Random Thoughts

When does it hit you that you've grown up? It hits you when one of your closest friends from school gets married. When you meet your school friends, some of them after years, and wonder aloud, "So, who's next?" You look at all your friends and you realize that everyone of them has become quite serious about their careers, while you thought it was just you all along. You no longer talk/behave childishly(well, you realize this only because the image you have of the person you are talking to is from school, and now, that same person seems grown up and mature), instead you have long discussions. When someone says that they're in a relationship, you don't tease them, you're not even surprised, you almost expect it. You meet up these old friends of yours and talk about what they're going to do next, how their careers are shaping up, and stuff like that. And, when you want to steer away from a serious topic, you start talking about all the silly stuff you a...

I love sports. And by that, I do not mean loving what they show on tv, though I like that too. What I really love is how you try to win, always. Love it when you win, love the rush when you're in the middle of the game, the focus in the game that takes you away from any and every concern you have in your life. It simply rejuvenates you like nothing else. I have been playing badminton on and off since I can remember. Don't even remember the first time I picked up a racquet. We used to have these small wooden racquets for kids back then, when I was in the 1st or 2nd std. As a kid, you are always fascinated by anything and everything that elders do. My uncle used to play badminton everyday. I used to accompany him sometimes to the club and wait for everyone to finish playing, after which he would play a couple of points with me. That is how I learnt it. I continued playing with my sister till about my 7th or 8th std. But I wasn't regular at it. It used to always depend on my m...

There are some phrases that must never be uttered when talking to your PhD guide. 'Coz if you do, then you might have to endure a lecture from him/her that will leave you wondering what got into you, that you said that!! "You said so earlier..." : Never ever say this. If your Prof. asks you to remove something from your presentation that he himself had asked you to add, you're done for if you tell him, "But, you asked me to put this in earlier". The standard reply you may get will be something like this- "I may have said so many things." Or worse, you may get a scorn for a reply that will instantly shut you up. "I didn't get time to..." : You should definitely steer clear from saying anything of this sort. 'Coz if you do, then before you even finish your sentence, you're bound to get a look that says, "What? You didn't get time?!!." Then your Prof. will ask you, "So, what is it that you do that you don't...

A trip to the Bangalore Passport Office. Or, in other words you could call it a patience testing (to the maximum possible limit) endeavour to find out something very, very trivial. I went to the passport office (PO, hereafter) on a request by my senior to check on something regarding her visa. My job was to enquire about the status of her visa application. This, in an ideal world shouldn't take more than 5 mins. But, in India, where an overwhelming number of people want to go abroad (mostly for economic reasons), took me about 4 hours. I was warned well in advance that there would be a huge rush of people and so, I should reach the PO by 9:00 a.m. But, me being me, I got up really late, and somehow managed to hail an auto rickshaw, and after paying the auto wallah for his commendable effort in fighting the infamous Bangalore traffic, reached the enquiry counter at about 10:00 a.m. Phew!! 1 hour in the horrendous traffic! The first sight that caught my eye as soon as I reached there...

The best minds of the country...all in one place, well, thats IISc. Or, at least, thats what its supposed to be. Now one would assume that the best minds would be free of prejudices and would always like to explore new stuff, experience new things, get to know new people........well, u get the hang of it. What I mean is that they would not be confined to their cocoons and would always be willing to explore. But, over here, only few people fall into this category. Every new student comes here with lots of hopes......of making good friends. But, if you happen to be a non-bengali in the chemistry department, you are doomed. Because, you have to first learn bangla before you can even hope to make friends in your department where 90 percent are bengalis. Coz, if you don't, then chances of your being included in any of their conversations are very low. They will continue to talk in bangla, and then you'd wonder why you ever sat there. This is not meant to be a dig at the bengalis. I ...

Have you ever been with friends who constantly jabber about their love life? I, for one, am right now in that kind of a situation, and let me tell you, it is not one of the most envious positions to be in! It is rather, one of those experiences which you have to endure as there is no way you can ask your friend to shut up without being rude. Since I have been with them throughout, I think I have the right perspective to analyze what they thought about love and various things in life before they fell in love and after they have fallen in love. So, let me tell you the BEFORE and the AFTER of falling in love. Before- There were various shades to life. People noticed all colours and loved all colours, yes, even the blues and blacks and browns. After- The only colour that exists is pink and only shades are the lightened or darkened shades of pinks and reds. Before- The mushy/corny dialogues in films and movies were scorned/laughed at. After- Since the mushy things have been happening in the...

Well, wondering why I am writing a post about Roger Federer's historic record breaking triumph almost a month after he did it and a week after he became a father to twin girls-Myla Rose and Charlene Riva-even though the number 15 meant so much for me! Its only because I was overwhelmed due to the very magnitude of his achievements this last month-completing the career Grand Slam by winning his first (and hopefully not the last) Roland Garros title and then breaking Pete Sampras's record of most number of Grand Slam titles by winning at the Wimbledon and setting an all time record of 15 Grand Slam titles just two weeks later. This is so damn good, it can't get any better. Or, maybe it can, as we know that the person who can better this, Roger Federer, hasn't yet retired nor has any plans in this direction in the near future. The first time I watched a tennis match was the 2005 US Open Final where Roger Federer defeated Andre Agassi. This was one of the most beautiful mat...