Friday, April 23, 2010
Think Different!
Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.
Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.
- John Appleseed
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
Last Day at School
Little Karthik was a big man now. It was his last day before the summer holidays. And it was raining cats and dogs! After the last class, his Miss gave them all a little chit that proclaimed the commencement of the much awaited holidays. He could not believe it was 8 months since he had started going to school. Well, not exactly. It was actually a nursery meant for pre-schoolers. As he waited under the sun-shade near the gates for his mother to come and pick him up, he was lost in reminiscence, looking at the fierce droplets of water falling from the sky above.
It had rained similarly on his first day as well. Oh, it seemed like yesterday - his first day of school. He was made to brush his teeth and was dressed in crisp, new shirt by his mother. There it was! A pair of shining new shoes. He felt great in his new dress. He was sure school was going to be a great place to be. He felt big to be carrying a bag, his first true possession,which, he assumed was equivalent to his father's briefcase that he wasn't allowed to fiddle with. He also had a water bottle - cum - tiffin box and a napkin pinned to his pocket. His mother had taken him to the class. The sight of that many children scared him a bit. The fact that they were all crying did not make matters any better. Tears welled up in his eyes and started dropping down his chubby cheeks. His mother was startled. He was asked what was wrong. The question seemed absurd to him. He just replied that he was crying becauses others were doing so, and if all others were crying, something ought to be wrong. That was 8 months ago. That memory brought a smile to his face today. He wondered how immature and childish he was! In any case, he decided that past was past.
He must now think about the future. His father had told that he had to go to school first, then college and then if he studied well, he would get a job. He had gone to school. One task done.!!He resolved that he should do better at college the next year and get a good job the year after next. Then, he too would be old enough to ride a real motorbike.
His mother had not come yet. He did not know how to read a clock yet - he could not tell how much time had passed since his teacher left him. He assumed that the rain was delaying his mother. He noticed that the piece of paper in his hand was getting a bit wet from the drops dripping from the edge of the sunshade above. He took great pains to analyze and place his hands in such a way so as to protect that from getting wet.
He had lost track of his thoughts. Where was he? Yes! a Motorbike. A REAL one. The very thought excited him. He planned that he would ride from Madras to Bombay. A little voice in his head reminded him that he still did not know to ride it. He dismissed it outright, but at the same time made up his mind to practice more on his tri-wheeler, since he assumed that it would suffice. He felt really light now. He reasoned that it was probably because of the 2 months of holidays that lay ahead.
"Karthik.. Karthik"... He heard and was snapped out of his reverie. There stood his mother knee deep in water, holding an umbrella, calling out his name. His school was already locked for the summer, so she seemed visibly worried. He ran towards her, but the water came upto his chest. He displayed his chivalry by keeping out the chit way above his head and certainly out of water. It was 10 seconds before his mother picked him up in her arms.
Proudly he presented the chit to his mother. He had kept it out of water even in the fiercest of rains, thereby fulfilling his word to his Miss. His face was gleaming with a sense of accomplishment. However, his mother still seemed worried about something. He wondered what the matter was. Then she asked him where his bag was ?
Bag!! He saw that it was no longer strapped onto his shoulders. No wonder he felt so light. The school was already closed and there was no one who could be asked. His mother tried to trace it in the school but to no avail. He came back, with the chit still clinging to his hand. He felt really guilty. He had been so careless, so irresponsible. As it turned out his father was transferred during that very summer and he had to change school, without his bag. He then resolved, that from then on, whatever happened , he would always keep his bag carefully, by his side.
Epilogue: Fortunately, he got his bag after summer - in a remarkable turn of events where it passed through many people and finally found him.
Note : This is a true story. All incidents are real.Names are unchanged though, for anonymity. :)
It had rained similarly on his first day as well. Oh, it seemed like yesterday - his first day of school. He was made to brush his teeth and was dressed in crisp, new shirt by his mother. There it was! A pair of shining new shoes. He felt great in his new dress. He was sure school was going to be a great place to be. He felt big to be carrying a bag, his first true possession,which, he assumed was equivalent to his father's briefcase that he wasn't allowed to fiddle with. He also had a water bottle - cum - tiffin box and a napkin pinned to his pocket. His mother had taken him to the class. The sight of that many children scared him a bit. The fact that they were all crying did not make matters any better. Tears welled up in his eyes and started dropping down his chubby cheeks. His mother was startled. He was asked what was wrong. The question seemed absurd to him. He just replied that he was crying becauses others were doing so, and if all others were crying, something ought to be wrong. That was 8 months ago. That memory brought a smile to his face today. He wondered how immature and childish he was! In any case, he decided that past was past.
He must now think about the future. His father had told that he had to go to school first, then college and then if he studied well, he would get a job. He had gone to school. One task done.!!He resolved that he should do better at college the next year and get a good job the year after next. Then, he too would be old enough to ride a real motorbike.
His mother had not come yet. He did not know how to read a clock yet - he could not tell how much time had passed since his teacher left him. He assumed that the rain was delaying his mother. He noticed that the piece of paper in his hand was getting a bit wet from the drops dripping from the edge of the sunshade above. He took great pains to analyze and place his hands in such a way so as to protect that from getting wet.
He had lost track of his thoughts. Where was he? Yes! a Motorbike. A REAL one. The very thought excited him. He planned that he would ride from Madras to Bombay. A little voice in his head reminded him that he still did not know to ride it. He dismissed it outright, but at the same time made up his mind to practice more on his tri-wheeler, since he assumed that it would suffice. He felt really light now. He reasoned that it was probably because of the 2 months of holidays that lay ahead.
"Karthik.. Karthik"... He heard and was snapped out of his reverie. There stood his mother knee deep in water, holding an umbrella, calling out his name. His school was already locked for the summer, so she seemed visibly worried. He ran towards her, but the water came upto his chest. He displayed his chivalry by keeping out the chit way above his head and certainly out of water. It was 10 seconds before his mother picked him up in her arms.
Proudly he presented the chit to his mother. He had kept it out of water even in the fiercest of rains, thereby fulfilling his word to his Miss. His face was gleaming with a sense of accomplishment. However, his mother still seemed worried about something. He wondered what the matter was. Then she asked him where his bag was ?
Bag!! He saw that it was no longer strapped onto his shoulders. No wonder he felt so light. The school was already closed and there was no one who could be asked. His mother tried to trace it in the school but to no avail. He came back, with the chit still clinging to his hand. He felt really guilty. He had been so careless, so irresponsible. As it turned out his father was transferred during that very summer and he had to change school, without his bag. He then resolved, that from then on, whatever happened , he would always keep his bag carefully, by his side.
Epilogue: Fortunately, he got his bag after summer - in a remarkable turn of events where it passed through many people and finally found him.
Note : This is a true story. All incidents are real.Names are unchanged though, for anonymity. :)
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Prodigies.
Any words that I write here will only distract you from the more important stuff that follows. :) Enjoy!
Connie Talbot, Age : 6, Singer
Shakira, Kinder Garden Student, Age : 4 Salsa Dancer
Kaitlyn Maher , Kinder Garden Student, Age : 4 Singer
Connie Talbot, Age : 6, Singer
Shakira, Kinder Garden Student, Age : 4 Salsa Dancer
Kaitlyn Maher , Kinder Garden Student, Age : 4 Singer
Saturday, April 25, 2009
The Pursuit(?) of Happiness
One day the teacher asked her 6 year old student what he wanted to be when he grew up. He said, " Happy". The teacher then told him that he had gotten the question wrong. What an irony!
Happiness is a state to be in, not a goal to achieve. It is the default state of a human being. No man can live in his past or his future, yet we keep worrying, unmindful of the joys that they are surrounded by. Discover the happiness you already have. Have a happy day! :-)
Happiness is a state to be in, not a goal to achieve. It is the default state of a human being. No man can live in his past or his future, yet we keep worrying, unmindful of the joys that they are surrounded by. Discover the happiness you already have. Have a happy day! :-)
Friday, April 24, 2009
Musical Prodigies
They are Naturals. No elaboration needed. Seldom do we see sights where the song rendered impromptu on stage by 14 year olds seems better than the original. And more so when the people who originally sang those songs are musical prodigies themselves. :-)
Do see the kind of variations they can bring about- from Rustic, to classic to western and Arabic. Stunning!
I only wish that she compete once with Krishnamoorthy. Ah, Music is divine. May god bless them.
To get a flavor of their standards, please watch these videos.
Do see the kind of variations they can bring about- from Rustic, to classic to western and Arabic. Stunning!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
She
He was the man she loved most. He would do anything for her. Their love transcended all physical, mental and emotional barriers and was so pure and selfless that people were jealous when they walked together. They were each other's best friend, in the truest sense. She confided everything to him, all her secrets, wishes and desires. He simply loved everything about her, and when he was with her, he seemed to forget all his worries. She was his world.
Finally, on one day, he was born. The world rejoiced at the new arrival. She had endured pain, was barely conscious, yet when she saw him, all her pain vanished into nothingness. The noise was blurred. He was a part of her. Knowingly she smiled, as she slipped into the bliss of oblivion.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
The Cooking Codes.
Without much ado, i jump into the topic... Sometimes Cooking and coding seem to be greatly similar.
Both of them have Methods, called recipes in one case and algorithms in the other.
Both have parameters to be tuned, an input to be given, and a precise output that is expected.
In both cases, partial output is totally worthless.
There is a huge huge gap between the method conceived and its implementation.
Both require utmost concentration for a novice, and though sometimes they can be automated, the resultant product is not always the one desired.
Both have to be learnt with practice. The experts can never "teach" how to do it. Usually, both are done by trial and error in the beginning stages.
Both can be 'learnt' in a matter of days, but take years to master!
The superficial similarities are not the only ones.
Both can be outsourced, although it does cost a lot to do so. Neither of these is learnt unless (1)there is a life-threatening emergency to do so. or (2) if it turns out to be a passion for him/her.
Both are absolutely drab and a waste of time to some people whilst some others consider it an exalted form of art , a medium of ultimate sophisticated self expression.
The bosses always want the result, and are not concerned about how difficult it was to get it done.
The number of books abound for both, but the quality does not necessarily improve by the reading of books.
Its extremely trivial to make errors in either, and once the errors are made, its very very very difficult to find and correct.
Both have their time and space complexities, and that cant always be estimated beforehand.
Discoveries of new recipies/hacks are mostly done by lucky accidents.
Each has its beauty, a subtle indication of the fine precision and skill that has been chiselled into it. This is often only pursued by the people who have the 'taste' for such things. For others, one recipe seems as lifeless and boring as the others.
In both these skills, if the heart is not in the job it is very difficult to accomplish much and the time and money spent does not always add up to the quality.
"Too many cooks spoil the broth" holds true in both the domains.
Both skills turn to be life critical at times, and become vulnerable to Murphy's laws too, and precisely at that time.
Lastly, there is always scope for improvement in both!
Oh, somethings missing.... Ah .. A moral ... So here it goes ...
So, the next time your grand mother asks you a doubt in computers, do not be arrogant. She would be a better coder than you, if only she plunged into the domain. She already knows the tricks of the trade. [:P] Oh, i forgot , the reverse does not always hold true.
PS : Sorry for making you read this mokkai.
Both of them have Methods, called recipes in one case and algorithms in the other.
Both have parameters to be tuned, an input to be given, and a precise output that is expected.
In both cases, partial output is totally worthless.
There is a huge huge gap between the method conceived and its implementation.
Both require utmost concentration for a novice, and though sometimes they can be automated, the resultant product is not always the one desired.
Both have to be learnt with practice. The experts can never "teach" how to do it. Usually, both are done by trial and error in the beginning stages.
Both can be 'learnt' in a matter of days, but take years to master!
The superficial similarities are not the only ones.
Both can be outsourced, although it does cost a lot to do so. Neither of these is learnt unless (1)there is a life-threatening emergency to do so. or (2) if it turns out to be a passion for him/her.
Both are absolutely drab and a waste of time to some people whilst some others consider it an exalted form of art , a medium of ultimate sophisticated self expression.
The bosses always want the result, and are not concerned about how difficult it was to get it done.
The number of books abound for both, but the quality does not necessarily improve by the reading of books.
Its extremely trivial to make errors in either, and once the errors are made, its very very very difficult to find and correct.
Both have their time and space complexities, and that cant always be estimated beforehand.
Discoveries of new recipies/hacks are mostly done by lucky accidents.
Each has its beauty, a subtle indication of the fine precision and skill that has been chiselled into it. This is often only pursued by the people who have the 'taste' for such things. For others, one recipe seems as lifeless and boring as the others.
In both these skills, if the heart is not in the job it is very difficult to accomplish much and the time and money spent does not always add up to the quality.
"Too many cooks spoil the broth" holds true in both the domains.
Both skills turn to be life critical at times, and become vulnerable to Murphy's laws too, and precisely at that time.
Lastly, there is always scope for improvement in both!
Oh, somethings missing.... Ah .. A moral ... So here it goes ...
So, the next time your grand mother asks you a doubt in computers, do not be arrogant. She would be a better coder than you, if only she plunged into the domain. She already knows the tricks of the trade. [:P] Oh, i forgot , the reverse does not always hold true.
PS : Sorry for making you read this mokkai.
Monday, December 1, 2008
At Home...
Once upon a time, when this title could not be abbreviated to ~ or a bunch of HTML ; when it still referred to a place one need not wear any masks, there lived a 9-year old boy called Karthik.
He loved his home, quite understandibly, and more so during holidays. He waited all year for his summer holidays and now that they were here, he was totally overjoyed. On the very first day, he asked his father to wake him up at 5:45 am, astonishing him. After all, one could not afford to lose holidays sleeping, much unlike the schooldays wherein he had to be dragged out of sleep.
His father was punctual, and he did get up, brushed his teeth and put on the TV and computer together. Multitasking was not just in the domain of Computers. His elder sister woke up slowly, and was shocked to see him awake. In fact, he had seriously considered putting off the fan, and pouring some water over his sister's head as she slept, but decided against it. Not that he was afraid of her; it was just that it was against his principles to attack an unarmed person.
His sister smiled at him encouragingly and sat near him with the tumbler of coffee as he played Age of Empires ( without cheatcodes) . He tightened his hold on the mouse. He certainly was not going to give her the computer to program/watch movies. She smiled again and appreciated his strategies. He started worrying now. He told her clearly that he would not relinquish the hold on the computer, and if she put a password there in his absence ( as he clearly suspected ), she would have to face dire consequences. She was annoyed, and left the place. He liked it that way.
At 12:00 noon, as he had conquered most of the world, his mother, for the 28th time, ordered him to go to bath. He decided that he must have some rest too. He collected his accessories - that included 3 GI-Joes , Chess coins, 2 paper boats, and a bouncing ball and went to bath.
He planned his naval strategies meticulously on the water in the bucket, with the very simulation of a naval battle that he was soon going to launch. In the midst, somethings caught his attention. He was amazed how the color of water changed from White to Colorless; why the water from the tap took a cylindrical shape( even after coming out). He came back and as he gulped his food, he asked his doubts to his sister. His sister did not bother to even look up from the thick book she was reading.
Seething with anger, he wondered what they learnt in higher classes. He then watched back-to-back movies of Harry Potter on Pogo. In the evening, he was ordered by his mother to write the Tables. He did not understand why he had to write it when the calculator could do it in an instant. "Because the calculator is not allowed in an Exam" , came the reply. " Why?". "Because they want you to learn tables." He was certainly not impressed with the circular reasoning. He strongly felt that he would reform the educational system when he grew up.
Grudgingly, he wrote all the tables from 3 to 14, even as he saw his sister doing some programming on the computer. Curious, he asked her what it was. She explained that it was a complicated sort algorithm. He was aghast. They did the questions like " Arrange the following in increasing order " in the 2nd Std and his sister was still stuck on that. He thought AOE was much better than spending 2 hours to write a program to arrange 5 numbers in an increasing order. Nevertheless, his sister did not appreciate his comments, quite expectedly.
Once he got bored of AOE, he went back to his mother pestering her to make sweets that day(since it marked the commencement of his holidays) . Sitting on the cool balcony with his mother, gazing at the endless stars and the drifting clouds lit brightly with the moonlight, he wondered what he had done that day. Nothing, came the honest reply from his heart. He persisted. He asked himself if anything he could do would have made a difference to this infinite cosmos? He went further and wondered if anything anyone could do would make a difference to it. The answer was still negative. " Why then do the adults spend all their time in worry and complaints when none of their actions are actually of no great consequence? " He would soon understand, or quit the attempt to understand as people all around him had done... For the time being, he kept contemplating...
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