My patience is being tested. Due to some goofup I am not where I should have been now. Should have been enjoying my time in Siem Reap. All that and my trip back home has been postponed by two weeks. Barca won the finals defeating ManU. When Thierry Henry said, the last 5 minutes of the match were his longest in his life, I do understand. Many of us do as we would have been through similar situations in life before. Although I don't have as much stakes as he had but as far as I can remember, the next two weeks are going to be the longest two weeks for me in recent times. Its gonna be a bloody long wait.. :(
Back to TinyOS programming helping a l-mate in getting some results.Cant avoid..I can't even head back home without finishing it. Work wise there is nothing much to be done. I still need to finish my application process for my PhD at NUS which I am doing it so unwillingly. Awaiting results from two more Unis. I know its gonna be negative, but even having a 1% hope is sometimes bad when you are sure you can't make it. Even if its bad news, it should come soon...atleast some uncertainities will come to an end. Worst case, I will have to put up with a job on a more permanent basis. Not a bad choice esp. when its gonna give me a more relaxed life...and to add, there will be more joy when I buy an Enfield Bullet. My D-SLR is already waiting for me and so are many road trips which I have been missing for the past 18 months. I can think of a part-time PhD sometime later from II*c or I**-B.
*******************************************
Have been shopping off late..like crazy for my parents..her parents, her friends...aargh..and when I am tired,we go catch a movie at a nearby cinema. I have probably seen 4-6 in the last 2-3 weekends. The best has been a German movie I watched yest., 'The Baader-Meinhof Complex'. This movie deserves a separate post. The rest{Angels and.., Terminater Salvation, A Night at ..., X-Men, 99 } really dont deserve much attention.
********************************************
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
The countdown begins. My thesis defense is on next Tue. That means I can safely go for a vacation on 31st and reach home on 4th June. I don't really whats next in store for me. All I am looking forward to is a good break. Before that I have around a dozen things to complete..and these dozen things seem like a zillion items in hand and I still hope to have a tattoo on my arm.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Another 3 weeks and I will be off to my hometown. Lived half a dream and I am already feeling nostalgic for heading back. Also feeling good that I am almost about to graduate. More confident, more optimistic about my work, studies and life in general. Its been a jolly good ride so far, though on hindsight, I see that some things could have been done better..but I guess its ok..
Future is still uncertain, but what I am looking forward to the most, is my trip to Angor Wat.
If my thesis defense doesnt happen before May30th, I am doomed. I will have to cancel this trip and perhaps postpone my flight tickets to b'lore as well. Keeping my fingers crossed on the dates.
Until then I have to finish writing my report and get ready for the presentation.
Future is still uncertain, but what I am looking forward to the most, is my trip to Angor Wat.
If my thesis defense doesnt happen before May30th, I am doomed. I will have to cancel this trip and perhaps postpone my flight tickets to b'lore as well. Keeping my fingers crossed on the dates.
Until then I have to finish writing my report and get ready for the presentation.
Friday, May 8, 2009
The great Indian dance of democracy
With results due next week, the great dance of democracy comes to an end for this term. I haven't voted this time and the three-four other times that I could have. I've voted only once in my life. Not that I am proud or ashamed of this. I am not taking any side of this debate.
Post Mumbai 26/11, all of them came on the streets bashing security lapses and sleeping politicians, rightly so. The youth suddenly realized how important it is to vote and make a difference, however small it may be.
Percentage of people voted in Mumbai 2004 elections: ~49%
Percentage of people voted in Mumbai 2009 elections: ~44%
Percentage of people voted in Bangalore 2009 elections: ~46%
The people who will rule in Mumbai and B'lore clearly belong to the minority.
Here is a funny piece: reasons why people didn't vote in the South Mumbai constituency
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Courtesy rediff:
Here are 10 reasons why South Mumbai didn't come out to vote on April 30.
* Clashed with Salsa class
* Election whites not drycleaned
* No candidate a hottie
* Tony Jethmalani contesting from suburbs. Sigh
* No valet parking at booth
* Spotted servant in queue ahead of us
* Driver not come
* Elections over dude, Obama won!
* No party tackling real issues, eg, reduce Goly Gym rates.
* No home delivery!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And some more genuine ones to add:
1. Name not found in the electoral list
2. Heat waves
3. Fear of Maoists (terror attacks)
4. There is no 'None of the above' option in voting machine
5. All the contestants in my constituents are criminals and scoundrels
Any other reason apart from these are mere excuses. Lovely..urban apathy at its best..I'm sure some of the reasons quoted above are true and wont be much different for B'lore as well. If behenji (Mayawati) comes to power which of course I DO NOT want, whom do you blame. Of course a big part of the blame is on ourselves. I guess we all deserve it to some extent. Now, how do you change all this ?
Clearly, voting alone wont be the solution. I strongly think, by mere voting things are clearly not going to change a lot. But, abstaining from voting wont do any difference at all. I guess voting is important. It is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for better governance. When you have such a rotten system to govern such a complex society, we need an equally strong and influential force to counter it, let alone change it. The youth which has a clear thinking have to join politics at all levels, in all ranks and file of the system. There has to be a movement, right from the Panchayat Rajs upto national level politics. Education at all levels is needed and education does not merely mean learning how to read and write. Whats more important is to question, analyze and think and ACT. Whoever comes to power, should implement the following changes, that will bring in people's confidence in the system:
1. Police reforms
2. Administrative reforms
3. Judicial reforms
Of course, all these institutions, Police, Administration and judiciary have to decoupled from the politicians. They are meant to serve the society and not the ruling parties. They don't have to be accountable to the ruling party, but to the society like the politicians should be.
The problem is also with the way our society is, our upbringing is. The Indian society is a highly individualistic society. What comes first is 'me', 'I', then the family, then friends, society, state and yeah if there is some space left, then the country. Right from pre-nursery, kids are taught to study, be competitive, get good grades. Being part and winning the rat race is inculcated right from childhood. Here lies the basis of building the process of 'me-first', 'me-first' attitude. We all grow up being a selfish lot. We keep our houses clean and wont bother to keep our streets and neighbourhoods clean. Who the fuck cares as long as 'I' am clean and happy and am getting what I want. This is the attitude of a typical Indian. Everything else comes later. Even when it comes to issues people face in the country, everything is localized, though people across the breadth and length of the country faces similar issues. Water, bad governance, corruption, safety -- all these problems are not restricted to a single place or state. Its sprinkled all over the country. The problem, as Arun Shourie puts it, there is no one who can clearly channelize these issues to be fought on a national level. There are no national movements. There is no leader who can do this, who can weave a common thread to bind the different communities across the entire nation. The only leaders who can do it were during the pre-independence era - M.K Gandhi, Sardar Patel are no more. Most of the leaders today thrive on caste politics and have myopic view on the country's future. Though, there are some(Arun Jaitely, Kapil Sibal, Arun Shourie) who have amazing clarity in thought, a handful cant make much of a difference. Obviously these people are right at the top, there is no way such clarity is percolates right down to the bottom, to the leaf nodes. Of course, there is no magic potion to to solve this, but a nation, we need to think about this seriously and start executing plans. Change our archaic British-raj laws, have a more practical system in place. While the British have moved on changing the rules and laws in their country, we still are stuck in old-era style of governance. We should perhaps learn a few lessons on administration and accountability from Singapore.
But, I do see things change, however gradual it may be. India, being a democratic country also ranks pretty good in freedom index and in freedom of press. It may not be as high as US is, but its much much better than many nations such as some Islamist and communist countries, where hardly have any say in the affairs of the country. We should make good use of it to make things happen. As I write this, there is a TV show going on hosted by one of India's leading news channel, where some politicians are debating on low voters turnout and if voting has to be made compulsory. Someone from the audience said, "All the politicians out there are scoundrels. Why should I vote ?". One of the politicians commented on that saying, "If you are not happy with the current breed of politicians, please, please assert your anger." People still are not feeling the pinch of bad governance. I'm sure once the tolerance levels are breached, there is going to be a massive movement. I am waiting for that.
Post Mumbai 26/11, all of them came on the streets bashing security lapses and sleeping politicians, rightly so. The youth suddenly realized how important it is to vote and make a difference, however small it may be.
Percentage of people voted in Mumbai 2004 elections: ~49%
Percentage of people voted in Mumbai 2009 elections: ~44%
Percentage of people voted in Bangalore 2009 elections: ~46%
The people who will rule in Mumbai and B'lore clearly belong to the minority.
Here is a funny piece: reasons why people didn't vote in the South Mumbai constituency
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Courtesy rediff:
Here are 10 reasons why South Mumbai didn't come out to vote on April 30.
* Clashed with Salsa class
* Election whites not drycleaned
* No candidate a hottie
* Tony Jethmalani contesting from suburbs. Sigh
* No valet parking at booth
* Spotted servant in queue ahead of us
* Driver not come
* Elections over dude, Obama won!
* No party tackling real issues, eg, reduce Goly Gym rates.
* No home delivery!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And some more genuine ones to add:
1. Name not found in the electoral list
2. Heat waves
3. Fear of Maoists (terror attacks)
4. There is no 'None of the above' option in voting machine
5. All the contestants in my constituents are criminals and scoundrels
Any other reason apart from these are mere excuses. Lovely..urban apathy at its best..I'm sure some of the reasons quoted above are true and wont be much different for B'lore as well. If behenji (Mayawati) comes to power which of course I DO NOT want, whom do you blame. Of course a big part of the blame is on ourselves. I guess we all deserve it to some extent. Now, how do you change all this ?
Clearly, voting alone wont be the solution. I strongly think, by mere voting things are clearly not going to change a lot. But, abstaining from voting wont do any difference at all. I guess voting is important. It is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for better governance. When you have such a rotten system to govern such a complex society, we need an equally strong and influential force to counter it, let alone change it. The youth which has a clear thinking have to join politics at all levels, in all ranks and file of the system. There has to be a movement, right from the Panchayat Rajs upto national level politics. Education at all levels is needed and education does not merely mean learning how to read and write. Whats more important is to question, analyze and think and ACT. Whoever comes to power, should implement the following changes, that will bring in people's confidence in the system:
1. Police reforms
2. Administrative reforms
3. Judicial reforms
Of course, all these institutions, Police, Administration and judiciary have to decoupled from the politicians. They are meant to serve the society and not the ruling parties. They don't have to be accountable to the ruling party, but to the society like the politicians should be.
The problem is also with the way our society is, our upbringing is. The Indian society is a highly individualistic society. What comes first is 'me', 'I', then the family, then friends, society, state and yeah if there is some space left, then the country. Right from pre-nursery, kids are taught to study, be competitive, get good grades. Being part and winning the rat race is inculcated right from childhood. Here lies the basis of building the process of 'me-first', 'me-first' attitude. We all grow up being a selfish lot. We keep our houses clean and wont bother to keep our streets and neighbourhoods clean. Who the fuck cares as long as 'I' am clean and happy and am getting what I want. This is the attitude of a typical Indian. Everything else comes later. Even when it comes to issues people face in the country, everything is localized, though people across the breadth and length of the country faces similar issues. Water, bad governance, corruption, safety -- all these problems are not restricted to a single place or state. Its sprinkled all over the country. The problem, as Arun Shourie puts it, there is no one who can clearly channelize these issues to be fought on a national level. There are no national movements. There is no leader who can do this, who can weave a common thread to bind the different communities across the entire nation. The only leaders who can do it were during the pre-independence era - M.K Gandhi, Sardar Patel are no more. Most of the leaders today thrive on caste politics and have myopic view on the country's future. Though, there are some(Arun Jaitely, Kapil Sibal, Arun Shourie) who have amazing clarity in thought, a handful cant make much of a difference. Obviously these people are right at the top, there is no way such clarity is percolates right down to the bottom, to the leaf nodes. Of course, there is no magic potion to to solve this, but a nation, we need to think about this seriously and start executing plans. Change our archaic British-raj laws, have a more practical system in place. While the British have moved on changing the rules and laws in their country, we still are stuck in old-era style of governance. We should perhaps learn a few lessons on administration and accountability from Singapore.
But, I do see things change, however gradual it may be. India, being a democratic country also ranks pretty good in freedom index and in freedom of press. It may not be as high as US is, but its much much better than many nations such as some Islamist and communist countries, where hardly have any say in the affairs of the country. We should make good use of it to make things happen. As I write this, there is a TV show going on hosted by one of India's leading news channel, where some politicians are debating on low voters turnout and if voting has to be made compulsory. Someone from the audience said, "All the politicians out there are scoundrels. Why should I vote ?". One of the politicians commented on that saying, "If you are not happy with the current breed of politicians, please, please assert your anger." People still are not feeling the pinch of bad governance. I'm sure once the tolerance levels are breached, there is going to be a massive movement. I am waiting for that.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Lost, but not lost
To lose is no disgrace
Especially if you have fought the good fight
Given it your all ...
every ounce of your strength, passion, belief
And have not been scared to wounded, to be hurt,
to be dragged through the mud
Because in the end you may just find ...
That you have not lost ...
Courtesy: Tehelka
Especially if you have fought the good fight
Given it your all ...
every ounce of your strength, passion, belief
And have not been scared to wounded, to be hurt,
to be dragged through the mud
Because in the end you may just find ...
That you have not lost ...
Courtesy: Tehelka
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Movie Compilation
I really cant recollect all the good movies I have watched, but here is a short list of some really good international cinema. I need a separate post to write more about these movies, which I will in a week or two.
Iranian
1. Children of Heaven (4.5/5)
2. Close-up (4/5)
3. The White Balloon (4.5/5)
4. Persepolis (4.5/5)
5. Taste of Cherry (4/5)
6. Through the Olive Trees
7. The Colors of Paradise
8. Each Night of Solitude (3.5/5)
2. Korean
1. My Sassy Girl (4/5)
2. Spring Summer Autumn Winter and Spring (4.5/5)
3. Windstruck (3.75/5)
3. Japanese
1. Letters from Iwo-Jima (4.25/5)
2. Rashomon (4/5)
3. Ikuru
4. French
1. Amelie (4/5)
2. Delicatessan (4.5/5)
3. Trois (3.75/5)
4. Mon Unkle (4/5)
5. 13 (4.5/5)
6. Trois Couleurs (3.5/5)
7. La Mome (4.5/5)
8. Love me if you dare (Jeux d'enfants) (4/5)
Spanish
1. Ton of luck (3.5/5)
Iceland
1. Coldtrail (4.75/5)
Italian
1. The Bicycle Thief (4.5/5)
2. Big Deal on Madonna Street (4.75/5)
Portuguese/Brazilian
1. City of God (Cidade de Deus ?? ) (4.5/5)
Iranian
1. Children of Heaven (4.5/5)
2. Close-up (4/5)
3. The White Balloon (4.5/5)
4. Persepolis (4.5/5)
5. Taste of Cherry (4/5)
6. Through the Olive Trees
7. The Colors of Paradise
8. Each Night of Solitude (3.5/5)
2. Korean
1. My Sassy Girl (4/5)
2. Spring Summer Autumn Winter and Spring (4.5/5)
3. Windstruck (3.75/5)
3. Japanese
1. Letters from Iwo-Jima (4.25/5)
2. Rashomon (4/5)
3. Ikuru
4. French
1. Amelie (4/5)
2. Delicatessan (4.5/5)
3. Trois (3.75/5)
4. Mon Unkle (4/5)
5. 13 (4.5/5)
6. Trois Couleurs (3.5/5)
7. La Mome (4.5/5)
8. Love me if you dare (Jeux d'enfants) (4/5)
Spanish
1. Ton of luck (3.5/5)
Iceland
1. Coldtrail (4.75/5)
Italian
1. The Bicycle Thief (4.5/5)
2. Big Deal on Madonna Street (4.75/5)
Portuguese/Brazilian
1. City of God (Cidade de Deus ?? ) (4.5/5)
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