The Integral

Photoblog and other updates

2009-08-26T09:57:00.007+05:30

I now have a photoblog to accompany my regular blog the Integral...

Do visit
http://photos.aditto.info

and

http://blog.aditto.info

I would love to read your comments on the same...

You may find me on Twitter
http://www.twitter.com/aditto

And also on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/aditto

#170 Blog Shift by delta-x (dx)

2008-02-12T13:01:00.006+05:30

From now onwards The Integral would exist

@

http://blog.aditto.info

Please make a note and change your links and bookmarks.

#169 Seoul South Gate... burnt :(

2008-02-12T10:17:00.000+05:30

You may want to check this:

#142 Seoul Trip Two: Rainy Day

or you may want to check this:
Seoul landmark fire

2008-01-09T23:09:00.000+05:30

1. What did you do in 2007 that you'd never done before? Went abroad

2. Did you keep your new years resolutions, and will you make more for next? I dint have one

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? No

4. Did anyone close to you die? No

5. What date from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? May 5, 2007, I guess when I flew into Incheon.

6. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Getting a decent job.

7. What was your biggest failure? Stayed unhappy unnecessarily.

8. Did you suffer illness? Yes

9. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed? The travel agent.

10. Where did most of your money go? Food.

11. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Korea

12. What song will always remind you of 2007? Pachelbel's Canon in D Major

13. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder? Happier

14. What do you wish you'd done more of? Dancing

15. What do you wish you'd done less of? Feeling sad

16. Did you fall in love in 2007? Yes. Beyond humans.

17. How many one night stands? HuH

18. What was your favourite TV programme? Hardly watched any TV shows, but I did enjoy Comedy Circus

20. What was the best book you read? Huh again, but still reading, The Rough Guide to Climate Change

21. What was your greatest musical discovery? Canon in D Major ofcourse, and then Katie Melua, and then Taare Zameen Par.

22. What did you want and get? Travel abroad.

23. What did you want and not get? Aah...so much

24. What was your favourite film of this year? Taare Zameen Par, and Classic (Korean)

25. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I cut cake, and went for dinner with ..:: Roshnai ::.. I was 22.

26. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? A little more decisiveness.

27. What kept you sane? Did anything do so?

28. Who was the worst new person you met? Nobody was that nasty

29. Who was the best new person you met? Sudebi Di

30. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007. Everything happens for the good.

31. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
Jaise aankhon ki dibbiyaan mein nindiyaan, jaise nindiyaan mein meethaa saa sapanaa...

#167 Exchange 2020

2008-01-07T15:06:00.000+05:30

Exchange 2020 is a crazy idea that I had some days back, inspired by Kyle MacDonald.

Your first reaction to the game would be, WHAT CRAP!!! But that is the way it is.

I set out to exchange, yes Exchange, something that I have, with something Bigger and/or Better that you would want to exchange with me.

I start with a very small and simple thing. A metal box of Wrigley’s Eclipse mints! Let’s say someone exchanges something bigger, a pencil box with me for a box of mints. I would put that pencil box up for trade in exchange of something bigger and better! What I get in exchange of the pencil box would again be put up for trade! So on…

I shall exchange things that I would get in change of the previous item. This would go on. The condition is that my barter should necessarily move in a chain. Bartering the previous item for the next. Till I get something really BIG and really GOOD!

Log on now: http://exchange2020.wordpress.com

# 166 Daffodils

2007-10-06T13:10:00.000+05:30

Daffodils
William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a Cloud
That floats on high o'er Vales and Hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:-
A poet could not but be gay
In such a jocund company:
I gazed-and gazed-but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought.

For oft when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude,
And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the Daffodils.

# 165 I Sit Back On My Chair

2007-10-04T23:25:00.000+05:30

Sometimes I feel I'm not myself,
I dont want to be "me" anymore.
I want to go somewhere far away,
Where I wouldn't know anybody,
And nobody would know who I am.

I wanna go far away from all relationships,
I wanna go away from all hardships,
I am not scared,
I dont want to run away.
I just want to walk out of the game,

But then I see my life is so so long,
And I haven't yet seen most of it..
And I sit back on my chair, thinking
Once again, where I am, why I am...
But mostly wondering who I am.

# 164 When I say nothing at all...

2007-10-03T18:05:00.000+05:30

I wish I knew who I am, where I am and why I am! I wish I knew the answers to the questions you asked me, to the questions I ask myself.

There comes a time when nothing goes right. From the moment you wake up in the morning, till the moment you finally go into deep sleep. Even after that things may go wrong. Dreams may ruin even the most peaceful of the moments. I hope my dreams never come true. Never! Ever! Cos I've seen amongst the worst dreams anybody could ever see. I hope you don't see the dreams I have seen. I've seen nightmares in the day. I've seen bad dreams while fully awake. I don't know if they were dreams or if they really happened. I just don't want to believe them.

What is it that one feels when one is lost? What happens when one can't feel the presence of anyone around him even after being physically there? What is it that happens when you are looking at a person you know very dearly but you don't know who it is? Or if you are looking at a thing you've seen everyday of your life but you still can't make out what you are looking at?

If drops of tears just start rolling of your cheeks like the drops of dew that roll down the leaves and petals, even when you are silent and everything around you is silent, what does it mean? If something has such an impact on you that you cant even utter a word, what would you do? If you feel so heavy that you can't even move your foot one foot ahead, how would you go? If you cant even stand up after you've sat down, and everyone around you has got up and left, how would you move? When your eyes are filled with salt water, how would you even see what is in front of you? When your gut has filled with emotions how would even a word come out of it? How?

How long will I stay alone? If I have to stay alone, I'd rather do that without anybody that I already know. Let me go to places you have not seen. Let me be with people whom you would never see. Let me eat and drink what they do. Let me be a peasant. Let me be a shepherd. Let me be...

I don't need someone to laugh and cry with, I need a companion. I need a friend.

#163 Six Billion People... Thats a fact!

2007-09-17T19:57:00.000+05:30

At this moment there are 6,470,818,671 people in the world. Some are running scared. Some are coming home. Some tell lies to make it through the day. Others are just not facing the truth. Some are evil men, at war with good. And some are good, struggling with evil. Six billion people in the world, six billion souls. And sometimes…all you need is one.

Picked up from an orkut profile I randomly landed upon... the writer of the above piece claims it to be original... hats off to her! http://blahblahblahbue.blogspot.com/

# 162 Korean Laughter @ kh kh kh ㄲ ㄲ ㄲ

2007-08-17T16:42:00.001+05:30

This is a very special symbol. Some people see it as cute, some as very irritating. I see it as very cute and very naughty :)

It is the way Korean's laugh, well not really at all!! But while using messengers, sms or chats, YES!!

Its one of the cutest Korean terms I've come across :)

ㄲ ㄲ ㄲ

# 161 Pachelbel... in my heart

2007-08-14T18:06:00.000+05:30

What is the worth of a tear? Who knows it? Only time...

Pachelbel's Canon is a song that sends me to a world unknown to anybody other than me. Yes, its me and me. How can there be anyone else, when I say "me and me"?

There is a lot of darkness and a lot of brightness that exist together. Have you ever seen that? How can darkness co exist with brightness? Is there anything called darkness? Is darkness just the absence of brightness?

I dont fear, and I am not empty.

I am not shallow, and I am not hard.

I wont give up, and I wont falter.

I wont be 'the one' again.

Only time will tell... I shall join my hands and pray.

#160: Plagiarism of some sweet Korean Memories

2007-08-09T16:48:00.000+05:30

I have been back in India since almost a month now, but the Korean memories wont just leave me.
What do I do? In the mean while, I got interactive on Cyworld and often keep in touch with my Korean friends over Cyworld. http://www.cyworld.com/aditya0401

From my trip to the East Coast and Gangneung City, I have kept and will always keep the sweet memories close to me. After the trip, Jeong Hwa put up the following post in her cyworld blog. This is what she wrote...

This is the Choding we met in the bus who actually introduced me to her :)
---

처음에 이아이가 우비를 입고 갑자기 나타나

"여기 버스 6시 50분에나 오는데?"

하고 말을 던졌을때 우리는 스물몇살쯤 된 정신지체아인줄 알았다;;

First, when this child said suddenly putting on a rainwear “bus is coming at 6 : 50 here”, we thought he was a mentally retarded child about twenty years

---

그러나 이아이는 우리가 대꾸를 하던 안하던 우리를 보며

쉴새없이 예의가 없거나 개념이 없거나 하여튼 무언가 부족한

이야기들을 쏟아내서 우리를 정신없이 만들었다;;;

But he said a little strange story continuously seeing us without our answering, so we were out of our senses.

---

덕분에 묻지않고도 이아이가 초딩6학년의 역도선수이며

얼마전 대회에서 1등으로 200만원을 상금으로 받았으며

나에게 관심이 있다는 것을 알게되었다(ㄲ ㅑ ㅇ ㅏ!!!)

At result, we knew he is 6th grade of an elementary school without asking him and he won weight lifting mass meeting, so he was awarded 200 man-won. And he was interested to me. (kha –a!!!)

---
He wanted to talk to me, but he knew no english, and I knew no Korean... Miss Jeong Hwa sitting behind me, translated for us... and in the process started talking to me too... :)

우연히 강릉시외버스터미널로 향하던 버스에서 만난 아티

(놀랍게도 같은 기차를 타고 정동진으로 왔던 아티가

정동진에서 마구잡이로 찍은 사진중엔 우리의 사진도 한장 있었다)

We met aditya in a bus to Gang Lon bus terminal by chance (to our surprise, aditya who was getting on same train to Jun Dong Gin , he took a picture which our figure is there)

---

Actually it happened that I was taking some pictures of the Jeongdongjin station even much before I met her. Later while coming back to Incheon in the bus, while I was showing her my camera pics, she saw herself in one of those pics. Coincidence!
---

4개국어를 할줄알지만 한국어를 못하는 바람에;;;

곤란해 하던 아티는 나의 부족한 영어에도 매우 감격해했다...ㅋ

He can speak 4 language , except Korean… he felt difficult but he was deeply impressed even by my low English.

---

인도 봄베이에서 인하대학교에 3개월 교환학생으로 온 아티

Aditya who is coming to Inha Univ. from India Mumbai for 3 months as an interchange student.

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22살이라는 믿기지 않는 나이임에도 불구하고

Though his age is 22 years old that is unbelievable.

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나이답게 호기심이 많고 순수했다.

Was curious and pure like his age...

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인도사람인 아티는 한국사람들은 왜 사진찍을때마다

Aditya who is Indian wondered why all of Korean people do ‘V’ of finger every time when they take a picture.

---

I miss you!! and all the Korean memories like you...

#159 Farewell...

2007-07-12T13:48:00.000+05:30

...at Professor Won's house...
but whose farewell was it?

#158 Colours and Sounds from another Culture

2007-07-12T13:43:00.000+05:30

Just outside Yongsan Station...

#157 Simply Amazing: Seoul City

2007-07-10T18:45:00.000+05:30

Let the pictures speak for themselves...

#156 Busan @ 300 kmph... KTX

2007-07-09T07:36:00.000+05:30

Hi everyone... this may be my last posting from Korea, but I am not sure...

This Sunday I travelled down south to city of Busan (Pusan). Busan is the second largest city of South Korea, it also hosted the Asian Games in 2002. Busan is a city with many hills around. Roads are up and down and smaller than Seoul and Incheon roads. Overall, I think Incheon is a modern city with much better planning.

It is said that night life is best in Busan, but I neither had the time nor the luck. I also felt that Seoul / Incheon girls are much much prettier than Busan girls :) hahah :)

The key point of the trip was travel by KTX. It is the High Speed Railway connecting Seoul to Busan and the technology is French (TGV). The top speed was 303 kmph and the average speed was 140 kmph. It was just awesome to whizzzzzzzzzzzzz past the beautiful Korean country side. Also the return journey was splendid.

The bus ride, that cost me just 40 % of the KTX fare, took just 4 hr 45 minutes for the 430 km!!!! Isn't that awesome? And on top of that, I got down from the bus right near the university.

KTX route from Seoul to Busan

Just outside Seoul Station

At the entrance of Seoul Station...

Cool architecture at Seoul Station...

Once inside... Ticket Counters

Waiting lounge and cafeterias...

Go up the stairs to board the KTX...

Entrance to the tracks... you cant just reach the platform, without a proper ticket!

The tracks... come come my KTX...

Voila!!!! C'est tres bien!!

Ohh!! Let us accelerate, oh my KTX... read 260.9 km/h

Wowie... Top Speed: 303.6 km/h

Korean country side whizzing past...

Inside the cabin...

zzzzzzzzz Sleepy heads...

11.50 am: Busan Station

Architecture Magnificent! Simply Awesome structure @ Busan Station
Front view: Busan Station

A part of Busan City :)
Station Square...

Pretty picture... Candid!

Look at the double decker bus... I wish I was in it!

Haeundae Beach... Most famous in Korea

And more...

Choding Power :P

And more...

And more... aham aham

Goding power...

Ooooohhh!

Aah... this was somewhere between Seoul and Busan, on my way back to Seoul. It is a river, with embankments constructed to convert it into a picnic spot. The Koreans love to sit by the river and fish!

.....................

All in all a good trip, and great journey!

Note: Well, there are more pics, but I dont think they are suitable for public display ㅋㅋ (kh kh). Contact me personally if you wanna take a look :P

#155 Sorry Pyeong Chang

2007-07-05T15:27:00.000+05:30

Pyeong Chang lost out to Sochi.
Nevermind, it wont lose its beauty with this result :)

#154 Correction: Pyeong Chang 2014

2007-07-03T07:54:00.000+05:30

Correction:
In post # 152, there is a bit of correction. The pics that show the banner for Pyeong Chang 2014, and other pics in the same post, are actually taken in Pyeong Chang.

At that moment I thought it to be just a banner placed in the country side, but that place is actually Pyeong Chang county itself! And I wondered what the construction work all around was about!

Gangneung and Pyeong Chang will be hosting the Winter Olympics 2014, if they are selected tomorrow. Lovely place and it deserves to host the games...

Here are the pics once again :) These are the slopes that are fully covered with snow during winter. This place receives the highest snowfall in entire South Korea, and is a natural ski resort.

#153 And now to the west coast...

2007-06-30T18:18:00.000+05:30

Ganghwa Island, Incheon Airport, Wolmido and Incheon Metropolitan City.

The west coast of Korea , is along the Yellow Sea. The continental shelf is wide and most of the water near the shore is dirty brown. This area is known for its muddy flat lands along the shore.

Ganghwa island is known as a combat zone and has many old fortresses to protect the country from foreign attacks a few centuries ago.

This is Korea's Lucky Bird
---

The following pictures are from a Buddhist Temple in Ganghwa.
This is really how traditional Korea is...

We must put coins in this big bowl of water. If it hits the center, then our wish will be fulfilled. My coin landed many centimeters away from the center [:(]

But this was perhaps the sweetest water I have tasted so far in Korea... very pure and natural.

CHODING POWER

GODING POWER (goding: middle school students)

Construction underway: Incheon Airport - Incheon City Sea Link.
Once constructed, it will be around 12 kilometer long and will be amongst the three longest of its kind in the world.

And then we took this ferry to Wolmido... Yes our car went right inside :)

Korean cars, ready for export...

And in Incheon City: These are residential apartments.

Back to square one...

#152 Can something be better?

2007-06-24T16:56:00.000+05:30

I am too tired to write an introduction, haven't slept since two days. But so far, this has been my most memorable experience in Korea :)

I took a trip to the North Eastern Coast of South Korea, to a small beach town Jeondongjin, and was lead to a marvelous city Gangneung by some really wonderful people, that I happened to meet by chance!
---This is Cheongnyangni Station of Seoul City. It caters to trains linking Seoul to the Eastern part of Korea.

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And my train, listed on the chart as train number 1661. A normal express, not superfast :)

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And the Sunrise Express: This train is run at a specific time, such that it reaches Jeongdongjin (my destination) before the sunrise.

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Pretty people in pretty clothes :)

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I reached the destination well on time, 4.05 am. And this is what I saw. This is the horizon... all you can see is the horizon... thats the Face Of God :)

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Waiting anxiously for the sun to rise and show me its brimming face...

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Aah.... here it is... almost there!

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Hello, hello, where are you?

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Ooops, something that I feared, the cloudy monsoon sky, hid the sunrise :(, and the sun could only be seen a few degress higher, a few minutes later :(

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Oh, btw, here is the beautiful Pacific Ocean, my first view of crystal blue waters :)

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I am a hero, aren't I? PHBBT

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Clear waters and clear sand...

---

This is the whole beach and the Jeongdongjin railway station. This station has an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records, as the railway station closest to a beach. Well, its almost on the beach! The stairs from the platform, end up on the beach. This was a lovely sight from a high hill near the beach.

---

This, is a resort, at one end of the beach. Its a hotel made in the form of a huggggggggggggge Ship.

---

This is a pretty famous icon in Korea, and this led to the beach becoming a national attraction. This is a sand hour glass, but its time period is not one hour, its ONE YEAR. On every New Year's Day, this hour glass or YEAR GLASS is rolled about and restarted. It was installed and is maintained by Samsung.

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Jeongdongjin Beach Town - Pretty structures all around.

---

Aahhh... let me come to the point... A Choding (term's meaning explained in earlier post) introduced me to Jeong Hwa in the bus from Jeongdongjin to Gangneung Terminus. And we ended up being good friends. She offered to show me around a truly wonderful hill station city Gangneung.

---

And this is Gangneung...

---

These are: Na Hyae, Me, Jeong Hwa and Hyeon Yeong... had a cool time with them around :)

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Spotted some Wind Turbines :) !!!!!!!!!! Really happy to see them in action since my internship research is on the same :)

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This is a typical Korean train: KORAIL

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On the way back to Incheon...

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Through the tunnels, cutting the mountains...

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Through the clouds, cutting the air...

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And some more...

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Wonderful pine trees all around...

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Korean country-side... Gangwon Province

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Pyeong Chang is a city on the north eastern coast of South Korea, and is competing to host the 2014 Winter Olympics :) Incheon has already won the bid to host the Asian Games in 2014...

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Awesome... Simply...

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At the end of the day, I would like to preserve my two tickets from this special trip!!

And, will you believe me people, if I add that the whole green cover that you just saw turns red and yellow in Autumn, completely! And white in winter, completely covered by snow! This province of South Korea receives the maximum snowfall and becomes a natural skiing resort!

---

Sorry folks... there are too many nice pics to post... but most of them are private ;)

# 151 Wolmido... nice Quay

2007-06-10T09:23:00.000+05:30

Hmmmm So this weekend I went to Wolmido and China Town...

China town in Incheon is the only Chinatown in entire South Korea... Not too big, just a small road and a park on the top of the hill. The park has a free for all gym instruments and its a favorite spot for old people :)

Next Stop Wolmido:
Beautiful place along the Yellow Sea. Nice Quay~ Lots of young people come for a walk, and especially just to eat sea food. This place is famous for its sea food like Oysters, shrimps, cuttlefish, lobsters and did I mention shells? Also from Womido wharf you can get ferry to Incheon airport which is just across the creek. You can get your car ferried across too... even buses are ferried in those huge ferries! Nice place to catch some sunset, some young people, cool breeze, colourful water fountains and skirts!

This is the center of Chinatown and the building with the glass windows is a famous as the first place in Korea to prepare the Jajangmyeon: Noodles with black Chinese Soya bean sauce. (very famous Korean Chinese dish)

These fluffy Tigers were sold for real cheap... I only wish I dint have a baggage limitation !

This is Abhi, from IITK, doing his internship at KICT.

This is Incheon Port. A pretty colourful sight!
Behind the port, you see the Incheon Sea Link that would connect the mainland with the Incheon Airport island by 2009. It would be amongst the longest in the world.

Yours Truly

Old people love this place because of the free-for-all gym!

Welcome to Wolmido: This particular mean machine just throws the girls around! Pretty picture for on-lookers and I wonder if its embarrassing for the girls!

This was one hell of a ride! Its gone almost 90 degree and high in the air, rotating too!

This is the same Incheon Sea Link seen form Wolmido

Wolmido Quay

"Paint my face"

Look at this ferry: It ferries not just people, but cars and even buses full of people!

Cute Korean kids "Choding" (choding: elementary school kids) in water!

Sunset by the Yellow Sea! (Incheon Airport Island in the far backdrop)

And I twisted by ankle once again :(

This horse cart was funny, cause the main power came from a diesel engine kept in the read of the cart, even the horses neighs came from a loud speaker and not from the horse itself!

Cute Korean middle school kids "Goding"

# *** Sweeter Than Honey

2007-06-07T15:27:00.001+05:30

Today is no special day for me. Its just another day when I would like to thank "God" for everything I do and for everything I am.

A JOURNEY CUT SHORT
The boy wanted to be a pilot when he grew up. But he died young at the age of 5 years after a short struggle with a lethal form of blood cancer. Five-year-old Subhash, the only son of a Chennai couple who was suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia, died in Singapore on Thursday.

News like these are not really rare in a place like India... but this is just unfortunate...

Think of his father and mother who gave him birth and who raised him all these years, constantly with the worry and hope that one day their child would be able to run and play with everyone. Think of his parents who sold away everything they had to invest in their child's treatment. Think of his relatives who knew him. Think of his friends, who might have been few but special. Perhaps god liked him more than others, so god took him away for himself.

But why did I have to include this in my blog?

When this news was featured on CNNIBN website, a lot of people posted their comments. Most of them were "May God bless his soul". I just glanced at them, but one of the comments held my sight. Something that suddenly brought a gulp down my throat. I cant explain the feeling, but it touched me all the way. Even as I am copy pasting those exact words, it brings a tear to my eye. Maybe I am too sensitive, or maybe there is a lot of "Love" in this world "to live for, and worth dying for!"

will miss u loads................
n all the spiderman talks wid u.
Posted by: ":)"

May God bless your soul!
And give strength to your parents...

Click here to read

#150 ㅋㅋㅋ (k k k)

2007-06-05T19:52:00.000+05:30

#149 Inha... Celebrations of.... (I really dint get that)

2007-06-02T16:06:00.000+05:30

Hi,
Two blogs in a day... whoa!!!!
Time to watch some celebrations...

If you dont seem to be getting enough of it... then:

#148 Seoul National University

2007-06-02T10:27:00.000+05:30

Yesterday was the most hectic day here in Korea for me.... Started from Incheon at 8am and came back at 1am in the night. Lol.... Seminar, then conference, then long stretches of walking, the long sessions of soju and pork and again another long session of beer.... whoa... long day!

But it was great fun to meet and interact with so many people... It is said that if you give and take soju with anyone, he instantly becomes your very good friend! That's what I did and enjoyed! SNU Campus is HUGE! Not just huge, but the Best in Korea and I am sure one of the best anywhere! It is situated on a hill range in the southern part of Seoul City.

Seoul is surrounded by small mountains on three sides, and the Han River on the western side. It comes about as a natural fort. Coming back to SNU, its home to almost 30,000 students out of which 20,000 are undergraduate students. It is the best university in Korea and I guess it can be better than most other anywhere in the world! Once again I wished I was perched on top of a hillock to get the bird's eye view of the campus, but never mind... Its a 4 hour trek to the top of the hills... maybe soon!

Well, this is Pork... We must roast it or grill it over the fire. It has barbeque sauce on it, but it may not be there. Then you dip it in soya sauce, wrap it up in a lettuce leaf and into your mouth! Its the most delicious thing I have had here in Korea... and I would give it A+ :)

Do I need to say what this thing is? Its 20% alcohol, in other words, its "Soju" !!!!

They are not "choding". I will tell you more about Chodings later...

This is the SNU + Inha Power Systems Lab people... including Professor Won...
Why did the girls hide their faces once again???? I always wanted to see the face of the girl from SNU PSL who's photograph on the SNU website is a little weird, you only see the pony tail and not the face... like an enigma!

Well well well well... this is one of the top things that has amazed me about South Korea... This isnt a shopping mall or advertisement corner, its a Subway Station!!!! The trains stop and the doors open up with the train's doors! Awesome piece of safety and looks so good!

No words at all... except... "Korea's favourite colour is PINK, this is not a girl's scooter, very much a guy's!!"

SNU campus, surrounded by these lovely hills...

Mathematics building...

The summit, with the Korean Flag fluttering high...

#147 Hedge Hog!!!!!!!!

2007-05-31T13:01:00.000+05:30

Yunseong adopted this little mammal a few days back... its really damn cute... cost 150,000 Won, around $150.

#146 Happy Birthday To You

2007-05-31T12:58:00.001+05:30

I know its pretty late... but Yunseong celebrated his birthday on 26th... The cake was awesome! Paris Baguette Rocks!!!!

#145 Junction Velocity

2007-05-31T12:52:00.000+05:30

This was just an unsuccessful attempt to capture a really big road junction in the night, with traffic moving at full speed... I only wish I was perched atop a tall tree!

#144 You Eat Broccoli !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-05-26T14:24:00.001+05:30

#143 Yunseong Hyong

2007-05-24T15:24:00.000+05:30

Hmmmmmm today...
I made breakfast for Kim Yunseong and Kim Yunseong made breakfast for me. And apparently both of us liked the breakfast made by each other :)

After a lot of deliberations, we decided to go to Seoul. Seoul City is around 40 km from Incheon and takes about 40 minutes by subway. The distance isn't a factor in Korea. You can go from any place to any place in 3 hours! Compare to India... 3 days! Hahahahaha (This is the time of travel by railways of course).

In the previous post below, Ive put pics of the small trip on a Rainy Day. Really this day spoilt our visit to Namsan Tower. N Seoul Tower or Namsan Tower is the highest point in Seoul, and you can get a very nice glimpse of the whole city. But it was raining and I could hardly see anything except the rain. But the place looked good, nice cafeterias around, and finally spotted a chunk of western people here.

Yunseong, comes around as a really nice guy!! Like all Koreans that I have come across, he is a simple, not-much-attitude, kind and really helpful person, and funny of course! I don't really think he knew the way to reach Namsan by bus, but together we found our way to the bus stop. Language has never been a problem for me in Korea, if you are willing to make some effort, its easy to understand each other. And then they always have their mobile phones with pre-loaded translators which are really very helpful.
Coming back to Yunseong... He has asked me to call him Hyong, which means elder brother in Korean. Learning about Korean culture and teaching a little about Indian culture is a great experience. And shouldn't I mention that he taught me to "Read and Write" Korean script?? I can read and write anything in Korean script, but I still don't understand the meaning of the words... Picking up phrases for daily use is easy, and the rest will come soon! I don't really have much to write about him right now, but surely by the time I go back home, there will be a lot to tell... Today again he left me alone at Juan station and went out with his cute girl friend :) Happy Couple!

Have a nice time...

#142 Seoul Trip Two: Rainy Day

2007-05-24T13:52:00.000+05:30

Hanjin Group building... The Hanjin group is the same conglomerate (chaebol) that owns Korean Air and Inha University.

This is a Korea Fort gate in teh center of Seoul. The fort walls have disappeared but the gate stands...

A Wider look at Taller buildings...

This is Ginseng... famous Korean Health drink... Korean Ginseng is the best, but beware of side effects...

Traditional Korean market... things like clothes and food are really cheap here. When I say cheap, I mean cheaper than the rest of Seoul, but still way costlier than India...

These are parking lot guards...

... Korean "V" style...

... Korean "V" style...

Busy crossing... the man on the automated wheel chair is actually a beggar, singing song and waiting for coins...

Inside the N Seoul Tower... very beautiful from outside, inside and the outside as seen from inside...

... same place...

but unfortunately it rained...

Korean vegetable preparations... very delicious...

Koreans love French bakery and pasteries... most enjoyable stuff...

#141 Beautiful Korea...

2007-05-20T05:11:00.000+05:30

I guess it has been a long time since I actually wrote something...

This place is awesome! Its so much evident from the photographs.

South Korea 대한민국 (Dae han min guk) is a very small nation, about half the size of Gujarat, and slightly bigger than Sri Lanka, in North Eastern Asia. In spite of having faced invasions from Japan, China and Russia, and many problems that any nation faces, this small nation emerged as a true leader. Despite a severe setback caused by the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997, the country was able to re-emerge as a major economic power. In 2004, South Korea joined the "trillion dollar club" of world economies. The policies and decisions of the government from 1970-2000 saw South Korea transform from a troubled state facing problems like India is today, to a developed nation. The quality of life and level of happiness in its people is awesome. Technology is the center of attraction here apart from the vibrant colours and fashion. This place aims to become the hub of North East Asia, and I see all hints at it trying to achieve it hard!

Korea is one crazy nation, is the only country in the world probably, where you would find children, girls, guys, and even elder people wearing bright pink clothes! And it looks so good on them!! Major expenditure of Korean Youth is on Cosmetics!!!! If you are in Korea, you will realise it in no time. 20 percent of young girls have undergone cosmetic surgery to look more beautiful, but I bet they look better anyway! The average person looks much younger than what he or she may be... a very young looking modern girl may actually be mom of one or two kids! (You may see my post "Inha at Night" for an example.) The literacy is 98% and average life expectancy is 77 years~

It has amongst the highest number of medals in Asian games and Olympics, (one question that all Koreans tend to ask me is why India never gets good results in any sport inspite of having such a huge population).
It beat India almost twice in recent times, one... during the election for the UN General Secretary and then next during the voting for the city to host Asian Games in 2014.

Also, Seoul is the most expensive city to live in the world, after Moscow!

Things I would recommend:
Try to speak some Korean, the locals will mix up better with you if you do so...
Make good friends, they will really make sure you have a good time...
Try to enjoy the food here, you wont get something like this back home...
Go for a walk rather than a drive, it will rejuvenate your body mind and soul...
Wear pink, it will perhaps look good on you here...
Drink with locals but don't get drunk, else you will vomit...
Watch Korean movies, they are awesome...
Ogle at Korean girls, they are pretty and cute and most fashionable...
Do lots of shopping...

He he.... And have a nice time... :)

#140 Sports at INHA

2007-05-20T04:49:00.000+05:30

Football game amongst students of Dept of Electrical Engineering.
Professor played too!!

This is him...

Yunseong... Running for life...

"V for Victory" is the most common pose Koreans give while being photographed!

The orange team won... The blue team lost badly :(

This is girls playing a game like Baseball, but using their feet to kick a football sized ball!

A closer look...

Some Indians, Bangladeshis and Nepalis (I guess so...) playing cricket in one corner of the playing ground...

Girls and guys... skipping the rope...

...

#139 Inha by night...

2007-05-19T09:36:00.000+05:30

Reads "Inha University" when translated in English. This neon sign glows along the height of the Hi Tech Center.

This girl (lady) is a mother of a cute little girl! Everyone here looks so young...:)

#138 Welcome to Korea

2007-05-17T09:49:00.000+05:30

This is my professor at INHA University. Professor Dong Jun Won

Welcoming me to Korea: Three Cheers!

Three Cheers: Take One

Three Cheers: Take Two

Three Cheers: Take Three

Professor with an undergraduate student... the only girl in her class.. pretty famous hence... Jo Ara

#137 Hi Seoul

2007-05-14T08:00:00.000+05:30

There are these boards, and the doors always land between them!
At some places, there are glass walls with doors on the platform, that prevent anyone from getting down on the tracks! Something to learn!!

Bupyeong Station...
This line goes to Seoul.
Click Click!
It has an underground station as well for the Incheon subway line.
My Sassy Girl was shot there!

15 degree bend...

Seoul Plaza Hotel.

Me: The King!

Palace Architecture.

This is a Korean lucky bird for those who see it.

Inside the Seoul City Center Palace.

Happy Couple!

#136 Hi Seoul !!!!

2007-05-14T07:39:00.000+05:30

Inside the Palace (it was a very small palace)

Cute Koreans at the Palace

In front of Seoul City Hall.

Cute Korean Kids
In winter this place is an ice-skating rink.

This is the Seoul City Hall.

This is the main building in the Seoul City Hall Palace

Korean Actors find a lot of place on electronic displays on high rise buildings. Though I have not yet found Jun Ji Hyun :(

This place was once a high way, then the mayor of Seoul, did a major reconstruction by removing the highway and beautifying this place, which was originally a stream in the 19th century. And in the foreground are the two...

Another Cute Korean youngster

Traditional Korean Music Players

This piece has real embedded flowers and leaves.

Korean Masks... hehe

No-Comments

Typically Korean Gift Items

Cute Koreans :)

Insa-dong, doesn't it look like a street in New Delhi or Mumbai?

#135 Inha - WOW

2007-05-11T10:19:00.000+05:30

Korean Air B727-200, This aircraft is kept inside the campus, yes INSIDE the campus. Its not a pic of the airport!

Cockpit of the B727-200

Inside the B727-200, with its care taker!

This is the huge Dormitory

..........

The ____ and the ____

A very 'love'ly place in the heart of the campus

#134 The Three Musketeers

2007-05-10T05:25:00.000+05:30

#133 Street Behind INHA

2007-05-10T05:21:00.000+05:30

This is a city bus. There are blue and yellow buses too. They mean different types and fares.

On any given street, all the signals go green and red at the same time. Not like India where it is asynchronous. At the right side of the street, a little far away, the tall building is High Tech Center.

#132 Power Systems Lab

2007-05-09T05:15:00.000+05:30

Yours Sincerely.

He is Deasoung. The only Masters student in the lab. All others are UG students. Have you seen UG students getting a lab with computers of their own in India? Not in IIT at least, not in my department at least!

This is my friend Yunseong. Very strong and good person. He ultra-mini laptop-like gadget is a Korean-English-Korean translator that is so helpful here.
Oh, and the two monitors, are of the same computer. Its called multi desktop. The mouse goes from one screen onto the other!

This is my desk with the computer (1.5 GB RAM, the minimum in the lab).

This is Jejuin. The third man. I dont seem the get the spelling of his name right.

This is the Power Systems Lab at High Tech Center.
There is a bed to sleep for those who work night out, basin to get fresh (not seen), room humidifier (green), projector, blackboard connected to printer (not seen), that prints whatever is on the board!, conference table, and computers for everyone with ultra ultra high speed internet. Yes 89 Mbps internet connection in a 100 Mbps LAN connection.

#131 Korean Air Power Turbine

2007-05-08T10:13:00.000+05:30

Inha University belongs to Hanjin Group, the chaebol or conglomerate that also owns Korean Air. This is kept in the High-Tech Center. There is also a real Boeing 737-200 kept for display in the campus.

#130 Nam-Gu

2007-05-08T10:09:00.000+05:30

Street behind Inha university.

This is a small inlet street in Namgu, as seen from Hihg Tech center. Doesn't it look like Karol Bagh?

#129 Welcome to INHA

2007-05-08T10:02:00.000+05:30

The INHA Univeristy's High-Tech Center.

My lab is on the 3rd floor.

This is the lake near Back Gate. To the left is student cafeteria.

This is the back gate of INHA university.

Please click on the pics to see larger image.

#128 Incheon: My Little Room

2007-05-07T12:15:00.002+05:30

The house where I stay.

My room as seen from the door of the room.

As seen from inside my room, looking out of it :)

#127 Incheon Pics: Temperature Regulator

2007-05-07T12:15:00.001+05:30

#126 Hi Korea...

2007-05-07T11:50:00.000+05:30

This happens to be my first ever trip beyond the shores of India. And what a pleasure it is...

May 5th, 2007, 3:30 am
KE-656 BOM-ICN Korean Air Flight.
I am fortunate that there exists a direct flight from Bombay to Incheon. 6.5 hrs non-stop, over the Himalayas, over the Great Wall of China, over Shanghai and the Yellow Sea, into Korea.

May 5th, 2007, 2:20 pm Korean Time
Incheon Airport.
Rated World's best airport for 2007. And indeed it has to be. I walked out of the airport merely 10 minutes after the aircraft landed on the runway. Awesome construction. From up there it looked like a music player.

What is Incheon??
Huh, Incheon is a west-coast city in South Korea, barely 50 km from downtown Seoul. Was a part of Seoul, but later made into an autonomous metropolitan city. The new international airport that serves Korea, is situated on an island in the Yellow Sea west of Incheon. This has become the favoured stop enroute to the US for many Asians, instead of the traditional routes via London or Frankfurt. It is also a port, which serves as the most important international port, connecting to China and other countries.

Yunseong and his girlfriend came to receive me at the airport and wasnt difficult to spot them! From there it was a short ride on the airport limousine to Incheon city, and then a taxi ride to Yunseong's home. They dint lemme pay a penny.

Yunseong's House:
A very typical "student one room" flat. With a folding bed, a storage cupboard, ultrafast internet connection, desk, shelves, chair, washing room and electric stove to cook food. Very compact and cosy for a student. Aaaaa this is Korea... forgot to add. There was this little regulator, like we have a fan regulator, that regulates the room temperature and water temperature in the taps as per our needs. Check the pics in my next post. Ive reached posting limit for this post.

Had dinner with Yunseong and his girl friend. Went to a small traditional Korean restaurant. The walls did not have a paint or wallpaper. But wallpapers. Small memo notes were stuck on the walls and it covered all the walls, tables and chairs of the restaurant. Every visitor could write his message for anyone in particular or everyone in general and stick it. Stationary was kept available in plenty! We made our note and bang on the center of the wall!

Next day, went room searching and found a Korean house that rented me a tiny, very cozy room. Met Professor Won who gave me this opportunity to visit this wonderful place and hopefully have a great learning and visiting experience.

Korean Girls are damn pretty, very fair and very fashionable. The Koreans are very fashionable and want to adopt western culture. In this cold weather at 16 degree centigrade, Korean girls hang out in very modern clothes. Amongst Korean girls... as Yunseong would help me put it his way... 1. His girl friend, 2. Jyun Ji Hyun, 3. Son Ye Jin [:P], but I would say, 1. My girl friend, 2. His girl friend, 3. Jyun Ji Hyun + Son Ye Jin!

Anyway... I dont have much time to blog, as I am here to study... but will keep you updated.

#125 Ummmmm No Time to Blog Man!

2007-04-18T14:28:00.000+05:30

# 124 Ah Nevermind !

2007-01-24T21:31:00.000+05:30

How many times has it happened with you that you are looking at something, but it doesn't get registered into your brain?
How many times have you asked the question "where are my keys", while you were still staring at them?
How many times have you looked back at your life while you are still marching ahead?
How many times have you drank water enough to spill over your shirt and wet the part that generally is attributed to babies?

Is it called "hallu"cination? Were you "hallu" about something someone or simply yourself?

Well now I know one such "hallu"fied person. In general, the mouth of a man stays closed, and in awestruck conditions it opens up wide. While for this person, it generally stays open, and in the ethereal state shuts down!

Ok, so is there something worth telling? Oh yes...
Lingo is a "cool" aspect of any youth! And lingo-es evolve faster than the language itself. One such words which was formed recently has been "AWEKASAM".

All dues to SoMany and Blacki, Awekasam = Awesome + Maakasam ;) Nice? Well Yeh!

Ok, there is one more thing worth telling....
I was on my cycle returning from dinner, and happened to pause by a corner. Suddenly, this guy comes up, stops by me and asks...
"are you aditya?"
"yes"
"aditya MARATHE?"
"yes"
"congratulations for your essay, i follow your blog regularly"
"thanx, you are udit, right?"
"yes how do you knw me?"
"i follow your blog too"

[:P]
both of us caught unaware of trespassers!

# 123: I won I won

2007-01-13T12:43:00.000+05:30

Ok this is something like a pat on my own back...
But please refer to:

# 119 Millennium Development Goals: Deadline 2015 AD

If you've seen this, then the news is that my essay titled "Lets be a part of the generation that would make the difference!" on the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations, got selected in the Ten Best Essays, in an international essay writing competition conducted by the TERI (Tata Energy Research Institute). The competition is a part of the Delhi Sustainable Development Conference 2007.

# 122 circa 2006

2007-01-07T07:33:00.000+05:30

Perhaps the worst year for me....
and my family!

Would just hope it is fast forgotten!

Wont like to elaborate on what all we have been through....

But it was just not good.

Would like to offer my shraddhanjali to my beloved grandparents :
Late Smt Rajani Marathe (1934 - March 15, 2006)
Late Shri Prabhakar Marathe (June 23, 1923 - December 21, 2006)

I just hope I get them back in my next birth too!

So many lives lost to cruel human actions. So many tears rolled.
So many bad decisions taken by people who should have acted more responsibly.

Hoping that the world would change for the better.
I wish myself a happy new year 2007 and hope its good for me, my family and everyone around!

# 121 My lizard is gone...

2006-12-05T23:46:00.000+05:30

The gecko that used to eat up the LGBs from my desk has left me cold, and gone to my neighbour (Bollam)'s room.... Dats long back...

I'd been to Puri and Konark, and also Bhubaneswar... wow nice places really.
But the blessing was to see Dolphins jumping water near the shore!! I had never even dreamt of seeing a dolphin jump waters in my life, it was indeed beautiful!

Calcutta too is a nice place. My perception of the City of Joy changed indeed when I went there and went out with a few very good friends: Roshnai and Tanker....
Roshnai... you know her well, sweet and bubbly as usual,
Tanker... whos this tanker?? He's the God of Peace! The eternal TeaPot Mr SnowWhite Chakrabarti! Man I wouldnt challenge his aptitude for tea!

None the less, but for the grades, this sem has been nice. Hope to see myself in a great place next year. The realisation of the dream says: do as much as you can, the bastards will always win the race - be happy with what you are and what you get from your own hard work.
Survival of the fittest is the order of the day, but in the end, its the human who wins and not the man!
(for more funda read my book)

Time to go home now, take care of a few things there. Hav to get back with a bang!
And yes please please please please watch My Sassy Girl, its really awesome, its my inspiration!!

#120 Killing Me Softly...

2006-11-27T01:14:00.000+05:30

My post #79 of this blog had the same title...
The context was different!
These days are killing me softly. Slowly and gradually with love. Its suddenly that I have nothing to do, and no target to achieve! Is It?

I download a movie but cant watch it cos I just dont feel like. I keep waiting for replies from people I dont know... I keep eating bread and eggs and keep drinking tea... I keep cycling, I keep going to the toilet every hour, I change my clothes 5 times a day... I have everything in the world but I am a begger in my own heart... I have everyone around me, but suddenly the vacuum of solitude encapsulates me like a black hole...

There are so many things I have to do, so many places I have to go, so many relations I have to keep, so many projects I have to complete, so many hours I have to sleep [?], so much to eat and so much to do.... whew! I have ideas in my mind, but most of the times I cant implement them.

Was I able to implement all these ideas, I would have been the Father of Modern India, I would have transformed it like no one ever did. I would have changed so many things around me. I would have made the world a better place.

But I dont. Cos all I do is hang out of the train like this and let the train take me where it is going. I am just a passenger... passenger of my own lazy skeleton!

# 119 Millennium Development Goals: Deadline 2015 AD

2006-10-31T12:55:00.000+05:30

I just submitted an essay for the Delhi Sustainable Development Conference 2007 on the MDGs of the United Nations. Here it is in full piece. For further information visit: click here.

MDGs: A Panacea for Developing Countries

Lets be a part of the generation that would make the difference!

“Poverty is not a disgrace, but it's terribly inconvenient” ^[1]
This comment is a deep reflection! A reflection on the way the world looks at itself. Is this the reason that we divide the world into two? Perhaps Yes. Poverty is in itself a complete form of disorder. With it comes the complete package of life: no bread, no roof, and no cloth! Poverty is inconvenient. Look at myself, or yourself, you are walking past a supermarket on a big street, and there is this couple, poor, with their five children, all torn on their bodies, clinging to you and begging for something. All you do is simply shoo them away, or at the best, give a coin, mostly the one in your pocket that has the lowest dimensions. What are they asking for? Are they asking for bread or money? Or are they just asking for attention? A few kilometers south of the campus in which I live, is a village that is a perfect example of utter poverty and also sheer contrast. Just by its side is one of India’s greatest centers of learning. And here is this village struck by every possible rot in the world. The people are poor, and the government only gives them false promises. Every time I go there on my bicycle, I see families sitting on something that looks like a porch of mud, barely clad, looking at me with despair on their faces but hopes on their eyes. All they wish is for me to look at them, give a smile and not just that, but to go to them and help them out, in whatever small way I can. That is just one of the millions of villages in India. Why just India but anywhere and everywhere in the so called developing world, if I have to be particular. Are these the black holes that are stopping their nation’s growth?

To remind myself, we are not talking about poverty here, but the package in totality, something that holds the growth of civilization. The Millennium Development Goals, eight of them, were agreed upon by leaders of every country as the vision of the future. In short they are time bound targets providing a framework for development. The goals are feasible and don’t look fictitious. There is hope! The statistics are there for everyone to see. The achievement of those goals is based on the developed countries offering as much support as they can, and the developing countries utilizing their resources and external aid to the best.

The United Nations is no doubt doing its best as the premier institute of sympathy but are the developing nations and even the developed nations doing there same bit? I wonder! Take India for instance. The constitution has all rules in it. The government also knows all the rules in it. I bet no one knows better than them. They also execute them well enough and well in time. A man waits. He still waits. He waits some more time. He either dies of starvation or extremely bad health, or commits suicide. Most of the times his family follows. The help that started out still hasn’t reached. His son, if still alive somehow manages to grow up. One fine day he lands up in the court. The matter is taken up but he is given a date. He returns, just to get another date. Weeks, months, years and not so surprisingly decades pass away but nothing comes of it. India has all the necessary equipments, infrastructure, rules and regulations, a highly intelligent population and not too harsh environmental conditions. Coming to think of it, most Indians feel that the world should stop classifying it as a developing country. Well, if you happen to stay in a good city, you may feel so too. None the less, I would say India has everything to switch immediately to the status of a developed nation. And I am pretty sure there may be at least a dozen other countries like it too, who may be almost there. But it’s unfortunate, that it won’t happen. It won’t happen because administration is bad! Politics is bad and the governance is bad, worse at the micro levels. Just to give a live example of such a deal between the government and the needy, drought affected farmers across many states in India have been granted many millions of rupees worth relief. It is remarkable to note, how in bright open, a drought affected farmer’s family can get a cheque signed for Rupees Three only (that is around six cents)^[2]!

Such incidences occur widely all around the nation and with most relief operations. It’s the middle politician and the lower one where the black hole exists. It is also this problem of corruption which we are walking hands in hands with. For the MDGs to be really successful by the deadline, we would have to make sure that we remove bitter hindrances like these from our way.

I would say that it is this generation of ‘we the people’ that needs to stand up and make sure that we make a collective difference. The factors that we need to consider have been excellently highlighted by the UN in formulating the targets of the MDGs. Let us look back at our textbooks and ask ‘What are man’s basic needs?’ Food, clothing and shelter comes a pat reply! But this world has changed from what it was many decades ago let’s say just around or after the world war two and the change has been significant. On an individual scale yes they are the basic needs, but looking in totality, and looking from a region’s human life sustainability, the needs are bigger than just that. They are: 1. Sanitation and Health, 2. Education, and 3. Availability of Natural Resources and Energy. The Goals have been classified according to these three needs which I feel are the fundamental basic needs, basically I am just echoing the UN’s words. The UN has been tracking the progress of various regions around the globe looking for the parameters which correspond to these goals. It is evident that global poverty is on a decline and the goal should be easy to meet. Where 27.9 percent people lived on less than $1 a day in developing countries, the figure in 2001 was just 19.4 percent. But the proportion of people living with insufficient food hasn’t gone down noticeably. Both these parameters have had hardly any change especially in the Sub Saharan region. 44.6 to 44 percent and 33 to 31 percent respectively, from 1990 to 2001.^[3]Somewhat similar is the scenario for most other parameters. What concerns most is the availability and tapping potential of natural resources. Natural resources do not mean coal and iron ore, but human resources, educational potential, energy alternatives. Human Resource is what I believe the biggest factor in pushing a nation towards development. Human resources include manpower both quantitatively as well as qualitatively. Human resource stands for skilled men. It stands for distinct category of population, which is intelligent, smart and unbiased, where there is an equal participation of everyone from all regions, all categories, all classes and both sexes! For this a scenario of universal primary education, gender equality and maximizing higher education must be put forth. Management of these resources will only ensure a growing economy.

Another requirement for development comes as the improvement of natural habitat of human being. Historically we have only seen a decline in the quality of the relationship that man has shared with nature. Nature has been brutally affected, environment has been hit hard: waters are not potable and soils are not tillable. In reverse effect it is he the man himself who has suffered. It has been projected that by the year 2007, majority of the world’s population, for the first time in history would be staying in urban areas. But with urban development comes more and more slum development. It has however been noteworthy that compared to 1990, the number of people having access to improved sanitation has gone up considerably: from 25 percent in 1990 to 50 percent in 2005.^[3] Along with sanitation, access to better medical facilities has been found helping the decline in the rate of child mortality and maternal health. The deadly diseases like HIV and malaria still exist with thousands of new infections diagnosed everyday, but the rates are not growing as fast as they had peaked in the early 1990s. Tuberculosis unfortunately has been one of the biggest killers of late. So we see, in a way it is the effect of environment around us and our interaction with it, that determines the outfall of our actions.

These and few other such parameters have been demarcated to assess the growth and prosperity of nations. But I believe there is someone else who needs to play a larger role than UN or any other agency doing noble work. It is we the citizens who must take on the responsibility onto ourselves. If the government funds are going into wrong pockets I believe it is because we haven’t elected good leaders. It’s because educated people like us don’t go to cast votes, so the ones who vote are the ones who know nothing about anything. Let’s educate the masses. Lets educate the youth, lets bring in equality and a sense of sustainability amongst the down trodden. It will be only when they will see an improvement in their lives that they will gain confidence in the systems around them. It will only be when they know what is happening and how far they are from their means that they will see light at the end of the tunnel. Let’s educate! Education is the primary way to realize any goal. It will only be when they understand the working behind the system, behind the way of life, behind the true way of life in today’s world, that they will be happy for themselves. It is for this that we need a stronger sense of commitment from those who have already got the benefit of education. We need a stronger base, to come from bigger institutions of social change and financial help. We need a larger involvement of the entire so called white collars. The problems that the sufferers in the developing nations face are not because of discrimination from other nations, but from people within their countries who call themselves white collars. The double standard society has to break down to give way to a freer nation; a feeling of belongingness must be infused into the population. They must be treated not as a hindrance to the growth, but as god’s gift to the nation. It is in a way something like the rich gets richer and the poor gets poorer. Only when the social backwardness of the population gets through, we can think of educational prosperity and financial prosperity. Social backwardness here stands for double standards of the society.

I do believe that the UN Millennium Development Goals are the key areas which are responsible for the development index of a nation and they must be met with utmost priority. The way to success and universal enhancement of the human life is an achievement of these goals! The unprivileged are also one of us! By 2015 most of my young friends would be doing the best jobs in the world, minting lots of money hopefully, and I just request them to stop by, look into this and do something if they can to the best of their power. Remember, together we can, because we are a part of it! Would you want to be remembered as just another generation in which poverty increased from x percent to y percent or AIDS spread from these many million to those many billions? Or would you want to be remembered as a part of the generation that made the difference?

References:
[1] Famous Jewish American comedian Milton Berle
[2] Govt. puts price on farmer tragedy: Vikrant Dubey & Manasi Tewari for CNN-IBN
[3] The Millennium Development Goals Report 2006: United Nations

#118 The Bitter Truth

2006-10-17T17:21:00.001+05:30

Young children have to do stuff like this to earn a piece of bread. Instead, when we get a bread we demand for cakes....

#117 Panorama

2006-09-16T22:27:00.000+05:30

This one is actually made up by merging laterally 3 different photographs taken radially apart. Its behind our gymkhana here at IIT Kgp, should I call it a pond or rather a Lake Island!! The bridge takes us straight to the center of the island forest, much like the bridge linking HongKong city to the international airport! Well, does it really??

#116 Main toh bas keh rahi thi ki.....

2006-09-09T00:37:00.000+05:30

Do I need to say something?

#115 Mera Number Kab Aayega?

2006-09-09T00:32:00.000+05:30

He is my dear friend Ashish.... thinks a lot, wants to do something, particularly in the field of Power, specifically with Electric Machines, but wherever he goes, people keep cutting his fate .... Cheer up man, there is a long way to go.

#114 Yeh mera class room kabhi kabhi hota hai

2006-09-02T22:16:00.000+05:30

#113 Miscellaneous Pics

2006-09-01T22:02:00.000+05:30

#112 My fate, my birthmark, my palm!

2006-09-01T21:58:00.000+05:30

#111 Photoblog 1: Me, manyyyyyyyyyyyy years back

2006-09-01T21:54:00.000+05:30

#110 Photoblog: proves that I am running out of time

2006-09-01T21:35:00.001+05:30

So what good is a VGA camera on my MotoSLVR? Well, its really good if I just wanna click, see, share, store, mail, and blog pics!! Its excellent. Picture quality is good enough to be visible! Size is th least you can get on any camera around! And portability is excellent due to the small size. All in all its great and handy! BTW its not a digital camera so shouldnt have expectations like that from it. But then I dont want to print the pics I click, so its good enough. And not to forget, its a phone!

#109 Adrakk Waali Chhai

2006-08-27T21:31:00.000+05:30

ITs been bad! The last month!
How much can one sustain? I guess eveyone has to go to the limit at some point or the other. But thats parcel and it comes free with the package of life.

But what is life in itself? Life is difficult. For me it hasnt been all that difficult, or should I say it has not at all been difficult. Should I compare it with people I spend my time with, I should be happy, really happy! Everyone does not get everything in their life, there are some people who dont even get anything!

Talking to a couple of my friends, I realised that things can go wrong, but the 'man who wins is the man who thinks he can!'. Coming form simple backgrounds, and going forth to become something big is really an achievement. Those are the people who really deserve to get all the worldly things. But there is another set of people who are called snatchers. They have everything and they get everything too! Can something be done about that? No we cant, cause they just wont let us take the piece of cake. Well its not important to talk about such people!

Perhap this blog may seem a bit unorganised, but I shall blog back soon, with something new!
Sorry gotta go now!

# 108 Now Listening To....

2006-07-29T21:48:00.000+05:30

Right n Front Of You
Celine Dion .... awesome!!

Life
It can twist your heart
Put you in the dark
I was cold and lonely

Doubt
It can close you in
Build the walls within
I let fear control me
I let go
Didn't know
Where the answer would be

Right in front of you
Right in front of me
We were looking
But somehow, some way
We couldn't see
That the love was always there
It's been around us everywhere
I had to fall to finally see
That you were right in front of me

Faith
It can lift you up
And we've got enough
To reach a new beginning

Love
Can withstand a storm
In the final hour
We'll find the joy in living
Don't let go
'Cause I know
Pretty soon you will see

Right in front of you
Right in front of me
We were looking
But somehow, some way
We couldn't see
That the love was always there
It's been around us everywhere
I had to fall to finally see
That you were right in front of me

You are my tomorrow
There's safety in your arms
Where you go, I'll follow
'Cause you're the world where I belong
Right in front of you
Right in front of me
We were looking
But somehow, some way
We couldn't see
That the love was always there
It's been around us everywhere
I had to fall to finally see
That you were right in front of me

#107 Finally Tagged

2006-07-26T16:25:00.000+05:30

I have been tagged, finally My first Tag... and I will try to do it with utmost dedication... Thanks Thulika (the pen)

As on 26th July 2006

1.Grab the book nearest to you, turn on page 18 and find line 4.
Well, DG: "... and distribution levels, metering equipment, and the "control house"..."

2.Stretch your left arm out as far as you can
A 'katora' (bowl) with some change coins and a couple of passport sized pics inside it, covered with Windows XP CD, that I used to format my computer few days back.

3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?
TV…Hardly watch it, though, it was CNNIBN news channel, during the Mumbai bomb blasts.

4.Without looking, guess what time it is?
Thats easy: 4:30pm, well the clock shows 4:34

6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
Ceiling fan's swoosh and a few stray noises.

7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing?
Went for dinner last saturday with Raddoz.

8.Before you started this survey, what did you look at?
Checked my mail.... pretty simple? Eh?

9. What are you wearing?
A vest, and a towel wrapped around the hip.

10. Did you dream last night?
Slept at 4 am, dont remember what happened after that!.

11. When did you last laugh?
Today morning, in the class.

12. What is on the walls of the room you are in?
Black marble paper at places, "This is MY ROOM" poster given by Raddoz, a reminder slate, some cobwebs....

13. Seen anything weird lately?
A baby's journey inside the womb, right from conception to delivery!

15.What is the last film u saw?
Fanaa (was bad).

16. If you became a multimillionaire overnight, what would you buy?
A house in the most beautiful lawns of the world....

17. Tell me something about you that I dunno.
Something about me that you wont know... ummmm.... it hurts to see injustice, whether its on me, or anyone else. It really hurts, and it hurts more, when I realise that I cant do anything for it, cause the system just wont let me!

18. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?
Perhaps try to remove the evil? How? Donno, or maybe Injustice? Again Donno how....

19. Do you like to dance?
Ummmmm NO

20. George Bush...
Fk Off

21. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?
Jigissha.. hehe no....... Enya.... sounds gr8!

22. Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him?
Jigness.. hehe again no, but never thought of it. (Had thought of the girl's name though)

23. Would you ever consider living abroad?
For a short while, to just look around.

24.What do you want GOD to say to you when you reach the pearly gates?
"I know you were always right!"

25. People who may do this memo in their journal.
Romina,
AB,
Suma,
Kartee,
Swati....

Not many guys I know blog... so....

#106 Something....

2006-07-22T14:17:00.000+05:30

Be patient while the entire video loads. Please stand up during the entire playtime. Hope you like it.

#105 Now Listening To....

2006-07-22T13:50:00.000+05:30

Slipped Away.... Avril Lavigne

#104 Yours truly....

2006-07-20T20:28:00.000+05:30

No one has a heart as good as Yours and I know that as well as you do. That is true! This is the virtue that will take you distance, a long long way.
Dont feel lonely, this world is full of problems, and eventually it will be you who will win. The race is not for power or money, its for happiness, and again you win, cause you have it in yourself to be happy.
I am there, yet....
Yours truly.

What the HELL!!!!

2006-07-18T14:42:00.000+05:30

Over the weekend, the blogosphere lit up with reports that access to these sites had been blocked. As bloggers busied themselves trying to find the reason, update upon update revealed that ISP call center representatives were instructed by the Department Of Telecom to block access to the sites, but did not offer a reason why.
It didn't take long bloggers using other platforms to publish their theories and some clever workarounds to be able access those sites again. Not until Monday was there any more light shed on the matter.
According to a blog called "The Great Indian Mutiny," reported that the block was associated with terror plots inside the country:
Two sources, one inside the Government of India and the other kind of inside/outside have confirmed to the Mutiny, that ISPs are being instructed to 'control' access to blogspot. It seems that some blogs are being used by some terror units (read SIMI) to communicate.
There is a crack down in place. IP numbers are being physically located and identified. All should come back to normal once this operation is over. There is no ban in place. Livejournal and Wordpress have been spared. No reason given.
The block occurs very soon after a series of attacks on suburban trains in Mumbai, carried about radical Islamist groups. Only the Indian government knows the reasoning behind the measures. It seems blocking the websites would derail intelligence gathering and tip off the cells in question.
This is the reason I wasnt able to access my blog for the last many days from my home, but from my hostel I guess its working fine!

#102 What A Shame, is it India's Worst or Best 'Upcoming Asset'?

2006-07-12T20:03:00.000+05:30

What am I talkin about? Mmmmm perhaps the media. Its come a distance today. Real big distance.
Yes, when we bought our first television set back then in 1985, I hardly knew anything around me, though when we purchased a brand new Videocon in 1989, that was the time when I actually knew things happening around me. That was the time when we used to sit down every evening to watch the Doordarshan National News being broadcast every evening. It was still the time when the Doordarshan was the only information provider on the television. We would sit every Sunday morning with the whole family, breakfast ready on our laps and the set switched on. We would all sit together and watch the epics Mahabharat and Ramayan. Those were some days.
Then came the years of the next decade beginning 1990. Cable television was being introduced into India. Zee television is perhaps the first "channel" I remember as far as my memory takes me. A few programmes used to be broadcast on a "weekly" basis. Note the emphasis on "weekly". On other days they were simply repeated. Star television forwarded its business in India and began broadcasting hit soaps such as The Bold and The Beautiful and Santa Barbara. Once again we used to sit down on the Sundays in the morning with our breakfast, but this time note, it were just Us KIDS! We used to relish the comic series and cartoons put up on it. Especially I remember Jungle Book and Disney World. Slowly and steadily, the number of "channels" increased to something like thirty to forty by the end of 1995. By 1998, there were already hundreds, mind it hundreds of national and international "channels", regional channels and local channels being broadcast on the TV set. From "weekly", soaps started giving a "daily" broadcast. Daily - 5 days a week, and some even 7 days a week. People began gluing up to the television set. Children and middle aged children around less than 15 yrs of age, tuned into Cartoon Network, slightly elder teens to the pre-twenties guys and gals tuned into MTV and Channel V, even elder people hooked on to Star Movies, from there on to the very elderly tuned into the standards soaps and serials on Star and Zee and Sony Televisions. Some more technically oriented people loved the Discovery Channel. There were channels that came up dedicated to 24 hr Music, Movies, News, Soaps, Sports, and to that matter even Telemarketing and dedicated channels for Science and Technology, know how of the world, and even Jokes all
day long!!
Today, circa 2006, we are able to watch any channel from around the globe, any nation, any language, even the same channel in different local languages. Today we have tens of channels dedicated to news, dedicated to music, movies, cartoons, sports and everything under the sun.
But I am here talkin about the News channels in particular.
The problem with them is that they show everything happening around you. Everything! You wont miss out on any any any thing! What your politicians are eating in their breakfast to what is the condition of the nearest public toilet! Its so fast that while you are still watching the most recent Himesh Reshamiya headbanging absolute shit score on MTV, your brother staying in a city hundreds of kilometers away, calls you up and asks you "whats going wrong in your town thats being shown on the news?" Being in the very city and you yet dont know whats going on outside your home. Yes I agree, the media and news channels have penetrated deep into the fabric of our daily systems and can reach a spot even before the news reaches a mile beyond. Infact, in places of accidents, media reaches even before an ambulance or the police can reach the place. Good Enough! They help unite people. They help people in communicating to near and dear ones far away when the other systems have given way. Yes they do help out in everything. And they even help in creating a big big panic amongst the people. Take for instance this years rains. It was just another years rain that falls every year. Yes last years flash flood was extraordinary. But this years was a pretty normal rain. But the news cahnnels broadcast it as if dotn know how much it has rained and how many difficulty the people are facing around everywhere. It was shit bad, I mean the coverage. I was just standing on the railway platform waiting to enter the train that came on the platform. It halts for just 20 seconds. Scores of people tried to enter the compartment as happens generally, but one idiot mediaman, with his camera and all modern equipments, wanted to capture that particular drama and joined in the fray to board the train. Only to people standing outside could it be realised the amount of inconvinience caused by that asshole.
The media maybe right, in covering events, and governments actions, and ministers trips, but does it do anything good to us? It did cover everything about the Reservation Chaos in India, it covered student rallies, it interviewed every minister, it took peoples polls. What else? It did nothing to tell people what was right! It did nothing to make the government realise the facts. It did nothing to cover the vent in the positive light. Nothing. The country is goin to bad hands and the media just covers it in limelight "BREAKING NEWS". Fcuk, break their heads with their own cameras.
Its just about ratings, something like a vote bank that I wonder will lead to anything good for these media channels. Of course they are operated by the same politicians. They are BIASED! Its no point now taking any other instances, but the most recent one was the saking of the Director of AIIMS, and it was just a petition by HC or perhaps SC, that the govt had to take back its decision. The media, just creates HYPE AND PANIC. They bloody cant do anything else!

Oh I forgot to add, a few ladies that appear on those channels, Shereen Bhan, Anubha Bhosle, Devika Anand, Sonali Chander and a few others looks damn sexy!! Especially the ones on CNBC. And thats one reason I watch those channels!! :P

#101 My First Campaign

2006-07-12T13:52:00.000+05:30

This was the first poster I had created while I was in the 9th class. It was basically for the Green Brigade Environment Club in my school that I was a member of. I used to do all such stuff and in a way that was a beginning to all this.

#100.... Yoooo! Thats it!! Wonderful Century!!

2006-07-12T13:51:00.000+05:30

#99.... WTH?

2006-07-12T12:19:00.000+05:30

Is goin on? In Mumbai?
18:24 !.....!.....!.....!.....!.....!.....! 18:35
11/7
190
sad
nothing
nothing
sad

Read as:

Blasts
Date
People killed
My reaction
How did it affect me
What did I do to help out people
My actions evaluated as

#98 What Next?

2006-07-10T22:21:00.000+05:30

Karty dint take my last blog very well!! But I dont know how and why do some people have such a photogenic face? They look good no matter what they wear on their face, I mean expressions. They look good no matter which side we click them from, no matter the light in the room, no matter the camera.... and the best people I know are my parents.... they have the most photogenic faces Ive seen, and I am already J!!!! Their fotus look good no matter what!

Anyways, I been thinking of blogging about a lot of things, and I have shortlisted a lot of things to blog on, but dont really know how much I will be able to write on them. By the way, I sold a lot of scrap today in the DownTown Market for a mere paltry 180 bucks yes INR 180/- (rupees one hundred and eighty only), waht the heck did I sell? Three useless and old, and broken and non-functional cordless phones (120 bucks), one ordinary borken non-funtional useless telephone (30 buks), one cloth iron press, a keyboard (10 bucks), one non-funtional optical mouse (10 bucks), some wires and cords (10 bucks)!!!! And I guess that is the maximum I could get out of it, and one point I was almost gonna sell it for 50 bucks in all!!!! Uff today was 'some'day.

And apart from this, Ive got things to give out to poor to very poor people. Some clothes, socks, bags, folders, and some small and big toys that they might find pleasing. Something to start of as my UNHCR campaign may be, dont know where and how far it'll go, but lemme start! This all came out after a massive house-cleaning-junk-removing campaign I undertook few days back, in order to create and optimise more space in this small 600 sqft flat.

Btw, my slvr rocks and is surely worth my money! The features are good not bad at all, very decent, modest and the phone has got a very very sexy outlook to it! The music, the addon memory card, the really-not-bad vga camera and the ultra slim figure, make it a phone worth its cost ! Motorola could have included a mp camera, but thats something that I would argue against soon!

#97 Baburao Apte.... "Ae Heloooooooo...."

2006-07-08T18:55:00.000+05:30

A tribute to my favorite actor on Indian screen.... Baburao Apte, the Original Paresh Rawal!

Chamaila Kutriya Sala
Aray Kon Devi Prasad !! Devi ka prasad mandir mei milta hei yeh Star garage hei aur mei idher ka owner BABA RAO AAPTAY bol raha hon yeh Devi prasad ka ghar nahi hei...................
Ghar me 3 din se paani nahi aaya, main bhi coffee pi raha hoon, aur woh bhi ek hi cup hai
Woh machli maine kha liya
mast tel mein fry karke kha liya
Ye ye yek minute, yek haat se daiviprasad se paisa liya aur yek haat se kabira ko paisa de diya to hamare liye bich me bachega kya.......................................TAMBURA??????
Saab ke liye ek nilaa shirt, Parcel!
Ae tu jaaaaaaaaaa rey
Arey nahe dekha rey, us ke dekne se pahle main ne jhat se dhotee uhta lee :)
Babubhaiya se direct babu
Yeh Baburav ka shyle hai
JAI MAHARASHTRA

#96.... and on

2006-07-07T22:47:00.000+05:30

How long? Guess its been 14 months since I've been bloggin and the out come has been overall nothing! Yes, nothing!! Really Nothing!! Its just a way to open out and write off or write on something, your views your opinions, hope for people to come and read, or call them, blow your own trumpet by visitin your own site and then that is it that goes on and on and on.... its been 96 posts now including this one. Hmmmmm I've come a long long way. So what have I been upto?? A new Moto SLVR (pronounced Sliver) L7 Cell phone up my pocket.... looks cool, infact looks sexy!! Its got almost everything that a good cell phone needs (except for a megapixel camera, it has a VGA one, but then im not looking for a digital camera in a cell phone, I'd rather use a proper professional one). It has hundreds of thousands of colours, music playing capability with iTunes, memory card slot, a game of cricket, gprs and wap and blah blah blah blah and apart from all this has a sleek sexy 11.9 mm thin body! Looks cool and not expensive, at a mere 8.5k. Gave along a 128MB card free! Just put a Maria Sharapova pic on the wallpaper and there it is lo!!

#95 Who Are The Refugees?

2006-07-04T21:10:00.000+05:30

We see so many people everywhere around us, all of them are refugees of some kind or the other. You are a refugee, I am a refugee, all of us are refugees. People leaving something or someplace and running away for the purpose of mere survival are refugees. I think this definition can be expanded a bit. 'People leaving something' for the purpose of mere survival!
People forget education, people forget their nation, people forget their friends and neighbours, people forget their own parents in pursuit of materialistic goals.... are refugees. They dont want to return back to their original world, cos they simply cant, cos thev'ye burnt their own boats. These are the people of the new India, those who want to see India shining, but dont want to help India shine.... These are the people who cant stay happy cos they dont know how to be happy....
For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

The more you have, the more you will need, the more you will need, the more you will fall short, and eventually when you leave everything, you wont be taking anything with yourself, so why look for something like that.

Being a refugee in your own country, being a refugee in your own home, being refugee in your own heart is what you will eventually end up with.

#94 Mission and M(Br)otherhood

2006-07-03T07:24:00.000+05:30

Angelina Jolie, featuring on the CNN interview last day made my day!! She is one gorgeous looking lady and what she is doing for UNHCR is most commendable.
Hats off to the lady.
For the complete interview click here.
For a huge archive of Jolie pics from UNHCR click here.

So what can I do? What can we do? For whom? The street children who beg on the highway? Or their fathers who sit down in their shanty and drink liquor? Do we help the eunuchs who are actually not harmful, or the men who force them into prostitution? Do we help the refugees who run away from their nations or the nations who cant do enough to keep peace in their own homeland? Whom do we help? Do we help the real life heroes who are forgotten the next day morning? Or do we help the reel life heroes, who are made idols and role models for their pathetic ways of life and sinful behaviors? Do we help poverty? Or Do we help people who create this poverty?

Aren't the questions obvious? Who will help? Too many questions? Perhaps that's the way it is meant to be. How can India be brought back to the path of fast and rapid development? Does doing a humanitarian effort help a nation in its race to the roof of the world? Are the peoples' rights exercised? Does a common man know where he belongs and what good can he do to get back goods to himself and his family? India needs a definite plan and a plan that will be sustainable. India needs to look ahead with 2020 as its deadline and then no excuses mind it!

And it will be and has to be people like us to make the change. Running away from the truth wont help the cause, will it? Lets see what comes up!

#93 UNHCR

2006-06-30T13:42:00.000+05:30

The UNHCR is the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and soemthing that I am pretty keen on. So what is UNHCR? I guess thats a pretty obvious thing, its a UN agency that works towards the goodwill of international refugees.

How Can You Help?

It doesn't take much. There are numerous ways you can get involved to help raise funds for and awareness of refugee issues and the work of the UN Refugee Agency.

Make a donation today that directly translates into more refugee children attending school, new shelters for refugees and vital protection assistance.
Help us raise awareness about the plight of refugees.
Interested in working or interning with UNHCR?
You still have questions? Contact us .

Your support will make a difference.

Thank you!

I guess, as a student I can make my best attempt towards the second function, Raising Awareness.... thats what I hope I am able to do via my blog.

If you want to join me in my mission, just "Comment" on this blog and I'll join you up. Hoping to do some goodwill!!

Obviously inspired by Angelina Jolie

#92 Some Changes Here and There

2006-06-28T18:22:00.000+05:30

New looks, new colours, new schemes thats what my blog has been upto of late.
Blue is the colour of the day, of the month, of the year, of life!

A few strange pics here and there and people start questioning me, "is that you"? Well thats how bad I look :( Sadly Though.

Changes are welcome.... and last few months have gone through change.... my email id, my chat id, and my orkut profile that I made a new one....

With my project almost about to get over.... I still havent done the transient analysis, just done the steady state one....

None the less.... my blog has seen 5000+ visitors.. though most of them have been by me myself and romz....

Lets see!

#91 I am Ashamed

2006-06-26T12:14:00.000+05:30

They don't complain, they just know how to be happy!
I am ashamed!

Picked up from Himanshu's Blog

#90 Synchronising Blogger with Orkut

2006-06-25T18:49:00.000+05:30

Hi ppl, sorry for those bing bing bem crazy frog lyrics.... anyways....
the title of this post suggests im on to something serious!
If you want to synchronise your Blogger pic with the pic that is in ur Orkut profile, just do the following:
Open your orkut account, and right click on your pic in the profile,
Now select "View Image"
Now all you see in your browser is your pic,
See its URL in the address bar and copy it,
Open Blogger dash board and edit your profile,
In the Pic URL, paste that URL you copied earlier,
And save it, BINGO!

The moment you change your pic in Orkut, it reflects in ur blog as well!! Cheers!!

Sing Along !! Bem Bem Bem- Ding- Ding- Ding

2006-06-24T22:03:00.000+05:30

[Intro]
Ding ding, do bam baram bom baram bom babam bom...
What's going on? (ON?)

Ding ding
Let's do the Crazy Frog!
Ding ding
Bem bem

Ring ring ring ding ding ding
Ring ding ding ding bem bem bem
Ring ring ring ding ding ding
Ring ding ding ding bo bo

Ring ring ding ding ding ding
Ring ding ding ding bem bem bem
Ring ring ding ding ding ding
Let's do the Crazy Frog! (Break down!)

Ding ding
C-c-razy-cra-crazy
dam dam dumda dam dam
dam dam dam-da-daa dam dam
dam dam dam-da-daa dam dam
Bem bem

dam dam dumda dam dam
dam dam dam-da-daa dam dam
dam dam dam-da-daa dam dam
Let's do the Crazy Frog!

Ra ba bra bram ba brrrram brramaba brrrrrrrrrrrrremba ba ba beyyyyyyyyyyyyy!

Ding ding

Let's do the Crazy Frog!

Ding ding
Do do!

Ring ring ring ding ding ding
Ring ding ding ding bem bem bem
Ring ring ring ding ding ding
Ring ding ding ding bo bo

Ring ring ring ding ding ding
Ring ding ding ding bem bem bem
Ring ring ring ding ding ding
Let's do the Crazy Frog!

Ding ding
C-c-razy-cra-crazy/bre break it!
dam dam dumda dam damdam
dam dam-da-daa dam dam
dam dam dam-da-daa dam dam
Bem bem

dam dam dumda dam dam
dam dam dam-da-daa dam dam
dam dam dam-da-daa dam dam
Let's do the Crazy Frog!

Bem bem.

Bargaining in Mumbai -- To the tune of 50 paise

2006-06-22T21:40:00.000+05:30

Everybody loves the outcome of a bargain. "Aap bhi khush, hum bhi khush". That is the case with bargaining. Whether it is Delhi, Kolkata or Mumbai or whatever, you just bargain, and you can bargain a lot, if you know the market trends. Last summer I bargained a leather belt and got it for 90 bucks, when the initial quote was 450 bucks at Delhi's Palika Bazaar. Even last month, got to bargain a lot on the streets on Mumbai while shopping with Roshnai and Suma.

But whats a bargain after all?? It happened so....
I was coming home in an autorickshaw. When I was to pay the fare, the meter read 26 rupees. I had 25 rupees change and also a 5 rupee coin. The rickshawala dint have 4 rupees change to give me back. I asked him to take just 25. Generally they dont mind. But he said "saab aap mera ek rupiya kyun le rahe ho..?", I said "thik hai fir kya karun?". He took my 5 rupees coin and went somewhere, came back after some minutes and gave me 4 rupees change. I accepted that, as it was fair. As I was turning around to go back, he said, "saab, ek toffee lenge? main chutte karane gaya toh do toffee le aaya, ek aap khaiye" !!!!

So effectively I bargained 50 paise!!

I Need A Vacation Damn IT!!

2006-06-09T11:34:00.000+05:30

I need a break!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Highly

Since the last six months I have been working working working working without a vacation, nor a break! ITs hell, I just want to go home and sleep sleep sleep sleep!
Its been a long time, and even the rains have dissappeared for who knows why. It was such pleasant atmosphere some days back, and now its all gone, Leaving me stressed again!

Can vacations and peace be bought? I wish it was so.... but I think its better to come the way it comes!

I am Back!

2006-06-01T19:35:00.000+05:30

Hi ppl, I just had been to Pluto, you know far away, on the outer reaches of the solar system.... I am just back.... Verrrry sorry for not giving you the regular dose of my head banging hard hitting frustrating blogs! Anyways, so here I am!
Pluto is a cool place man, the Sun can hardly reach there, and guess what there are no humans there absoltuely no humans.... The entire journey took more than two months, but it was splendid! You 'MUST' visit it once in a lifetime.

Anyways.... stories and fantasies apart, no justification or story telling about my past whereabouts, all I know now is where I am and what I am doing!
I am back home in Mumbai, not "Home" though, me doing a project at IITB and the place is superb especially in the rains.... its just begun raining, and the atmoz cool! Super Cool!
So my project is on Distributed Generation of electricity, more specifically "Analysis of Microturbines", pretty technical!

Raddoz is here, what else do I need??

May Not

2006-03-18T21:33:00.000+05:30

I may not be blogging for some days now !

#84 > October Sky

2006-03-05T13:18:00.000+05:30

Last night, I watched this movie "October Sky".
And I was happy to have watched a good movie after some gap!
It was that time of the century when Russia had just alunched Sputnik in space, the first satellite launched my man!
Its about a young boy living in a coal mine town with his family and having aspirations to become a rocket scientist. Its about his determination and success. The story rolls around his friends and well wishers. Its been put down brilliantly through a father and son relationship. The father who holds a high post in the coal mine wants his youger son (the hero) to do the mining and favours the elder child more with his interests, football!
Good movie, moves on at a decent pace. Things happen naturally and the feeling is good!
I would rate is at 9/10!
Do watch it if you get a chance!

Jokes apart ~

2006-03-04T17:22:00.000+05:30

So, the last time I posted was way back a month ago! Its been a long time. But nothing much has happened apart form a lot of unusual things here and there. Bush came to India, Ganguly sacked from the Indian team, Bird flu hitting the nation, Sensex rising beyond 10k, Exams through, Me going places, Health factor, Feelings and emotions, Another one of machines' lab, but this time done well... and I could just go on and on~~~~~~!!

Finally, someone has patiently gone through my book (if you dont know what I am talking about then chk out this link.) And I have got healthy views on it, views to improve it and make it better... thanks a lot... I thought the only place where it looked good was the bin!

Anyways, things change a lot, dont they? Why not? Even people change a lot. From what we have known of them some few years back, to what we have known of them a few months back, to what we know of them today. Its a journey worth analysing! Some people change for the good some for the bad, but I have a general feeling, that most people change for the good! Or maybe you start seeing people differently cause its you yourself who has changed a lot from what you knew of yourself a few years ago, to a few months ago, to now. Dont worry, cause its not you who must have changed, most probably its me... that is what people have started telling me, I have changed!

Coming back to blogging, sorry Raddoz, AB, and all others who follow this blog with regular regularity, I am sorry what not having blogged for long, but I just dint feel like. Anyways, for those who still cant believe there is a Deer Park, go check it out for yourself!

जिंदगी भर... In the Electrical Machines Lab!!

2006-02-08T22:53:00.000+05:30

This is the most dreaded part of the whole campus, and can you believe it, I go there twice a week, when I am supposed to go there just once in two weeks!!

Engineer बनने जा रहे हैं!! That too Electrical Engineer!!

We have this lab once in two weeks on Tuesday afternoon.

First experiment... Calculations not shown, resubmit

Second experiment... Not completed in time, came back to do it next week, error in readings, repeat.

Third experiment... Lab partner pissed off the prof, whole batch got F in the experiment sheet, expt not completed in time, came back next day, seems we will have to arrange for the remaining readings form someone else have to go back there for a third time!

We are going to be Electrical Engineers, but we should also know how to do a technicians job of repairing fans and lights!!

Yesterday I went to the insti at 7:30 in the morning and came back finally at 9:30 pm in the night, in the middle of the day I had come just for lunch and a bath. It was a hectic day. And on top of all those things, all the books which I had kept in the library for studying in the evenings (ummmm....) had been moved from there... it was such a frustrating thing to have happened. We had to start from scratch all over again to arrange for some books to study.

Exams coming up naa, वही तोह!!!!

So we are studying..........

**************************************************************

Anyways... ppl, do you know abt the Deer Park (Animal ResQue Center) just at a stone's throw from the campus?? Well a nice place almost a zoo is coming up. The place has been built up, and only the animals are to be brought in! Deer are already there, and it promises to have some crocodiles, elephant and hippos too!! Never expected a place like this to compe up so surprisingly so close to this campus!! Raddoz and me got really excited when we saw it and went there!!

We hope they get in the animals soon, the place looks promising indeed!!

Wohi TOH!!

2006-02-02T21:49:00.000+05:30

"Hello everyone... hows u doing??"

Oh, was that unexpected??

Fine... Again, Im sorry that I had to be reminded by Raddoz to blog... thanks for reminding me, waise na, me sleepy head, so forgets to blog regularly.. but you are there to remind me toh,

Wahi TOH!!

Hmm, so wats up? Not much!!

When are we meeting? Pata Nahin!!

But we are, right? Of course dumbo!!

Ok fine, so wat were u doing? Nothing!!

Ok as usual...

Hows ur mood? Thik Thak!!

Some load? Somewhat!!

What?? I'll tell you later...

No, tell me now! Ok baba fine!

Bolo... Ok ok saying...

"A-lo-lo-lo-loooo--lo-lo-lo-loooo-lo-lo-lo-loooo-lo-lo-lo-looo"

Yo-ho!!

Baapre, you got me scared!! Dhat dumbo!!

So... stories apart, I want to share something... Last night I was at my hall canteen, munching something as usual. Maybe around 1 am in the night. And there was this cute little puppy sitting quietly near the wall. And it was eating a soft piece of bread. I was eating Kurkure ofcourse :P So out of gratitude I offered a flake of Crispy-Crunchy Kurkure to that little puppy, and he started wagging his tail. But then something bad happened... it smelt that flake and refused to eat it. Quietly again, having lost all excitement, started nibbling at the soft piece of bread again...! If only puppys liked Kurkure... If Only...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Perhaps, the world isnt that bad! Perhaps...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ok, now this is one stupid thing my brother happened to ask me a few days back, and I happened to ask this to many people since then, and the Stupidity continues... are you the next one??

1=5, 2=6, 3=7, 4=8, 5=?

You can try posting your answers but pls be honest in posting what comes instinctively to your head and dont think much about it!!

Kahan rehte ho?

2006-01-27T19:54:00.000+05:30

So, have I stopped blogging? No! Actually its just that I have started spending a litlle less time in front of the computer. Well, nevermind. Last few weeks every week has been of just four working days, one of the days being off due to some kind of holiday or the other.

You know wat I saw today? Well, just on the NRS Avenue (thats the other part of the street thats called Scholars' Avenue), on the other side of the GJ Stadium, come on, just in front of the Diro's house, a small puppy with its mother, the two of them were almost jogging slowly in harmony, parallel to each other! And it looked so cute...

(Wished I had a camera...)

Gosh, I actually went a lot of places today, and saw many new places within the insti itself, which I hadnt seen before.

Raddoz was there with me.....

I went to the top floor of the main building, the Cash section and the Academic section, had never even seen them. Came down by the elevator, first time again!!!! Walked walked walked all the way through the main building, walking past and through almost all the departments on the southern side of the main building... went through a long, very long corridor. Finally we reached VGSOM. Went inside the complex too, unfortunately the security guard stopped us and asked what work did we have inside, I said "I havnt seen this complex, I just want to see it from inside"... he said "Sorry thats not permitted". With a long face we came out and sat on a concrete bank just near the Nescafe at VGSOM, again, it was the first time I went to that particular Nescafe outlet. From there, got up and walked to the Museum. Went inside and went about the museum... its a pretty ordinary one, but the building is awesome!! Again the first time that I actually went inside it! Then went around the aircraft and the train, saw the prison cells, and one "dark-room" that I had never seen before!!!!

Never thought I would visit so many places in a single go. I almost felt like I was on a Campus-darshan or a campus tour sort of!! Was it an excursion? Was it just roaming around? It was anyways a time worth spent!!

BTW, some people have tagged my blog as a lal-hara-nila-pila (red-green-blue-yellow) piece of junk!!

(Yellow or Orange: sorry for that)

Killing Me Softly

2006-01-21T13:37:00.000+05:30

Last few days, I had been watching a few movies, and none of them were really amongst the best that I've seen, but they were good. Simple and smooth, happy endings, a bit of drama and a little bit of emotions too.

About a Boy,

Motorcycle Diaries

My Life wihtout Me.

All these movies were different in their own ways. But all were quite good!! The movie "About A Boy" starring Hugh Grant, particularly impressed me and so did a song that was featured in it- Killing Me Softly With His Song.

I dont know whom this song belongs to, but I have just fallen in love with the lyrics and tune of this song. Whether its Fugees or Lauryn Hill or arethey same, I dont know, I just love this song now!!

Strumming my pain with his fingers,

Singing my life with his words,

Killing me softly with his song,

Telling my whole life with his words,

Killing me softly with his song.

I heard he sang a good song,

I heard he had a style,

And so I came to see him and listen for a while.

And there he was this young boy, stranger to my eyes,

Strumming my pain with his fingers,

Singing my life with his words,

Killing me softly with his song....

I felt all flushed with fever,

Embarrassed by the crowd,

I felt he found my letters and read each one out loud.

I prayed that he would finish,

But he just kept right on

Strumming my pain with his fingers,

Singing my life with his words,

Killing me softly with his song....

Its a Designer World

2006-01-13T22:59:00.001+05:30

Hi all, I am sorry, have not been blogging that frequently these days, too loaded somehow. Got 3 labs per week, that leaves me free with just one afternoon per week!!!! So many things to do, and so less time I've got!! This sem is heavy, but I can proudlysay I havnt bunked a single lecture till now. Unfortunately, I was thrown out of a class on the very first day, but I promise that was all!!

The weather is nice and cold. Atleast its much colder than that in Bombay. Its a pleasure really to wear sweater and move around in this perfect cold weather. Its not harsh, its pleasent. Specially that time of the evening when the sun has just come down and there is a brownish golden tinge in the sky and the barren trees with no leaves on them, add to it Raddoz, and that makes a perfect condition to go on a walk!! Its been really wonderful, the way I have been spending my evenings. Something special!!

I have also been thinking about a lot of things, about future, about life, about just everything. And all it needs is a bit of patience. Eventually hope is all that we can do, we can only pray for things to go the way we want them to, cant force them. Whatever is, is destined to be, cos it is designed to be that way.

The world has not evolved, it has been designed to be like this!!

Walking By The Woods....

2006-01-07T21:55:00.000+05:30

How do you feel in the evening when you

walk with someone who is so special to you?

Isn't it a wonderful feeling to walk or just ride or just sit with trees around and leaves falling off, and the moon over the head shining down on us and the birds in those trees making a chirp or a hussle in the leaves you know wat... Its like keeping all your worries back in that other side of the world and stepping into a fresh one and two hearts united together in love. Its a very fresh world, a world where we can be ourselves and yet stay out of the bad world. Love is camouflaged with nature and its beauties. Its being in a complete new realm where you forget everything that had happened and had troubled you and just look ahead towards brighter prospects in life. Its like always feeling the presence of your loved one beside and the assurance that that person is always there no matter what!!

This article has been contributed by Raddoz!!

----------------------------------------------------

Well, but a winter evening and walking by the woods reminds me of this poem by Robert Frost, that I had done in my school...

Stopping by the woods on a snowy evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sound's the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

----------------------------------------------------

Happy New Year!!

2006-01-02T17:41:00.000+05:30

Hi people,

Firstly, let me wish you all a very happy, bright and succesful, prosperous new year!!

This year, should be special not just to me but I guess to all of you! There is a lot of hope in the stock and it must come out now.

2005, was overall a mixed kind of year for me and I guess for the world too!! Ups and downs, good and bad, struggles and victories, hope and despair, love and emotions, belongingness and unwantedness, and not just these but many others and so many more were gone through. It was a long year, atleast for me. But the thing that stands out for me, is something special, very special and very close to me! But with this, I had to face hardships and sadness. And yes, how can I not forget this? I travelled almost 15000 kilometers this year, and I think that is a lot. But then I enjoy travelling.....!! But over and above all, I am happy that another year has gone by. Time never waits, does it? Should it? Who knows, Only Time...

Who can say where the road goes,

Where the day flows?

Only time...

And who can say if your love grows,

As your heart chose?

Only time...

Who can say why your heart sighs,

As your love flies?

Only time...

And who can say why your heart cries,

When your love dies?

Only time...

Who can say when the roads meet,

That love might be,

In your heart.

And who can say when the day sleeps,

The moon still keeps on moving

If the night keeps all your heart?

Night keeps all your heart...

Who can say if your love grows,

As your heart chose?

Only time...

And who can say where the road goes,

Where the day flows?

Only time...

Who knows? Only time...

(Only Time, by Enya)

What do you want from SantaClaus?

2005-12-20T21:28:00.000+05:30

Yo Yo!

Its Christmas time... that time of the year, when there are large scale celebrations all around the world. Not just celebrations but also decorations and fun and parties and much much more. Its not just Christmas, but also New Year. Moments for the whole world to celebrate. Moments for you and me to smile. Moments to enjoy and moments to cherish. Its that time of the year, which is soooo special for so many people around the world. Brings back fond memories, and lots to jingle along. So what do you want from Mr SantaClaus this Christmas?? Lots of snow?? Or lots of sweets and lots of goodies? What is it that you want??

Did you wish there would be a time when you would get to do everything to your heart's content? Did you wish there would be a day when you would eat cookies and drink wine the whole day, when you would have hundreds of colourful balloons in your hands that you would just let into the blue blue sky and sit and watch them on their endless journey to the heavens? Did you wish you would someday be in a terrain filled with snow and have a snow ball fight with someone you love dearly, with reindeers, sledge and snowfall all around? Wish we didn't have to grow up so soon... Wish we could have our own dream world... Wish dreams weren't just dreams... Wish dreams could come true... Wish reality could become dreams... Wish wishes came true... Wish there was more joy and pleasure and happiness everywhere... Wish the world was all goody goody... Wish... Wish... Wish... I did wish, you did wish, we did wish... Santa please grant us our wishes... Please!! Its your Job TOH !!

Oh, by the way, in this blog's comments, please write your wishes to Santa, you may add your dreams, your wishes, your new year resolutions too... Do tell me how you have spent your Christmas and New Years so far, and how many of those have been memorable ones. It would be really nice if you could share some part of those sweet memories with me.

Feel free to share those small light moments that you have enjoyed.

This blog has been contributed by Raddoz.

Hehe, I dont mind!!

2005-12-20T12:18:00.000+05:30

Hehe, but due to much opposition, I had to change my Orkut profile pic to this one!

Sends me down the momory lane, Me Sitting On My Pappa's Shoulder... dont know when and where this snap was taken, but was surely sometime around 1985-1986!!

Orkutiyan

2005-12-18T22:06:00.000+05:30

Though I am not an Orkutier, but I do it to a small small extent. Anyways, the point is that I have set this pic in the last post as my profile pic in Orkut.

Orkut Me!