I am going to go straight to the point on this one - I hate History! I really do. I never liked it. I never learned anything. The exams at the end of each year in school were the reason I read through the textbook. I do not mean to offend anybody who might have a liking / affiliation towards the subject.
When I was in my ninth and tenth grade, the exams were of the highest importance. Doing poorly in one of the subjects was equivalent to you jumping off a cliff and forgetting to attach the bungee chord to your feet. Competition was at it's peak. I never bothered too much with competition anyway cause in the end the race is just with yourself. But nonetheless, I did not want to be the only duckling that spends more time on land rather than in water.
Subject Complexity: Most of the textbook spoke about World War I, World War II and India's struggle for Independence. There were so many important dates and events to memorize. There was a sequence in which things took place. Many of my fellow students thought that this sequence would be very helpful in helping them remember everything in the textbook. Unfortunately, trying to remember the sequence only made things worse. You could inadvertently shuffle a couple of events around and have a totally different history. At one point, I remember memorizing the wrong sequence and found that Hitler was the Arch Duke of Austria-Hungary. I was lost.
Subject Content: When the books came to talking about India's struggle for independence, it was filled with details of how India as a country was ravaged and looted of all her goods. In other words most of the book spoke about India's defeat and it never spoke about the little victories that we had. I'm sure a majority of Indians will remember the Mutiny of 1857 (Wiki Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutiny_of_1857) but tell me if you have heard of the Battle of Colachel? This was a battle that was fought between the Maharajah of Travancore, Marthanda Varma and the Dutch East India Company. What happened? Well, Marthanda Varma and Co kicked the Dutch (the same way that the Dutch kicked the Spaniards in the World Cup final) and sent them home! (this however, the Dutch could not do to the Spaniards). The impact of the war? Well this is what Wikipedia has to say and I quote: "It was the first major defeat of a European military force by one from South Asia. The Dutch never recovered from the defeat and no longer posed a large colonial threat to India." Of course I am sure that the Educational Board in India thought that this battle was of no importance whatsoever and not worth mentioning. Hence, I feel it is very important that we get to know as much as we can about the stories that go untold.
Wiki reference for the Battle of Colachel:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Colachel.
End Result at Examination: I guess I tried too hard. I tried memorizing way too many dates and then I got them confused with birthdays of friends and families. The sequence did me no good. All those essay answers that I had to write felt more like punishment. But I liked story telling. So when Peter Pan and Tinkle Bell helped end the War, we all lived happily ever after. I didn't do as bad as I expected but History did bring my overall percentage down. But that's history now. I never looked back at it.
But I still feel that all history books should tell a better story. Give students things that might interest them rather than to talk incessantly about the mistakes that mankind has made over the years.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Monday, May 31, 2010
Comic Relief. Courtesy: Starbucks
If you are a graduate student like me, I am sure you understand the importance of coffee in our daily lives. And if you are a graduate research assistant, any coffee won't do cause you're a Research Assistant, an RA and you deserve simply the best. What the American dream is to an average American citizen, an RA is to a graduate student. If you stay in America, it won't be long before you realize that the word coffee is often preceded by a name - STARBUCKS. Yes folks, there is no coffee like a Starbucks coffee.
Starbucks is the first thing that pops into every American's head when they think of coffee. So you can imagine the kind of impact they've had on this society and pretty much the world for that matter. Any company thats that big, does a lot to try and make the world a better place. Starbucks does this by using recycled cups and helping the coffee makers in remote parts of South America and urging it's customers to use reusable flasks rather than cups and so on and so forth.
But when it comes to remembering personal information about their customers, Starbucks has a long long way to go. By personal information, I do not mean that they have to memorize each customer's email id and phone number. I'd be a happy camper if they could just get the name right. They have a real problem with remembering names.
Now for those of you who haven't been to a Starbucks before, this is how it (usually) works. You walk in, you place your order and you give them your name. When the order is ready, they call out your name and you can fight your way through the sea of Starbucks customers and finally grab that well deserved cup of coffee. The only loop hole in the entire process is that they almost never get the name right. And if you have a long name, trust me, you can prepare yourself for what might be the most embarrassing moment of your life.
Before I go further, I need to stress on the fact that most of the names were actually spelled out to the cashier during the order. Here are a couple of the poor souls who got punished:
Nipun: The poor guy went in and ordered his coffee and when it came back, it had NOPOLE written on it. I'm sure Nopole is a very ordinary name! Sheesh!
Deepthi: This young lady wanted a coffee to help her prepare for an exam the next day, and this was what they had written all over the cup - IBTI. I know this isn't as bad as the previous one but it isn't a huge consolation either.
Divya: Poor little Divya had DIBIA written all over her cup. But it was pretty close to her name, don't you think?
Ram: This is a very easy name. It has just three letters in it. You would think "in what way could someone screw this up?" well, just like their coffee, Starbucks never disappoints. When Ram got his cup back, it had DOM written on it. Didn't see that coming now did you?
Arvind: Of course, I could never leave out a personal experience. I attract stupidity. It's a gift. It makes me unique. So I go in and I spell out my name and since the place was a little crowded (unfortunately), they were calling out names. I kept my fingers crossed hoping that they would get my name right but boy, was I wrong! The lady at the counter kept screaming "RAVIN, RAVIN". It took me a while before I realized that I'd been baptized with a new name. I have no clue how they got that name from 'Arvind'.
Experience is the best teacher. So these days when I step into a Starbucks coffee outlet, my name is TIM. Works like a charm. And to my fellow readers, I hope you pick a really easy name for yourselves.
Bring on the Latte!!!
Starbucks is the first thing that pops into every American's head when they think of coffee. So you can imagine the kind of impact they've had on this society and pretty much the world for that matter. Any company thats that big, does a lot to try and make the world a better place. Starbucks does this by using recycled cups and helping the coffee makers in remote parts of South America and urging it's customers to use reusable flasks rather than cups and so on and so forth.
But when it comes to remembering personal information about their customers, Starbucks has a long long way to go. By personal information, I do not mean that they have to memorize each customer's email id and phone number. I'd be a happy camper if they could just get the name right. They have a real problem with remembering names.
Now for those of you who haven't been to a Starbucks before, this is how it (usually) works. You walk in, you place your order and you give them your name. When the order is ready, they call out your name and you can fight your way through the sea of Starbucks customers and finally grab that well deserved cup of coffee. The only loop hole in the entire process is that they almost never get the name right. And if you have a long name, trust me, you can prepare yourself for what might be the most embarrassing moment of your life.
Before I go further, I need to stress on the fact that most of the names were actually spelled out to the cashier during the order. Here are a couple of the poor souls who got punished:
Nipun: The poor guy went in and ordered his coffee and when it came back, it had NOPOLE written on it. I'm sure Nopole is a very ordinary name! Sheesh!
Deepthi: This young lady wanted a coffee to help her prepare for an exam the next day, and this was what they had written all over the cup - IBTI. I know this isn't as bad as the previous one but it isn't a huge consolation either.
Divya: Poor little Divya had DIBIA written all over her cup. But it was pretty close to her name, don't you think?
Ram: This is a very easy name. It has just three letters in it. You would think "in what way could someone screw this up?" well, just like their coffee, Starbucks never disappoints. When Ram got his cup back, it had DOM written on it. Didn't see that coming now did you?
Arvind: Of course, I could never leave out a personal experience. I attract stupidity. It's a gift. It makes me unique. So I go in and I spell out my name and since the place was a little crowded (unfortunately), they were calling out names. I kept my fingers crossed hoping that they would get my name right but boy, was I wrong! The lady at the counter kept screaming "RAVIN, RAVIN". It took me a while before I realized that I'd been baptized with a new name. I have no clue how they got that name from 'Arvind'.
Experience is the best teacher. So these days when I step into a Starbucks coffee outlet, my name is TIM. Works like a charm. And to my fellow readers, I hope you pick a really easy name for yourselves.
Bring on the Latte!!!
Friday, February 26, 2010
The Little Master
I am sure everyone knows who holds that title, at least every Indian on the planet knows who holds that title. For the rest of you who don't know 'God', his name is Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.
I am not an avid cricket fan and so this post is not going to have facts and trivia. But if there was one reason why I would watch a cricket match in which India was playing, it was to watch Sachin Tendulkar play. I would have said "I love to watch him bat" but he is pretty good with the ball too.
In India cricket is a religion and the deity that is most worshiped is Sachin. If there is one sport that pulls people together even in the face of secular violence, it is cricket and in most cases it would have something to do with Sachin playing a wonderful innings.
And just like the wonderful country, my family was also obsessed with the sport. My father played for his college team, his brother played in the Ranji trophy (State level championship) and every cousin of mine was either a good batsman or a bowler. I was born into a family that lived, ate and slept cricket and I loved it.
Every youngster I ever grew up with wanted to be a Sachin Tendulkar. I would rarely hear the name any other player that they looked upto. I was no less fascinated. I was amazed at how he held a (custom made) bat which was considered to be the heaviest in the sport and still whack the ball around with such ease. I've seen him score 50s and 100s and in most cases single handedly win the game for India with his innings.
Like every other sportsperson, he too had his bad days and a slump in performance. But somehow all of us hoped and prayed for a quick return to form and when we were patient with him, he never failed to deliver the goods.
And earlier this week 'God' smiled at all of us. On 24th February 2010 Sachin R Tendulkar became the first player to ever score a double century (200) in a one day international match. There were a couple of players who had almost reached this milestone but it was as though Sachin was the only player who was destined to take the title.
I remember back in 1994, I ran into Sir Vivian Richards (one of the greatest cricket players from the West Indies) at Disneyworld, Orlando. I asked him for an autograph and he gave it. I cherished that day. But all that changed on the 24th of Feb. I think this day deserves to be cherished by each and every one of us. I think this is a day that all of us can talk about to our children and our grand children and if we are lucky enough, maybe even our great grandchildren.
I have many reasons to be proud of the fact that I am an Indian, but knowing that 'God' is a fellow countryman just puts everything else in a whole new perspective.
I am not an avid cricket fan and so this post is not going to have facts and trivia. But if there was one reason why I would watch a cricket match in which India was playing, it was to watch Sachin Tendulkar play. I would have said "I love to watch him bat" but he is pretty good with the ball too.
In India cricket is a religion and the deity that is most worshiped is Sachin. If there is one sport that pulls people together even in the face of secular violence, it is cricket and in most cases it would have something to do with Sachin playing a wonderful innings.
And just like the wonderful country, my family was also obsessed with the sport. My father played for his college team, his brother played in the Ranji trophy (State level championship) and every cousin of mine was either a good batsman or a bowler. I was born into a family that lived, ate and slept cricket and I loved it.
Every youngster I ever grew up with wanted to be a Sachin Tendulkar. I would rarely hear the name any other player that they looked upto. I was no less fascinated. I was amazed at how he held a (custom made) bat which was considered to be the heaviest in the sport and still whack the ball around with such ease. I've seen him score 50s and 100s and in most cases single handedly win the game for India with his innings.
Like every other sportsperson, he too had his bad days and a slump in performance. But somehow all of us hoped and prayed for a quick return to form and when we were patient with him, he never failed to deliver the goods.
And earlier this week 'God' smiled at all of us. On 24th February 2010 Sachin R Tendulkar became the first player to ever score a double century (200) in a one day international match. There were a couple of players who had almost reached this milestone but it was as though Sachin was the only player who was destined to take the title.
I remember back in 1994, I ran into Sir Vivian Richards (one of the greatest cricket players from the West Indies) at Disneyworld, Orlando. I asked him for an autograph and he gave it. I cherished that day. But all that changed on the 24th of Feb. I think this day deserves to be cherished by each and every one of us. I think this is a day that all of us can talk about to our children and our grand children and if we are lucky enough, maybe even our great grandchildren.
I have many reasons to be proud of the fact that I am an Indian, but knowing that 'God' is a fellow countryman just puts everything else in a whole new perspective.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Have a great weekend!!!
How often do you hear this from your colleagues on a Friday evening? Can you remember the number of times people have said this to you? What about the number of times you have wished other people? And how often do you have a wonderful or great weekend?
This is a week in my life:
Monday: Lazy to get up. End up being late to lab. Once I get there, I promise that the next hour is going to be more productive than the previous one. But when the clock hits 5 pm, I'm out of the lab and back home.
Tuesday: Since I didn't make it on time the previous day, guilt wakes me up a little earlier. I head to the lab. In most cases I'd be in by 9am. I have a meeting with my professor about my thesis and my plans and we just sit together and dream. Reality is non existent when we talk about projects to professors! The rest of the day flies by.
I read a joke online once and it went like this: "After Monday and Tuesday, even the days say - WTF". And that is pretty much what my mind asks me by Wednesday morning.
Wednesday: In most cases I might be on time again and my motivation to work will vary. Facebook does its best to distract me and I am a man who loves getting distracted from anything that seems mundane (read "Project"). And before you know it the day is over.
Thursday: Now this is when I get motivated. It is a day of complete optimism. It is the same day that a lot of things can go wrong. But optimism is at an all-time high. The reason? Simple. The weekend is here!
Friday: If there is a day when I feel I can push all the work over for later, it's this day. Any work entrusted on me will, by default, be pushed and carried over to the following day. The day ends in total merriment. I end up sleeping at least for 12 hours. (Somewhere during this day, at least one person will wish me a great weekend. Yeah right!)
Saturday: And so the weekend begins. I will look at the clock(s) beside my bed and realize it's almost 12:00 noon. There goes half the day. The other half will go in basic chores - cooking, eating (yes, it is a chore because it takes effort), cleaning my room etc etc... And what about all the work carried over on Friday? Ah, they get pushed over to Sunday.
Sunday: I spend most of my day whining about the fact that the weekend is over. By the time I finish whining, all the work that has been left over hits me in the face and other places which should not be mentioned. But I am sure you get the point. I finish all the work. I am beat and now I look at the dull prospects of the week to come. And I say to myself, "Routine, routine, routine". Taking inspiration from the penguins in the movie Madagascar, you might also catch me saying "Smile and wave. Smile and wave". I love those penguins!
My weeks are not miserable because I push my work for the last minute. I believe in a way we all push something or the other towards the weekend. For some strange reason Saturday and Sunday seem like two days with 32 hours each. What is so magical about a weekend? A break from routine? A break from everything? I don't know. But whatever it is, I am sure looking forward to the next weekend.
This is a week in my life:
Monday: Lazy to get up. End up being late to lab. Once I get there, I promise that the next hour is going to be more productive than the previous one. But when the clock hits 5 pm, I'm out of the lab and back home.
Tuesday: Since I didn't make it on time the previous day, guilt wakes me up a little earlier. I head to the lab. In most cases I'd be in by 9am. I have a meeting with my professor about my thesis and my plans and we just sit together and dream. Reality is non existent when we talk about projects to professors! The rest of the day flies by.
I read a joke online once and it went like this: "After Monday and Tuesday, even the days say - WTF". And that is pretty much what my mind asks me by Wednesday morning.
Wednesday: In most cases I might be on time again and my motivation to work will vary. Facebook does its best to distract me and I am a man who loves getting distracted from anything that seems mundane (read "Project"). And before you know it the day is over.
Thursday: Now this is when I get motivated. It is a day of complete optimism. It is the same day that a lot of things can go wrong. But optimism is at an all-time high. The reason? Simple. The weekend is here!
Friday: If there is a day when I feel I can push all the work over for later, it's this day. Any work entrusted on me will, by default, be pushed and carried over to the following day. The day ends in total merriment. I end up sleeping at least for 12 hours. (Somewhere during this day, at least one person will wish me a great weekend. Yeah right!)
Saturday: And so the weekend begins. I will look at the clock(s) beside my bed and realize it's almost 12:00 noon. There goes half the day. The other half will go in basic chores - cooking, eating (yes, it is a chore because it takes effort), cleaning my room etc etc... And what about all the work carried over on Friday? Ah, they get pushed over to Sunday.
Sunday: I spend most of my day whining about the fact that the weekend is over. By the time I finish whining, all the work that has been left over hits me in the face and other places which should not be mentioned. But I am sure you get the point. I finish all the work. I am beat and now I look at the dull prospects of the week to come. And I say to myself, "Routine, routine, routine". Taking inspiration from the penguins in the movie Madagascar, you might also catch me saying "Smile and wave. Smile and wave". I love those penguins!
My weeks are not miserable because I push my work for the last minute. I believe in a way we all push something or the other towards the weekend. For some strange reason Saturday and Sunday seem like two days with 32 hours each. What is so magical about a weekend? A break from routine? A break from everything? I don't know. But whatever it is, I am sure looking forward to the next weekend.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Why did I take up engineering?
A couple of days ago a friend of mine asked me this question. I felt it was a logical question and I decided to give her all the details to the best of my ability.
This question has a lot of history to it. When I was young, I liked what my dad did. But as a kid all I saw him doing was walk out with a suitcase in the morning and come back with the same suitcase in the evening.I never knew what he actually did nor did he tell me. Maybe that was a clear sign that shouted out "Son don't make the same mistake I made". But I did exactly that!
So I went through school hating everything that I studied. Every subject was boring. I loved sports. Soccer was top of the list. I wanted to play for Manchester United along side David Beckham. But the soccer dreams came to an end when I had to choose a "real" career.
I had a certain inspirational point that changed my life: The time when a back bench student (yours truly) scored a 100/100 in physics. He silenced his peers and the staffs who told him that he was never going to make it. From that day on I was found walking around school with an autobiography of Albert Einstein. People thought I was crazy. And the truth is, I was.
I headed to college. I chose engineering because when I was a kid I saw a bumper sticker that read "Engineers make the world", which in a way is actually true. So I decided I would do engineering. But what engineering? You had so many choices. I looked at Mechanical engineering with a keen eye but then Electrical engineering was something that my dad did and I admired it. My childhood dream was to work for a company whose name was made of three letters in the color of the morning sun - ABB. And so I worked towards that dream. I did a B.Tech degree. I fell ill the day ABB came for recruitment. I still wonder what would have happened if I had gone for the interview then.
So then I landed a job in the booming software industry. I worked for a year and decided to do a masters degree in electrical engineering. I got into a good school. My prof. happened to be a former student from my same undergraduate college. Things fell into place.
One year into my Masters program and I was working with ABB as an intern for three months. My dream had come true (at least a small part of it).
Now I am in my final semester of my Masters program and I still wonder - Why did I ever decide to take up engineering?
*************************************END*********************************************
Well that was what I said. I know this post seems a bit pompous but that is not my intention. What must be really noted is how some things just fall into place. Always remember, Whatever happens, happens for a reason; a very good reason.
This question has a lot of history to it. When I was young, I liked what my dad did. But as a kid all I saw him doing was walk out with a suitcase in the morning and come back with the same suitcase in the evening.I never knew what he actually did nor did he tell me. Maybe that was a clear sign that shouted out "Son don't make the same mistake I made". But I did exactly that!
So I went through school hating everything that I studied. Every subject was boring. I loved sports. Soccer was top of the list. I wanted to play for Manchester United along side David Beckham. But the soccer dreams came to an end when I had to choose a "real" career.
I had a certain inspirational point that changed my life: The time when a back bench student (yours truly) scored a 100/100 in physics. He silenced his peers and the staffs who told him that he was never going to make it. From that day on I was found walking around school with an autobiography of Albert Einstein. People thought I was crazy. And the truth is, I was.
I headed to college. I chose engineering because when I was a kid I saw a bumper sticker that read "Engineers make the world", which in a way is actually true. So I decided I would do engineering. But what engineering? You had so many choices. I looked at Mechanical engineering with a keen eye but then Electrical engineering was something that my dad did and I admired it. My childhood dream was to work for a company whose name was made of three letters in the color of the morning sun - ABB. And so I worked towards that dream. I did a B.Tech degree. I fell ill the day ABB came for recruitment. I still wonder what would have happened if I had gone for the interview then.
So then I landed a job in the booming software industry. I worked for a year and decided to do a masters degree in electrical engineering. I got into a good school. My prof. happened to be a former student from my same undergraduate college. Things fell into place.
One year into my Masters program and I was working with ABB as an intern for three months. My dream had come true (at least a small part of it).
Now I am in my final semester of my Masters program and I still wonder - Why did I ever decide to take up engineering?
*************************************END*********************************************
Well that was what I said. I know this post seems a bit pompous but that is not my intention. What must be really noted is how some things just fall into place. Always remember, Whatever happens, happens for a reason; a very good reason.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
