tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-297838562011-08-22T05:35:08.867-07:00Life is a crossword puzzle; conjured up here, some scribblings of my voyage through this uncertaintyMunmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.comBlogger2021100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-46010688604348908132010-03-26T00:17:00.003-07:002010-03-26T00:32:03.316-07:00

Not blogging enough; but here's a cool different way I just thought about my research while chatting with a friend over Google Talk. I am just pasting the interesting part!Me: The title of my presentation is: "How Birds of a Feather Flock Together on Online Social Spaces".Friend: So whats the conclusion?Me: Yes they do; but depends on the context.Friend: There is a but there; things are not

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-42089102697425751532010-02-19T21:32:00.000-07:002010-02-20T01:16:33.754-07:00

Since quite a while I had been wanting to write this particular blog post related to some of the news making rounds on the Internet, that, your activity on different social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter are used by the credit card companies to effect, in some way, your credit score. Though note that the company focusing on "computational advertising" on similar lines has denied such

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-90649778894385313482010-01-31T23:01:00.000-07:002010-02-01T00:07:46.110-07:00

This post is among my first attempts to talk about my research and a specific problem of interest to a generic audience. Your comments are welcome!A primary domain of interest to social researchers through several decades has been the study of interpersonal communication among groups of individuals. Communication is central to the evolution of social systems. Hence the monotonic surge of interest

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-68020536765132738372009-11-14T05:41:00.005-07:002009-11-15T08:07:42.037-07:00

The smell of the fresh chilling breeze, and the smoothing veil of the morning sunshine,The mystic mountains afar gleaming every moment like bricks numerous, and some blush wine,The wavering branches, the chirping birds, the rustling leaves: all making me soar on cloud nine,But deep down some corner; some memories riding fast the winding roads in thoughts of mine.The first pretty Winter blossom

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-3185118513534401042009-10-09T02:36:00.005-07:002009-10-09T03:04:49.432-07:00

Despite good referrals from many friends and acquaintances, I never gathered enough time and opportunity to read one of the best-sellers in the non-fiction category in recent times; that is, Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope. Nevertheless, for reasons beyond just inquisitiveness in the last Presidential elections (read, I was using the election 2008 trends as a part of my research involving

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-19135688148430310562009-09-19T15:48:00.003-07:002009-09-19T16:18:33.816-07:00

My busy life since the past several months has almost taken away the fact that I used to have a blog to maintain. I still remember the times back in late 2007 and almost all of 2008 when this blog used to be a way to vent my primary line of thought - probably as a get away from the complexities of life, its thoughts, emotions and other associated processes :). Life has taken several interesting

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-52057278903800238122009-08-29T16:12:00.006-07:002009-08-29T16:25:23.029-07:00

For those who care, I was in Seattle for a couple of days, en route to Vancouver, Canada for SocialCom 2009. My talk's tomorrow - so fully geared! I leave Canada on Tuesday and the following day fly over to San Jose. I am going to attend the Key Scientific Challenge summit,, Yahoo! Research, wherein I have a poster presentation and a talk! Exciting week ahead!In the meanwhile, cherished the

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-90393168275661886032009-08-16T17:37:00.000-07:002009-08-16T22:41:31.961-07:00

As I am bored to death in the flight back to Tempe from New York City (happens to be a five and half hour long cross-country journey), I thought I might just use this opportunity to write. Today, sitting at JFK I was amused to read this blog post by Danah Boyd on how the sense of being "connected" at every moment is changing our ways of interaction in the real world. She talks about the

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-46274489057034461052009-08-04T20:31:00.003-07:002009-08-04T21:29:14.298-07:00

I remember writing a blog post sometime back on the phenomenon of symmetry that characterizes our social lives and actions. This was a time prior to when I started working on the "social synchrony" problem back in last December. It's interesting on how on the same note, I am interested in the phenomenon of asymmetry, so apparent in the social relationships we inculcate in our lives!Characterizing

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-18691220628474238392009-08-03T21:24:00.004-07:002009-08-03T21:44:13.427-07:00

One of the most amazing, but complex aspects of our lives is the fact that we invariably indulge in constantly evolving relationships with others. We mature, we develop new ones, sever some of the old ones, while move on from certain others. In other words, relationships mean to us a lot more than a binary outcome of "presence" or "absence". Sometimes some relationships to us just pause, they are

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-49627633796956823612009-06-27T23:33:00.005-07:002009-06-27T23:55:06.005-07:00

For reasons more than one, I have somehow been nostalgic about the times like 10 years back, the times in high school, the times of ripe teenage! Those were probably the most rosy times of life - just around the time when you begin to think of something called "life" and what it could mean to you, in the coming years. And I am sure most of us have very pretty pictures of life then!The point of

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-17645625253204624842009-06-25T19:24:00.004-07:002009-06-25T20:14:07.756-07:00

Since a little while, I have been catching up quite a bit on ideas from other related disciplines - like the areas which do not necessarily deal with generally networks, or specifically social networks. I won't consider myself a "pro-network researcher"; a distinction that I have begun to realize this summer. Nevertheless I wouldn't consider myself as one of those guys who does social networks to

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-27922117267341218152009-05-27T20:10:00.004-07:002009-05-27T20:32:31.024-07:00

People often say - you can never unfold time in retrospect in the same way as it naturally unfolded then. Take the example of a PhD student's thesis. Good research (in the sense a good thesis which indeed makes a contribution to the relevant area) is never done in a day; neither is it ever dictated from a month or even an year's of single line of thought. Rather the process is more or less

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-67968310307549298912009-05-16T20:48:00.005-07:002009-05-16T21:05:16.208-07:00

I can smell the wet air and can feel the damp soil,I can ride oceans and seas to find the first summer foil;In a country with some unknown crowd and words of a less learned strain,I breathe in and dwell in a dreamland of body and some brain.Sometimes the blowing wind would shudder a tremble in me,As I hold a hot cup of coffee and attempt to look through my bunch of key;The key which locks out a

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-42384335427052314602009-05-02T17:21:00.002-07:002009-05-03T18:14:46.307-07:00

Much wanted for is a blog post, precisely a travelogue, which depicts my Europe trip. I must say, it was one of the trips I would never forget - whether it is from the career point of view, or just for my mere love of traveling. My trip was short, but very sweet, and the places that I traveled to were Madrid and Paris, both in western Europe. A per-day account follows from this point onwards. In

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-812902672754420562009-04-10T10:24:00.001-07:002009-04-11T01:13:12.113-07:00

A lot of guilt, a host of news and a mountain of work are what I return to the blog with after around two months of complete silence. Though everything went on so fast and I hardly realized time has been ticking its way quicker than I could realize, yet I have always missed this favorite pastime of mine!Time has kept me unbelievably busy of late. Several things have been going on, the most

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-44584327192262052482009-02-22T00:12:00.005-07:002009-02-22T00:28:40.876-07:00

Much has been said, talked and written about the strong Oscar contender movie, Slumdog Millionaire, by Danny Boyle. One friend told me Danny has shown India in bad light. Someone else told me that the movie didn't impress him at all, he found it all a hype. And some other friend told me that the movie has been making so much media coverage and is a strong Academy award contender because Danny

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-31066870481092974642009-02-21T23:30:00.003-07:002009-02-21T23:59:57.288-07:00

The real research is one which springs from your real life observations of small things. And how those small things relate to a bigger philosophical endeavor. Research is neither for earning money, nor for being famous neither about merely being sincere at work. Unless there is a high level motivation to relate your work to the bigger picture of the society, please don't consider this line of

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-1701531766166417362009-02-15T23:14:00.001-07:002009-02-17T04:39:53.992-07:00

Long back, since my high school days, I always used to love fundamental science, and Physics in particular. Though I no longer do the basic sciences, working in an area like (online) social networks which is of widespread interest to people spanning over multiple disciplines, as economists, sociologists, physicists and of course computer scientists, I can see a lot many correlations with

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-91937435358969522392009-01-12T19:38:00.004-07:002009-01-12T19:56:16.867-07:00

""A.R. Rahman is nothing short of a melodic genius," Andrew Lloyd Webber has said. "I admire his unique sense of harmony, his staggering rhythms and his melodies that take an unexpected twist that no Western composer would dream of.""This is an excerpt from the popular political blog Huffington Post, in the context of Rahman getting the Golden Globe for composing the score in the movie Slumdog

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-80460797903471504972009-01-07T13:10:00.003-07:002009-01-08T13:38:33.032-07:00

To start New Year 2009 with a bang, I went 'pro' on Flickr! All the thanks goes to AK, and also to Yahoo! :D A Canon 40D sometime late this year, with the standard 18-55 mm lens, a zoom lens (70-300 mm) and a wide-angle 10-12 mm lens; and then I am all set to go! Going 'pro' on Flickr was something I was looking forward to since a long time - came soon enough :) Please find the 'pro' Munmun here!

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-20197045965062285402008-12-26T04:48:00.007-07:002008-12-26T05:21:33.711-07:00

The picture precisely summarizes my Christmas this year. I am moving, my current lease ends on the 31st, so I am packed and getting ready to leave for the new apartment. Excited and tired, happy and pissed, both; because the place is awesome as what it seems, but at the same time packing is a big pain!When I was a kid, Christmas eve and Christmas used to be the times of great fun and excitement -

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-47884413486481502742008-12-25T02:36:00.006-07:002008-12-25T03:29:13.689-07:00

Recently I was tagged by Partha. Here are my replies to his questions. Some of them I liked, quite serious and profound!1. If marriage is optional, would you rather stay single and why?It's not about marriage being mandatory or optional, it's a choice of life we make. Of late, I like staying single. Helps me lead a much simplified, independent and hassle-free life.2. If you can have a dream to

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-88261807909503352092008-12-23T15:38:00.002-07:002008-12-23T16:08:39.350-07:00

"I always believed there are two types of men in this world: men who go to their death screaming, and men who go to their death in silence. But then I met the third kind..."This is a quote from the popular Bollywood movie, Rang De Basanti, summing up the vigor inside the revolutionaries of the then times before Independence. Somehow today I was lazing at home and got glued to some of the deleted

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-43725021559970042952008-12-22T02:14:00.001-07:002008-12-23T02:51:13.147-07:00

Several reasons over the past few months have led me to constantly go back now and then, to the popular concept called "Paradigm Shift" first coined by the renowned social scientist Thomas Kuhn in his famous work of the 1960s: The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Ever since it has emerged into a very popular idea in the scientific, technological and marketing community, apart from the

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-90344229223560230362008-12-21T23:04:00.003-07:002008-12-22T02:36:00.640-07:00

In the pretext of spending some time with a friend who was visiting Tempe this weekend, I happened to spend considerable amount of time roaming around in the Borders (... books, music, cafe) in the evening. Killing time from one part of the store to another, more because they are closing soon and all books are having a 20% discount on its marked price, I checked out quite a few interesting books,

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-61318535348603419502008-12-20T00:29:00.000-07:002008-12-22T01:04:16.426-07:00

End of a chapter of life, of an official student; of being officially registered in courses in school. Yeah, Fall 2008 is my official end of coursework at Arizona State University, hopefully for the rest of my life too; unless my urge to do a second PhD in either Physics or Philosophy or Social Sciences overrides the practical considerations of life! That way, I want to believe in reincarnation,

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-15747189979613633782008-12-15T14:29:00.000-07:002008-12-16T14:52:03.294-07:00

2008. It has been one of the most eventful years in my life, probably after 1999 / 2001 or 2005. Though apparently it is very different from all these three, because it has been more about learning, than substantial achievements to portray or accolades to demonstrate.I recall I had written a blog post just at the beginning of the year, jotting down some of my thoughts and targets I wished to

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-38956307962459895882008-11-29T23:01:00.011-07:002008-11-29T23:24:21.844-07:00

Mustard-grilled CatfishPasta AlfredoDevil-EggsIrish ChipsPunjabi-style ChholeFudge BrowniesSpicy Onion PakodasA few of my recipes: includes a wide range from Indian to Italian and Irish. Enjoy!

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-62826863661101393922008-11-27T22:14:00.005-07:002008-11-29T23:29:52.224-07:00

PhD is a very long journey; a journey in the course of which you gain ten things, but probably lose ten other things as well. Three years down the line, and sometimes I now look back and think about the implications of this not so short journey. And not so surprisingly I see it has helped me be somebody I have always wanted to be. :)I don't know where this journey is going to take me to. Neither

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-37081792181265764772008-11-13T01:52:00.003-07:002008-11-13T13:39:23.414-07:00

I was a passive voter, but a very active spectator in the historic 2008 US Presidential elections; a point in time in the history of civilization of this country, and possibly the greater world, which saw a sea change in how politics has come down on people yet so far. I am referring to the historic win of Barack Obama for the highest position in this country, and possibly the most influential

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-48279645018704622732008-11-12T13:41:00.000-07:002008-11-13T01:51:18.360-07:00

Each of us are engaged in some of endeavor in our lives which intrigues us. Our lives are crafted towards succeeding in those endeavors, and we set out own set of logic, explanations, excuses and goals to reach there. If we do, then we delve into thinking that life is a success. And for other contemporaries whom we watch not quite reach there, we are very good at teaching our children the

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-40910342876795210112008-10-20T07:24:00.003-07:002008-10-20T07:42:53.345-07:00

I have always regarded communication to be central to human endeavor and to be playing a key role in crafting the civilization we all are part of today. Communication dates back to the times when meaningful exchange of symbols among humans gave rise to societies, eventually to language and culture and heritage. Communication has paved the way towards sharing of knowledge, evolution of novel ideas

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-63163471926631098712008-10-18T01:32:00.004-07:002008-10-18T01:58:44.116-07:00

I have always been amazed at the way the human society is groomed towards searching for symmetry everywhere. Time and again I have been encountering this question, why is it that we are able to identify with someone with the same culture as ours, same upbringing as we got and same customs as we cherish? Why is it that we form these groups of friends whom we call "like-minded" people? Why is it

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-57720976799294111492008-10-07T17:30:00.005-07:002008-10-08T01:49:16.719-07:00

I have mostly been thankful about the decisions I took in my life. They have fitted very well in life along the course of time; even those circumstances which you did not really want to encounter. Life makes it up over time anyway. Life just goes on. You either find alternative sources of happiness or you just get used to it. In a way, precisely life just gets fine. Isn't it the biggest adventure

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-72776754378293825332008-10-04T22:40:00.004-07:002008-10-04T23:23:33.738-07:00

I am going to write about a very serious social issue which needs immediate remedy. However, I am writing not to present a solution, which is very difficult, rather to put forth a few customs and reasons which are preventing a remedy to come up.The issue is about women's empowerment. I could be poles apart from some of you in the views and thoughts I am going to pour down here, yet I believe it

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-77459731516948495302008-09-15T23:25:00.000-07:002008-09-16T07:48:25.137-07:00

This semester, the beginning of the fourth year of Ph.D has marked the beginning of a different time for me. Earlier, it merely used to be just another year coming and then eventually passing by, but this time somehow it was different. Since the past one month I have been trying to analyze what has really made the difference; because I believe the difference has been for the better!I think mid of

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-15346636148637505682008-09-14T11:50:00.003-07:002008-09-14T12:25:10.697-07:00

I am excited about my trip to Colorado early October, more because it has been a while I had driven out of Tempe! Colorado would be a new state for me, and one where there is so much Nature to enjoy! I plan to spend half a day at Denver, and then a day in Aspen; and then drive to the Keystone resort where the conference is. Just to keep track of my traveling, which I love so much, here goes a

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-32952328922041785952008-09-08T02:30:00.005-07:002008-09-08T03:07:51.305-07:00

This blog is dedicated to all the readers who think something somewhere in their life is missing! Hope you enjoy it and get the message :)The other day I was flipping through some people's pages (read my contemporaries / social contacts, not necessarily friends) when I was elated to see them happy with their significant other, an-apparently-good-looking-well-paying-job, and a decently nice car.

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-15356692749018427822008-09-02T04:17:00.003-07:002008-09-02T04:35:45.610-07:00

Welcome back to my blog, after a span of 13 days of not blogging! It has been really really hectic at school, with all the research and everything. After all the reason being, the PhD years are closing in. And the thought itself runs a streamy blood down me - the magnanimity of a lifetime's dream to make a difference. Specifically, I have been stressed about several research and research-related

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-56917335346336024852008-08-20T15:22:00.004-07:002008-08-20T15:29:20.242-07:00

Today I came across a paper which said:Despite the fact that we already see the approach of the 'social network fatigue' syndrome it seems to me that the social aspect of media generation and consumption on the web will grow. The key push for this development will be the wish of humans to share experiences in a globalized and nomadic world, where the trace replaces the tag. The most valuable

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-88869326763093647442008-08-18T12:45:00.003-07:002008-08-18T13:25:32.848-07:00

Aug 15 morning, at the Indian Students' Association I-Day celebration, courtesy: Sashi.I-day night dance party at Neha's place, courtesy: Divakar.For the first time, I became a part of the Independence Day celebration after coming to US - right from attending flag hoisting, to singing the national anthem, to wearing Indian clothes, to having a "desi" dance party at a friend's place! It was

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-48752835548917249872008-08-14T15:23:00.005-07:002008-08-14T15:45:09.489-07:00

"The only thing we know about the future is that it will be different."It is completion of three years in US today, a totally different place, country and culture; in ASU, an endeavor to do something more with life; and in PhD, a desire to excel and make a difference to the rest of the world. As I look back, time seems to have just drifted so fast; however, each day has been different; and I have

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-20475566730131097482008-08-10T20:08:00.009-07:002008-08-11T04:27:26.568-07:00

Today is one of those numerous days that made me feel like a real PhD student! Some of the highlights are here!I had the longest meeting of my life - lingering for three hours. This was with my advisor to discuss the paper we are submitting tomorrow.I needed to call home today, but since I had too many changes to make to my paper and so little time, I called them to just literally say "I am fine"

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-79096144359649287352008-08-08T00:32:00.005-07:002008-08-08T01:23:59.333-07:00

Man is a slave of circumstances, of habits.I hail from a place in India where it pours very heavily; we almost have four to five months of real monsoon. Then, when I used to be there, I was accustomed to playing in the rain, going round the city with raincoats, umbrellas, riding rickshaws with water-proof curtains or even running across huge puddles of rainwater in front of our house. Rains used

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-6721964358119659992008-08-06T00:01:00.009-07:002008-08-06T00:20:21.853-07:00

October, 2007 (Courtesy: Arvind, ISA Freshers')February, 2008 (Courtesy: Rahul's Tempe visit)July, 2008 (Courtesy: Deepak's Arizona Trip)Me sometime back, a few months; a re-collection. The first pic goes back to the time of last year's ISA (Indian Students' Association) Freshers. There was a drama simulating the life of Indian graduate students at ASU, and I was playing the role of an

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-86758142060133004662008-08-03T21:38:00.003-07:002008-08-03T23:04:00.582-07:00

Life teaches so many lessons. Some of them aren't the ones you read in secondary school, or the ones that your parents would teach you or even the ones your friends could tell you. These are the lessons you learn from life's variegated experiences. And I have jotted down a few of them here.Don't be foolishly romantic. Love exists, but preserve it for someone who deserves it. It doesn't mean that

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-55543055311714120232008-08-02T16:20:00.000-07:002008-12-08T21:45:09.801-07:00

Just to share this piece of good news with all my readers! I got a scholarship acceptance for the Grace Hopper Conference for Women in Computing (2008) which is in Keystone, Colorado (90 minutes drive from Denver, CO). I will be traveling there and presenting the technical poster which was accepted there earlier.I am extremely passionate about encouraging ambitious young women pursuing wonderful

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-27109546604087422872008-08-01T00:53:00.007-07:002008-08-01T15:24:19.754-07:00

What do you do when you start getting disillusioned about life and the goals you had crafted for yourself? How do you tackle this situation when the primary motivating factor in life stops delivering its rejuvenating sap in your day-to-day little happenings?I have been struggling enough of late, primarily due to de-motivation. Not because my PhD is not going great, in fact, it is very good I

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-82615843753156511562008-07-31T19:19:00.000-07:002008-08-01T00:52:52.569-07:00

This defines my current mood today. Dedicated to all of whom I have loved or still do! I know if you are reading this blog, you would know!However, life and love are transitory to a great extent. Roads merge and part, we meet and part with a host of people, things and happenings. Everything gets swept in the lashing waves of life. What remains is the feel of it. So there it is...

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-31091982665851869522008-07-30T00:45:00.003-07:002008-07-30T01:00:35.709-07:00

I was listening to the title song of Kuch kuch hota hai tonight. It was a movie profusely popular in my friend circle back in those times (1998) and I personally loved it, since it talked about the love (triangle) among three young school-going people, very much like all of us. And suddenly I found the lyrics to take me back to those times. Then, falling in love was so beautiful, matched exactly

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-59465632638985389392008-07-29T09:06:00.007-07:002008-07-29T17:18:56.677-07:00

"I am trying to rise above all earthly desires; it is only papers that I care about now."This was a statement I made to a friend sometime back about why and how I am looking forward to life, after all the things happened which I didn't want to.However, how many times are we really capable of doing that? I thought you merely need one reason to live, one motivation to move forward in life. And it

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-87484849281263830132008-07-28T21:26:00.000-07:002008-07-28T23:05:55.062-07:00

I like it when I find my life like a checker-board - everything laid out in a proper manner which I know, and every move that I would make is calculated and as per the current circumstances and future happenings. I am never confused; and I do exactly what I want to do in life.But how many times does life really happen like that? I am not sure: and that is one of the major complains I have all the

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-5412602180134361082008-07-26T07:02:00.004-07:002008-07-28T14:24:12.721-07:00

Life sometimes surprises me big time: things which you would never expect happen and then leave a trace somewhere in some corner. But may be that's just a trace, may be it does not have any significance in the future, whatsoever.Trying to come to terms with this seemingly true fact. Not quite up for it though. Because I think, whatever happens in life, has a meaning, be it for the better or the

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-22437975365940770942008-07-22T23:36:00.003-07:002008-07-23T15:36:24.720-07:00

Whenever things in life don't seem to be going much right, I have often had this consolation from friends telling me, "don't worry, life has more to offer." Unfortunately, such consolations never came to help for me, and that is also precisely one of the reasons why I get much paranoid when things don't seem so right in life.I am a person who grew up always trying to shape things in life as it

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-66956432379941351982008-07-19T15:23:00.005-07:002008-07-19T16:02:17.427-07:00

"He is what Gotham deserves to have, but not what Gotham needs at this moment."The Dark Knight is the story of the human superhero, the hero of a civilization which has been bogged down by the darkness of wisdom in a deep valley of hopelessness. He is the ultimate self in a time when the human mind has lost its faith in goodwill; a time when people started to be driven by their selfishness, their

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-55971820187348432642008-07-17T19:13:00.005-07:002008-07-18T02:15:05.075-07:00

I have been trying to formulate two new problems related to my research for the coming months. The bliss I have in this regard is the considerable overlap between my sociable nature and online presence, coupled with my research which entails inputs from the wide vista of observations I can make from my own online activities. For example, the other day when I posted a photo on my Orkut profile,

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-41737751539595582362008-07-16T21:06:00.000-07:002008-07-17T19:09:10.814-07:00

Today's fortune: You will be fortunate in everythingThis is what my Orkut profile fortune says today. Funny as much it is, especially to a person not believing in fortune / destiny / luck etc, yet coincidentally it comes at a time when I have been considering life and its happenings to be favorable to me of late; however much bad might have happened in the past.Since past two days, I have been

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-3419188468719937572008-07-13T17:14:00.005-07:002008-07-15T20:36:07.034-07:00

Since my childhood, I always hated rains. It used to (and I guess it still does!) rain a lot in my hometown Agartala, and it meant being at home, possibly study those boring subjects in a bad education system (as a matter of fact, the Indian education system is effective often, but not very scientific and well-structured - but discussing education system needs a separate blog post sometime!), and

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-69287847336682152692008-07-12T14:35:00.001-07:002008-07-13T02:49:48.359-07:00

Sometimes it is just better to be simply blank - something like you would reply "nothing really at my end" when someone would ask you "how is it going?"Sometimes it is just easy to live life everyday, as it comes. Lest a few responsibilities, a few duties and a few goals you need to meet in the next few days.Sometimes planning life is not the answer to your problems, just like pondering over the

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-46592976040132576082008-07-01T22:59:00.001-07:002008-07-02T22:54:09.076-07:00

It was $ 2.60 a gallon only last summer; and now it is quickly going to touch $ 5-6 a gallon by Fall. The airlines now don't allow anymore two free check-in baggage, rather some of them are asking for $ 15 for even the first checked-in one. Prices of grocery items, starting from milk to fruits and vegetables are on an ever-increasing hike. Inflation is on the rise each new day. Investments in

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-44027499954571513202008-06-26T00:22:00.002-07:002008-06-27T12:05:02.827-07:00

Perfection could be a myth, but not the desire to excel. And there is only secret ingredient to excel and succeed. And that is passion.I am intrigued by the myriad of people shining in their own areas of expertise every now and then. After all, what does it take to be "them"? Is it the passion to shine, the passion in what they are doing, the passion to make a difference to the world we live in?

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-48648879115603662132008-06-25T00:37:00.000-07:002008-06-27T11:37:06.601-07:00

There are times when you need scope, time, opportunity and motive to retreat to self. It soothes your mind and makes you feel serene and better. I am in a self-retreat phase. Not sure if it means being in recluse for a while and just submerging myself into work. But yeah this is what construes my current mood. After all, "life is not so perfect" and you need retreats to get accustomed to its

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-52454105284851483852008-06-22T17:51:00.003-07:002008-12-08T21:45:10.210-07:00

However much I deny, I have to admit I had a very adventurous but scary trip to HyperText 08 in Pittsburgh and my subsequent travel detour to Niagara Falls, NY! Some of the highlights are here.I was staying in the nice dorm accommodation of the conference people at University of Pittsburgh campus. Everything was nice and cozy, with a perfect view of part of the downtown from my 16th floor room.

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-38691772265551978412008-06-19T15:50:00.003-07:002008-06-19T15:58:49.191-07:00

Whenever I come to a conference, I realize how much life has to offer! It dawns on me,"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."So much to accomplish - I feel, one life ain't enough!More to come; I got three ideas sitting in the plane which seem interesting to me and I want to explore working on them. Though

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-12513786651745207872008-06-17T13:36:00.001-07:002008-06-18T02:02:01.105-07:00

I have so many times felt the need to have short term goals in life; they are the mile markers that keep us going; preventing us from getting lost in one or many of the serpentine labyrinths of life. Those goals need not necessarily be work or academics related; but could be anything which make us feel good, cater to our happiness or just make us feel a sense of accomplishment. It could be

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-24360925491990741852008-06-16T02:55:00.003-07:002008-12-08T21:45:10.489-07:00

Please also check my Flickr here. Monument valley, Utah was awesome fun. Ever since I came to Arizona, I always wanted to check out Utah. And so this is almost like fulfilling a long cherished dream of travel!One insight I have gained for the breadth of traveling I have done since I came to US. And the insight is that the most famous tourist places like Grand Canyon, Statue of Liberty or Niagara

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-33668067974046850982008-06-13T13:47:00.003-07:002008-06-13T13:58:49.555-07:00

There have been three major instances in my life when I felt the ardent need for a stronger women representation in the research community. And those were the times that made me think the role I could play in contributing something towards promoting this gender diversity.The first instance was when I attended a major conference Workshop to find out that I was the only female presenter there. And

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-36018489778635704542008-06-12T13:05:00.003-07:002008-06-12T13:22:23.978-07:00

First some ramblings from life and its learnings. Life is stranger than fiction, but still the 'show' must go on. You get or lose the most unexpected things from the closest people: sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. Life is full of surprises, and people are like seasons of Nature - it doesn't take time to change colors. And sometimes, when we are stuck at the crossroads of life,

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-50028948594612356022008-06-09T16:19:00.005-07:002008-06-09T16:49:46.655-07:00

One of the biggest conflicts we face in life, time and again is the battle between dream and reality. But even more amazing is the way we still keep hoping, even after being hard hit by reality so many times - dreams which keep us alive.I was a very commonplace teenager; a girl who believed in dreaming, of love and life, of passions, of feelings, of movies overflowing with love and emotions - a

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-56282415344644695852008-06-08T02:13:00.005-07:002008-06-08T02:39:10.904-07:00

At several points of time ever since I can trace back my conscience, I have always been intrigued by the relationship between science and art. And then which one is more superior; which one subsumes the other. And then it did also occur to me: why do we at all need to make such a comparison?Even today when I am in one of those philosophical moods, I try to find a ground. I have often talked to

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-46090621466197305732008-06-07T04:53:00.003-07:002008-06-07T05:06:26.199-07:00

I learned to play pool today. It was nice fun! I felt once you are conversant with the tactics, there is a lot of strategy involved to actually play a game. But today was the first day and I could drive three-four balls into those holes! So I am happy now.We did considerable club hopping today. First we went for food; then we got a cover-free cheap drinks deal and so thought of checking out the

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-41770409245845125272008-06-05T21:04:00.001-07:002008-06-06T09:15:23.980-07:00

I tried this self-made variant of sweet and sour chicken yesterday and it came out great as a sandwich spread! I would call it butter and garlic sauted chicken, later cooked in sweet and sour sauce. The technique is very simple:Marinate the chicken pieces (pieces very small in size to be later used as a sandwich spread) overnight using any herb and garlic based marinade. The next day, take a flat

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-44615541582973049952008-05-30T15:45:00.009-07:002008-05-30T16:08:57.374-07:00

I believe the most important parts of a technical paper are the Introduction and Conclusions sections. In the Introduction, the motivation for the problem has to be presented in such a way so that it looks utterly compelling - the reviewer should ask himself or herself, "how were we leading our lives without this research in the past?" This is the degree to which we need to convince people with

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-57535580030511900182008-05-29T15:23:00.002-07:002008-12-08T21:45:10.727-07:00

I will be posting the details soon sometime! Still alive, working on the deadline!

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-71845821476018529652008-05-28T02:57:00.003-07:002008-05-28T11:38:29.277-07:00

Love is overrated - there is nothing as impossible to get over from, which you once loved. It bleeds. We look back and see, we want to tread back to the crossroads where love left off. But the reverse journey never ends. An echo of past memories persists. But then time heals the wound, somewhere, some manner. We just need to have the eye to rediscover our love all over again. May be in something

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-45067986511135375102008-05-22T15:19:00.004-07:002008-05-22T15:53:45.415-07:00

There are days when everything seems to go wrong, and there are times when everything seems to fall in the very right place! Today is one of those days - the day of all the 'right' things!I woke up comparatively early today morning; one, because I had a meeting, and secondly I wanted to do a few experiments to show in the meeting. The meeting went off good; the results I got for the upcoming

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-86397015485390189152008-05-19T13:08:00.004-07:002008-05-19T13:19:58.861-07:00

Not a surprise or a great achievement, but the technical poster (on Modeling Information Roles for capturing Stock Market Dynamics) got accepted at the Grace Hopper Conference for Women in Computing '08. Small achievements just keep us on our toes - to realize in the long years of PhD, some sense of moving forward; a relief from monotonicity and riddance from getting lost in a swamp of mediocrity

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-74605652997958130772008-05-17T04:36:00.004-07:002008-05-17T04:58:49.731-07:00

After suggestions on numerous occasions by a friend to watch the movie In the Mood for Love, I finally watched it tonight. It is a Cantonese movie (the native language spoken in Hong Kong) and is based on a drama of romance between two people, spanning over almost six years in the 1960's.This is my first take on an east Asian movie; but I must say it is one of the most beautifully made movies I

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-9712788694811748082008-05-13T00:48:00.004-07:002008-05-13T01:10:24.763-07:00

Empirical experiment:Browsing videos on YouTube is probably the best random walk model experiment. Surprisingly I often reach the same videos over and over in a considerable short span of time - hint towards k-degrees of separation.Consequences of Time travel:I think life won't continue to be as interesting if we could always go back and could change the happenings. We would lose the motivation

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-62232658407320339742008-05-10T23:50:00.005-07:002008-05-11T00:15:23.925-07:00

This is the story of my "interesting" life (read a sarcastic tone here). Yesterday was one of the most memorable days yet - though unfortunately it won't go down with any sweet memory.I slept about three hours when I woke up on Friday morning; but has to rush to lab for the paper I am working on right now for the June 3 deadline (CIKM '08). I had thought of using a nice mathematical construct in

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-84686469609239098492008-05-09T11:37:00.005-07:002008-12-08T21:45:10.966-07:00

Your participation on Blogger might have evolved as a part of one of these communities in the diagram above. Each bubble is a community. It is based on some experiments I did.

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-74908472095691735612008-05-06T02:04:00.005-07:002008-12-08T21:45:11.112-07:00

Suddenly I got reminded of the following two lines from a famous Bengali poem by Sukanta Bhattacharya,Khudhar rajjey prithibi goddomoy,Purnimar chad jeno jholshano rutiwhich means, "Poetry, we do not need you anymore. A world devastated by hunger is too prosaic, The full moon now reminds us of toasted bread"Life is more of prose than sweet rhythmic poetry. And each of us have some

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-33414136905715820522008-05-05T07:09:00.005-07:002008-05-05T07:20:25.210-07:00

I don't like myself for not having been able to blog for such a long time! Just that things have been too busy - semester getting over and one of the most important conference's deadline nearing on June 3rd. I am trying my best to make it a good paper.The idea of black holes / Big Bang kind of singularity based community analysis in social networks is one idea I want to expand upon as well. It

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-47567508590444593192008-04-29T06:34:00.005-07:002008-04-29T06:49:41.736-07:00

What happens when you get obsessed with something? What does it imply to start liking and loving something too much? Do you get sleepless nights? Do you drink ten cups of coffee everyday? Does it anyways touch any tip of your insanity iceberg?The feeling has been recurring in my life. Reasons have been wide and varied, but they all had a consistent thread - the desire to achieve something, to

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-19045390736705914582008-04-26T16:59:00.004-07:002008-04-26T17:36:31.489-07:00

The most beautiful virtue is probably the ability to forgive others. Human beings have been ruling the Earth since the past few thousand years; adorned by our ability to think, rationalize and reason. Forgiveness is a wisdom, a virtue to be better individuals.I want to work for the people - everyone. I want to let go past grudges; life is too short to spend like that. There is a bigger picture.

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-25993494268715412812008-04-23T22:55:00.003-07:002008-04-23T23:08:56.442-07:00

Doing PhD is now getting nasty. Too many deadlines to meet. The ever-heightening greed to materialize all your research ideas - get them published. Coursework, none the less as well. The desire to get noticed in the research community. Keep up with the new upcoming work being done so rapidly (read literature very frequently to keep up the pace). Writing efficient code - preventing the reinvention

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-10789064127422108322008-04-21T22:27:00.001-07:002008-04-22T01:54:24.078-07:00

The gulf of difference in the research approach in the industry and the academia is markedly astounding. Recently there was this article on the Wired blog about how Google is losing grounds in advertising with the new Web 2.0 tools coming up. The article is here. It describes how, even with the rich and extensive user data as well as data about a person's online social activities (e.g. Orkut)

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-41833214165916732882008-04-18T15:41:00.007-07:002008-04-19T14:10:57.142-07:00

Disclaimer: This post is not written to hurt anybody's feelings about God, religion or anything else related to them whatsoever. We live in a free world, expressing ourselves within our own dogma.In my previous post I was asked to pen my ideas and thoughts on the issue of whether God created Man. So here they go.I keep on returning to this topic in my thoughts very often - question myself and

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-38832762554293090782008-04-15T14:18:00.007-07:002008-04-15T16:55:43.159-07:00

Who does not love to, or at least compulsively use technology today? Everyone of us do, in some way or the other - be it for our education, our business, or for our pleasure. But what we expect out of technology is very astounding and strikingly different. This is coupled by what we expect from technology compared to what it could possibly cater to!You ought to find sometime to take a look at

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-20019784186481379012008-04-14T02:08:00.001-07:002008-04-15T14:13:41.897-07:00

I just read somewhere: Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. But ironically enough, we often spend our precious times suffering from the ordeal that pain causes us. We fail to take the pain as a part of life, we fail to realize that life is sometimes governed by circumstances over which we don't really have control, we retract from learning from the sources or causes of the pain. We suffer,

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-2602534024332238622008-04-10T12:31:00.007-07:002008-04-13T19:57:16.802-07:00

If you have been following the democratic presidential candidates and the programs and bills they seem to be approving, debating on or thinking to work upon, you will see most of them are things like health care, immigration problems, religion, terrorism, education etc. These are definitely the burning issues for elections in any country today, and the politicians need to have clarity in their

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-30624277001683521202008-04-09T22:24:00.008-07:002008-04-10T12:51:12.931-07:00

Do try this innovative but really simple recipe! This serves three people.Main dish:Ingredients:Green, yellow and red bell peppers (4 nos.)Yellow and red onions (2 large nos.)Large Tomatoes (3 nos.)Freshly cut Pineapple pieces (1 / 4 th of a whole pineapple)SaltRed chilly powderGaram masalaGinger Garlic pasteYogurtVegetable OilMethod:First of all cut all the vegetables in 1 inch x 1 inch square

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-47592795975027588332008-04-08T08:41:00.003-07:002008-04-08T08:55:31.656-07:00

The biggest challenge of teaching is how to explain a higher level concept using lower level ones. You can always explain lower level concepts by higher level concepts e.g. explain a triangle using a random walk model - you start from any node and traverse the edges with random probability. If you come back to your starting point in exactly three hops, then the figure is a triangle.

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-65447278847996814332008-04-06T22:56:00.001-07:002008-12-08T21:45:11.892-07:00

Saturday was a busy day - some pics of the evening outing...Life is difficult. Often we are not sure what we really want, or rather what would make us happy. We run across the illusive river of life, thinking the grass on the other side is always greener. Until we get really done with life, and feel like running away from everything. Has this happened to you ever?

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-6757319027673988752008-04-04T23:40:00.000-07:002008-04-05T00:56:39.865-07:00

To err is human. It is so true that it cannot be emphasized any more. But how many of us rectify ourselves - learn with those experiences? Even if we do, are people around us ready to forgive us?The question also is, sometimes we just try to rectify our lives instead of our real mistakes. We start hating the cause of the mistake - "yes, I did this [mistake] because X was acting weird..."It is so

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-29816132080577913912008-04-03T20:59:00.007-07:002008-04-03T21:36:38.375-07:00

For the gen X people (like you and me), have you ever realized how many times you use the word "random" in your conversations? Just look back and see - I was almost freaked out today!*****************************I suddenly realized that the handful of people I talk to most recently, I talk only in English. Going back to 2001-03 since when I lost touch with Bengali other than talking to parents

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-66523420315951252582008-04-02T21:37:00.004-07:002008-04-03T21:51:24.816-07:00

I feel love is anyways over-rated - a complex emotional artifact of the living mind. The site says, unhappiness in relationships is often due to the fact that we speak different love languages. Sometimes we don't understand our partner's requirements, or even our own. We all have a "love tank" that needs to be filled in order for us to express love to others, but there are different means by

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-81088204461113317732008-04-01T15:35:00.005-07:002008-04-02T14:48:59.664-07:00

I am amazed at the complexity in which things evolve over time. We grow - and surprisingly enough we often don't realize it until we look back!When we were kids, I remember the April Fool days - the worst jokes would be "look there is a bird shit on your head" - and that was it - fool the friends! Technology has entered deep into our blood now, especially the past ten years - thanks to all the

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29783856.post-60426435431856035212008-03-30T09:16:00.011-07:002008-12-08T21:45:12.105-07:00

This is probably going to be a post mixed with several ideas that have been running through my mind in the past two-three days (might be the whole week also!). Some of them are internal reflections, as I always write, some are amplifications of certain things I never cared to think about; and some are simply the typical blogging materials. Here they go.Part I (Research)I met this guy on Thursday

Munmunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12407492677821163630noreply@blogger.com0