READING TIME: 1-2 mins.
Hello people...this is a very short post...just a bit of an update...but as usual, with most things in my life...there's a definite underlying pattern to it (I should call this blog "Underlying Patterns of My Life"!)...and it's a wonderfully pleasing pattern too...it's all about Good Luck!
1. My OWN Computer: Yes, folks! I finally have my own PC. All this time, whenever I blogged, it was from some lab PC, where I'd be sitting out there with a bunch of people around me, and not quite "comfortable". Well, ok...so sitting in the Science Library with a laptop was pretty comfy...but not as comfy as just lying in my own bed, in any state of dress (or undress! OK people, you don't have to retch at that!), and just typing away for as long as I want to (but I assure you, my posts will not go over 10 mins. reading time!) Must mention: Thank you, my dearest and only brother...for this wonderful gift! (In case you didn't understand that - HE's the one who bought me the PC!)
2. New Job: I got a job at the Student Union Building here. Everyone starts off as a "spare" here - where you get called in when extra assistance or fill-in is needed - but it pays better than last semester's job and it's so much better too. Even better luck was that I was the first spare to get TWO shifts, one day after the other! (Just did my first shift tonight, and have the next one tomorrow) Neat, huh?
3. Job Interview: Remember those work-study applications I kept complaining about? Well, one of them paid off already - I got an interview for this Friday! Isn't that awesome?! You know the icing on the cake? It's for my most preferred job out of the 8 I applied for! WOOHOO! God, and if you don't believe in Him, Coincidence/Luck, is GRREAT!
4. Paid Today: I got paid today! Not for any formal job I have...for tutoring a friend of mine - Shawn (his picture is in one of my posts). Thanks Shawn!
5. I'm Alive! (WARNING: This is going to be very cheesy) People are always so busy for finding out the purpose of their existence, they forget to be grateful for actually EXISTING. There's nothing more exhiliarating than the realization that you're alive...that you exist on this plane of reality...that you ARE...I know you can't imagine otherwise...but it's just SOO cool...
Well...a lot of good stuff coming my way, by the Grace of God (or Coincidence/Luck - make your pick). Hope it lasts, and hope I can make the best of riding this "wave" of good luck!
So people...I wish you as much luck to whatever you're doing in your life right now as well!
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Friday, September 16, 2005
Random...
READING TIME: 5-7 mins.
In general, I can always find some underlying pattern in everyday of my life...it's probably because of my obsession with categorizing things neatly. And my rule is: there's always a pattern. Thus, even no pattern is a pattern...a pattern called "Random". Like today:
1. "Boxes": I was taking down notes in my digital systems class today, and I take notes very seriously. I'm not one of those "transcribers" who write down every last word and sigh the prof uses...instead, I use this really neat Cornell system of notes...I'll explain that some time on Geek Scribbles...anyway, back to what I was saying. There was this one arrow I used to point to something, but when I looked at it, it didn't stand out...and being quite the important arrow, I decided to put a box around it. And voila! It stood out.
For no reason at all, I pondered on this. 2D boxes...boundaries...very important to us humans. We always want some specified rules that limit within a "box". We also want definitions - whether it's defining different aspects of our lives, generalizing races of people, categorizing things, or specifying goals. This simple act of "box"-ing is such a significant human trait...I will probably expand further on this train of thought in saneinaninsaneworld.blogspot.com .
2. "No Fear": This is the brand name of an energy drink that's quite popular here in Canada. I owe a lot to this drink today - it's what kept me going on through a very busy day after a horribly late night yesterday (read previous post). But it made me think later...what's "No Fear" got to do with staying awake and refreshed? And then, being the "profound thinker" that I am, I figured it all out. Workaholism - this is the current today in this century (and for the end of the last one). Life is on the fast lane for everybody...everyone's got high ambitions for a "better life"...everyone's competing...everyone's gotta work to compete...thus it's a source of great fear to lose one's energy...because we'll lose the rat race! No Fear..."No Fear" is here!
3. Fire Drill: Out of the blue, towards the end of my digital systems class, we have a fire drill. Obviously, everyone knows it's a drill...because it's human nature to always think "that happens to others, but it would never happen to me"...tsk, tsk...always in denial! So all the students make sure they meticulously grab all their things from the class (because it's the end of the class anyway), and then make their way out. We come out through a back entrance and I see a big bunch of engineering students standing around...and I remember thinking, "What a cool way to get to meet a whole bunch of random people!"
4. Velcro's Nationality and Hashes: I put these two together simply because they occurred to me at the same time, during today's Circuits class. While I was opening my satchel to get out my eraser, I had to open the velcro flap...so I suddenly recalled from some Reader's Digest trivia that velcro is a Swiss invention. Then, while taking notes again, I noticed how using hashes ("#") is much better for bullets than asterisks ("*")...I think it's because of our "box" propety again!
5. Sky Cake: Unlike yesterday, today was a wonderfully sunny autumn day with a very comfortably cool breeze to ease the heat of the sun. As I walked back towards my room, I looked up at the sky...and thought, "It looks like a soothing blue cake...with white icing that looks like it's crumpled up in neat lines, and an unbelieveably bright yellow candle."
6. Hot Chocolate and Apple F-something: These two comprised my "lunch" today...extra large Hot Chocolate and an Apple Fripper or something from Tim Horton's (the Canadian equivalent of Starbucks/Coffee Bean...check "Drunk on Desperation" in my archives). As I mentioned in my last post, the meals on my card have finished, and I also had to finish my paperwork for the work-study...so this was the only way out. The Hot Chocolate was horribly sweet and sickeningly creamy...the Apple F-something was just solidified sugar or something!
7. Work-Study Freedom! Once I finished my work-study paperwork, I ran down to Neville Homestead, where I had to submit it. Like the wonderfully punctual student that we all are, everyone was coming in a line to hand in their paperwork. Having taken nearly half-a-dozen paranoid "glance-overs" on my eight resumes and cover letters, I handed it in...and emerged from that little home a free man. Intoxicated on freedom (plus the sugar burst from the hot chocolate...and not to mention the energy boost I was riding from "No Fear"!), I made a mad short sprint to my residence. Once I entered, it occurred to me...what better way to celebrate such dizzying freedom...then letting it all out...in the bathroom! Yes, people, be grossed out now...but it's true...there's nothing more "freeing" and "purifying"...than a good dump!
8. "To Do"...Done! Once I was light as a feather, I went into my room...and struck off "Type and print resumes" and "Type and print cover letters" on my "To Do" list. I looked carefully at my list...lo and behold! All items were scratched off. I looked through the rest of the "To Do" lists of the week...and ALL of them were all scratched off! Oh the elation! The joy!
9. Drunken Entertainment: It was a Friday night...I had had one hell of a busy week...so it was time to chill! Unfortunately, the generally accepted definition for students of "unwinding" in Canada is "get drunk, then get crazy!" I don't drink...anymore at least. Still, I have discovered that drunk people can be quite entertaining...and showing them card tricks is the best! They'll fall for anything! So yeah, I had a good time taking pictures of, and having inane conversations with, drunk people.
There you go...a completely random day. Fun and eventful, though.
Till later...
In general, I can always find some underlying pattern in everyday of my life...it's probably because of my obsession with categorizing things neatly. And my rule is: there's always a pattern. Thus, even no pattern is a pattern...a pattern called "Random". Like today:
1. "Boxes": I was taking down notes in my digital systems class today, and I take notes very seriously. I'm not one of those "transcribers" who write down every last word and sigh the prof uses...instead, I use this really neat Cornell system of notes...I'll explain that some time on Geek Scribbles...anyway, back to what I was saying. There was this one arrow I used to point to something, but when I looked at it, it didn't stand out...and being quite the important arrow, I decided to put a box around it. And voila! It stood out.
For no reason at all, I pondered on this. 2D boxes...boundaries...very important to us humans. We always want some specified rules that limit within a "box". We also want definitions - whether it's defining different aspects of our lives, generalizing races of people, categorizing things, or specifying goals. This simple act of "box"-ing is such a significant human trait...I will probably expand further on this train of thought in saneinaninsaneworld.blogspot.com .
2. "No Fear": This is the brand name of an energy drink that's quite popular here in Canada. I owe a lot to this drink today - it's what kept me going on through a very busy day after a horribly late night yesterday (read previous post). But it made me think later...what's "No Fear" got to do with staying awake and refreshed? And then, being the "profound thinker" that I am, I figured it all out. Workaholism - this is the current today in this century (and for the end of the last one). Life is on the fast lane for everybody...everyone's got high ambitions for a "better life"...everyone's competing...everyone's gotta work to compete...thus it's a source of great fear to lose one's energy...because we'll lose the rat race! No Fear..."No Fear" is here!
3. Fire Drill: Out of the blue, towards the end of my digital systems class, we have a fire drill. Obviously, everyone knows it's a drill...because it's human nature to always think "that happens to others, but it would never happen to me"...tsk, tsk...always in denial! So all the students make sure they meticulously grab all their things from the class (because it's the end of the class anyway), and then make their way out. We come out through a back entrance and I see a big bunch of engineering students standing around...and I remember thinking, "What a cool way to get to meet a whole bunch of random people!"
4. Velcro's Nationality and Hashes: I put these two together simply because they occurred to me at the same time, during today's Circuits class. While I was opening my satchel to get out my eraser, I had to open the velcro flap...so I suddenly recalled from some Reader's Digest trivia that velcro is a Swiss invention. Then, while taking notes again, I noticed how using hashes ("#") is much better for bullets than asterisks ("*")...I think it's because of our "box" propety again!
5. Sky Cake: Unlike yesterday, today was a wonderfully sunny autumn day with a very comfortably cool breeze to ease the heat of the sun. As I walked back towards my room, I looked up at the sky...and thought, "It looks like a soothing blue cake...with white icing that looks like it's crumpled up in neat lines, and an unbelieveably bright yellow candle."
6. Hot Chocolate and Apple F-something: These two comprised my "lunch" today...extra large Hot Chocolate and an Apple Fripper or something from Tim Horton's (the Canadian equivalent of Starbucks/Coffee Bean...check "Drunk on Desperation" in my archives). As I mentioned in my last post, the meals on my card have finished, and I also had to finish my paperwork for the work-study...so this was the only way out. The Hot Chocolate was horribly sweet and sickeningly creamy...the Apple F-something was just solidified sugar or something!
7. Work-Study Freedom! Once I finished my work-study paperwork, I ran down to Neville Homestead, where I had to submit it. Like the wonderfully punctual student that we all are, everyone was coming in a line to hand in their paperwork. Having taken nearly half-a-dozen paranoid "glance-overs" on my eight resumes and cover letters, I handed it in...and emerged from that little home a free man. Intoxicated on freedom (plus the sugar burst from the hot chocolate...and not to mention the energy boost I was riding from "No Fear"!), I made a mad short sprint to my residence. Once I entered, it occurred to me...what better way to celebrate such dizzying freedom...then letting it all out...in the bathroom! Yes, people, be grossed out now...but it's true...there's nothing more "freeing" and "purifying"...than a good dump!
8. "To Do"...Done! Once I was light as a feather, I went into my room...and struck off "Type and print resumes" and "Type and print cover letters" on my "To Do" list. I looked carefully at my list...lo and behold! All items were scratched off. I looked through the rest of the "To Do" lists of the week...and ALL of them were all scratched off! Oh the elation! The joy!
9. Drunken Entertainment: It was a Friday night...I had had one hell of a busy week...so it was time to chill! Unfortunately, the generally accepted definition for students of "unwinding" in Canada is "get drunk, then get crazy!" I don't drink...anymore at least. Still, I have discovered that drunk people can be quite entertaining...and showing them card tricks is the best! They'll fall for anything! So yeah, I had a good time taking pictures of, and having inane conversations with, drunk people.
There you go...a completely random day. Fun and eventful, though.
Till later...
Thursday, September 15, 2005
A-Day!!
READING TIME: 3-5 mins.
(Challenge: figure out what "A-Day" stands for by the time you get to the end)
Do you hate people who complain about nearly everything? Then don't read this - unless you've had a bad day, in which case you might relate ("Misery likes company").
1. Bad Sleep: I prematurely wake up at 6:30 a.m, despite having my alarm for 8:40a.m and sleeping at 12:40a.m.!! I don't mind 6 hours of sleep, but it was really low-quality sleep, filled with this annoying dream. Bangladesh had been taken over by some slave-driving colonizers...only some of us stayed a bit outside the "colony". Being the "natural hero", I am part of the rebel group trying to infiltrate and free us! Since it was such an adrenalinized dream, it just made it even worse!
2. Where's the Eye Contact Lady?? In my post, "Strange Encounters", I mentioned how I was intimidated by my female Java professor making frequent eye contact with me....if you read between the lines, I also meant that I was really flattered by the attention! But on the start of this annoying day, she doesn't make eye contact with me...worse yet, she's looking more at those two Bangladeshi dudes in the row in front of me! Gimme attention - I'm a deprived soul!!
3. Stop Shaking and Talking Dammit! As it is, I was fuming about the Bangladeshi guys in front of me, when one of them starts that nervous motion of moving your legs up and down rapidly. Since he's right in front of me, that motion's so distracting! On top of that, he has the nerve to attempt finshing the lecturer's sentences! (Note: I know the guy...he's actually really nice...)
4. Polish hottie - Where Art Thou?? Actually, she was sitting exactly two seats next to me...but there was this one big Canadian dude segregating us! He grabbed all her attention!
5. Good Looks Fall Behind! Math class, I decide to sit towards the front, where as I mentioned in "Strange Encounters", the good-looking women sit (at least the women with good-looking hair!). BIG miscalculation though! I look behind me, and lo and behold! I've put the damsels behind me! Will the annoyance never stop!
(not yet anyway!)
6. Frazzled Circuits: I had a quiz in my Circuits class today. Arrive there around 30 mins. before the quiz, and I see a couple of people intensely working on problems. I sit with them and attempt the brain-cruncher they were trying...and crunch as I did, I couldn't figure it out! How annoying??!!!
7. Blah Blah Lab Blah: Our "Lab Coordinator" swoops in right before the quiz is to start, and relates a most soul-rending story about how the lab classes are clashing (please note refined sarcasm here)...and we have to spend 20 mins. filling up lab schedule sheets, instead of starting the quiz! Ann...ok...I've used that word too much...a synonym somebody!!
8. Hunger Strike: After a pretty good quiz, I head out, looking forward to lunch. As I walk towards the meal hall, I suddenly realize that I've finished all the meals for the week! Of all the rotten things to happen...so instead, my lunch is comprised of a chicken sandwich, small chocolate milk, and two-bite brownies. Damn [insert synonym for "annoying"]!!!
9. Annoying Ass! Ass = Short for "Assignment"...after a most unsatisfying meal, I sit in the library for 2 hours to complete a Calculus assignment. I know that's part of college life...but two hours for the first assignment??! Come ON!
10. wet...weT...wET...WET!!! "What's the worst that can happen?" you ask? Considering Fate's sense of "dramatism", It decided to "furnish" my mood further...what's annoyance without the wet pitter patter of irritating spots of drizzling rain?!!!!!
11. Two AWFUL Words: Simple question to the average (thus naturally lazy) being - "What are the two worst words you can come up with?" One of the top choices will be: "Work and Study!" Put the two together, and you get "Work-Study"! Yes, people, the rest of my day has been spent on editing resumes for my work-study applications, due tomorrow. You know what's really annoying? I spent $1.50 (that's 90 Taka) on a medium-sized cup of coffee that I literally chugged down in 7 gulps, in order to stay up till 2:00 a.m. (current time) to complete my work-study resumes...and it's not finished!! (if you're wondering, this entry's been typed over the course of the day, so I didn't waste time on it)
Balance of the Universe...one day's beautiful ("Strange Encounters")...the next day's mundane and uneventful (no post)...the third, ANNOYING (thus this)!
(Challenge: figure out what "A-Day" stands for by the time you get to the end)
Do you hate people who complain about nearly everything? Then don't read this - unless you've had a bad day, in which case you might relate ("Misery likes company").
1. Bad Sleep: I prematurely wake up at 6:30 a.m, despite having my alarm for 8:40a.m and sleeping at 12:40a.m.!! I don't mind 6 hours of sleep, but it was really low-quality sleep, filled with this annoying dream. Bangladesh had been taken over by some slave-driving colonizers...only some of us stayed a bit outside the "colony". Being the "natural hero", I am part of the rebel group trying to infiltrate and free us! Since it was such an adrenalinized dream, it just made it even worse!
2. Where's the Eye Contact Lady?? In my post, "Strange Encounters", I mentioned how I was intimidated by my female Java professor making frequent eye contact with me....if you read between the lines, I also meant that I was really flattered by the attention! But on the start of this annoying day, she doesn't make eye contact with me...worse yet, she's looking more at those two Bangladeshi dudes in the row in front of me! Gimme attention - I'm a deprived soul!!
3. Stop Shaking and Talking Dammit! As it is, I was fuming about the Bangladeshi guys in front of me, when one of them starts that nervous motion of moving your legs up and down rapidly. Since he's right in front of me, that motion's so distracting! On top of that, he has the nerve to attempt finshing the lecturer's sentences! (Note: I know the guy...he's actually really nice...)
4. Polish hottie - Where Art Thou?? Actually, she was sitting exactly two seats next to me...but there was this one big Canadian dude segregating us! He grabbed all her attention!
5. Good Looks Fall Behind! Math class, I decide to sit towards the front, where as I mentioned in "Strange Encounters", the good-looking women sit (at least the women with good-looking hair!). BIG miscalculation though! I look behind me, and lo and behold! I've put the damsels behind me! Will the annoyance never stop!
(not yet anyway!)
6. Frazzled Circuits: I had a quiz in my Circuits class today. Arrive there around 30 mins. before the quiz, and I see a couple of people intensely working on problems. I sit with them and attempt the brain-cruncher they were trying...and crunch as I did, I couldn't figure it out! How annoying??!!!
7. Blah Blah Lab Blah: Our "Lab Coordinator" swoops in right before the quiz is to start, and relates a most soul-rending story about how the lab classes are clashing (please note refined sarcasm here)...and we have to spend 20 mins. filling up lab schedule sheets, instead of starting the quiz! Ann...ok...I've used that word too much...a synonym somebody!!
8. Hunger Strike: After a pretty good quiz, I head out, looking forward to lunch. As I walk towards the meal hall, I suddenly realize that I've finished all the meals for the week! Of all the rotten things to happen...so instead, my lunch is comprised of a chicken sandwich, small chocolate milk, and two-bite brownies. Damn [insert synonym for "annoying"]!!!
9. Annoying Ass! Ass = Short for "Assignment"...after a most unsatisfying meal, I sit in the library for 2 hours to complete a Calculus assignment. I know that's part of college life...but two hours for the first assignment??! Come ON!
10. wet...weT...wET...WET!!! "What's the worst that can happen?" you ask? Considering Fate's sense of "dramatism", It decided to "furnish" my mood further...what's annoyance without the wet pitter patter of irritating spots of drizzling rain?!!!!!
11. Two AWFUL Words: Simple question to the average (thus naturally lazy) being - "What are the two worst words you can come up with?" One of the top choices will be: "Work and Study!" Put the two together, and you get "Work-Study"! Yes, people, the rest of my day has been spent on editing resumes for my work-study applications, due tomorrow. You know what's really annoying? I spent $1.50 (that's 90 Taka) on a medium-sized cup of coffee that I literally chugged down in 7 gulps, in order to stay up till 2:00 a.m. (current time) to complete my work-study resumes...and it's not finished!! (if you're wondering, this entry's been typed over the course of the day, so I didn't waste time on it)
Balance of the Universe...one day's beautiful ("Strange Encounters")...the next day's mundane and uneventful (no post)...the third, ANNOYING (thus this)!
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
To Make Life Easier...
I realize how very long my entries are, and what a pain that can be for people reading my blog. Yet, my length is inherent in my writing style, so I can't really change it. What I will do however is:
1. Rate "Reading Times" I'll personally read through each post, and estimate a range of how long it might take to read. This way, you the Reader are forewarned!
2. Subheadings I'll break up all my really long posts into clearly marked sections, so you can skim at read what you think is interesting.
Sound good? Hope so. Anyway, just give me time till the upcoming weekend to implement this...then come back and read at ease!
1. Rate "Reading Times" I'll personally read through each post, and estimate a range of how long it might take to read. This way, you the Reader are forewarned!
2. Subheadings I'll break up all my really long posts into clearly marked sections, so you can skim at read what you think is interesting.
Sound good? Hope so. Anyway, just give me time till the upcoming weekend to implement this...then come back and read at ease!
Strange Encounters...
READING TIME: 5-7 mins.
Decided not to leave you hanging for another post, so here it is!
Had some interesting "encounters" today...
1. Intimidating Professor: My Java instructor for this term. Female for one thing. But she's one of those "intense" people. Close-cropped hair nearly as short as mine with large clear eyes - very engaging appearance. What really got to me though is the fact that she made most eye contact with me during the whole lecture. Maybe I was just sitting in the direction where she normally looks at, but I swear, she always made eye contact with me. Normally, I look at a person's mouth and not at their eyes - two reasons: 1. Scary!, 2. Have you noticed you can't look at both eyes at the same time? It's disconcerting...how do you choose which eye to look at?
2. Polish Student: Same class (the first of my day)...made an acquaintance with a female Polish student...very hot...and really good English (for some reason, I thought Polish people would have very heavy accents and clumsy pronunciation). Highlight of my day, you could say! (I rhyme all the time!)
3. Good Food: Yes, I had good food in the small meal hall right next to the Engineering building. This IS a strange encounter - nearly all college students across North America, and probably the world, will agree with me! Beef Stroganoff (nowhere nearly as good as my mother's, but still pretty decent), some Thai-style rice, peas and french fries.
4. Sublime Rhyme: Some of us must have either read about, seen on TV or simply heard about "poetry under a tree". You always get these images of thoughtful people musing under a tree, or reading a book in the peaceful shade of trees and the cozy protection of groves. But in today's "civilized" world, gone is the haven of trees and the time to actually read under them! Yet, that's the silver lining in living in the middle of nowhere like Fredericton - trees are still there (lots of them) standing on beautiful carpeted hills...right on my college campus! After classes, I had nothing better to do, so I decided to grab a book of poetry ("Gitanjali", translated as "Song Offerings" by our nobel prize winning Rabindranath Tagore of Bengal), get a cup of coffee and find myself a tree to read under.
Having found my spot and shade, I opened up my bilingual book of poetry (for those ignorant, Rabindranath Tagore wrote the poetry in Bengali and then translated, himself, into English). And thus my soul was reborn.
Sounds cheesy? The stuff this guy wrote is divine...as I read aloud the beautifully flowing lines, a chill crept up through me...like my undernourished soul was feeding on the warmth. Before this, poetry has always stupefied me. The poetry I usually read was either too esoteric to understand or too simplistic to bother with. But Tagore writes poetry like spreading butter on soft bread...flows smoothly across, and quickly absorbed. I finally understand what separates poetry from prose...prose is expression...poetry is pure emotion. One speaks to the mind, the other to the soul.
5. Symbolic Squirrels: As I was walking away from my tree, my body rejuvenated on poetry, my soul gushing through the pores of my skin, I noticed two squirrels on the grass. One was busy finding and nibbling on acorns. Carefully, I noted the energy of expression in a squirrel's movement. There was so much animation, it was almost like the squirrel was talking aloud to you. It's head and two small paws frantically vibrated as it bit away at the acorn. Once done, it jerked forward, head close down to the ground, till it found something else to nibble. Everytime it moved forward, it's long bushy tail (around the length of its body) rippled gracefully. It was a pure sight of "busy"-ness.
Around three feet away, lower on the hill, was a thoughtful squirrel. Its tail formed a comfortable cushion as the squirrel "sat upright", staring with a sort of faraway look in its eye (I was watching its profile). Absolutely still, with the slightest motion along its fur, due to its breathing. And it was staring at the road below the hill, with some amount of traffic at the time.
It struck me that these two embodied two major "categories" prominent in our time. On the one hand, you have ambition and survival frantically working away, oblivious to the world around. Then there are the ones who step back and ponder about our life on the fast track. Neat, huh?
It was also a bit..."homesickly" looking at the squirrels. I recall my mother telling me about her "Squirru Babu" that used to visit her at my brother's apartment in Chicago when she was there with him last year. Miss her...
6. Sex Sells: It's currently "Sexuality Awareness Week" here at college. One of today's items is this talk by a TV host (called Sue something), talking about and answering lot of "interesting" questions about sex (that's what she does on her show as well). It's happening at our Student Union Building, and on my way back to my room, I went by it. There was a line of people almost wrapping around the building! And there was still an hour left till the thing actually started!
And to emphasize my point, when I sat down to eat at the meal hall, there were these cards on the table advertising some kind of competition where you have to guess the winners of sports events. On one side, there's the picture of this model wearing a soccer jersey in teeny-tiny shorts, with her back turned to the people (and head turned towards them as well). It's absolutely irrelevant...but it's still there.
7. Cerebral Palsy: During dinner, I sat next to Claire, this year's proctor for the Pitt (that means the basement of the building, where my room is). Over the summer, she worked at an institution with children with cerebral palsy in Europe. I asked her more about it, and it was so sad. These children basically don't have control of their motor skills, and can't move their limbs at will. And most of them can't even speak because they have no control over their vocal cords!
For those who want to know more about this terrible disease, check out these links:
http://gait.aidi.udel.edu/res695/homepage/
www.about-cerebral-palsy.org/
Well...on the whole, it's been a wonder-"full" day! Little bit of everything - interesting people, food, literature, philosophy and morality. The ingredients that give education its true flavour.
Decided not to leave you hanging for another post, so here it is!
Had some interesting "encounters" today...
1. Intimidating Professor: My Java instructor for this term. Female for one thing. But she's one of those "intense" people. Close-cropped hair nearly as short as mine with large clear eyes - very engaging appearance. What really got to me though is the fact that she made most eye contact with me during the whole lecture. Maybe I was just sitting in the direction where she normally looks at, but I swear, she always made eye contact with me. Normally, I look at a person's mouth and not at their eyes - two reasons: 1. Scary!, 2. Have you noticed you can't look at both eyes at the same time? It's disconcerting...how do you choose which eye to look at?
2. Polish Student: Same class (the first of my day)...made an acquaintance with a female Polish student...very hot...and really good English (for some reason, I thought Polish people would have very heavy accents and clumsy pronunciation). Highlight of my day, you could say! (I rhyme all the time!)
3. Good Food: Yes, I had good food in the small meal hall right next to the Engineering building. This IS a strange encounter - nearly all college students across North America, and probably the world, will agree with me! Beef Stroganoff (nowhere nearly as good as my mother's, but still pretty decent), some Thai-style rice, peas and french fries.
4. Sublime Rhyme: Some of us must have either read about, seen on TV or simply heard about "poetry under a tree". You always get these images of thoughtful people musing under a tree, or reading a book in the peaceful shade of trees and the cozy protection of groves. But in today's "civilized" world, gone is the haven of trees and the time to actually read under them! Yet, that's the silver lining in living in the middle of nowhere like Fredericton - trees are still there (lots of them) standing on beautiful carpeted hills...right on my college campus! After classes, I had nothing better to do, so I decided to grab a book of poetry ("Gitanjali", translated as "Song Offerings" by our nobel prize winning Rabindranath Tagore of Bengal), get a cup of coffee and find myself a tree to read under.
Having found my spot and shade, I opened up my bilingual book of poetry (for those ignorant, Rabindranath Tagore wrote the poetry in Bengali and then translated, himself, into English). And thus my soul was reborn.
Sounds cheesy? The stuff this guy wrote is divine...as I read aloud the beautifully flowing lines, a chill crept up through me...like my undernourished soul was feeding on the warmth. Before this, poetry has always stupefied me. The poetry I usually read was either too esoteric to understand or too simplistic to bother with. But Tagore writes poetry like spreading butter on soft bread...flows smoothly across, and quickly absorbed. I finally understand what separates poetry from prose...prose is expression...poetry is pure emotion. One speaks to the mind, the other to the soul.
5. Symbolic Squirrels: As I was walking away from my tree, my body rejuvenated on poetry, my soul gushing through the pores of my skin, I noticed two squirrels on the grass. One was busy finding and nibbling on acorns. Carefully, I noted the energy of expression in a squirrel's movement. There was so much animation, it was almost like the squirrel was talking aloud to you. It's head and two small paws frantically vibrated as it bit away at the acorn. Once done, it jerked forward, head close down to the ground, till it found something else to nibble. Everytime it moved forward, it's long bushy tail (around the length of its body) rippled gracefully. It was a pure sight of "busy"-ness.
Around three feet away, lower on the hill, was a thoughtful squirrel. Its tail formed a comfortable cushion as the squirrel "sat upright", staring with a sort of faraway look in its eye (I was watching its profile). Absolutely still, with the slightest motion along its fur, due to its breathing. And it was staring at the road below the hill, with some amount of traffic at the time.
It struck me that these two embodied two major "categories" prominent in our time. On the one hand, you have ambition and survival frantically working away, oblivious to the world around. Then there are the ones who step back and ponder about our life on the fast track. Neat, huh?
It was also a bit..."homesickly" looking at the squirrels. I recall my mother telling me about her "Squirru Babu" that used to visit her at my brother's apartment in Chicago when she was there with him last year. Miss her...
6. Sex Sells: It's currently "Sexuality Awareness Week" here at college. One of today's items is this talk by a TV host (called Sue something), talking about and answering lot of "interesting" questions about sex (that's what she does on her show as well). It's happening at our Student Union Building, and on my way back to my room, I went by it. There was a line of people almost wrapping around the building! And there was still an hour left till the thing actually started!
And to emphasize my point, when I sat down to eat at the meal hall, there were these cards on the table advertising some kind of competition where you have to guess the winners of sports events. On one side, there's the picture of this model wearing a soccer jersey in teeny-tiny shorts, with her back turned to the people (and head turned towards them as well). It's absolutely irrelevant...but it's still there.
7. Cerebral Palsy: During dinner, I sat next to Claire, this year's proctor for the Pitt (that means the basement of the building, where my room is). Over the summer, she worked at an institution with children with cerebral palsy in Europe. I asked her more about it, and it was so sad. These children basically don't have control of their motor skills, and can't move their limbs at will. And most of them can't even speak because they have no control over their vocal cords!
For those who want to know more about this terrible disease, check out these links:
http://gait.aidi.udel.edu/res695/homepage/
www.about-cerebral-palsy.org/
Well...on the whole, it's been a wonder-"full" day! Little bit of everything - interesting people, food, literature, philosophy and morality. The ingredients that give education its true flavour.
Monday, September 12, 2005
A Day in the Life Of...
READING TIME: 8-10 mins.(!)
Well, I finally decided to write an entry relevant to the title of this blog...about a day in my life. To be more accurate, a WEEKday in my life IN FREDERICTON. If not the most exciting, I'm sure you will find it sadistically amusing...enjoy yet another wordy account of mine.
Being an engineering major means you average around 5 to 6 courses a semester...unless you want to pull a Van Wilder and stay 5-6 YEARS...WITHOUT failing of course! Given the phenomenal workload, one is usually forced to take one of those accursed 8:30 a.m. classes. Yes, pity me...for three days out of my five weekdays, I must attend an 8:30 class.
The Start...
Thus the morning begins with me shutting the alarm off with one smooth, practiced yet irritated jerk of my hand (expressive arms, eh?). I reluctantly leave the enveloping warmth of my comforter and step into the cold rubber of my flip flops. Such a start is almost symbolic of my days - reluctant and going through the motions. Anyway, my trusty flip flops carry me through my morning bathing and brushing routine. Both rituals which are, most expectedly, ruined in one way or the other. The bathing - the hot water tap has a mind of its own, and slowly turns itself off. (And people, just in case you didn't know, I live in CANADA. If you still don't know what I'm referring to, please go back and complete your Geography homework.) So I stand every morning in the shower, my left hand holding the disobedient hot water tap, while rinsing soap off as best as I can, occasionally doing a very athletic whirl to aid effective cleansing. The brushing - my teeth demand privacy. I stare into the mirror at my hypnotic hand motion that coaxes so much white minty froth out of my mouth, quite enjoying this momentary relapse into blankness. But heavens no, one of my friendly neighbours must pop in...to either provide background music of pee or shower, or to join me in my frothy ritual. Don't see how that's such a horrible thing? Go brush your teeth in a bathroom in Heathrow Airport.
Well...so that paragraph concludes the first 15 minutes of my day. After that, I slowly accelerate. You can almost hear the metaphysical "whoosh" of my mental and physical engines. I grab my little satchel with its meagre contents of a pen, pencil, a single binder and a MAD magazine, slip into my newly-acquired and supremely-comfortable Hush Puppies, and off I am! Funny how I can make the prospect of walking down at 8.30 in the morning so...exciting.
Upside of Canada's cold weather: the downhill 7-minute (yes, I'm a geek with nothing better to do than time his descent to college) walk to my building wakes up a night owl like me.
Classes...
Next stage: enter class approximately 2-5 mins. late (I am SO punctual about being late). Front rows have already been taken up by the eager learners, middle rows occupied by those humbly obliging, and the back rows...my brethren...the half-lidded species of Reluctants. I take my spot in the midst of my sluggish brotherhood and endure the first hours of education. Luckily, I am still too engaged in the process of waking up to bother going to sleep yet.
Hour passes. Engines are almost on optimum hovering speed. To give it that extra morning boost every nocturn needs, I take a detour by the canteen to grab a cup of hot, dark and bitter coffee. Yet another glaring metaphor as I slug through my second class - education and coffee: bitter, yet the only way to get on with life.
Now that "all systems are go", I am ready to interact with the world around. From my vantage point near the back of the classroom, I "soak in" knowledge. Yet, in between those "soaks" lie little holes in time waiting to be filled up. I look straight ahead of me at the backs of the heads of fellow budding engineers. For people out there with very "happening" lives, this may not be much of an interesting practice. But for people like me, living the anti-thesis of THOSE people's lives, finding amusement in the back of people's heads comes easy as pie.
People's Heads...
Hair. My brother once told me that hair made up 70% of a woman's appearance. Combine that with the knowledge of a 19:1 male-to-female ratio in engineering, desperate libido and a flexible imagination, whaddaya get? Gorgeous daydreams, metaphysical harems, salve to solitude. So there I am, picking off 5 hairdos (in my class of 50) that look female. As I keenly gaze at their promising locks, I mentally form pictures of the breathtaking beauty that must obviously accompany such wonderful hair.
Straight, tangled hair, reaching the shoulders and fanning over them...means an oval-faced babe with very "curved" features...the smoothly rounded nosetip, comforting eyes, slight lips with an easy smile, and a wide arc of a chin.
High ponytail, a waterfall of ruffled hair cascading down from a central point in the center of the head...sporty type...high proud forhead, keen eyes, an aquiline noe, thin lips that give out a sly intimidating smile and a broad confident chin.
Waves of curly hair come down to mid-back...wonderfully sweet...heart-shaped face with large curious eyes, adorable dimples of on slightly plump cheeks, and a contrasting sharp chin on an otherwise roundish face.
Silky straight hair, coming down in a rush in a well-defined highway down the back...haughty and bored...medium forhead, thin eyebrows and captivating yet bored eyes, sharp straight nose, small sneaky smile and a perfect point of a chin.
Single long braid reaching down all the way till her lower back...subtle beauty...overall plain features, but with passionate eyes that sheds a whole different light on her face for those looking carefully.
And class time's over...sometimes, when the image of the girl is really strong in my mind, I wait to see at least a profile and see how accurate I was. I am proud to claim that I have been quite right on most accounts...though the reader must note that I have just given a sampling of what goes through my mind...even similar hairstyles produce different images, depending greatly on my intuition.
To Do:
There's generally one more class immediately after the second (i.e., I have three classes in a row on most days). This can be labelled as my "To Do" class. There's a bit of background here to explain, so be patient and keep reading. You know how most of us have not been able to overcome procrastination, and how we can never seem to remember to do everything we're supposed to? And when you work out a schedule, you can simply NEVER follow it beyond the first few hours? If you answered yes to both questions, I have a solution to offer. "To Do". Grab a handy one inch think, pocket-sized spiral notebook and keep a pencil or pen in your pockets at all times (my proud geeks-in-the-making!). Some time during the day, when you have sufficient amount of your attention to devote, like in the middle of class, you start jotting down the important things you need to get done that day. I map it out in my head. What I mean is, all the tasks are put into order such that every task is simply a geographical "stop" along my route to my final destination (generally my room). As you walk and complete your tasks, cross them out of your list. At the end of the day, look at your scratched of list with pathetic pride...and if you're a freak like me, collect your To Do notes for future self-esteem boosts.
Lunch:
After my "To Do" class it's normally lunchtime...usually with one or two friends (yes, I have friends...believe it...people landed on the moon...and I have friends). This phase in my college day is highly ironic and contradictory. Back home, I am a moderate eater, unless there's unbelievably good food. Here, where I assure you the horror stories of canteen food are understated, I eat ravenously. I pack away three times as much as I eat at home, thus meaning five times more than those "feeble-stomached" Canadians. My tastebuds belatedly inform me that the food tasted highly mediocre. It still baffles me...perhaps it is "denial overload"...in an attempt to deny the fact that I'm not eating home cooked food, my mind overcompensates and I eat like a starved man from Bangladesh.
Damn...I AM from Bangladesh.
Final Class and Onwards...
Anyway, moving on with my day. (I rhyme in good time, with a kind mind, give out a fine line) Fourth and usually final class...in the middle of the afternoon. Peak siesta time. Though I am not an afternoon-siesta guy, waking up early in the morning puts me in the mood for one. So the afternoon class is the one where I nod off all the time...only the presence of my studious pal keeps me up!
After the final class, I'm off on my "To Do Trip"...rapidly walking with proud purpose throughout campus, dropping off documents, picking up books, meeting people, etc. Finally, I end up back in my room...just in time for a highly satisfying trip to the washroom...so that I am prepared to ingest phenomenal quantities of food at "dinner". (Double quotes because these guys eat "dinner" at 5 or 6 in the evening!)
Following that, it's usually my reading time. I am a compulsive reader: right now I have three books "in line" waiting to be read. I shall not elaborate here on my "Art of Reading" - that I shall reserve as a topic for my as-yet unused blog, geekscribbles.blogspot.com
Dreamy Mood...
After that, I'm in a "dreamy" mood. This is the time when your brainwaves kind of slow down and you enter this highly relaxed yet creative mode. It's like the whole essence of your being relaxes...and that's the only way the "pores of creative energy" open up...ideas well up and float in a mind drunk on synthesis (creativity). This is the time I might choose to blog, go out for a soulful walk through green and clean Fredericton, daydream...and one of my newest options: come down to the closeby empty Science Library, borrow a laptop, sit down on of the high-backed cushioned chairs with foot stools, pop in a music CD, and get wild in the cyberworld. (Guess where I'm writing this from?)
Of course, there're times when this euphoric "alpha phase" (as is the scientific term - I promise!) is interrupted by assignments, tests and education in general. And just in case you were thinking I'm a total misanthrope, I do socialize...but I will admit that's an "area under construction"! Hey...gimme a break...a guy's got the right to be a loner!
And it finally ends!
Yeah...so there you have it...one of my longest entries yet, filled with insignificant information regarding my daily schedule. I know it's long, I know it has difficult words here and there, I know it can get boring...but you know what? It may SEEM like a writer writes for his stuff to be read, it's usually because a writer simply needs to express...if people "listen", it's an added bonus.
Take care, my precious gem-sized Readership...and be back for more (next week probably). By the way...if you like the stuff I write, feel free to leave a comment...if you totally hate what I write, leave a comment...if you just wanna leave a comment, LEAVE A COMMENT! (And don't foget to read my other stuff in the other blogs - check the right hand side panel)
Ciao!
Well, I finally decided to write an entry relevant to the title of this blog...about a day in my life. To be more accurate, a WEEKday in my life IN FREDERICTON. If not the most exciting, I'm sure you will find it sadistically amusing...enjoy yet another wordy account of mine.
Being an engineering major means you average around 5 to 6 courses a semester...unless you want to pull a Van Wilder and stay 5-6 YEARS...WITHOUT failing of course! Given the phenomenal workload, one is usually forced to take one of those accursed 8:30 a.m. classes. Yes, pity me...for three days out of my five weekdays, I must attend an 8:30 class.
The Start...
Thus the morning begins with me shutting the alarm off with one smooth, practiced yet irritated jerk of my hand (expressive arms, eh?). I reluctantly leave the enveloping warmth of my comforter and step into the cold rubber of my flip flops. Such a start is almost symbolic of my days - reluctant and going through the motions. Anyway, my trusty flip flops carry me through my morning bathing and brushing routine. Both rituals which are, most expectedly, ruined in one way or the other. The bathing - the hot water tap has a mind of its own, and slowly turns itself off. (And people, just in case you didn't know, I live in CANADA. If you still don't know what I'm referring to, please go back and complete your Geography homework.) So I stand every morning in the shower, my left hand holding the disobedient hot water tap, while rinsing soap off as best as I can, occasionally doing a very athletic whirl to aid effective cleansing. The brushing - my teeth demand privacy. I stare into the mirror at my hypnotic hand motion that coaxes so much white minty froth out of my mouth, quite enjoying this momentary relapse into blankness. But heavens no, one of my friendly neighbours must pop in...to either provide background music of pee or shower, or to join me in my frothy ritual. Don't see how that's such a horrible thing? Go brush your teeth in a bathroom in Heathrow Airport.
Well...so that paragraph concludes the first 15 minutes of my day. After that, I slowly accelerate. You can almost hear the metaphysical "whoosh" of my mental and physical engines. I grab my little satchel with its meagre contents of a pen, pencil, a single binder and a MAD magazine, slip into my newly-acquired and supremely-comfortable Hush Puppies, and off I am! Funny how I can make the prospect of walking down at 8.30 in the morning so...exciting.
Upside of Canada's cold weather: the downhill 7-minute (yes, I'm a geek with nothing better to do than time his descent to college) walk to my building wakes up a night owl like me.
Classes...
Next stage: enter class approximately 2-5 mins. late (I am SO punctual about being late). Front rows have already been taken up by the eager learners, middle rows occupied by those humbly obliging, and the back rows...my brethren...the half-lidded species of Reluctants. I take my spot in the midst of my sluggish brotherhood and endure the first hours of education. Luckily, I am still too engaged in the process of waking up to bother going to sleep yet.
Hour passes. Engines are almost on optimum hovering speed. To give it that extra morning boost every nocturn needs, I take a detour by the canteen to grab a cup of hot, dark and bitter coffee. Yet another glaring metaphor as I slug through my second class - education and coffee: bitter, yet the only way to get on with life.
Now that "all systems are go", I am ready to interact with the world around. From my vantage point near the back of the classroom, I "soak in" knowledge. Yet, in between those "soaks" lie little holes in time waiting to be filled up. I look straight ahead of me at the backs of the heads of fellow budding engineers. For people out there with very "happening" lives, this may not be much of an interesting practice. But for people like me, living the anti-thesis of THOSE people's lives, finding amusement in the back of people's heads comes easy as pie.
People's Heads...
Hair. My brother once told me that hair made up 70% of a woman's appearance. Combine that with the knowledge of a 19:1 male-to-female ratio in engineering, desperate libido and a flexible imagination, whaddaya get? Gorgeous daydreams, metaphysical harems, salve to solitude. So there I am, picking off 5 hairdos (in my class of 50) that look female. As I keenly gaze at their promising locks, I mentally form pictures of the breathtaking beauty that must obviously accompany such wonderful hair.
Straight, tangled hair, reaching the shoulders and fanning over them...means an oval-faced babe with very "curved" features...the smoothly rounded nosetip, comforting eyes, slight lips with an easy smile, and a wide arc of a chin.
High ponytail, a waterfall of ruffled hair cascading down from a central point in the center of the head...sporty type...high proud forhead, keen eyes, an aquiline noe, thin lips that give out a sly intimidating smile and a broad confident chin.
Waves of curly hair come down to mid-back...wonderfully sweet...heart-shaped face with large curious eyes, adorable dimples of on slightly plump cheeks, and a contrasting sharp chin on an otherwise roundish face.
Silky straight hair, coming down in a rush in a well-defined highway down the back...haughty and bored...medium forhead, thin eyebrows and captivating yet bored eyes, sharp straight nose, small sneaky smile and a perfect point of a chin.
Single long braid reaching down all the way till her lower back...subtle beauty...overall plain features, but with passionate eyes that sheds a whole different light on her face for those looking carefully.
And class time's over...sometimes, when the image of the girl is really strong in my mind, I wait to see at least a profile and see how accurate I was. I am proud to claim that I have been quite right on most accounts...though the reader must note that I have just given a sampling of what goes through my mind...even similar hairstyles produce different images, depending greatly on my intuition.
To Do:
There's generally one more class immediately after the second (i.e., I have three classes in a row on most days). This can be labelled as my "To Do" class. There's a bit of background here to explain, so be patient and keep reading. You know how most of us have not been able to overcome procrastination, and how we can never seem to remember to do everything we're supposed to? And when you work out a schedule, you can simply NEVER follow it beyond the first few hours? If you answered yes to both questions, I have a solution to offer. "To Do". Grab a handy one inch think, pocket-sized spiral notebook and keep a pencil or pen in your pockets at all times (my proud geeks-in-the-making!). Some time during the day, when you have sufficient amount of your attention to devote, like in the middle of class, you start jotting down the important things you need to get done that day. I map it out in my head. What I mean is, all the tasks are put into order such that every task is simply a geographical "stop" along my route to my final destination (generally my room). As you walk and complete your tasks, cross them out of your list. At the end of the day, look at your scratched of list with pathetic pride...and if you're a freak like me, collect your To Do notes for future self-esteem boosts.
Lunch:
After my "To Do" class it's normally lunchtime...usually with one or two friends (yes, I have friends...believe it...people landed on the moon...and I have friends). This phase in my college day is highly ironic and contradictory. Back home, I am a moderate eater, unless there's unbelievably good food. Here, where I assure you the horror stories of canteen food are understated, I eat ravenously. I pack away three times as much as I eat at home, thus meaning five times more than those "feeble-stomached" Canadians. My tastebuds belatedly inform me that the food tasted highly mediocre. It still baffles me...perhaps it is "denial overload"...in an attempt to deny the fact that I'm not eating home cooked food, my mind overcompensates and I eat like a starved man from Bangladesh.
Damn...I AM from Bangladesh.
Final Class and Onwards...
Anyway, moving on with my day. (I rhyme in good time, with a kind mind, give out a fine line) Fourth and usually final class...in the middle of the afternoon. Peak siesta time. Though I am not an afternoon-siesta guy, waking up early in the morning puts me in the mood for one. So the afternoon class is the one where I nod off all the time...only the presence of my studious pal keeps me up!
After the final class, I'm off on my "To Do Trip"...rapidly walking with proud purpose throughout campus, dropping off documents, picking up books, meeting people, etc. Finally, I end up back in my room...just in time for a highly satisfying trip to the washroom...so that I am prepared to ingest phenomenal quantities of food at "dinner". (Double quotes because these guys eat "dinner" at 5 or 6 in the evening!)
Following that, it's usually my reading time. I am a compulsive reader: right now I have three books "in line" waiting to be read. I shall not elaborate here on my "Art of Reading" - that I shall reserve as a topic for my as-yet unused blog, geekscribbles.blogspot.com
Dreamy Mood...
After that, I'm in a "dreamy" mood. This is the time when your brainwaves kind of slow down and you enter this highly relaxed yet creative mode. It's like the whole essence of your being relaxes...and that's the only way the "pores of creative energy" open up...ideas well up and float in a mind drunk on synthesis (creativity). This is the time I might choose to blog, go out for a soulful walk through green and clean Fredericton, daydream...and one of my newest options: come down to the closeby empty Science Library, borrow a laptop, sit down on of the high-backed cushioned chairs with foot stools, pop in a music CD, and get wild in the cyberworld. (Guess where I'm writing this from?)
Of course, there're times when this euphoric "alpha phase" (as is the scientific term - I promise!) is interrupted by assignments, tests and education in general. And just in case you were thinking I'm a total misanthrope, I do socialize...but I will admit that's an "area under construction"! Hey...gimme a break...a guy's got the right to be a loner!
And it finally ends!
Yeah...so there you have it...one of my longest entries yet, filled with insignificant information regarding my daily schedule. I know it's long, I know it has difficult words here and there, I know it can get boring...but you know what? It may SEEM like a writer writes for his stuff to be read, it's usually because a writer simply needs to express...if people "listen", it's an added bonus.
Take care, my precious gem-sized Readership...and be back for more (next week probably). By the way...if you like the stuff I write, feel free to leave a comment...if you totally hate what I write, leave a comment...if you just wanna leave a comment, LEAVE A COMMENT! (And don't foget to read my other stuff in the other blogs - check the right hand side panel)
Ciao!
Update...
This is to let you know that one of my blogs has had a new entry... saneinaninsaneworld.blogspot.com
I promise an update on this blog tomorrow...
I promise an update on this blog tomorrow...
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