The Life of Me

Akka is Telugu for elder sister. My sister is a close friend and my most trusted confidante. We have had our share of petty fights, the all too familiar I-hate-you sessions. But, I simply can't imagine how I would have managed without her. I don't know the truth in what people say about one's relatives being 'thrust' upon one, but I certeinly wouldn't have chosen anyone else had I had a choice........anyways, since I am bad at putting all this senti stuff into words & since my sis knows all this anyways...I sign off by wishing my sis once again, a happy birthday....

Hope all of you had a nice Diwali. Mine was relatively quiet. I went home (yes, again) but there wasn't much due to some bereavement in the family earlier in the year. But, the surprising thing was that I did not miss anyting about the festival....least of all the crackers. The sweets were there, I did go meet some of my relatives, but on the whole, I was home - almost a rarity when I come down to Hyderabad nowadays.

Till last year, I looked forward to bursting some crackers and all that, but last year itself, I felt it to be more like a formality than a fun activity. Maybe that's because last year was the first time that my sister wasn't home: she got married last year & is now happily living in the US of A. Maybe it was the absence of my sister or something else, I surely seem to have lost the anticipation I had for the festival. Well, why am I ranting on about this rather depressing thing in the middle of the festival season?

I am sorry that I haven't been able to visit other people's blogs for sometime now. Even when I read some of the posts, I was too much in a hurry to post a comment....all I can say is that I was busy...I am going to start reading all the other blogs & comment on them regularly soon...jus give me some time..

I got this SMS from a friend of mine. Thought you might enjoy it:

Exams are like Girlfriends -
1. Too many questions.
2. Dificult to understand.
3. More expalanations always needed.
4. Result is always not upto the mark!

I have been trying to get some work done about applying to universities in the US, what we in IITM call 'apping'. Now, me being the most disinterested guy in academics, it would, I think come as a surprise to many that I am applying for MS+PhD in all the universities. Before anyone thinks that I am a changed man, I would like to tell you that, with my CGPA, the only hope I have of getting into any good university is this option, since all the toppers anyway go for the plain MS option.

Now, as everyone knows, one needs to write a Statement Of Purpose (SOP) outlining why one wants to go for graduate education in that particular field, in that particular university. My situation is this: I gave JEE because that was what was expected of toppers in school, more so in Hyderabad, where I come from. I did not take Mechanical engg. - I was given it based on my rank. After coming to IIT, I realised that the best education was the one you don't get in classrooms - in other words, I just didn't bother about my academics. This means that I obviously did not develop any interest in any field of mechanical engg. So, what do I write about what field I am interested in, and why? I can't clearly write the truth.

Regarding the university choice, I am applying to top universities in my field, without much hope of getting through. So, I guess I need not write much falsehood there as to why I chose the univ. But, as a senior suggested, the SOP should also contain what I can give the univ and what I expect from the univ. Now, what can I give the univ. except the honour of my being there, as I am gracing IITM now? What I expect from the univ, I am clear about: full tuition waiver, full living aid, and any other assistantship/fellowship. Am I greedy or is it normal to think this way? Naturally, I am not able to even start on my SOP, and the idea here is to first get the SOP ready and then go on to other app-work. Anyways, I hope that no one from any admissions committee of any univ I am applying to reads this.....

I am done with that exam on Tuesday, during which the Prof enters and tells us that there will be a test in another course he is taking on Thursday, and as fate would have it, I am doing it. So, that's another test tomorrow.

The test we had yesterday was in a 'self-study' course. IIT M seems to have come up with a unique (is it?) idea to ensure, hopefully, that we might really learn at least one subject; that's what this self-study course is suposed to achieve. Unfortunately, the lethargy for which we are not yet famous (judging by the way people give me unbelieving stares when I say that I don't study till before the exams), makes the whole exercise pointless.

For those of you who still did not get what a 'self-study' course means, it is a course wherein the Prof takes no classes, just gives the portion and reference books and simply conducts tests whenever he wants! So, we had this course on CNC Machining in the self-study variety. Some of the more serious members of the class bothered to find out the portion for the test and names of a couple of reference books. It turned out that these books were for ordinary NC machining and not Computerised NC machining. Since there were no classes, all of us were in total ignorance of what the Prof expects us to study and what kind of questions we can expect, a state which I am not unfamiliar with. I guess, for me, all courses are like this!

As usual, I start trying to mug up something at the very last minute, realising finally that I can't do it. So, I simply gave up, thinking that I can use common-sense (uncommonly used by yours truly) and extrapolate on what I know (very little of it anyways!) in the exam. The paper, when it came, turned out to be objective type with the emphasis being totally on CNC with no fundaes about NC. Well, as it turned out, everyone left the exam hall with those silly smiles we see on people who get so fucked up that they are amused by it all (sorry, if anyone's offended by the 4 letter word). I at least have the satisfaction that I didn't put all the fight that some of my friends have...we all screwed up almost to the same extent, almost!

Anyways, I think that this is enough of cribbing for one post....hey, I just realised, I haven't started cribbing yet! Ask Suds how painful I can get when I start cribbing...rather, don't ask him! By the way, I guess I put too many parenthetical observations in the post...happens when I actually read the post preview....

PS: Yet another hostel mate has started blogging....seems like this is contagious....please visit Ravi's blog.

PPS: Zonkboard's kicked us free riders off...so no tagboard. I don't want to add Tagboard.com's board unless I don't get anything better. So, wait a few days to get a board back.....

I seem to be pretty jobless now. Shaastra is going on..am doing nothing there, not even gaming as Sudhon is! Anyways, seems like the reviews are really getting on people's nerves, me included. I will make an 'ordinary' post asap....maybe after Tuesday, 'coz it seems I got a test that day, and no one in the class knows either the portion or the reference books. I must warn you all beforehand, it might be a bit introspective...reflective rather! And then again, it may just be me cribbing about exams in general after Tuesday....so all I can say is: Watch this Space! (Damn! I am bad at this, ain't I?)

I watched The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen yesterday. And, since I promised a friend that I'd write about it here, I am putting up another review....do I hear a collective groan or mild approval?? Well, whatever be the response, I guess I have to go on to keep my word.

LXG is inspired from a comic series by the same name. It tells the story of a band of really extraordinary people who are called in to help the British Empire and the world from a possible World War at the end of the 19th Century. Well-known characters from classic fiction form the band, which I think would have been called LX People in these days of politically correct titles such as chairperson, etc., the reason being there is a female in the group.

The movie sticks fairly to the lines of the comic, or so I hear, since I haven't read the comic series. Alan Quatermain, from King Solomon's Mines is the leader of the group. The others include Captain Nemo (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ), Rodney Skinner (based on the original The Invisible Man ), Wilhelmina Harker (Dracula ), Dorian Grey (The Picture of Dorian Grey ), Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde (novel by the same name) and, of all people, Tom Sawyer (The Adventures of Tom Sawyer ). These are all selected by a mysterious M...reminded me of James Bond before I knew about the comic series. The movie differs from the sources, from what I have been able to gather in a short time, in the following ways:

1) M is believed to be Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock's elder brother, in the comic series. In the movie, it turns out to be James Moriarty, Sherlock's archenemy and "The Napoleon of Crime" in Sherlock Holmes' words.
2) The comic series had the original Invisible Man from Victor Hugo's novel while the movie has Rodney Skinner, a 'gentleman thief' who steals the invisbility serum, without realising that there is no antiserum yet.
3) Dorian Grey is safe as long as his picture is safe in the original book by Oscar Wilde, but in the movie, he dies if he sets eyes on the picture.
4) Captain Nemo is depicted as a Sikh in both the comic series and the movie as against the novel, apparantly reverting to the original intention of Jules Verne.

On the whole, the movie was good, though it does stretch one's imagination quite a bit. Some of the graphics are good enough and the narrative is not too good. The actors put up a good performance. Sean Connery is his usual suave self, a hunter, explorer and a leader. Naseeruddin Shah as Captain Nemo has to put up a stiff demeanour, and I think has been wasted. He does manage to put some life into the highly stereotypical role. The ship, Nautilus, is shown as a sword, unlike the whale shape it assumes in the novel. Another interesting thing is the Shiv Ling shape at the head of the ship. The director has managed to get a Sikh to worhsip Goddess Kali, and there is also an idol of Ganesh in the ship; wonder when Hollywood film-makers get out of such stupid stereotyping! Peta Wilson is good as the vampire Mina Harker..as for the others, they are good enough, but don't attract attention except for the character of Grey in some places. I liked the scene where he replies, "I am complex" to a "What are you?" by someone who tries to kill him.

The League is gathered to fight a man who calls himself 'The Phantom', and who dreams of world leadership, first by starting an arms race between the leaders of the various empires. The idea seems far-fetched anyways. The revelation that M is none other than Moriarty, aka Phantom becomes evident when the mask falls off the Phantom's face, even before the face is revealed; there's no possibility of a new character that late into the movie. I know that some of you might feel that I gave away the plot, but there is no plot to be given away! So chill! It is not all that bad a movie, neither is it a good one. But, watch it on the big screen, if you do watch it; a DVD will just make the movie more painful than it really is.

All that I feel after seeing the movie is that I think I need to read Bram Stoker's Dracula, King Solomon's Mines, Picture of Dorian Grey. As for the books having other characters, I have read them and I don't think I can take all those classics again, not yet! Also, I wonder why Frankenstein was left out!

PS: Why is it that I always review not-too-good to downroght-bad movies?? Coincidence??

Am at home...hmm..as they say, "Home Seet Home". I had a great time with my friends from school. Am sloshed now, so can't wite anything...going off to sleep now, before it's even midnight!! I am starting back for Chennai tomorrow afternoon; I guess I can write something once I am back on campus.

I don’t know if anyone is interested in reading these reviews, other than Riddhi, but I am going ahead with it anyways. I liked Erich Segal’s Acts of Faith and JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings best of all till date.

Acts of Faith is one of the best love stories that I have read. This book describes the love between a Catholic priest-to-be and a Jewess, the daughter of a very prominent Rabbi. Erich Segal writes very well about human relationships and emotions. I feel that this is his best work. He not only delves into the feelings that the protagonists develop for each other, but also the moral and social dilemmas they face, and also how they finally find true love and God. The main reason I really liked the book for is that their love for one another is totally pure, no lust involved. I mean, one is a Catholic priest and the other goes onto become one of the few female Rabbis, and both wait for about half a century to finally realize their love. I don’t think I can give a proper review of the book….it’s one of those which one has to read to be able to completely appreciate it.

Lord Of The Rings is one of the classic fantasies that I have read. Tolkien’s imagination simply blows one away. He created a whole mythology, history and geography along with the story. I guess what someone has said is true: ‘There are two groups of people in this world: those who have read LOTR and those who haven’t!’ After reading LOTR, I couldn’t help but feel that Harry Potter is really for children, LOTR is serious fantasy. I know that the films haven’t helped much in boosting the image of the book, but isn’t that the case with all books? The trilogy details the journey of Frodo Baggins with The Ring of the Dark Lord, Souron. The eternal struggle between good and evil in this world has been shown very accurately, with good almost succumbing every time but prevailing finally. Even if one is not interested in heavy interpretations as these, LOTR is a really good read just for the verbal and creative fertility of that great mind of Tolkien, who has created a whole world, with all the addendums that make up the “culture” of that world.

Chaos in a void
Confusion
So much to say
Words left unsaid
I wait for you, friend
I need to talk.

These lines were written in a rather black mood. I am going home for Dussehra, and I can talk to my friend finally. Not much to say now, will post from home.