This just in

Ok, not quite "just in". I didn't want to use "Story of my life" again so soon. But this is a quick recap of all that's happened during the last two weeks.

*College annual day on the 16th. And yours truly went thru a whole gamut of duties, starting off as quizmaster (of a quiz that was never held, finally), to compere, to curtain-man, and finally ending up as the de-facto stage manager. It was loads of fun overall. We had students over from our sister institute too to join us. And it was only after talking to them that I found out just how much better off I was in Pune. Their workload is pretty tough. It's almost like 12th standard (before the rush for the board exam begins, that is)over there. Yesterday some of us took the "tourists" out to see some places in Pune. Mind you "tourists" includes me. These were places that I'd only heard of, but had never been to. and I gotta say, it's very cool to see a fort like Shaniwar Wada in the middle of a city

*College mag released on the 15th. And the article I wrote about blogging is in there. I'll put it up here sometime soon.

*Laptop conked off on the 9th. And it seems to be a hardware problem. I've tried searching the net for info on what the problem is, but I haven't had much luck. Some websites say that it may be a problem with the hard disk, or the RAM module, but I can't be sure. If anyone has had trouble witha Toshiba Satellite A15, let me know.
And besides all this, the classes have just been passing by. Haven't been paying too much attention this past week. I hope it doesn't come back and bite me. Also I just found out that Fred Epstein and Evel Knievel are dead (hopelessly behind the times, that's me)

Oh yes, and Ferrari had an awful weekend. Here's hoping things go better next weekend at Sepang.

National Science Fest, and all that

So, I'm back from Delhi. Was really hoping I could keep you in the loop with whatever was going on there. However there was no way for me to access the net from St. Stephen's campus, and I was too lazy to go out to a net cafe and post a new entry. Yep, typically ess.

Anyway, this isn't everything I want to say about Delhi. It'll come out over the next week, cos there's a LOT that need to be said. (subtle psychological trick to make sure you keep coming back here :D) But here's a little preview of what I'll be writing about, in no particular order:
*Delhi is friggin' cold. The coldest place I've been to yet. (No comments about me being a wuss, please)
*The Metro is super-cool. Really! The MRTS looks positively ancient in comparison.
*For a national level event, the nsf was TINY!
*Why in the world did they let Stephen's students participate in their own fest?
*Random musings while on the train
*And lastly, a wee little detail. Girls at Stephen's are smokin' AND smart!

Finally, I just read this. It's why neither you nor I should take blogs too seriously.

Is all. But I'll be BAACK (cue Arnie-voice)

A rather unremarkable week

Things that have happened in the last week:
P& I took part in a quiz organised by the economics dept. of Fergusson College. What were two science students doing at an economics quiz, you ask? By the end of the qualifiers, I was asking myself the same thing. The questions were a little bit of economic theory, and a lot of business trivia. (Did you know that the BSE is the oldest stock exchange in Asia?). As expected we didn’t qualify. Hey, don’t look at me. It was P’s idea. I don’t normally do business quizzes, regardless of what Subbu’s testimonial about me on Orkut says. And from now on I don’t do business quizzes. Period.

Speaking of Subbu, I’ve been having long chats with both her and Krish via Google Talk. Mostly because we’re jobless (at any rate, Subbu and I are) We’ve been talking about relationships, blogs (they’re both thinking of starting blogs of their own), break-ups, zodiac signs, network problems (the GODDAMN NETWORK in college is really, really SLOW). About the only things we haven’t talked about are why the sea is boiling hot and whether pigs have wings ;) I’ve also tried a few feeble attempts at flirting over the net. Krish told me off soundly, as anyone who knows her would expect her to. Subbu’s taking it in her stride, playing along…
It’s been a lot of fun. It’s almost like 12th standard all over again. A small group of us at the back of the class. Not particularly bothered about what goes on in the front of the class. Me trying not-so-subtly to get Krish’s attention. (Apparently my flirting STILL needs work. Krish’s words) Talking F1 trash with Subbu. Those were the days. Well, almost.

I’ve been re-reading this book Bertie gave me two years back, ‘The Know-it-all ’ by A.J. Jacobs. It’s the real-life story of an editor with Esquire who tried to read the whole of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. And he did it too, in the space of a year. I really like his style of writing. It’s almost like a blog. He writes about his thoughts as he went through the encyclopaedia word by word. For instance:
liar paradox
The ancient paradox goes like this: ‘If the sentence “This sentence is not true” is true, then it is not true, and if it is not true, it is true’. I feel very lucky I am not stoned, because if I read this after a bong hit, my head would explode.
I’ve picked one of the shortest entries, so that this post isn’t unmanageably large (yes, dear reader, I’m all heart). His writing is very informal and makes you feel right at home. I recommend it to anyone who’s looking for funny stuff, which can also move you at times, and gives it all in small doses. (Makes it almost like a paperback version of FRIENDS)

Blogs have been a recurring theme this week. I’m supposed to submit an article for the college mag on blogging. Tuesday night is the deadline. And I’ve got nothing. Nought. Nada. I mean, I could scribble some random stuff along the margin of a newspaper and it MIGHT still get printed. The Ed says hardly any submissions have come in this year. At this rate, come March and we’ll release the annual pamphlet. Or the college leaflet. Yikes!
But still, I’ve got to do something that’s up to my standards. Anyone who knows me will vouch. Seriously. I helped edit the school mag in 2006. (Back me up, people!) So, if you’ve got any ideas, suggestions, whatever, mail me. Ideas will be duly acknowledged. I’ll sing your praises in my blog, if not the article itself.

Weather’s been getting colder. Went below 8°C. Twice. And word is that Delhi’s gonna get colder next week. Damn! My Madrasi body can’t take it, I tell you. Why do we have to go to friggin’ Delhi for a fest? What happened to fests in Pune? Or Goa? Or even good old Madras, for that matter? Who in their right mind would give up Saarang (IIT, Madras fest) for St. Stephen’s? I guess my Director would, but don’t tell him I said so.

And finally, I’ve given myself a new handle. It’s how you’d pronounce the first letter of my surname. It’s also an acronym for Evolutionarily Stable Strategy (I can’t hide the nerd in me) Plus, it’s easier for someone to write to ESS rather than to Therefore I Am. And it sounds more like a name and less like a title (Therefore I Am, OBE anyone?) That way it actually is an ESS. Can’t be dislodged easily.

Is all. I take your leave. Thank you (Applause! Cheers! …no? You’re mean!)

P.S. For the record, Formula 1 by itself is not trash. It’s ONLY the coolest sport in the world. And Michael Schumacher is the God of modern single-seater racing.

Story of my life

(Note: You may see more posts coming up with this title. It doesn't mean I'm depressed. Just that I was too lazy to come up with a new title when I posted it)

Preparations are under way for the trip to Delhi. What trip to Delhi, you ask? The one I mentioned in my previous post. You probably missed it in all the bitching.

On Thursday, we had an oratorical competition. The topic was, “Scientific study should be for the benefit of the society.” Participants had to speak for the motion for two minutes, do an about face (not literally) and talk against the motion for two minutes. This innovative competition saw a grand total of … 6 entries. And Yours Truly was one of ‘em.

I have a feeling that, subconsciously, I enjoy shooting off my mouth. I really didn’t plan on taking part. It just happened. I ended up registering on impulse and I said some very confusing, downright silly things. It must be the first time some one mentioned Einstein, GPS, vaccines and cavemen in the same speech. Needless to say, I lost. Maybe I would have won the prize for the most incoherent speech. Sadly, there was nothing of the sort.

Following that, at 1900 hrs we had a debrief about the trip (Military time makes it sound like it’s a bigger deal than it actually is) We selected a leader for our team. (B_G, take a bow) We decided that we needed more practice in the sci-fi writing event. Apparently our writing either wasn’t scientific enough. Or, as in the case of one of the first year students, wasn’t fictional enough (!) And my genetics prof also insisted that we practice for the debate and other oratorical events. I’d made a very big impression. As an example of what can go wrong…:-(

Yesterday was fun. We went down to Symbiosis for a quiz on the media. It was part of a 3 day long fest organized by their Media and Communication school. The quiz itself was crap. Mostly because the Quizmaster WAS JUST AWFUL. For one, he stood behind a lectern. He mumbled. He used corny, beaten-to-death lines. He wasn’t friendly. He wasn’t engaging. And he made up the rules as he went along. He even had a flunky to walk around the stage. The guy actually told one of the teams, “Don’t argue with the quizmaster. Just answer the question,.” Or, in other words, you can’t win. One of the few times that I was glad I didn’t qualify for the finals.

I did meet Saras, one of my seniors from school. She was in the organizing committee for the fest. She was part of one of the most bubbly, creative, colourful in-your-face batches. And she was one of the most bubbly, creative, colourful and in-your-face among them. Looks like she’s doing pretty well. She’s got an interview lined up with STAR Networks next week. And I’ve got Chem practical reports to submit next week. Damn.

After all that running around from my coll to Symbi and back, I went shopping in the evening. I had to get a jacket for aforementioned trip to Delhi (last time it’s gonna come up in this post, promise!). And this morning, when I look at what I bought, I’m having second thoughts. I’ve realized that satisfaction with what you buy is a lot like waking up the morning after. If it’s you’re girlfriend, who you obviously know well, beside you, it fills you with a warm feeling and reassures you that she’s there. If it’s a girl you barely know, and you’re slightly hung over, you’re scared. You’re wondering “What did you just do? What the hell were you thinking?!”

See, I’m a slave to brands. It’s a mark of quality. For me, whenever there’s a choice to be made, I always go with the branded one “What hard drive do I buy? The branded one. Which restaurant do I go eat in? The branded one. Who do I ask out? The branded one” You get what I’m saying?

So, I bought a Puma Jacket over something called a “t-base”. Both cost me about the same. But now, the Puma, well…

Don’t get me wrong. The material feels really good, it fits really well, and it has a nice, sporty air to it. But now, it looks too casual. I get the feeling I could have spent my not-overflowing funds better if I’d looked around a bit more. And the colour. It’s almost the exact shade of grey as my school uniform! Freudian slip? One-night stand? Impulse buy? Dunno, but it cost me MUCHO bucks.

Anyway, I’m gonna go watch the auditions for the college play. It should be fun watching someone else make a fool of themselves on stage, for a change. Ciao!

(Factoid: Puma and Adidas were founded by brothers Rudolf and Adi Dassler, respectively. They split up their shoe-making business after WWII into two companies. Apparently there's been a history of Ambani-style split ups. And Adidas comes from ADI DASsler, not All Day I Dream About Sports)