big day seems, you never have too much time to prepare. Stay focused, do not be delinquent, and work hard.

Trust spontaneity

Preparation sometimes comes in the way of excellence. True, you can never be too prepared, but the line has to drawn somewhere. Put in a sincere effort; and leave the rest to the D-day eustress.

You'll have to surrender control at some point

No matter what, your duty will be over at some stage, where you have to have faith, trust your cast and crew, and God, and hope everything works out well. And guess what--if you've put in an honest effort, it will! Loosen up!

Look for the positives

During the performance, keep track of all the positives. (The goof-ups won't need conscious tracking. :P) And once it's over, congratulate yourself and your team on the good work. When you start working on the next performance, be sure to use the feedback constructively.

Thank you, Lovneet, for being the in/direct source of wisdom.

Welcoming 2010

Happy new year, everyone!

It's a great feeling to welcome a new year--a representation of a new dawn, new beginning, new hope... and the rest of the clichés. I genuinely hope that 2010 brings for everyone, joy, success and satisfaction.

2009 has definitely been the best year of my life. It's been a wonderful concoction of happiness, wonderful people who brought wonderful experiences, and lessons, of course. Kind of like a few drops of a bitter drink that make you grateful for every crystal of sugar that would otherwise just sit around on the kitchen counter. (What am I saying? :-/)

Anyway the point is just that I hope we all have a great year ahead. Wishing that everyone can take baby steps towards living their best lives. :)

Transcending the "System"

Just entered my room after a quiz* and a lecture. I don't intend to raise a voice against anyone at all, but this is what happened in the last couple hours:

The quiz started almost at scheduled time, but only in some of the exam rooms—roughly for half of the test-takers. I was in this lot.
The questions were unfair at best. We hadn't covered at least 3 of the 10 questions. Yet, with a combination of intelligence, guess-work and copying, we managed. (Don't doubt my actions, though—this is about the general public.) We were asked to stay back after the quiz was over. The justification: "If you go outside, you'll text the answers to friends." Needless to mention, even within the classes, all cell phones were discreetly lit up, and fingers were moving at warp speed to ask for/give help.
The result was that the first lot of students didn't do too well, and the others did way better.

Fast forward to the lecture. An extra lecture scheduled to make sure the course gets covered before we call it a semester. Anyway, those three questions got covered—either within the lecture, or as part of the topics delegated as homework. Some people had heard the quiz has been cancelled, and that another one will be taken in lieu of it. I seriously doubt this rumour.

So that was what happened. My reactions:
Really really cross from start of quiz to end of lecture. Mentally using lots of not-very-nice words on the way back. And now thinking:
There are people who will blame their destiny, their circumstances, or more relevantly, the system. And there are people who will be so good, even the screwed-up (Pardon me.) system can't get them down.

JOIN THEM.
Lesson learnt.


*"Objective" tests typically lasting ten minutes and contributing 5-10% towards the total marks for a course. Particularly renowned for the usually effortless copying opportunities.

Looking back...

As the end of my third semester here at TU approaches, I am evaluating how the last few months have been. (Great, no doubt.) The best part is that I've discovered what I'd been missing out on all through the first year. And here is that list!
What I sincerely intend is for this list to be a constant reminder to not postpone squeezing out the maximum from each moment, and being on a constant look-out for the new.

- Taking pictures for the sake of photography
- Finding a wonderful friend in Priya Mahajan
- Lemonade/fruit shakes @ the Campus Fruit Store, flavoured soy milk @ "Confect", coffee @ Amul
- Exercising on the terrace, first thing in the morning (I HAVE to start doing this again.)
- Using worthless lectures to catch up on shut-eye time :P
- Working for T and I. The official campus newspaper is one of the coolest things around. Followed closely by the team that makes it happen. And now I'm part of it. This rocks!
- Blogging more actively, and commenting on my favourite blogs :D
- Watching movies on a screen larger—way larger—than my laptop's
- Having food delivered to the hostel room--well, almost. (Love you for that, Surbhi Agarwal!)
- Quizzing. A few of my friends had been trying to convince me to get into this (and it was even on one of my old list of things to do while in college), but I just never found that internal push. However during Elixir '09, I was almost forced to represent my year in two quizzes, and that was SO much fun. I happily stand corrected.
- Following mental_floss. I was going to mention this only in the follow-up on the My Favourite Blogs list, but mental_floss is by far the most interestingly compiled blog (like, ever) and a great way to learn tons of interesting stuff. I'm getting addicted to their quizzes, and overall really glad to have stumbled upon the site/magazine. (Although that did not happen through StumbleUpon. ;])

Thanks to all my friends who've been a huge part of these discoveries. A huge thanks particularly to my buddies from the Cellar Door Productions team. :)

The Three A's of a Great Relationship

In the last few weeks I've been a bad person. A bad friend more than anything else. I've been irritated, irritable and irritating. Now finally I've taken a break from college and am at home, unwinding and organizing my thoughts. And unexpectedly, it's working. Only a few hours of serious thinking, and I've already discovered a huge hidden part of my entangled web of ideas, and—believe it or not—I've almost entangled it too:

Relationships are probably the single most important part of life. Every relationship requires you to adjust, accommodate, and accept. These three A's can often be the difference between a lasting relationship and a failed relationship. However, it is very important to truly understand what these words really mean.

Adjust: It is very rare that someone can get along with you exactly as you are. In the real world, some (or many) small changes are required. Make those changes. These changes should not come as a burden or obligation—you would happily make them for a loved one.

Accommodate: Accommodating is the complement of adjustment, in that it has to be everywhere that adjustment is. If another person cannot adjust in a certain situation, you should accommodate. Keep in mind though, that there is no other way for this to work than on a reciprocal basis.

Watch out that adjusting and accommodating should never require you to curb your personality. Never let anyone in the world restrict you to a person that's less than the real you. Minor changes here and there are great, but a relationship that seems to become successful only if you shake up the foundations of your very being isn't a very good idea at all.

Accept: Where adjust and accommodate fail, and otherwise, acceptance comes into the picture and probably erases all negativity. Acceptance is never easy, and in fact requires more selflessness than most of us have. Yet, it is one of the strongest foundations of love. Sometimes an incompatibility cannot be removed; instead embrace it, respect it, enjoy it.

All of this said, there are two very important "boundary conditions" (engineer-speak):
1. None of the three A's (or let's say a relationship) should ever come in the way of your becoming a better human being. Be a work in progress and strive to be continuously in the process of improving. At least with me, the conscience is enough to decide which traits need to go in transcending to a higher self. So there is usually a clear line between improving and not having to curb myself.
2. Like I've mentioned already, there's no way a relationship can work unless both (or all) the persons involved contribute their share of love, attention and the three A's, among much else. If a relationship ever gets abusive, the best thing to do is to call it quits.
It's perfectly normal for things to not work out even when you have given your best. You didn't end up with a great relationship, but with a great lesson. Trust me, that's not bad at all.

From my learning, I've certainly become a happier person, and am ready to make the people around me happier. Hope this can have the same effect on you too. :)

Selflessness--an illusion?

This is going to be a short post, because the idea, I believe, is strong enough to speak volumes for itself. I heard this on a Robin Sharma podcast, and it stayed with me:

The sun gives away everything it has, without being selfish, and in return flowers grow directly towards it.

It sure is a beautiful metaphor, but just made me think of how people say that no act is truly selfless--even when you donate to charities it's because you want the satisfaction that it brings.
I guess perception is a bigger deal than most of us think...

Suicide Note 1.0 (Don't be alarmed!)

One of the most extreme things a human can do is to kill another. Take the level of craziness some notches higher and you have enough for suicide. I believe that in 99% of suicide cases the emotional upheaval veils a better solution. (Killing animals is extreme to me too, but it is an inseparable part of civilization by now.)
YET I've realized there's one powerful aspect of suicide—the suicide note. Yeah, right? Here's how:

Today somehow I started thinking of how I would write my suicide note if I ever had to. I made a mental list of the reasons that trouble me enough. And as I thought about each one I realized that most of these, partly or wholly, directly or indirectly, are self-created troubles. The remaining few might not be my fault, but then were they really significant? Not on the scale of a human life.
Thus the idea of suicide (so to speak) dissolved and I flexed my be-grateful-for-everything muscles.

The catch here is that I'm NOT even close to suicidal to begin with. Hardly a surprise then, that the reasons that were anyway not strong enough to drive me to suicide, didn't succeed (or should I say fail?). But what's relevant is not that I survived this activity, but that I felt better after it. By listing out my problems I realized that they are neither HUGE nor irreparable. The result: I felt more in control of my life and (more) grateful for all the good stuff—once you start counting it's a whole lot.

This time all of this happened and I just went with the flow; next time I'll drive the flow of thoughts: (Try this out.)
1. Grab a pen/cil and paper.
2. List out all the problems and reasons for unhappiness in your life.
3. Categorize them according to which ones you are responsible for, which ones don't have a solution (are you sure?), which ones don't deserve the attention, etc.
4. Write down what you can do about each one—try getting rid of it, work your way around it, stop bothering about it—whatever gives you power over the problem.
5. Read the whole list and start executing around the ideas you generated. Gratitude muscles twitching a little? Flex them and count your blessings.

Oh, and whenever you write* your Suicide Note 2.0 please give it a more positive name and let me know about it, and the whole experience.


*Make sure you write it out—2.0 is all about the written form. Your brain will also react better.

The Pleasure of Discipline

Every time I enter my room, a sign on the door stares me in the face and shouts out loud: "The price of discipline is always less than the pain of regret." The price of discipline, or rather the reluctance to pay it, is the reason why so many of us do not reach the heights of our potential. Discipline is often the difference between being successful and being regretful.
However, I think a more relevant concept is that of the pleasure of discipline. If that sounds foreign to you, you're not alone. The first time I developed this idea, it took some time to put pleasure and discipline together.

Before getting up this morning I'd been lounging around in bed for some minutes. Then I said to myself, "You have two choices--continue with the bad routine, or get the discipline juices flowing. Put mind over mattress." That was enough to propel me out of bed. I almost sleep-walked to my washroom, and happened to look into the mirror. What I saw was a sleepy face, with a slight hint of reluctance and irritation. I hardly paid any attention and took a shower--something that would ordinarily happen hours later. I cursed myself as the cool water made me shiver. That lasted a couple seconds, and after stepping out, I saw myself in the same mirror again. Spontaneously and impulsively I gave one of my biggest, brightest smiles. It was big and bright and most importantly a genuinely happy smile. I was so happy with myself, feeling utter delight at having snapped out of a bad habit (or at least having started the journey). And the happiness was anything but short-lived.
After getting ready, I went to the Gurdwara, took a walk around the block, and came back home, feeling great. The next few hours were enthusiastically productive--there was some revision to do before I wrote an important exam later in the morning--and I enjoyed the studying way more than ever. Not only that, the exam was great, and now, hours later, I'm still excited and happy (and it's rubbing off on the ones around me), not tired at all, and smiling days worth of smiles sitting here.

AND it doesn't get close to ending here either! Tomorrow morning when I think about how great today was, I'll have another reason to shoot out of bed and give myself the same experience all over again. Again, it doesn't end there. The chain reaction this day will hopefully initiate, will keep getting bigger and better and bring more happiness and contentment into my life!

The moral of the story: Once you overcome the initial resistance of trying out something new, or developing a new habit, or shedding an old one, you can't help thanking yourself for it. The circumstances we've always lived in have a way of trying to pull us back when we try to escape. It's painful to resist, but once you pay the price of discipline and overcome the force of gravity, the investment pays off and the profit is all yours--The Pleasure of Discipline.


* "Put mind over mattress." and "The price of discipline is always less than the pain of regret." are ideas from Robin Sharma. *