Do you see the world as it is ...

Or do you see the world as you are?

Goodnight
A.G

Impromptu Writing

I am typing my thoughts as they come to me.

That, in itself, is a dangerous proposition.

You have been warned.

I have engaged myself in philosophical endeavors, sub consciously off course, to such an extent that charades such as internship no longer seem to occupy my mind.

I find myself much the happier for that despite having knowledge of the fact that I shall cry about how I didn’t take it seriously when I should have.

The future will always be uncertain. Maybe that is why I look forward to it.

I do realize that it is not time that matters but the amount of work that I do.
Time, surprisingly, however, wields little power over those who do not submit to its demands

I, for no particular reason, am reasonably elated today

I wish to talk today. Talk endlessly … about nothing, about everything …but I do not see it materializing in any immediately foreseeable circumstance this day.

I have observed the hype generated by orkut these days. In addition to this I have also observed that most people creating accounts here do so for it is the latest fad. I find this reason outrageously preposterous.

If only people did it with right earnest …

Ahh… these words needn’t be taken seriously … or maybe at all.

I wonder when people will stop trying to be a football of the mass’s opinion.

I shall take leave now in order to try and satisfy an insatiable urge to devour chocolate ice cream.

Until next time …

A.G

A Place Called Punjab Infotech

Here’s something that happened to me today.

I woke up in the afternoon today, as usual. As I got up to brush my teeth and use the mouthwash I realized the futility to actually be conscious of the entire process. I, therefore, went through the motions half asleep. As I put the mouthwash liquid in my mouth I noticed a burning sensation in my mouth, which, I thought, was due to the strong concentration of the liquid in question.

It was when the burning accelerated that I actually took notice of the bottle housing the liquid.

D-E-T-T-O-L.

Perfect.

In other news, Half of Bhaddal population has their 6 month internship at Punjab Infotech.

Now, Punjab Infotech is responsible for all computer related awareness and education in Punjab (Acc. to the Government of Punjab).

Some of the personalities about to make PI their office for 6 months are … Ami, Sodhi, Mandeep, Ashish, Ratra and quite a lot more.I have omitted any titles such as Mr. (or Ms. !!!)

This great movement to PI (Punjab Infotech) by Bhaddalites, I am sure, will lead to an eradication of computer education in Punjab.

The people may then resort to riots to protest this. This, in turn, may bring about the fall of the entire country’s economy ( since riots tend to have that effect).

India’s economy in jitters could spell trouble for all developing nations leading to half the world’s economies crashing.

Oil prices would shoot up, people wouldn’t be able to afford water and eventually cockroaches would take over the planet.

All because Punjab Infotech admitted students from Bhaddal for their 6 month internship.

Little did they know !!!

Is it not funny what results speculation can bring about?

Goodnight

A.G

Dream On

Sing with me, sing for the years
Sing for the laughter 'n sing for the tears
Sing with me, if it's just for today
Maybe tomorrow the good lord will take you away

Dream on, dream on, dream on
Dream yourself a dream come true
Dream on, dream on, dream on
Dream until your dream comes true
Dream on, dream on, dream on
Dream on, dream on, dream on, dream on

I have nothing substantial to do tonight so I thought I might as well post.
There is a strong possibility that whatever I may write tonight may prove to be gibberish but I shall type anyways. Even if it is just to kill time.

I find myself engaged in listening to Dream On by Aerosmith, right now.

It moves me no end every time I listen to it. Not only are Tyler’s vocal amazingly impressive (especially towards the end of the song) but it places emphasis on the importance of dreams. On how we must never give up dreaming.

If anything can be dreamt up then it can, you better believe it, be achieved.
History is proof of the same.

The V8 engine was an engineering impossibility. It is now one of the most significant advancements to have taken place in the automobile industry.

Elvis was told by a record company to Go back to drivin’ a truck.

Wilma Rudolph (a polio victim), who was told by doctors that she’d never walk, won 3 gold medals at the 1960 Olympics.

Please do not bother telling me it cannot be done again.
Circumstances can be the Achilles Heel or a stepping stone whichever way you choose to interpret them.

The only reason people get bogged down by circumstances is because they allow themselves that luxury and not because circumstances wield any significant threat or power over them.

I say this, not even God dares to deny a man something he truly sets out to achieve. The principle of Karma really does work.

Anyone who tells you about your incapability to execute any task is lying, blatantly, in your face.

It is amazing what a man can achieve if he is willing to focus his mind, and therefore his resources, on anything.
I say this for I have seen it happen first hand.

The realm of possibility is wider than our wildest dreams.

PLEASE; realize that and you might just change your life forever. I know I did.

Miracles are not fictional happenings. They are the harvest of the mind.

The mind is an amazing thing. Science will not tell you that. Maybe this is because science does not quite realize the true capabilities of the mind as yet.

It is the mind that houses your attitude, which, in turn, defines your attitude. Your attitude, again, in turn, defines your persona which, yet again, in turn, defines who you really are.

Fear is another thing that causes many a brave souls to abort their paths. Everybody has fears. Everybody. Bravery lies in facing them, not defeating them. I, too, am trying to face up to my fears. I have failed, miserably, but it is because of these failures that I now understand fear like never before.

We fear something, mostly, because of what unprecedented outcomes we might have to contend with as a result of facing up to that fear.

Fear of facing the truth, of facing the world, of facing our own selves, is something that engulfs an absolute majority of us. Most of us do not even realize this.

It is fear that brings about things like peer pressure. Nobody is free from it but the extent to which it influences people is startling.

People ensure their own downfall, at times, when they are too busy catering to what the world will think of some action of theirs and, in the process, overlook what they really ought to be doing. It is here that I shall admit that I, too, have been guilty of the same in the not so distant past.

I do not wish to fret upon it for that will change nothing. I would, however, change things if I could.

If only I could …

I feel like confessing tonight. Confessing my truths, my regrets, my joys, my dreams, anything that occurs to me right now … alas … confessions, here, shall serve no real purpose.

I have been spending monstrously huge time with myself which has given me enough time to reassess myself. Of what I’ve done wrong lately and what I’ve been doing right. Wrong and right, off course, here refer to my perception of them.

I hope that I shall not hesitate from embarking upon whatever paths I may choose, consciously or sub consciously, in the near future.

As far as my ’wrongs’ go I can only hope I get a chance, somewhere, somehow, to rectify them, provided they do not prove to be incorrigible in the first place.

Until then I shall keep doing what I do best.

.

.

.

.

Dream on …

Goodnight
A.G

Amongst Other Things

I’ve been listening to Take it Easy by The Eagles all day long. Why don’t they make more songs like these anymore?

Here’s something that will shock almost everybody in touch with me to the core.

I actually went looking for shoes today !

Ok ok, it’s only because ma left me with no choice but I went nonetheless. Now here’s the bizarre part - I actually found a pair that I fancied. They look like the sneakers that Michael Jordan wore in Space Jam during the ending Basketball match. Not bad. Not bad at all.

Plans for buying a mobile are turning more complex since everybody is giving me mutually exclusive opinions on which set I should opt for.

It seems the natural habitat of nincompoops is no longer restricted to the confines of the Punjab Technical University. They, clearly, have spread out into affiliated colleges and have seemed to take a particular liking to our institution.

I say this because I have just been informed about the new policies framed by our management.
They say if somebody from college has already been placed then he is barred form appearing from any other placement test until the time that 80% of the entire batch has been placed.

Once 80% of the batch has been placed, even then under no circumstances are the placed candidates to secure more than two job offers.

Perfect. Great going.

Do not loathe me for the stance I am taking on this issue. I can only hope that you view this with a sense of rationality.

The thing is this; how are the already placed candidates going to affect the chances of the others vis-à-vis getting selected by a company???

How does barring them help the others?

I can say this with a certain degree of confidence (despite the rigging of the Home Institute – Which, by the way, is no longer a rumor or something kept under the rug) that the company is looking for quality. Not Quantity. If they believe a certain individual fulfills the criteria required off him then should he not be the one selected? Do his offer letters from other companies make a difference here?

Off course I cannot argue against a company which has a policy of barring candidates who already have been placed. That is a choice that the company has made. What right, though, does an academic institution have to enforce such a policy?

It is not a question of exercising the option of appearing or not, here, but, simply, of having an option to exercise in the first place. Whether any of us choose to actually appear for an interview again is not the matter. The matter is that we may have the choice to do so. That, I believe, is also a fundamental pillar of democracy – Something that this country swears to abide by.

I do solemnly hope that half of those responsible for formulating nonsensical policies, not unlike this one, become terminally ill.

The other half, it is hoped by me, may be forced to eat a concoction that tastes like kaddu, gheeya and baingan all rolled into one.

And after that may the Devil take over the souls of each one of them and make them watch reruns of Ekta Kapoor’s soaps.

I shall contact Satan myself for the same.

Alternate suggestions for the above are always welcome.

Oh and Good luck to everyone appearing for the Tech Mahindra exam tomorrow. I’ve heard it won’t be the easiest.

Goodnight

A.G

At a Loss For Words

It is 11:32 PM and I find myself typing these words. They have no purpose tonight. I do not know what to write about, whether I should write anything at all here but I am, nonetheless.

My entire existence in the past week has revolved around this silicon collection they call the computer.

I think it is apt to mention here that I love this font.

I am experiencing life like never before.

Take my schedule for instance. I sleep at around 7:00 AM and wake up somewhere between 2:00 and 3:00 PM.

I find myself distanced from the rest of the world and I could use that. It has long been overdue.

I’ve been listening to good music too. Life, without college, is, just like old times. Sigh …

For no specific reason I shall mention here that the Ole Ole Ole audible in Yahoo Messenger is hilarious.

My movie watching spree continues.

Here’s advice for all you males – Fixing a female’s PC is a remarkable feat to achieve if you can manage that without having to sacrifice your sanity in the bargain.

Sobby STILL hasn’t handed me my confirmation. Boo Hoo for that.

I have been devoting time to the guitar too. The soothing effect brought forth by it is of unquestionable beauty.

I think this should act as my cue for spending more time with the 6 strings tonight.

Goodnight.

A.G

Always

At this midnight hour I cannot help but quote the lyrics of Always by Bon Jovi.

This romeo is bleeding
But you can’t see his blood
It’s nothing but some feelings
That this old dog kicked up

It’s been raining since you left me
Now I’m drowning in the flood
You see I’ve always been a fighter
But without you I give up

Now I can’t sing a love song
Like the way it’s meant to be
Well, I guess I’m not that good anymore
But baby, that’s just me

And I will love you, baby - always
And I’ll be there forever and a day - always
I’ll be there till the stars don’t shine
Till the heavens burst and
The words don’t rhyme

And I know when I die, you’ll be on my mind
And I’ll love you - always

Now your pictures that you left behind
Are just memories of a different life
Some that made us laugh, some that made us cry
One that made you have to say goodbye

What I’d give to run my fingers through your hair
To touch your lips, to hold you near
When you say your prayers try to understand
I’ve made mistakes, I’m just a man

When he holds you close, when he pulls you near
When he says the words you’ve been needing to hear
I’ll wish I was him ’cause those words are mine
To say to you till the end of time

Yeah, I will love you baby - always
And I’ll be there forever and a day - always

If you told me to cry for you
I could
If you told me to die for you
I would
Take a look at my face
There’s no price I won’t pay
To say these words to you

Well, there ain’t no luck
In these loaded dice
But baby if you give me just one more try
We can pack up our old dreams
And our old lives
We’ll find a place where the sun still shines

And I will love you, baby - always
And I’ll be there forever and a day - always
I’ll be there till the stars don’t shine
Till the heavens burst and
The words don’t rhyme

And I know when I die, you’ll be on my mind
And I’ll love you - always

The heart has to be one of the most destructive forces known to mankind.

Goodnight
A.G

The Bluest Eyes in Texas

I’ve haven’t ventured out of the front door in over 55 hours now. I shall be spending the entire night online again. My system hasn’t gone offline for three days straight (though I sign out of messenger at times). I have no plans of shutting it down anytime soon unless, off course, the Electricity Board begs to differ.

God said “Let there be light” but the Electricity Board said “Not so fast !!!”

I am safe for now.

My tryst with movies and books is continuing.

Plans for Rendezvous 2006 are gaining momentum with frequent middle-of-the-night- online discussions concerning costumes, costume changes, track sequences, lighting etc.

Mr. Dhand plans for us to get together on the 22^nd for dinner.

Sobby still hasn’t handed me my confirmation letter. I think I need to reprimand him for the same.

The bluest eyes in Texas are haunting me tonight

Like the stars that fill the midnight sky her memory fills my mind

Where did I go wrong, Did I wait too long or can I make it right

The bluest eyes in Texas are haunting me to night ...

Goodnight

A.G

The Boys are Back in Town

Actually, it is only I who is back.
My broadband connection had been giving me problems for the past week or so and that should explain my absence for long.
My exams are now over and I, therefore, have enough time on my hands to devote to this task. These post is proof that things are now back to normal. Thank God for that. I have been watching movies and reading a lot these days.

You see, I always make plans during the exams … plans on what I shall be doing with my free time during the vacations and since these vacations shall be lasting long I thought up a few things to do. The most extraordinary part is that I have been sticking to them.

And the exams … well they didn’t go according to plan. IBS was more like a horror movie.

I’m just glad I’ve seen “THE END” of that.

I am currently installing all required software I shall need. I had to format my beloved system in order to get the connection working. The procurement of a suitable OS disc for the same proved to be tedious. My disc is with a friend who has conveniently departed for Ludhiana without warning.

In other news, the track for Rendezvous 2006 is nearly complete. I mean the rough draft.

I have been spending enormous amounts of time at The Browser these days. The people there now recognize me by name.

I finally plan to put an end to my friends’ woes and buy a cell phone. The only reason I need one is that I may be able to access the net using Bluetooth (In Delhi – where I shall be training). I do not care if I have incoming or outgoing facilities or not. The important thing is that Bluetooth must be up and working. Messrs Saini and Arneja suggested I set my eyes upon the 6681. (Yes, Arneja I actually remember the name of the phone ).

And and and … I’ve been messing around with ways to crack game protections and some of them do work. It’s funny what a dissembler and a debugger coupled together can do . (evil grin)

So much for that.

I am back online and it’s raining outside. Things are looking up.

Until next time

A.G

06/06/06

The number of the beast. So says the Bible. It turns out the Bible finally got one right.

Mr. Arneja, I am guessing, would be smiling if he ever read this, though I doubt he ever will. The reasons for this shall not be mentioned here.

What shall be mentioned here, on the other hand, is why I believe the aforementioned date is, in fact, the number of the beast. The beast, probably, is the University that shall hand me my degree at the end of my graduation. The story follows.

Note – The number of the beast also happens to be one of Iron Maiden’s finest albums, I believe, to date. That’s a hard rock band, in case you did not know.

Anyways … continuing …

Nincompoops inhabit P.T.U

This, I believe is a fact that has been established beyond all measure of doubt and now should be painted across the walls of every PTU affiliated college.

The sanity of the concerned authorities is also under question by me.

I find myself unable to resist the temptation to question the importance of actually studying the syllabus for any PTU paper.(since rarely do they ask questions from it).

Anyways, here’s what happened today.

The clock screamed 9:30 which indicated the start of our RTS (Real Time Systems) examination.

Now, as is becoming habitual with me, I glimpsed at Mr. Jha (since he receives the paper before I do) and waited, patiently, for a reaction. It was the same Kuch nahin aata look on his face which I am now beginning to get accustomed to.
The alarm bells started ringing when I noticed Ms. Pal, seated two seats behind him, smiling with her right hand on her face looking the question paper. I then turned to Ms. Verma for hope and I found the same effective reaction. All the above 75% ers were perplexed.
That should be indication enough of the state of the paper. You see these toppers( and quite a few more) are people who rarely emote during an examination and to see things change in this exam was horrendous and gratifying at the same time.
Horrendous because of the implications the question paper would have on people like me and gratifying because now, maybe, they know what we go through in most papers !

Anyways, the examination began with murmurs arising out of the entire class. The external invigilator offered us condolence saying the problem would be solved soon. Off course he never showed up again after saying that.

Now, in such a paper, most people are out to salvage the most they can from it. This, in turn, requires more than just a fair bit of concentration. This is when Mrs. Aman (Our Ex- DAA teacher) steps in the classroom announcing that some students still haven’t paid up for the Seniors’ Farewell. Wow . Perfect timing.

This was followed by our RTS lecturer Mrs. Arunima telling us to attempt each question. The only problem here was that the below 75% ers had no clue what to write about.

How do we know what Fault Tolerant Architectures are?

TMR should probably stand for Totally Meaningless Redundancy .

I’m assuming you get what I am trying to tell you here.

Off course the above 75 % ers would’ve had no problems writing SOMETHING that would thereby enable them to get grace marks.

A single song resonated in my mind for the entire duration of the exam Rape Me – Nirvana
I think it is apt and ironic how the song seemed to fit, perfectly, the situation I found myself in.

Calls to Mr. Gupta for some points to elucidate upon proved to be futile. (Except in the last 2 minutes, by which time it was already too little too late.)

I spent the three hours writing about things I had no clue about, finalizing my plans for the 6 months training, imagining what it would be like if I were to stand up and run away with my answer sheet amongst other things that are best left unmentioned.

I still do not know what hit me during those three hours but it sure was unpleasant.

For Mr. Sahore, though, it was just another exam.

Goodnight.

A.G

Quotidian Ramblings

Here I am, having chocolate milk and about to embark upon the task …haha task !!! RTOS ! … of watching movies all night.

I have taken an overview of the entire syllabus and I hope to consolidate on the same tomorrow.

The track for Rendezvous 2006 is going on fine too. Preparation started off sometime in March.

The biggest problem I face is when I have to leave out some song. You see each song ,taken individually, takes around 2-3 hours to mix. That includes ripping it, cutting it, selecting the required portions, mixing them, adding effects, tempos, scratching etc etc .

Now imagine you having to leave 6-7 such songs out of the final mix. It isn’t easy. The worst part is … the final mix isn’t ready yet. Infact, I might just have a brand new track for the finals. I guess it’s back to the drawing board in a while.

Oh and wish me luck for RTOS. I go to battle the day after tomorrow

Goodnight.

A.G

Pondering Into Oblivion

Failure seldom stops you. What stops you is the fear of failure.

- Jack Lemmon

Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure

Never walk away from failure. On the contrary,study it carefully -- and imaginatively -- for its hidden assets.

-Michael Korda

Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence.

- Robert Frost

Are you educated?

I've just been thinking about this and more.

Goodnight

A.G

Deliverance

I've been travelin for some time
With my fishin pole and my bottle of shine
On these long dark dusty roads
Lookin there's nowhere to go
I guess I gotta hide away, far away
Cause I gotta find a way, to find my way
I gotta hide away, far away
Cause I gotta find a way, to find my way

And one way or another I shall have deliverance.

Sooner or later.
For worse or for better.

Goodnight.
A.G

Halfway Through

The title represents the state of affairs vis-a-vis my examinations.

I took my S.E test today.

Come to think of it ... I think my examination schedule is pretty much based on the System Development Life Cycle (SDLC).

1. The Requirement Phase - This phase is usually encountered by me during the preparatories that we are allowed before the exams. It is during this period that I start to realise what I have to do in order to get those coveted, and on some occasions elusive - thankfully not for me though, 24 marks.
I ,essentially, draw the line and decide how much of effort I shall have to put in to scrape through.

2. The Analysis Phase - This phase helps me map out my actual schedule for each exam . By schedule I imply actually planning out which chapters are to be done by me , the time taken for each chapter etc etc.

3. The Design Phase - This phase encloses within it's realm the key to attain those "24". This stage involves the actual studying part. It's where I date my books.

4. The Implementation Phase - This phase represents the examination. This is where i actually put to use whatever I have assimilated thus far.

4/5 Transition Phase - Yes, I realise this phase odes not exist within SDLC but I thought it best to mention it. This is THE BONUS ROUND, as I like to call it. This represents the last 5 minutes of the examination. It is during this time that I find my paper almost complete and I proceed to answer the 2 mark questions that I had previously purposely overlooked due the doubt I had housed in my abilities to answer them succintly. Any marks obtained through these few questions are a bonus and , therefore, always welcome.

5. The Post Implementation Phase - This phase occurs when I step out of the hall. It represents the autopsy of the paper.

Ahh ... Life is an SDLC.

Hah.

I think, until the 6th , it's more of a real time operating system.

Adios
A.G