Culmination of 3-1

The semester kicked off on a high note with loads of vows, pledges and resolutions, but on the contrary ended on a low with loads of prayers, expectations, grades, marks, but all in complete vain. As they put it, as you sow so shall you reap!

In an IIT, after getting decent marks in TS-1 and screwing badly TS-2, your arse is all set on fire for the end terms. Do it now, do it straight off, else the insti has no regrets in giving you panji's (5 on a scale of 10). So was this arse of mine. Eventually, the gaps in between the exams proved to be crucial and everything went alright.

The subjects I didn’t get a feel and flavor of resulted in very dismal performances, though.  Grade B or may be even lower is already expected in one of ChemD’s core subject, CH-305: Reaction Engineering. Moreover, my face has a smug gleam of felicitation after acing the subjects I loved the most. IHS03: Group Dynamics was one of them.

However, well, there’s no time and scope for the feel thing when you are in an IIT. Do whatever the system demands, else the system comes back at you and leave you in shatters. So, it is better if you go along with the flow without giving a thought about what-you-like and what-you-don’t-like. Perhaps, the only way to be a successful fucked-up Engineer. Trust me!

Losing grip

The past few months have seen within me a swashbuckler. I have turned into a reckless, careless, lunatic mortal. Things go over my head, issues irk me, people rankle me, weird things fascinate me, issues of no-importance trance me. I have heard highly educated people preaching a gospel that one should do what their heart tells them to do. On a different note, what if your heart does not wish to do anything? What if your mind needs only repose? What if you propose to leave all the terrene affairs? Not so simple, though. 

Few days back I told my younger sis about a weird thought of mine – a thought to leave everything and go to the Himalayas to live a life of peace and serenity. The only reply she gave me with a wary look was – “I am going to tell Mom about this.”

Then, all of a sudden I realize that a couple of years more and everything would be over. All these draggy and ho-hum engineering principles and theories would find an end leaving me in complete freedom. However, this end would mark the beginning of a yet new period – a period in which I would eventually find myself working in some crippled Chemical company surrounded by more crippled employees and lame officials. Would this be called an end or a beginning, then? I personally would call this a deadlock.

Management is the probably the only thing left which still happens to charm and captivate me, but didn’t Engineering have the same appeal in the early days when I was preparing to make it into a prestigious college? I am in no mood to answer here the hackneyed question: ”Why I eventually lost interest in Engineering?” Probably this is why I came out of a TATA Steel written test in a flash as soon as I encountered all gimpy Engineering-related questions yet again, to which I had no better option left. I even bypassed few other companies I came across. A huge transition from what I was like an year ago, when I was constantly worried about all this. Well truly said, ‘All that glitters is not Gold’.

No one can predict the future, but one can surely make it. All in all, I have started trusting my conscience. Whatever I feel like doing, I have been blindly doing it. On the contrary, whatever narks me now finds a place in the bin, no matter its worth or consequences. Moreover if the predicament within my mind continues to amplify, I might even end up being a recluse, or not?

Campus at the break of day

Once in a college, few things become almost impossible – Beholding the break of day is one of it. Sleeping at awkward times makes waking up on time an almost unmanageable task.

The clock ticked 05:00 a.m.!

After a long stay at Cautley talking mundane affairs with friends, I was on my way to Jawahar late night (or early morning?) taking the path less traversed. I wanted to take the shortcut but with the number of dogs increasing exponentially in the campus, I avoided it and resorted to the Cautley-AHEC-Library-Alps-Slope-Jawahar pathway, which was a little more time consuming. However, taking this pathway was the best way to lessen my probability of being bitten by any of the dog/bitch.

While sauntering through that path I had a picturesque depiction of everything around. I had walked through that path innumerable times but this time with no one around, everything looked very wondrous.

Being deprived of sleep, my eyes were getting heavy. However, the air seemed to be freshly, bracing and invigorate enough to keep me awake. A bunch of crowd, esp. The Professors and their families, was already astir, and was enjoying the morning walk. I could hardly find even a single student around. I even happened to confront a Professor with his wife, who passed on giving me a strange look. The street lights were suddenly turned off. The diurnal beings then seemed to be back into business.

The trees around looked magnificent. The leaves didn’t seem to abandon the trees yet, although the vibrancy of its contours seemed to fade slightly. Ladies jogging, cool breeze hushing, dogs defecating, birds chirping, night watchmen preparing for a changeover, Department fully mute and obtuse- all in the presence of a weak sunlight, while the sun itself below the horizon presented Nature at its best.

Appalled at the beauty of it all, I decided to sit down along the library stairs to just stare and gaze at it all. Everything looked fresh, crisp, dewy, innocent, peaceful and newfangled. The Nature appeared to move around, while I being stationary, the rest of the world appeared to continue ahead. It left me in a peaceful moment and longing for more, until I realized that I had a class at 9. 

QOTD (Quote of the Day): ''Lose an hour in the morning, and you will be all day hunting for it''. 

The rock-ribbed 'Red' in me.

Way back in 2002, nothing about the footballing world interested me. I was happy in my own world playing cricket, video games, collecting GI Joe’s and going to school. Even the 2002 Football World Cup which I  followed was because everyone at school was watching and talking about it. As most of my friends and relatives were talking about a nicely-rhymed 'Ronaldo-Rivaldo-Ronaldinho' trio of Brazil, I started supporting Brazil as I loved the rhyming scheme in the above deuce-ace, with no genuine mania for anyone from within. Slowly and steadily I developed a mild interest in the game with Brazil going all the way to life the trophy, and Ronaldo winning the ‘Golden Ball’.

That year I looked forward to the much talked about English Premier League (Courtesy: ESPN-Star Sports news-cum-talk shows). Initially, the League went completely over my head. With so many players playing for so many uncannily-named teams, I was completely jolted. Yet, I ended up learning the names of few English players and for the clubs they played. I very soon realized that England is the team to watch out for! I developed an intense charm for England- its players and their hot and sizzling wags. I also learnt a lot about Liverpool Football Club (LFC), where two of my favorite players (Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen) played. Then came Euros in 2004, the time when I was aware of a handful of players from the EPL (mostly English players). Consequently, I supported England with more passion this time but unluckily England was eliminated by Portugal in the quarter-finals in the penalties, but the heroics of Gerrard made me in complete awe of him!  I started admiring and following him with a lot of vigor, passion and dynamism. Later, during the EPL when I saw Gerrard playing for LFC, everything just clicked. I did not wake up one morning and say “I am going to support Liverpool today”, it was something that grew with me, it is more like a calling than anything. 

Being a Red unremittingly doesn’t make me have an aversion for other clubs and for those who support other clubs. I respect a lot of players who actually don’t play for LFC. I love the Football game in its pure form, and the players who play it so. Still, Liverpool is the club I have found an intense attachment for, and England is the country I can never stop supporting.  I have a 'little dream' of going to Anfield some day watching the Reds play and I, completely clad-in-Red with  a scarf on my shoulder reading, “You’ll never walk alone!”, dancing and singing to the tunes of the anthem! I’ll end on a high with the famous quote by former Liverpool Manager, Bill Shankley: ”Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, its much more serious than that.”

List 1: Celebrity Crushes

Few people come into your life so briskly, that their briskness crush you badly to an extent that you find yourselves admiring them with enormous cache, even after knowing that you probably won’t ever meet them let alone date. This is what is so absolving about the celebrity crushes. Since you most likely won't have a chance to hook up with the object of your crush under any circumstances, these circumstances become completely insignificant. You don't have to worry about whether or not the celebrity is single (or if you're single) or if he or she likes blondes or brunettes or even if the celebrity is gay or straight. It's all total fantasy so those inconvenient bits of reality don't matter at all.

Betokening thus, here I present a list of my female celebrity crushes (in the order of level of crush-ness, i.e. in increasing order):

10. Elizabeth Banks (From The 40-year old virgin to Definitely May Be to Spider Man to the Uninvited, this blonde looks blistering hot!) 

9. Zooey Deschanel (An unusual liking for her, as some faces remind you of someone. She is nonetheless stunning and sensational! Watch out for her in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy!)  

8. Elisha Cuthbert  (I could pay a huge amount to chunk to book a flat beside her's to make her the girl next door for me, any day!)

7. Ke$ha (This party image girl with her messy hair, smeared makeup, and garbage-chic apparels always has a way to appeal! My mobile snooze always has Ke$ha singing, 'Tik Tok' and waking me up everyday. For those, who think her to be a drunk Taylor Swift, Up Yours!)  

6. Alex Curran (If Gerrard allows, she is the only sensational tan I’d ever love to date owing to her hotness level!)

5. Gemma Atkinson (If hotness is what we are talking about, here is this English lingerie-model to look out for. Remember her as the ex-wag of C. Ronaldo!) 

 4. Kristen Stewart (Coming to life from the Twilight series, this vampire lover definitely has it to blow off the minds! Blown away, am I, undoubtedly!)

 3. Megan Fox (Dressed Up or Dressed down! Whatever way, she is stunning hot! Never mind considering her as a Sex symbol.)

 2. Cobie Smulders (Perfect figure, adorable smile, beautiful accent, amazing as Robin Scherbatsky in HIMYM. Do I need to say more?) 

1. Katy Perry (With daisy dukes and a bikini on top, the lady has killed me with her exquisite smile and enchanting eyes. Lucky bastard have you been, Russel Brands!)

 

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These have been my Top 10 biggest celebrity crushes till date. I honestly don’t know which big supermodel is going to crush me next, heavily in juggernaut style.  Whoever it may be, it perhaps has nothing to do with my real life. All I can say is certain aspects of people appeal you in some way or the other, but who does know the reality anyway?

P.S: The dream date for me any day ought to be with my dream girl, Katy Perry.

P.P.S: It hardly matters if my list doesn’t match with yours. Few things are meant to be different.

P.P.S: After a series of philosophical posts, I have been planning to write my first soccer post. Ensuing, it may be!

P4S: I had been planning to present a series of Lists of various things. This was one of the coming few.

P5S: As far as the pictures I have used, I agree to the fact that they lack pellucidity. Courtesy: Sluggish Jawahar Internet connection + Lazy arse of mine! 

Why, Aisha?

Finally after a long hiatus, I am back with Aisha, but why, Aisha? Why only, Aisha? After  nuking my buzz and twitter with posts reflecting my insatiable desire to watch Aisha so many times, I eventually ended up watching it  a month after its release, and trust me, I was not at all unsated! I don’t intend to write a review of the movie here, but I certainly intend to indite - Why, Aisha?

So a take on why, Aisha?  

1. If you simply love the name, Aisha.
2. If you have an appetite for humor and style quotient.
3. If you crave for uptown super rich chicks wearing tank-tops and short-skirts! 
4. If you have read 'Emma' by Jane Austen, watched the Hollywood adaptation, 'Clueless' but still want to cherish some desi-spin on the story.
5. If you want to witness a movie that goes without any heavy-duty ‘drame baazi’, and prompts you to ponder on the perils of misconstrued romance.
6. If you want to believe that howsoever bitchy, cattish and arrogant a girl may seem from the glossy cover, she definitely has a soft corner which is gooey and mawkish.
7. If you want to watch out for Sonam Kapoor as an actor in one of her very neat and substantial performances!
8. If you are planning for a date, this could just be the ideal date flick!

The plot is almost unchanged from the original classic work of Jane Austen, Emma. Aisha, however, is more treatment-oriented than story-driven, relying on dialogues, individual scenes and quirky characters to do the trick. To a large extent, it succeeds too. 

The pre-interval portion is breezy and Shefali`s (Aisha’s small town friend) innocence coupled with Aisha’s hoity-toity act keeps the proceedings interesting. The friendly sparring between Aisha and Arjun (Abhay Deol), and scenes involving Randhir(Cyrus Sahukar) and Pinky(Ira Dubey) enliven the film and at half-time you are upbeat and hopeful. Post-interval, though, the film’s pace dips and you soon realise that the makers succumbed to a more convenient route. However, everyone looks so watchable that the movie would hold you in command till the very end plus some brisky and bouncy songs amid the story will never let you down.

Devika Bhagat,the film’s screenplay writer, with the film’s director Rajshree Ojha, has kept the essence of Austen’s classic intact and focused more on the presentation. With producer Rhea (actor Anil Kapoor’s younger daughter), the troika of women has managed to serve a palatable chick flick, but one which is not without its share of shortcomings and cliches. 

The movie is certainly not that serious to bog you down, or not so frivolous to be dismissed, it just goes so very well to glue you till the end. So, why waiting? Go, get, Aisha!

My 'Gene' is selfish ?

It happens to be that phase of my life when this little thing called ‘mind’ has been constantly searching for reasons and answers to almost everything around! In the quest for these answers, I have continuously been fooled by many things – be it randomness, be it luck, be it the Nash Equilibrium, be it the Laws of attraction or be it simply, a gene!

I lately concluded reading 'The Selfish Gene', by Richard Dawkins, which in many ways cleared the junk out of my brain!  The skill of Dawkins, as a writer, is that he has managed to convey the role that genes have had in our (and all life's) evolution. We know that genes determine the color of our eyes, our bodily features, certain physical traits and our susceptibility to certain diseases. However, what Dawkins shows is rather more fundamental and remarkable than that!

As a man of extreme intellect and analytical mastery, his logic throughout the book is very clear, vivid and easy to follow. All of us know how natural selection (i.e survival of the fittest) has played a role in the way species have evolved. It has previously been accepted that natural selection happens at the individual level or according to many, at the Group Level. However completely diametric to this, Dawkins proposes that natural selection (and evolution) happens at the level of the gene, thereby flourishing the 'Gene-centered view of evolution' or 'gene selection theory', and consequently surpassing the 'Organism-centered view of evolution'.

Dawkins even term 'Organisms' as 'Vehicles' or 'Survival Machines' of the genes. From the gene's point of view, evolutionary success ultimately depends on leaving behind the maximum number of copies of itself in the population. Since close relatives of an organism share some identical genes, a gene can also increase its evolutionary success by promoting the reproduction and survival of these related or otherwise similar individuals. Hence "selfish actions" of the gene are the "unselfish actions" of the organisms.

The best part of the book for me was when Dawkins highlights how and why Nice guys always Finish First? His exemplary view on the 'Prisoner’s dilemma' combined with the Tit-for-tat strategy, and how being nice, forgiving, and not envious help in winning in gross situations where nasty strategies fail completely. Moreover, he even admits that 'Tit-for-tat Strategy' is still not the 'Evolutionary Stable Strategy(ESS)', which according to Dawkins is a strategy that does well against copies of itself. The rationale for this is as follows. A successful strategy is one that dominates the population. Therefore it will tend to encounter copies of itself. Therefore it won't stay successful unless it does well against copies of itself.

"The Selfish Gene" did change my way of thinking and acting, apart from answering many weird questions  which my mind was burdened with. I can now look out at a crowd of people and imagine all of the trillions of little genes going about in these lumbering robots searching for ways to survive and replicate themselves. If life is a game, then this book definitely gives us a better understanding of that game and even gives us some potential strategies to help us and our genes excel in that game.