My unending love for Java is well known among my friends and colleagues. Here's a cool video promoting Java. Found it on Youtube. Enjoy :)
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Saturday, July 28, 2007
One Year
Today is a special day. I completed one year in US. It was 28th July last year I had landed in San Francisco.
It's been a long journey. It really doesn't feel like one year. It feels much more. Like eternity. So many varied experiences. So many changes in life. So much learning.
Some memories .... fond or otherwise...
- Staying in the computer lab whole nights for 2 days straight, finishing the project.
- Snow in Tucson
- Struggle for getting funding in the first semester and failing
- First birthday in US
- Completing a project which was supposedly a half-semester project in only 3 days with Karthik
- Christmas with sister and brother in law in Sacramento
- Buying first iPod and Lord of The Rings complete 12 DVD set
- Getting TA in the department
- Giving a presentation to Undergraduate Students in Software Engineering Class
- Reaching last round of interviews at Microsoft for internship and failing
- Getting through Cerner Corp's interviews and first offer of internship
- Visiting NY for the first time for Morgan Stanley's interview. Failure in the end
- A surprise internship offer from Bloomberg, NY
- Spring break at sister's place
- Nominated for Best TA (But not getting it)
- Topping the second mid-term of Compiler subject. A huge surprise
- Summer in NY city in Bloomberg
- Meeting old friends - Nehal, Prachi, Ruchir and Taral
- Visits to Dallas, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Atlantic City, Kansas City, Seattle, San Francisco
- Successful completion of assigned work in Bloomberg. Praise from Manager
- 100+ hours of finance training in Bloomberg
- Daily commuting of three hours in total from New Jersey to New York
It sure was a hell of an eventful year!
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
A Day
6:30 AM - Buzzzz ... Alarm goes off. [Damn... I wanna go back to school]
6:45 AM - Selecting the coat and dressing up in crisp clothes pressed last night.... Admiring my dressing sense [Not doing it everyday though!! Only when I am really impressed by my choice of clothing]
6:55 AM - Boiling milk for Wagh-Bakri tea
7:05 AM - Walking towards railway station with tea in hand. Admiring green nature's beauty in surrounding areas. Listening to Pink Floyd/Radiohead/Cold Play
7:13 AM - On board express train to NY Penn Station. Standing near the door because of no seats left.
7:35 AM - Finally get a seat when train comes to Newark.
7:45 AM - Dozing off on seat.
8:00 AM - Arriving NY Penn Station. Wake up. [Damn... I wanna go back to school] Run to catch the subway train. Pass near the repulsively smelly Pretzel stall.
8:05 AM - On Subway train. Trying to avoid being a sandwich. [Too many people. But I like it! It feels like home. It feels like Mumbai locals or Chennai buses.]
8:15 AM - Walking towards office on Lexington Ave. Looking at the board of TGIF restaurant (Thank God It is Friday) And counting remaining week days.
8:30 AM - Breakfast time ! Bread, Sinful amount of cream cheese and juice
8:45 AM - Surfing News, Checking mail
9:00 AM - Work starts finally. [Come on. Stop being lazy now and start working]
10:00 AM - Juice time. [This will keep repeating throughout the day almost every one and a half hours]
12:30 PM - Lunch time. [(curse...) I am hungry. Tired of eating same food - pizza, subway... Forget it .. Will skip again... Let me get a cup of soup]
-
-
-
4:00 PM - [Excitement... Day coming to end] Fill the time sheet. Fill Programmer Notes.
5:00 PM - Hurray ... Day over!
5:30 PM - Finance class starts... 3 very interesting hours about to start [When was the last time I eagerly waited for a class like this? I can't remember in my 17 years of academic life!]
8:30 PM - Class over. Walk towards subway. Look at the brightly lit streets with skyscrapers at both sides and fall in love with the city all over again. And again.
8:42 PM - Arriving NY Penn Station. Run for NJ transit. [Literally. Run. Otherwise will miss it by a few seconds]
9:00 PM - On board NJ Transit. Dozing on the seat.
10:00 PM - Walking back home on dark streets.
10:05 PM - Microwave frozen food. [God bless these frozen food makers.]
10:30 PM - Chat/Talk/Surf
11:00 PM - Reluctantly set the alarm for next morning.
11:10 PM - Deep sleep after a long tiring day.
6:45 AM - Selecting the coat and dressing up in crisp clothes pressed last night.... Admiring my dressing sense [Not doing it everyday though!! Only when I am really impressed by my choice of clothing]
6:55 AM - Boiling milk for Wagh-Bakri tea
7:05 AM - Walking towards railway station with tea in hand. Admiring green nature's beauty in surrounding areas. Listening to Pink Floyd/Radiohead/Cold Play
7:13 AM - On board express train to NY Penn Station. Standing near the door because of no seats left.
7:35 AM - Finally get a seat when train comes to Newark.
7:45 AM - Dozing off on seat.
8:00 AM - Arriving NY Penn Station. Wake up. [Damn... I wanna go back to school] Run to catch the subway train. Pass near the repulsively smelly Pretzel stall.
8:05 AM - On Subway train. Trying to avoid being a sandwich. [Too many people. But I like it! It feels like home. It feels like Mumbai locals or Chennai buses.]
8:15 AM - Walking towards office on Lexington Ave. Looking at the board of TGIF restaurant (Thank God It is Friday) And counting remaining week days.
8:30 AM - Breakfast time ! Bread, Sinful amount of cream cheese and juice
8:45 AM - Surfing News, Checking mail
9:00 AM - Work starts finally. [Come on. Stop being lazy now and start working]
10:00 AM - Juice time. [This will keep repeating throughout the day almost every one and a half hours]
12:30 PM - Lunch time. [(curse...) I am hungry. Tired of eating same food - pizza, subway... Forget it .. Will skip again... Let me get a cup of soup]
-
-
-
4:00 PM - [Excitement... Day coming to end] Fill the time sheet. Fill Programmer Notes.
5:00 PM - Hurray ... Day over!
5:30 PM - Finance class starts... 3 very interesting hours about to start [When was the last time I eagerly waited for a class like this? I can't remember in my 17 years of academic life!]
8:30 PM - Class over. Walk towards subway. Look at the brightly lit streets with skyscrapers at both sides and fall in love with the city all over again. And again.
8:42 PM - Arriving NY Penn Station. Run for NJ transit. [Literally. Run. Otherwise will miss it by a few seconds]
9:00 PM - On board NJ Transit. Dozing on the seat.
10:00 PM - Walking back home on dark streets.
10:05 PM - Microwave frozen food. [God bless these frozen food makers.]
10:30 PM - Chat/Talk/Surf
11:00 PM - Reluctantly set the alarm for next morning.
11:10 PM - Deep sleep after a long tiring day.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Silence - Language of Love
I don't listen to love songs. They are just too mushy and maudlin for me. I rather prefer the haunting and melancholy songs by Pink Floyd or Radiohead etc. But this song is an exception. Listening to it is a beautiful experience. Ronan has done a wonderful job.
The lyrics remarkably make sense. "You say it best, when you say nothing at all". How true! Silence is indeed the language of love.
Lyrics:
It's amazing how you can speak right to my heart
Without saying a word you can light up the dark
Try as I may I can never explain
What I hear when you don't say a thing
The smile on your face let's me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me wherever I fall
You say it best, when you say nothing at all
All day long I can hear people talking out loud (oh…)
But when you hold me near (oh, hold me near)
You drown out the crowd (drown out crowd)
Try as they may, they can never defy
What's been said between your heart and mine
The smile on your face let me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me wherever I fall
You say it best, when you say nothing at all…oh
Oh, the smile on your face let's I know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me wherever I fall
You say it best, when you say nothing at all
You say it best, when you say nothing at all
You say it best, when you say nothing at all
(The smile on your face)
You say it best, when you say nothing at all
(The truth in your eyes)
(The touch of your hand)
You say it best, when you say nothing at all
(Let me know that you need me)
You say it best, when you say nothing at all (nothing at all)
You say it best, when you say nothing at all (nothing at all)
You say it best, when you say nothing at all (nothing at all)
The lyrics remarkably make sense. "You say it best, when you say nothing at all". How true! Silence is indeed the language of love.
Lyrics:
It's amazing how you can speak right to my heart
Without saying a word you can light up the dark
Try as I may I can never explain
What I hear when you don't say a thing
The smile on your face let's me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me wherever I fall
You say it best, when you say nothing at all
All day long I can hear people talking out loud (oh…)
But when you hold me near (oh, hold me near)
You drown out the crowd (drown out crowd)
Try as they may, they can never defy
What's been said between your heart and mine
The smile on your face let me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me wherever I fall
You say it best, when you say nothing at all…oh
Oh, the smile on your face let's I know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me wherever I fall
You say it best, when you say nothing at all
You say it best, when you say nothing at all
You say it best, when you say nothing at all
(The smile on your face)
You say it best, when you say nothing at all
(The truth in your eyes)
(The touch of your hand)
You say it best, when you say nothing at all
(Let me know that you need me)
You say it best, when you say nothing at all (nothing at all)
You say it best, when you say nothing at all (nothing at all)
You say it best, when you say nothing at all (nothing at all)
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Gray
Gray color is normally not many people's favorite color. Neither is it mine in normal circumstances. Yet I consider that color to be special in many ways.
Today I woke up to a gray morning. It had been raining since night and the dawn was very different from the usual day breaks. It was covered in the gray colored cloak of mist. My fascination for such weather is not unknown. Such days, which many people call 'Depressing', never fail to elevate my soul.
I am writing this sitting besides a window on the train to NY. Tiny rain drops are splashing the window glass and making beautiful music. Gray hills, gray woods, small gray houses and semi transparent gray fog. The lack of clarity makes trees at a distance look like small hills. As if the trees are pretending to be more mature like hills. Just like small kids would wear a fake mustaches and long coats to pretend to be an adult.
I am passing over the calm waters of a river. The fog seems to gel well with the surface the water. The river is so motionless that the fog seems to rest on the water. Calm and beautiful. I always quote Oscar Wilde when it comes to describing the magic of unclarity. He says clarity kills the fun. It ruins the beauty. A rose covered with mist is always more beautiful.
Imagine taking a walk on a morning which has bathed in the night rain. The streets are wet and that unique wet earth's smell fills the air. The fog wraps around everything. Acting like a comforter or a rug. Protecting you temporarily from the harsh world surrounding you. Would you rather take a walk on such a morning or on a morning brightly lit by the summer sun? I would rather prefer the cool beads of mist than sweat dripping off my forehead.
Gray is the color of uncertainty. Don't we say 'It looks gray to me'. And isn't it also true that such uncertainty makes life much more exciting and interesting? That's why gray holds a special place in the spectrum of colors in my opinion.
Now the gray color around me has vanished into the thin air and it is replaced by thick black color of darkness. The train has just entered the tunnel approaching NY Penn Station. It has indeed put a stop to the train of my thoughts now.
Signing off....
Gandalf
Today I woke up to a gray morning. It had been raining since night and the dawn was very different from the usual day breaks. It was covered in the gray colored cloak of mist. My fascination for such weather is not unknown. Such days, which many people call 'Depressing', never fail to elevate my soul.
I am writing this sitting besides a window on the train to NY. Tiny rain drops are splashing the window glass and making beautiful music. Gray hills, gray woods, small gray houses and semi transparent gray fog. The lack of clarity makes trees at a distance look like small hills. As if the trees are pretending to be more mature like hills. Just like small kids would wear a fake mustaches and long coats to pretend to be an adult.
I am passing over the calm waters of a river. The fog seems to gel well with the surface the water. The river is so motionless that the fog seems to rest on the water. Calm and beautiful. I always quote Oscar Wilde when it comes to describing the magic of unclarity. He says clarity kills the fun. It ruins the beauty. A rose covered with mist is always more beautiful.
Imagine taking a walk on a morning which has bathed in the night rain. The streets are wet and that unique wet earth's smell fills the air. The fog wraps around everything. Acting like a comforter or a rug. Protecting you temporarily from the harsh world surrounding you. Would you rather take a walk on such a morning or on a morning brightly lit by the summer sun? I would rather prefer the cool beads of mist than sweat dripping off my forehead.
Gray is the color of uncertainty. Don't we say 'It looks gray to me'. And isn't it also true that such uncertainty makes life much more exciting and interesting? That's why gray holds a special place in the spectrum of colors in my opinion.
Now the gray color around me has vanished into the thin air and it is replaced by thick black color of darkness. The train has just entered the tunnel approaching NY Penn Station. It has indeed put a stop to the train of my thoughts now.
Signing off....
Gandalf
Monday, July 16, 2007
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Shadows
I was walking home on NJ streets tonight back from the NJ Transit station. My only companions were my shadows. Here the streets are well lit unlike some of the Tucson streets where there is hardly any light. The shadows were rising and falling as I moved away from one light and went closer to the next one. A consistent theme of rise and fall of shadows.
I felt that the shadow was like our own ego and the lights were like knowledge. As you move closer to the light, the shadow diminishes. Just like as you move closer to knowledge, the brilliance of knowledge lessens the ego and makes you more humble. The more you move away from light, the more the shadow grows and becomes menacingly tall. Just like you move away from knowledge, into the darkness of ignorance, and your ego starts to inflate and become bigger and fatter.
Let there be light. Let there be knowledge.
I felt that the shadow was like our own ego and the lights were like knowledge. As you move closer to the light, the shadow diminishes. Just like as you move closer to knowledge, the brilliance of knowledge lessens the ego and makes you more humble. The more you move away from light, the more the shadow grows and becomes menacingly tall. Just like you move away from knowledge, into the darkness of ignorance, and your ego starts to inflate and become bigger and fatter.
Let there be light. Let there be knowledge.
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