I fly

I am back to Minnesota after a packed and exhausting trip back to India. Tired and jet-lagged but need to catch up with lost work hours. I didn't write a single line of the draft paper I was supposed to finish during my visit. Two meetings coming up back to back tomorrow. I don't how it will go through. But I think I will survive.
It was nice to meet up some old friends, and their new other haves, on the last day of the trip in Bangalore. It was for very short period but it matters nevertheless. I also ran a 5k there hours before my flight. 

Interview

Hello Everyone. Long time no see. :)
I have a news. I am interviewing on this Saturday. I will be interviewer not interviewee. If you haven't heard about 1947partitionarchive it is time to hear about it now. A bunch of students in California decided to digitally archive the experiences of folks who have witnessed the India-Pakistan partition back in 1947. Since the number of such folks is dwindling fast it is imperative that we do it now otherwise it will be never. I guess it was inspired by a similar project for Hiroshima & Nagasaki disaster. I am really glad that someone took the initiative to finally document this. I have read a lot of stuff about partition and always wondered what it would be like to go through those horrific times.

I will be video interviewing a 90 year old man who migrated from one country to another during that time. It is my chance to witness the horrific part of history first hand and help record it. I am glad that I got the chance but there are very mixed feeling of grief, heartbreak, anguish and finally disgust towards those responsible.

It took me a lot to actually prepare for this. I had no experience in either interviewing or documenting history or video production or anything like that. But I had a little (online) training and lot of reading to back me. I am strong in theory. I always have been, in most things. Lets see if I can practically execute it now. I feel confident enough. I invested a lot of myself in volunteering to be Citizen Historian as the Archive folks like to call it. It came at very busy time. I am wrapping up things to prepare for my India visit next week. I still have some shopping things left. I think I will skip the part where I decide what I wear in the wedding. I will let more capable people (my Mom) handle the difficult things. It is not the domain of Zuckerburg-ian fashion admirers.

I am applying for a 14 day intense training on large scale scientific computing using parallel clusters. It is highly competitive and I have very slim chance of getting in. Let me try. Trying to meet the deadline tomorrow so cheerios!

Back home soon

I don't remember if I broke the good news here. May be I did but I will do again. My other sister is getting married in April. That calls for a visit back home. And with that all members in my family will be married except me.
March has been largely busy and I know I didn't get to blog much. I took many weekends off which was nice. This weekend was fun fun. Picnic at Fort Snelling Park with friends at lab and soup night at a friends place who likes to feed people awesome soups.

If you are in mumbai and want to enjoy some French goodness then try some of these!

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-31425405

In another news I finally passed the driving road test to become licensed driver in the US. Please don't ask me how many attempts I took ;) No I feel very confident about getting my PhD.

Also I am going to Madison for a weekend with my favorite person to hangout with, which is also me. Happy solo traveler. Not entirely true though. Another friend will also join. But from Minneapolis I start alone with my favorite person.

Cricket fever

A lot of work and a lot of cricket on telly. That means little time for everything else. Both the teams I support started the world cup 2015 unbecoming of themselves. Everyone wrote India off and everyone declared New Zealand as favorites. I almost switched India and New Zealand in the last sentence, except I didn't. Both the teams have been doing well so far and I would love to see a final game between these two!

Among other things of note I booked my ticket for visit to India for about 2 weeks in April. My other sister is getting married. Yay! When I told this to my adviser he was like 'how many sisters do you have!' :) Because not longer than 10 months I went back home for the same reason. Two, was my reassuring answer. I will be the only unmarried person in my family after that. :)

Other than that life has been passing by decently. The cold is unrelenting and unforgiving even though we are looking into rear end of February. I restarted on squash a little bit. 2 times in last week and pulled a muscle in butt a little. That's what happens when you spend 4 months of winter on chair and decide to show up on squash court. Haven't been in good touch at all so need a lot of practice before I start doing some kick-ass shots on the court.

It has been a long time since my last travel and I've been itching to break the bud. I had this crazy idea of taking 2 day train to Seattle and fly back the next day but it didn't happen. There is a plan in the air about road tripping to St. Louis, Missouri. But I have some non-committal friends so the plan is not final yet.

Voila! Violin!

Voila! Violin!
I've been listening to a lot of Violin lately. There is something special about the sound of violin which is like no other sound. The first time I listened to violin with some thought was when a lab-mate played for us. I think it was Paganini's Caprice 24. It's so interesting that you can do a lot with so little. I would just start a long YouTube video of some classical composition of Paganini or Vivaldi or anyone else (I don't get too much hung up upon name) and let it play in the background. I also transcended a few times into piano which, I suppose, could be equally captivating.

Twice in a row

I never had flu twice in a single season. Until now. But it is happening this season. I caught flu again. All this even when I had a flu shot at the start of the season. I am so pissed off at my immune system. And I seriously doubt the efficacy of flu-shots. Ironically, it started just after my visit to hospital for general physical exam and I was deemed in good all round health. ;)

On a more merrier note, I attended a Beatles music show last weekend. Well, it was not The Beatles playing, just The Beatles music performed by The Cavern Lads at a restaurant in Minneapolis. Not bad! The weather is inching close to zero. Perfect for a visit to ice-cream parlor outside. But pity I caught flu.

Curious case of bribery

Okay people. I have the big exam tomorrow. I know my shit well. I know what to speak and what I am speaking. Also I think it is difficult to not pass this exam at this point. But you know what, I have been surprised before and I am eager to get this monkey off my back. If I pass this exam I am throwing a big-ass party tomorrow where I cook a lot of food for a lot of people. But condition being I pass my oral exam. So essentially I have bribed everybody with a promise of free-food in return of their good wishes for me ;) The way people bribe God with the promises of laddoos to pass their exam. I see God in each of His creation. I hope that works. If you wish me luck, I will feed you next time we meet!

Pledge 10%

Stories like this are hope for humanity. Proof that the good is still the good. As opposed some claims that bad is the new good. You don't need big pocket to help (donate to) others. You need a big heart.

Few months back when I mentioned to a friend that I pledged 10% of my year-end savings to donation he was surprised and started defending why/how he cannot do that. (He earns thrice as much as me and lives in the same city). If you think of all that money at once it may be numerically big but it is only 10%. Of the saving, not even income. I mean, you won't even notice it if you don't see it in the bank statement! Seriously guys, it is not a lot. For you. But it may mean a lot for less privileged ones. I've explained this in more details here how it works.

If I have you convinced and you are looking for good cause/place to give, I know of many. I have my own skepticism when it comes to giving but following are genuine organizations, I believe.
www.godparents.in (education children)
www.waterislife.com (provide clean water)
http://kopernik.info (various technologies)

I am not a rich person but I have had more opportunity to be in a better position in society just by being born in a place I was born. While I worked my way up, many others could have. Since the opportunities are limited, I, by taking them, denied others of it. So I feel obliged to help who were born less fortunate. I am not doing anything in action about it. The least I could do is share my wealth. It may sound ridiculous but it IS logical.
I am willing to match your first donation amount you donate after reading this. So do it :) And I will get back to working on my presentation for Friday. Big day coming up this week. 

Hello January

Hello January! It is here again. January hasn't been a good friend of mine in the last few years. I always had my share of troubled times at school around this time of the year. Topped by the shit-cold weather averaging -20C. Yes, there is a minus sign and it is 20C after it.
But this year has been a little different. First of, not that cold, specially in the past week. Work wise, not too bad. I have my simulations sunning on the track. I submitted my thesis proposal titled "Site-Specific Simulation of Marine and Hydro-Kinetic Turbine Arrays". Oral presentation for the same is scheduled at the end of this month, Friday the 30th. I shouldn't have major hiccups passing this exam on 30th but then I stopped taking anything for granted after my first year at grad school. So it is a serious exam and I am preparing a 30 minute talk on my work. I will present it in front of 4 professors from my school, supposedly experts in this area of research, and try to convince them yes my work will be worth a PhD; yes, I am worth getting a PhD.
If they are convinced they let you carry on your work. I do not know anyone who has failed this exam but then again, life is full of surprises. And at this point of time, I am not seeking one. So wish me luck.

Suddenly everyone is having change of hearts

When I say everyone I mean one particular person at this time. There are certain others also who have been to be impressed by 'Modiji' soon after he came to power. No one was so impressed when he was not in Delhi and trying to save his face from the aftermaths of a massacre.

I will only give you a list of time line from the news which

AUGUST 29, 2013:    Kiran Bedi says no to Kejriwal. "Ms. Bedi has refused the offer (of running for Delhi CM candidate from AAP). She is reported to have said that she by nature is a “non-political” person."
JANUARY 11, 2014:  My vote is for NaMo: Kiran Bedi
MAY 21, 2014:           Kiran Bedi ready to be BJP’s Delhi CM candidate. “I no more rule out entering Indian political service on capability basis."
JANUARY 15, 2015:  Jaya Prada says she wants to join BJP
JANUARY 15, 2015:  Kiran Bedi to be BJP's 'face' in Delhi polls

What a change of heart there from Aug,2013 to May, 2014! Within less than a year.

I am so frustrated with her that I almost demand an explanation. But than who am I to ask for one, and why is she liable to please us with explanation. If we start asking for explanations, there will be no shortage of people to be asked from. In my opinion, this might just prove a trump card against AAP. We can only hope for the best, whichever party wins.

Eye sty

Nothing much to write about except I got a sty in the eye. And I am closing in on my PhD proposal. If all goes well I will present my proposal by the end of this month.

Happy New Year 2015

New year wishes to all my readers!
Every morning, as a sort-of ritual, first thing I do is go through news like people used to do in old times, albeit in digital format. I started first morning of the year with a news article which describes Count Leo Tolstoy's way of living. The article is called secret to to a happy life. I was glad to see the article in a mainstream media. It wonderfully describes the values I wish to imbibe in my ways of living. I'll quickly summarize the 7 ways:

1. Keep an open mind: Willingness to change your mind based on new experiences
2. Practise empathy: Tolstoy displayed an unusual capacity to empathise by stepping into the shoes of people whose lives were vastly different from his own. Crossing the fence to the other side.
3. Make a difference: taking practical action to alleviate other people's suffering
4. Master the art of simple living: Tolstoy rejected all organised religion. He adopted a revolutionary brand of Christianity based on spiritual and material austerity. He gave up drinking, smoking, and became a vegetarian.
5. Beware your contradictions: Tolstoy famously preached universal love yet was constantly fighting with his wife. Moreover, the apostle of equality was never able to fully abandon his wealth and privileged lifestyle. His personal transformation, if not complete, still deserves our admiration.
6. Become a craftsman: Tolstoy recognised that striking a balance between mind and body was an essential part of his creative process. He kept horse-plough,scythe and saw, cobbling tools. If Tolstoy were here today he would no doubt suggest we get some craft into our lives rather than grant so much of our leisure time to tweeting and texting.
7. Expand your social circle: Best way to challenge our assumptions and prejudices, and develop new ways of looking at the world, is to surround ourselves with people whose views and lifestyles differ from our own. 

Personally, I am not fond of new year resolutions and shit like that but this article reminded me to at least focus on some of the things which I thought I should do but have not been doing. So I will try to reinvent my craftsmanship skills, befriend more non-scientists and non-engineers, disown the stuff that I own. I should also spend less time in front of black mirror. Unfortunately my work involves working in front of black mirror but I can minimize other trivial stuff.

Falling sick

I've been holed up in my house for more than 3 days now.4 days blacked out of life. My daily activity were reduced to bare minimal - eat, sleep, bathe and web-surf. Thankfully life is returning to normalcy little bit and I worked from home couple of hours today. Hoping to drop by office tomorrow for a while if I feel comfortable.

Falling sick is so irritating. You are held down by your body not by your will. Feeling of helplessness looms and you are at the mercy of imperfect human doctors. I might sound robotic here but that's how I feel about falling sick.

Well, this rings a bell that I should take even more cautions approach towards health and diet. I should not take my immune system for granted. Passing years will not benefit it.

Some post

This is a random post. I was bored and wanted to write. So just posted this.
But now after writing that first sentence I have a topic to write. Randomness. Chance.
It is such a wonderful thing. Although arguably there is nothing truly random. What we see as random is result of complex causal link inexplicable by human knowledge.

"The world is cruel, and the only morality in a cruel world is chance. Unbiased. Unprejudiced. Fair."
--Joker

Anyway, on a different note this morning I developed terrible sore throat and it's getting worse. I think I know what it is because these babies keep coming back. It is funny because yesterday we were talking about flu and how if you have flu in holiday season you can pass it as a special Christmas gift :P
I hope it is not flu. probably because I'm sleeping late these days. I need to reset my sleep cycle at least 2-3 hours early.

UPDATE::
After 2 days it was actually viral flu. I'm down with cold and fever. Fever is gone for most part but I still have terrible sore throat, congestion and cold. It has been two days now. I did not do anything on weekend and also missed work on Monday. Let's see how much more it takes. I was also supposed to go to a family dinner for X-mas but now it seems unlikely that will make it. Flu sucks :(

Quote of the day

Quote of the day:

"Sometimes I just stay in office late because I don't know what to do if I get off early."

Quite lame... :\ I know.

My laptop has been giving me problems lately. For some reason the screen just goes black pseudo-randomly with the CPU running intact. I tried to find the solution and it seems like the graphics driver is problem. Whenever it tries to use video acceleration the screens shuts off. I tried to fix in by re installing different operating system(s) but it gives the same problem with linux mint and ubuntu.
CentOS  7 could not connect to wifi so I can't test there. I had pretty good run with ubuntu but it just doesn't seem to work now!
Finally I decided to get a new one and ordered a Lenovo. And a 23" monitor.

On Life and Death

As we live on earth we see it full of life all around. Sometimes when you stop noticing it life will brush against you and show its omnipresence. So will death.

Death is as much a reality as is life. Yesterday I wished an old friend on birthday and the email reply was "Saurabh my father passed away on 1st December". It took me a while to comprehend and think of what to reply. I cannot imagine how my friend will be feeling at this point and whether there is anything I can say to make feel better. I am very bad at handling such situation. If I remind death is reality of life that would just seem harsh statement. I cannot ask them to forget their loved ones. I cannot make them stop being sad by cracking jokes. All I can do is just talk to them and offer my help if any.

I cannot stop wondering how sometimes facing death would let us appreciate our lives and how much we should be thankful just to live to see another day. It comes as a stark reminder of how futile our attempts at so called future planning may be. And how our sense of 'ownership' of things we 'own' is more ephemeral than we thought. As they say - Kafan mein jeb nahi hoti (Shrouds do not have pockets).
So the eternal truth still remains that all things must pass. A while ago I posted something after my cousin died and I can't help but re-write the same thing:

"Only certainty in the life of one that has been born is death. All other events have only finite probability of occurrence"

Thanks

We usually have potluck at my place for thanksgiving every year but this year was different. It was a feast. Thanks to my hosts in Chicago. It was a real treat for a dinner lasting several hours with wonderful people from all over the world. I would never forget it.

I worked a lot to make it to my APS presentation. I have that little feeling of accomplishment even though it doesn't signify much. I also finished a small painting. It's a simple one but it's a start.

This seemed like a break in such a long time. Including the trip to SF trip it was almost a week out of office and now I'm finding hard to concentrate. But I have no choice but to get back to work as soon as I can gather my focus back which has to be very soon! I have some year end self-targets to meet. So here is what Robert Frost would like to say about my situation:

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep

But I have promises to keep.

And miles to go before I sleep

And miles to go before I sleep."

APS talk

I am in SF and done with my talk in the conference. It feels nice to get done. I think I did fine because people from audience who were not my colleague also said they enjoyed my presentation. But I did something really really stupid to in an otherwise good presentation to mess up all the hard work. Fat-fingering sponsored to 'sponered'. It is nowhere close to the original word! I dont know what was I thinking! So said my adviser. I had no answer.
I blame it on Microsoft. I corrected the spelling mistake in a version of file but somehow Microsoft decided to create a a difference version.
Anyways it feels nice to get done and I am  looking forward to my short thanksgiving break in Chi-town.

Warm weather escape weekend

I am flying to SF today for few days for work. The temperature there today morning was -1 x temperature at Minneapolis (in C).
It will be a welcome respite from cold. See you tomorrow pacific coast!