Surprise Gifts

Imagine that you just received a gift from a very close friend. Wouldn't you want to open it up and discover what she got for you? I definitely would! The entire process is indeed delightful, right from tearing open the wrapper, unboxing the present and discovering your gift, to actually begin using it for real.

Gifting is a wonderful concept.

It reminds you of someone you love.

It gives you an opportunity to show that you care.

It helps keep in touch.

It brings delight and excitement to any occasion.

It brings something new to your lives.

It helps spread happiness and joy.

There are many occasions that present an opportunity to exercise this wonderful concept of gifting. It could be a birthday, anniversary, a promotion, new job, marriage, Christmas, New Years or a farewell. Each is special and in my opinion should be personal as well. The more personal it is, the more thought provoking it tends to be, and the closer it gets to being what I described above.

I have a unique attitude towards gifting. I always think it is better to gift something of value rather than something that just looks pretty (flowers anyone?). I also tend to believe that a good gift is one that adds some kind of value. This is partly why I strongly dislike gifts such as money or gift vouchers - yes, it does make people happy, and they do get to buy whatever they want; but they could've gotten those things themselves too if it was so important to them. And if they buy things from your gift voucher that they wouldn't have otherwise bought, it probably isn't that important.

Besides being personal, it is really a matter of great self-satisfaction if you can find something that not only adds value, but is also quite unlikely to be bought by the person herself. I like to call this unique value addition. In essence, what you gift to people brings about a positive change in their lives which they probably wouldn't have brought upon themselves if it were not for you. There are many unique advantages to this.

It adds real value to the person you are gifting.

It shows your thoughtfulness.

It adds a personal touch.

It builds a connection.

It makes an impactful difference.

So, what are your ideas on gifts for different occasions and what will you be buying?

PS: Flowers are a wonderful choice of gift for certain occasions and nothing else probably compares in conveying the same emotion across. I am just against the notion of gifting flowers when its 'too much effort to go look for a gift to buy'.

On putting things off...

"Its never too late to reconsider an Important Decision
It helps you attain more Precision
You can explain things with Concision
But everything is Preceeded by a Distant Vision"

- An anonymous BITSGian Spamming on DC

Of the innumerable things that each of us has to do, we choose to put off some for later, while concentrating on few others. Often, there are things we keep putting off without realizing what we are losing out on. And most often than not, its the long term things that we put off, and prefer to complete the short term ones, so that we may focus on the long term "things" when the time comes.
But then that time will probably never come until we choose to make time for them.
And for me, that time has to come.
Now.

The Smurfs...

This is a tale of a place far away
paradise on earth, its an island at bay

The 'Smurfs' as the inhabitants were fondly called by the people,
Had nothing to do with their skin-colour being purple

The smurfs were happy, they knew no desire
No competition, no fancy fashion, no claim on property, no quest for attire

It was all fun and joy, and everyone was content
until one fine day, arrived a jew... , with a malicious intent

He sold them an idea, a business, a plan
He sold them a dream, He said 'together we can'

And so it was, and indeed, together they did
The smurfs worked hard, they were diligent and intrepid



Scrooge, the Jew was visibly overjoyed
It was his farmland for which the smurfs were employed
He grew crops and fruits and vegetables that were nice
of breeds exotic, befitting the smurfs' paradise

The smurfs were happy, for they got fat payments
10 coins each, for a day's work, for enjoyment

Within under a month, Scrooge was overjoyed and excited
for his tiny little market, brimming with buyers, was crowded
He also ran a restaurant, where he offered delicacies exotic
The smurfs watched in amazement -
-as the fruits and vegetables of their island, transformed-
-into delicious retreats of wonder and magic

Scrooge was happy, satisfied, overjoyed and content
He brought new joy and pleasures to the ignorant smurfs; he had a happy intent.

Even the smurfs, their payments increased
With new delicacies to relish, their excitement had peaked

And so the smurfs were happy again, they knew no more desire
No competition, no fancy fashion, no claim on property, no quest for attire



Until one fine day, a new dish adorned the menu. It was called the 'paradise bright'
Those who had relished it, cried out in ecstacy; nowhere on earth will you get such a delight
But alas, the heavenly desire cost 50 coins per dish
'How are we to arrange, for so costly a dish?'

Dont worry, said scrooge, you can take it now, if you want, for ten
your earnings will increase, and with your savings, you can payback then
But every day you delay, you incur upon yourself
A payment of interest amounting to a coin a day in itself

The smurfs thought for a moment, decided it through, and said why not
"we earn 15 coins a day; and for today's delight, we can spare a coin or two a day, can we not?"

So it was decided, and the smurfs were happy again
From every perspective, it was everyone's gain
They were overjoyed and content, it was anyone's call
Living beyond one's means is so much fun after all



But then one fine day, Scrooge decided
It was time to expand, new land to be added
More smurfs to be hired, expansion is fine
"But How am I to pay, the new smurfs who join?"

"Dont worry, I know what ill do" thought Scrooge, he was proud.
He summoned the new joinees, and told them aloud
"I'll pay you half your wage, every day for this month
and give you your rightful due, in installments from next month."

So it was decided, and Scrooge was happy again
From every perspective, it was everyone's gain
He was overjoyed and content, it was anyone's call
Living beyond one's means is so much fun after all



Until one fine day, the weather gods relented
It thundered, it stormed, it poured unbounded
The crops were destroyed, the produce wasted
The land was flooded, and the smurfs were disappointed

With nothing to grow, the profits finished
The employed smurfs, had their incomes diminished
A frustrated Scrooge demanded his due: "You all owe me for the 'paradise bright'
Which you so excitedly relished, with much delight"
"How can we pay, with our incomes dwindled?", said the smurfs with exhaustion
The end of the month was soon approaching, it was a perilous situation
For now it was time, for the installments to begin
"What do I do now?" thought scrooge, from within

The smurfs owed Scrooge, and he owed them
"The bubble's burst; this crisis, I have to stem"



The smurfs, concerned, demanded a fresh start
But despite the crisis, Scrooge was smart
He went to the landlord, of his own accord
and Demanded some credit. "Liquidity Crunch, My Lord"

And so they discussed, and they all agreed
That liquidity and credit was the solution indeed
"Why not?" said the landlord, "I have some credit"
If you promise to repay from a part of your profit

So it was decided, and everyone was happy again
From every perspective, it was everyone's gain
They were overjoyed and content, it was anyone's call
Living beyond one's means is so much fun after all

Until, that is, the bubble bursts again; and you fall...

Yes, I know what you're thinking, and before we jump to that, lets see what different people say about the situation:

The nazis would blame the jew. The jew robbed the honest and hard working smurfs, a rich and happy and content island; and corrupted them with greed. The jew should be executed and all those who dissent should be too.

The Socialists and communists would blame capitalism and the free market system. "Its evil" they'll say. They'll criticize the landlord for supporting the Jew. And would ask for a complete nationalization of the land and resources and let everything be owned by the state. They forget, though, that by doing so, they are putting themselves in Scrooge's shoes; except, they have absolute power and control over law.

The free market thinkers of the likes of Edmund spencer would put this off as a case of inflated economy, and would call for corrective measures and increase in credit and liquidity...

Me? I just feel that the people are dumb. The free market way is the best way there is. Its the people who misuse it. If a street rogue comes to you and sells you a watch which you later find out is fake, who are you going to blame? Its you who is to blame.
If someone commits a murder with a swiss army knife, you arent going to sue the manufacturers, the culprit is the guy who misused it.
Its the people who misuse the system and since no-one likes themselves blamed, the blame shifts on to the system.

As long as our mindset will be focused on the belief that we can relish, now, the fruits of seeds we are yet to sow; then there is something fundamentally wrong with our thinking...

The last time...

A long time since I updated anything here, and this post wont do justice to the short interlude between the two 'eras' of my college life.

There are a lot of experiences that all of us go through, and never have a chance to experience again. Yes, the list goes on... childhood, friends, the first time you went to a new school, the first time you went out with friends for a weekend trip, the first time you you came to college, the first time you spent a night out with friends... All of these and more will always be cherished and probably never forgotten.

But then there are other experiences. When you know you can only have it one last time. And you cant really plan it out. Like the ones I'm gonna talk about in this post...

It all probably started on 25 July 2008.

I finished My internship at IISc, and left for home by bus, bang in the middle of the bangalore blasts. The bus was delayed by more than an hour and as is typical of lady luck, it started pouring as I (and the other passengers of the ill-fated bus) desperately waited for it to arrive at the KSRTC bus stand.
After boarding, a general discussion swept us all inside the bus about the bomb blasts and the traffic situation.
And we soon discovered it ourselves, when our bus was checked twice for bomb suspects in front of hyderabad house!.
I can distinctly remember a gentleman too fat for anyone of his stature on an adjacent seat, praying over and over again. There was this young business-professional lookalike in a 3-piece suit sitting behind the fat-ass, who was always on the phone; and every now and then when the connection snapped, he would begin to panic. What added to this truly unique atmosphere were 2 kids on the last seat who couldn't stop howling and screaming all the while, and all the cajoling that their moms could offer seemed insufficient.

And as it played out, we were watching Live on the news about the discovery of 2 more bombs in other areas of bangalore within the last half hour. Our bus was enclosed with surrounding traffic by the police and separated from the maddening crowd for fear of a live bomb.
Thrilling - You say? Gross understatement.
But it was all over by midnight, and we were out of bangalore for good!

"Finally Going home!" I thought. But somewhere at the back of my mind it echoed "For the last time". It was the last time I was going to Kochi, calling it my home. In another 2 months, our family would shift to Delhi which would be our new home.

So the next 5 days (yes, thats how long my summer vacation lasted) was fun. Back at home with family. Kochi, the green, cool and beautiful place (with lots of rain and insects though).
It was fun driving along the foreshore road facing the backwaters at Katari Bagh, into the golf course and around the place in the morning. Its probably the last experience I will have, of living at 04-Katari Bagh.

And then, I had to return to college for my last semester on campus, with just 4 months of college life left.
After the course registrations and placement worries drift into the past, I still have to figure out how to spend the last 3 months of college life I have left.

Beauty

It seems to me that whatever else is beautiful apart from absolute beauty is beautiful because it partakes of that absolute beauty, and for no other reason. Do you accept this kind of causality? Yes, I do. Well, now, that is as far as my mind goes; I cannot understand these other ingenious theories of causation. If someone tells me that the reason why a given object is beautiful is that it has a gorgeous color or shape or any other such attribute, I disregard all these other explanations—I find them all confusing—and I cling simply and straightforwardly and no doubt foolishly to the explanation that the one thing that makes the object beautiful is the presence in it or association with it, in whatever way the relation comes about, of absolute beauty.

I do not go so far as to insist upon the precise details—only upon the fact that it is by beauty that beautiful things are beautiful.

This, I feel, is the safest answer for me oranyone else to give, and I believe that while I hold fast to this I cannot fall; it is safe for me or for anyone else to answer that it is by beauty that beautiful things are beautiful.

- (Plato, Phaedo, 100c-e)

Don’t you agree? I do.

Multiple Personalities

There is this magical connotation attached to the word 'personality'.
Everyone is obsessed with it, without exception.

From concerns of a first impression, to job prospects to even social interactions, personality is always at the forefront.
And the only thing that's constant about it is change.

With all the experience that life brings our way, we change; and so does our personality. But somewhere on this transition, we leave behind footprints and memories of what we were earlier.


From when I've arrived at bangalore, its been almost a new start.
Even though I wouldn't say I'm a hard-working-student here at IISc (am I? :-D), my every effort here is in trying to prove just that to my mentor and guide. Back at hostel, though, my sincere room-mate believes I'm a party freak and night-life addict who just comes back to the hostel for the night, late, and goes off in the morning (sometimes even staying all the night out, and almost more regularly recently!). I would've told him that its not really regular parties that keep me up every night, if it werent for this strong urge to play along... I'm still trying to understand the source of this great urge to 'play along' so to say. Probably its fun to just let people make assumptions and see how things go on. And probably it brings the fun back into your life and makes it a little more entertaining.

And again, there's this veteran owner of a chain of restaurants here who thinks I've just entered college. Of course he would, I had figured that while seeking accommodation, rather than explaining people about the concept of summer internship, I'd rather blend into the crowd and become a college-goer looking for a decent dorm. And now its fun to see him advising me about college life whenever theres an opportunity for an interaction between us. Again, wouldnt it spoil the fun if I told him I was 3/4th of my way through college already?

Of course, all of us have differing personalities. We are different to different people, and different at different situations. Some are radically different, while the others are far more subtle. But here's one thought worth deliberating: what if somehow one or more of these personalities came to a clash? Imagine if, say the veteran restaurant owner somehow turns out to be a relative of my faculty guide at college (O.o) Such are the what-ifs which convince one to live a simple and transparent life, void of inconsistencies. But living on the edge somehow seems to be a fascinating exercise for me (of course, only when taken lightly and not on a very serious note). Probably just adds a little spice to the mundane life we have. Or probably I'm just too idle to be thinking up all this (then again, if I wouldnt be so jobless, I wouldnt be writing this post).

I guess its time to try and figure out which of these personalities probably got someone to puncture my cycle tyre today morning...

I'm Looking for a dream...

I'm looking for a Dream
a glad respite yet a true calling...
savouring memories, so close and yet so far
Its not easy, not now or ever, to be me

I'm just here to find
the better part of me
and I realize I'm the kind
who was never meant to be

"close the world,think it through
is this, really, who is you?
not today, not tomorrow
maybe when your time is through...

They won't tell you,neither can I
it's your prerogative, learn to Fly
You are the one, just haven't figured it out yet
there's still Time, take the Plunge, make a Bet"

Im looking for a Dream
A Vision of hope, without judge
a glad respite yet a true calling...
until I find, decide and take the plunge...

On Letting go...

To let go isn't to forget, or to ignore. It doesn't leave feelings of anger or regret. Letting go isn't about winning,losing ,giving in or giving up. It isn't about loss or defeat. To let go is to cherish the memories, &to overcome and move on & have confidence in d future. Letting go is learning & experiencing. To let go is to 2b thankful for the exp that made you laugh, made you cry, and made you grow. It's about all that you have, all that you had, and all that you will have. To let go is to open a door, and to clear a path 2 set yourself free.

Of the era that was and the age that is: electronics

Its funny that I pen down a title like that (above) when what I really intend to do is write about my experience at Pilani during my summer internship.

In one way, May 15 - July 15 brought about a myriad of experiences, each unique in its own right.
Although this fact alone should have accounted for my jubilation when I first received my confirmation mail, the fact that it is one of our reputed research institutes got me excited.
Pilani is about 5 hours from Delhi - by road - and there is no other means of transport to get there. So, after a 5 hour grueling bus journey, I finally arrive at my destination: A land full of camels and the desert wind. The land of the Rajahs, as they say, and the town for education - Pilani. It took me a bit of time to adjust to the extreme climate, not to mention that adjusting with peacocks as your friendly neighbourhood stray animal was a pretty formidable task in itself! An oasis in a desert, It could put many fairylands to shame.

Of course the most striking factor about the place was the pace of its functioning. Time would literally stay still as you would take your own sweet time to adjust and go on.
Hardly a few days of stay, and I was already convinced that I had entered a new world.

And then, I was proved wrong when I entered CEERI - the real new world! A lot more than what it appears on first sight: A modest research institute established under the CSIR. The History attached with the place is compelling: A lot of technical breakthroughs without which the country would probably have had to shelve lumps of money for technology transfer; and of course, live without television! But again it was a new experience, a new way of life and a new world to enter.

A glimpse into the developments that are going on here, and I begin to wonder about the era that was and the age that is: electronics. Since the turn of the century we have had numerous breakthroughs and path breaking findings, even revolutionary progress; yet we seek to answer the same fundamental questions and are groping for the still more fundamental answers.
One begins to question the nature of revolutions themselves, based on the scope that they claim to affect.

"New hopes, new styles, and, most important, a new way of seeing. Revolutions do not come piecemeal. One account on nature replaces another. Old problems are seen in new light. Something takes place that resembles a whole industry retooling for new production. It is rather as if the professional community had been suddenly transported to another planet where familiar objects are seen in a different light and are joined by unfamiliar ones as well." - CHAOS, James Gleick

And this is the situation that people at CEERI try to address and bring about all the time. We may talk about the next big breakthrough, the next big Silicon revolution, even path breaking findings that may allow us to look back and laugh at what we currently regard as the highest achievements we have made.
Yet, in the foreseeable future, I cant help but see a fraction of us smirk at those who laugh, for we still, as always will, remain in an endless pursuit of answering the fundamental questions that stare at us.

A passing thought...

I sit back here in my hostel on a hot Saturday morning (did I say morning...guess its closer noon than morning..damn, time flies), one of those days you dont know how you are going to spend but you end up spending it eventually anyway; and of course at the end of a sunday you'll end up wondering
"how d hell did da weekend just fly by?"
No. The weekend din fly by. You went right through it wondering how to spend it; and realize that rather than spend the time, the time just spent you.

I know, those of you who know me will be surprised at the my renewed concern for time...but thats what this summer internship at CEERI has taught me above all. Imagine when the freedom of doing what-you-want when-you-want is suddenly snapped! you've got to adapt, adapt to the monotonic routine that is imposed upon you. And then enjoy every bit of time that you take off this routine and spend to your liking. It makes me realize the importance of the ignorance and bliss back at college.

So, here i am on a hot, rather burning hot morning an sayin to myself: whatya doin here? not that Im so busy in my summer internship, colloquially known as PS in the BITS dictionary, but again, the BITS dictionary is only for fags...thats what the IITians say..an we tell'em "you're d fags". Its funny...it reminds me of the time I went trekkin to the Pindari Glacier...we were split into "ropes" (basically teams) lead by our rope leaders who were the pro-hikers...and we used to yell to the others that we're gonna win the best-rope-award an the others just yelled back "you're the fags and fags ne'er win!"...and all the time we kept cursing ourselves for having come for this trek at all; but looking back today I can definitely say that I still cherish those 3 weeks and would do anything to get back there...among those friends, cursing the cold and warming the tent, watching the sky and admiring the dawn, cursing the water for bein so cold, and yet enjoying every bit of the experience..now unforgettable.

So! I say to myself: Whatya doin? I just finished watching a wonderful movie called "The Perfect Storm". Its wonderful not because of a Superb storyline, or excellent effects etc...Its wonderfull because its been done with great devotion. It tells you that if you really want to do something and you give it everything you've got, you'll come up with a creation that no1 will ever forget to cherish.

So I ask myself again, Whatya doin? Im Graduating. Completing 4 years of blissful (did I say that? yes I did!) existence at BITS. Its like the legions in the Roman Army, getting ready to fight, to unleash ourselves into the battlefield...yes thats right...we're like the soldiers..in the infantry...ripening our skills at training centers that we call college. We prepare to enter the battlefield that we call the world. each one will go his own way..some will be the infantry, some will be the archers, some will operate siege weaponry while others will nurse the injured; Some will lead legions, while others shall perish. Some shall expand their empire while others will surrender, some will make a mark while others shall be forgotten in anonymity. Its funny how things correlate when u compare them.

So here I am, asking myself: what am I doin? nothin much, just writin a blog entry and am nearly done with it.
What abt you?
Whatya doin?