Pumpkin pie, anyone?

Two pumpkins lay in yellow wood,
And sorry I could not harvest both
And one pie make, long I stood
And looked over one as best I could
To where it anchored in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was brassy and wanted air;
Though as for that the sunning there
Had ripened them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another pie!
Yet knowing how many pies end in the sty,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence;
Two pumpkins in a field stood, and I – -
I took the lesser for my pie,
And that has made all the difference.

Sorry, but this is what happens when you’re joblessly waiting for college to begin

Dear Aditi…

Dear Aditi,

As I write this post, every girl who shares her name with you is gleaming in joy every time this song is played on the air. How I wish you were with me every time I break into a song out of tune, How I wish I could talk to a portrait and how I wish I had such a spunky gang of friends. Teen movies flunk at the box office with the same ease that it takes to make them. All you need is a bunch of bright and bubbly kids, some cool clothes, a good dance number and corny/witty one-liners. So tell me Aditi, why do they all fail except for this time? I’ll answer it myself, this time there were no stern and opposing parents, lecturers weren’t ridiculed, no college bullies or ladki-ko-chedo sequences. Just simple everyday sequences with a generous helping cinematic liberty thrown into the mixture.

Aditi, I want to see more of such cinema. Would love to pay for movies that are fresh, original and don’t take themselves seriously! The real life couple of Naseruddin and Ratna Pathak Shah were just awesome! You know what Aditi, I feel bad for Arbaaz and Sohail for they beat the Deols for the most untalented siblings award! However this time they’ve played the best roles of their careers and if Mr.Singh-is-King took the honors last year then this year the best cameo award goes to the khan brothers. It’s movies like these I wouldn’t mind paying for and would rather feel guilty for downloading. We need more like this, clean entertainers that leave you with a nice fuzzy feeling as you walk out of the cinema hall. Aditi, I wished I had someone like you with me in the theater for the climax was the most cliched after what Jim Carrey did in Liar Liar. For a long time time now every guy will sing this out of tune to woo his girl, and I’m not gonna hold back as well. So here goes…

Love,

Atul

An ode to someone

She keeps her secrets
In her eyes
She wraps the truth
Inside her lies
Just when I can’t say
What she’s done to me
She comes to me
And leads me back to paradise

She’s so hard to hold
But I can’t let go

I’m a house of cards
in a hurricane
A reckless ride
In the pouring rain
She cuts me and the pain
Is all I wanna feel
She’ll dance away just like a child
She drives me crazy
Drives me wild
But I’m helpless when she smiles
Maybe I’d fight if I could
It hurts so bad
But feels so good
She opens up just like
A rose to me
When she’s close to me
Anything she’d ask me to
I would

It’s out of control
But I can’t let go

When she looks at me
I get so weak

The Race of Life

I often feel like I have been running my whole life. To me, running is more than the mere indulgence of competitive whims. The steady stride of a long distance runner and the explosive speed of a sprinter vaulting from the blocks are metaphors for life. We are born with the world an open track before us, the starter’s gun unleashing its deafening sound long before our senses perceive it.

Like runners toeing the line, we all choose our own path, whether to take this turn or that, and whether to pass the opposition or simply coast and fall back. Some of us run further; others run faster. The race of the long-distance runner is often lonely, his steady gait unrelenting and his pace even. He endures long trials and has many visions, following a steady path as his endurance is tested. In contrast, the dashing sprinter barrels forth and cuts through life with swiftness and vigor.

We all confront the same hills to climb and descend; life can seem an impossible ascent or a bounding plunge as we run steadily along. We slip and falter, a sprain here or a fracture there. Some will be tested, limping forward until time slowly heals our injuries. Others will find a partner to keep our stride and help maintain the pace. A few will always run well, leading the pack of eager followers. Others may struggle, never seeming to catch their breath as they promise to run better tomorrow.

We all run against the clock, hoping to finish the course long before time is called. Some stop long before they reach the finish line, giving in to the race’s pressures on both body and mind. We run against each other, striving to beat our fellow runners. We also run against ourselves, pushing our limits so that those whose race has not yet begun will remember our feats with awe and pride.

I have not always known the right path, missing turns and struggling through stretches. At times I have run off the path, losing my focus and seeing the race as a means to an end. I have struggled up many hills and careened down many others. I have faced injuries and lost fellow runners. However, through it all I have learned from the race and found the determination not to repeat my mistakes. I have run the race both fast and slow, taking in the view along the route and the emotions of the running.

I now believe that the race of life can be examined in retrospect, but that you must always keep running towards the finish line. Sure, success in this race is important, but the experience itself is a gift. I believe that you must run a race worth running, for as running legend Steve Prefontaine said, “to give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” If the race is run with heart and passion, then the finish will be victorious.

Wii will rock you!

The years 2007. Computers have become FAST. And game consoles couldn’t be too far behind, could they? This was something the Big 3 have noticed too. And in the rush to get their consoles ready for Christmas ‘06, some of them managed to build winners. Of course, their global launch has happened only a few months back. But nonetheless, most folks were talking about Microsoft’s XBox 360™ or Sony’s PlayStation 3™. But Nintendo seems to have won this round, with it’s wildly popular Wii™. Launched around the same time as the XBox 360™, it wasn’t expected to make much of a dent in Microsoft’s console market, because, face it. The XBox was faster and had higher specs that the Wii, which, on the other hand, shared it’s specs with the older generation XBox. But Nintendo seems to have targeted a different market with it’s Wii.

To compete with Sony’s PlayStation 3 and Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Nintendo has re-invented videogaming, making it more social, more intuitive and surprisingly physically engaging. The Wii is indeed revolutionary, and it’s potentially the device that will make videogaming as widely enjoyed as board or card games.The feature that sets the Wii apart from both its competitors and its ancestors is the Wii remote, the device’s control pad. Instead of a bulky, button-studded joystick, Nintendo has produced a slim wand that looks like a television remote control. It’s connected to the console wirelessly, and more important, it’s equipped with an innovative motion sensor that detects movement and rotation in three dimensions.

In other words, the Wii remote allows users to get up, move around the room and become part of the game. If you want your character on the screen to swing his sword, you wield the remote and make the thrusts and parries yourself. In a game of baseball, you hold the remote like a bat, and swing for the stands when you want your virtual player to do the same.

By giving players the ability to physically interact with a virtual world, Nintendo has significantly changed the experience of videogaming. It’s suddenly more immersive, more compelling and potentially more appealing to consumers who have never considered buying a videogame console before.There’s no sequence of arcane button combinations required to throw a baseball: You just wind up and mime an actual throw. Suddenly, videogames are fun for everyone–old or young, male or female, regardless of prior gaming experience.

Now here’s something. Sony’s and Microsoft’s consoles cost $500/$600 and $300/$400 respectively. Compare that to the Wii’s $250 price tag, and Nintendo’s already got a leg up in the upcoming console war. By concentrating on innovating through game play, and ignoring its competitors’ most high-tech features–super-powered processors, support for high-definition televisions and DVD formats–Nintendo has not only been able to keep its costs down, but it’s hit upon the single thing that sets apart an entertainment device most: It’s fun.

Honey, I Shrunk the PC!

PCs come in all shapes and sizes. The larger they are, the more performance they tend to offer, and that’s the metric that drives a market still ruled by Moore’s law and its myriad derivatives. There’s a certain appeal to small systems, however — especially if you go the DIY route, proving once again that even if small can’t quite run World of Warcraft, it sure can be beautiful.

Picotux doesn’t do sexy. Picotux doesn’t do games. Picotux doesn’t do much of anything. What picotux does do is be a truly minuscule computer, not much larger than the ethernet jack that brackets it. An inch long and only 19 mm wide and deep, the ARM-powered little winder has 8 MB of RAM, 100 Mbit ethernet and a 55-MHz CPU. It runs uClinux and makes a wonderful web server.

Take a look at it’s tech specs here.
Or visit it’s makers here.

So you want to be an engineer..

So you’re done with 12th grade, and school in general. And now, you’re at the threshold. Neither here, nor there. You’re not a school kid anymore. So you have to make your choices for yourself. Not your teachers. Not your parents. YOU.

It’s a bit hard to comprehend all the choices out there. I mean, after all, the world is a pretty big place right? With over a billion people in our nation alone, and each one following a different career path, how do you know which one’s the best for you?
There are a few ways to decide, I’ve discovered. One – you listen to your parents/teachers and do what they think is best. But that’s not very interesting, and definitely not highly recommended. What if they want you to become a doctor, and you can’t even stand the sight of blood??! The other way, is to choose for yourself what you want to do, and what you want to become. It IS rather hard, but I believe we’ve seen and done enough to figure out exactly what we’re good at!

As a kid, I’d fallen in love with computers, and today, computer science is the subject that I’m best at in school. So for me, the choice was pretty much straight-forward. Computer Science and Engineering. But then there was this big question I had.. what exactly is “Engineering”? So I did some research..
“Engineering is the professional art of applying science to the optimum conversion of natural resources to the benefit of man.”
- Ralph J. Smith , Stanford University

The quote above sums it all. Engineering is about the innovative and creative application of mathematical and scientific principles to the creation of products, technology and services for the good of mankind.
Engineering touches almost every aspect of our lives and is at the heart of contemporary life. The dramatic changes of the last century, and even the last decade, are the direct result of engineering.

Engineers are not only at the forefront of making new scientific and technological discoveries, but also actively involved in turning that knowledge into something practical and valued. Everything that is made results from the expertise of engineers; from expressways to the information superhighway, from video phones to digital television, from automobiles to spacecraft and the list goes on and on.

Engineers make a significant contribution to creating wealth in a country. Many successful economies have a high number of engineers. Engineering offers more career options than any other discipline. Engineers are able to pursue a wide spectrum of careers in both the private sector and in government, and in fields as diverse as financial services, logistics, and the biomedical sciences. Engineers may be designers, planners, managers, analysts, researchers, consultants, sales specialists, and much more. Engineering is a distinguished profession and engineers have helped to transform our world with many technological innovations.

That pretty much sums up what I’ve learnt about Engineering. And thus far, it seems to be pretty interesting.. VERY interesting as a matter of fact! Now, I only need to find out more about Computer Science!

Schizophrenic Celebrities

I’m sure you’ve watched the news this week (or even last week). That’s all I can do, since those are the ONLY channels I subscribe to. But the past two weeks have been pretty hard for us news-watchers. Paris Hilton is the biggest celebrity on the news these days, on the international bulletins of all Indian news channels, and, surprisingly, even on BBC! For what you ask? Well. She was arrested. For drunken driving, or whatever the offence is. Till last night, I could even quote the exact section under which she was charged. Then ofcourse, there were discussions on whether it was “fair” or not. Hell. She’s just another person. She’s not someone GREAT. If we were having this discussion about someone who’d actually achieved something (Bill Gates/Sergey Brin/Steve Jobs top my list) I wouldn’t mind watching the news.. but HER? Someone’s whose sole claim to fame is a disgusting home “video” and a fancy surname? I think not. But I just came across this interesting question on Ask Yahoo!. I’m sure you’re gonna be wanting to ask the same thing.

Dear Yahoo!,
Did Paris Hilton finish High School?
Yvonne
Louisville, Kentucky

Paris Hilton is known as many things. “Scholar” isn’t one of them. Still, while nobody would confuse the heiress with a rocket scientist or brain surgeon, she did manage to graduate high school — in a way.

According to several sources, Hilton attended The Dwight School in New York City, but didn’t stick around long enough to wear a cap and gown. However, Ms. Hilton later earned her general equivalency diploma (GED) after some homeschooling. Passing the test certifies the taker has academic skills on par with a typical high-school graduate. Connect the dots and you’ll realize that, according to our educational system, Paris possesses the intelligence of an average American high-school graduate. Whether that’s merely terrifying or a sign of the coming apocalypse, we leave to you.

But maybe we’re being too hard on the starlet. After all, by nearly anyone’s definition, Paris is a successful person. Granted, she’s currently in jail and has been publicly humiliated more times than we can count, but she’s a genius at marketing herself and continually places among Yahoo!’s most popular searches. Maybe she ought to teach a course.

That’s saying something isn’t it?

First Love …

To someone who did all this to me, and much more..

I ne’er was struck before that hour
With love so sudden and so sweet.
Her face it bloomed like a sweet flower
And stole my heart away complete.

My face turned pale, a deadly pale.
My legs refused to walk away,
And when she looked what could I ail
My life and all seemed turned to clay.

And then my blood rushed to my face
And took my eyesight quite away.
The trees and bushes round the place
Seemed midnight at noonday.

I could not see a single thing,
Words from my eyes did start.
They spoke as chords do from the string,
And blood burnt round my heart.

Are flowers the winter’s choice
Is love’s bed always snow
She seemed to hear my silent voice
Not love appeals to know.

I’ve never seen such sweet a face
As that I stood before
My heart has left its dwelling place
And can return no more.

Thanks, Arun !

We Started The Fire !

Yup ! You got that right ! We’re the CVians Class of 2007 and we’ve DEFINITELY left an indelible mark on this school of ours.. Our exploits aren’t just limited to our school, we’ve made ourselves popular in almost EVERY city school, and for all that, we could probably claim to be the most rocking batch of CVians EVER !

Here are our **ahem** exploits, in no particular order..

1. Our amazing Computer Exam results, thanks to kind souls like Balli who’ve vowed to never EVER pass, and to give Sekar the hardest time ever possible !
2. Our eagerness to learn Chemistry through practical experiments (in the toilets) .. Sodium + Water –> HEAT + EXPLOSION…
3. Class 11B , tubelight starters, an absolute mockery of ‘modern’ electrical fittings.. need I say more ?
4. MOST number of lovesick people frequenting every empty and non-empty classroom/corridor/restaurant
5. Commerce Class Math results.. 21 failed out of 28..
6. Ganga winning the Annual Sports Championship !
7. Winning the maximum number of Culturals, INCLUDING Reverbs and Orca
8. The best school band in the city perhaps..
9. The Punchline Gurus..
10. The greatest basketball team ever, lead by the ever-famous Gopi
11. The way we’ve revolutionised the system of exams and revealed our ingenuity – through our grades
12. The way we attack food (courtesy Hrushita and Krithika Surya), like we’ve never seen food before
13. Ragging the shit out of Kanti and Valsi, our ‘beloved’ english teachers..
14. Changing the fortunes of the erstwhile Cafe Coffee Day and the still existent and ever-famous GLB
15. Ofcourse, the war-cry, GoPiii GoPiii GoPii (pun intended)
16. Driving a Physics Teacher OUT of school in her very first year (Lakshmi… )
17. Sameer’s Class, AV room…
18. Making Srilatha sniff and cry at her fate of teaching this batch
19. Satyamurty Sir + Venkatraman + 12 B…. need I say more ?
20. The recently constructed jail-like enclosures on the staircase, and the additional bars on the main gate.. all because of us jumping over and slithering thru the gate..
21. And lastly, the ‘pregnancy’ case… They TOTALLY suspect our batch for it!

I guess we got quite a lot done in two years, didn’t we ? lol