US license plate state descriptors

I thought I would create a list of the US license plate state descriptors! Here it goes in alphabatical order:

Alabama: Yellowhammer State
Alaska: The Last Frontier
Arizona: The Grand Canyon State
Arkansas: The Natural State
California: The Golden State
Colorado: The Centennial State
Connecticut: The Constitution State
Delaware: The First State
Florida: The Sunshine State
Georgia: The Peach State
Hawaii: Aloha State
Idaho: The Gem State
Illinois: Prairie State
Indiana: The Hoosier State
Iowa: The Hawkeye State
Kansas: The Sunflower State
Kentucky: Bluegrass State
Louisiana: The Pelican State
Maine: The Pine Tree State
Maryland: The Old Line State
Massachusetts: The Bay State
Michigan: The Great Lakes State
Minnesota: The North Star State
Missisippi: The Magnolia State
Missouri: Show-me State
Montana: The Treasure State
Nebraska: The Cornhusker State
Nevada: The Silver State
New Jersey: The Garden State
New Hampshire: The Granite State
New Mexico: The Land of Enchantment
New York: The Empire State
North Carolina: The Tar Heel State
North Dakota: Peach Garden State
Ohio: The Buckeye State
Oklahoma: The Sooner State
Oregon: The Beaver State
Pennsylvania: The Keystone State
Rhode Island: Ocean State
South Carolina: The Palmetto State
South Dakota: Mount Rushmore State
Tennessee: The Volunteer State
Texas: The Lone Star State
Utah: The Beehive State
Vermont: The Green Mountain State
Virginia: The Old Dominion State
Washington: The Evergreen State
West Virginia: The Mountain State
Wisconsin: The Badger State
Wyoming: The Equality or Cowboy State

Is this how the technology is outgrowing us?

A lazed off afternoon, spring break, though still sitting at lab, and a point of time when there is absolutely no looking back, possibly not much looking ahead and a time when deadlines are something we are too used to as graduate students - it was a very typical holiday afternoon at school today. I needed to work on two things with utmost immediacy, but the penchant to constantly live in the present that I have been trying to attempt since past sometime marred a rather eerie blow to my afternoon work! Off I was meeting some friends at the 4th floor of Brickyard (our department): reason, just to chat.

Then came the topic of primitive computers - and certainly came up the Moore's law effect - the boon of the hardware (also software technology) of the new century. Popped up this question, which was pretty obvious, "Remember those days of floppy disk drives?" Sure yeah, we do - and Ice Age it might look, honestly only four-five years back we were using Floppy disks, not only using them, but actually heavily relying on them, often just helplessly waiting for them to get corrupt. And look at today - I just got this buy [dot] com ad email the other day that some 750 GB of external hard drive was decently cheap. 750 GB, isn't that a ridiculous leap from 1.44 MB just five years back?

So obviously, the inquisitive question that comes henceafter is that, is there any limit to this exorbitant flexibility in hardware technology? If so what is that maximum point of stagnation? The Singularity? I am not sure.

On a different track, look at our lives - we are leading a life where probably things are changing at a pace a decently smart human brain can possibly digest at any time. Are we aware of that? I guess no - simple things, the floppy disk transition to external hard drives worth 750 GB. More than countably infinite number of things are at our fingertips - another boon of the technology evolution.

However, the question remains - is this how the technology is outgrowing us?

When will we really grow?

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are entirely mine and are not representative of any group or organization I might or might not be consciously a part of.

A few weeks back, I was watching this movie "A Time to Kill" which tells the story of how an African American man seeks justice in the South where the Whites dominate the society in every aspect. It is how a father who recklessly shoots the rapists of his daughter justifies the reason behind such an act. And how despite all the odds in the "white" society, it shows how we still have people around us who can think beyond the peripheries of color and creed, rationalize a human being through his activities, instead of the color of his skin or religion.

The movie made me really step aside behind a little bit and think of the biases we always cherish in ourselves:

"I won't ever date an African-American guy",
"The manager is a Black person?!",
"Oh yeah, he is a Muslim, he should undergo strict security check at the airport,"
"Oh, he is a Muslim - isn't he finding it difficult to find jobs here?"
"Oh he comes from India, don't people in India sleep on streets?"
"Oh India, right. I heard it's very dirty out there,"
"He is an Asian guy. No point asking him out for any Friday night plan: he only understands staring at the computer screen,"
"Oh Hispanic, those brown skinned people - must have fled illegally to the US."

And the list could go on. However, it is really unfortunate. And the irony being - everyone of us does so in some form at some point of time - biases that we ourselves have generated, gathered from our friends and acquaintances or simply heard somewhere. But how of many these make sense? I agree we almost always can define traits (often negative) for a set of people - since it is so easy to make conclusions then; but how many times does it universally hold? How many times do we actually give a thought in judging the person through his acts, behavior and outlook than by the color of his skin, his nationality or his religion? Seldom.

Why is it that since more than two hundred years since US got independent, there were no African-American presidents? Or that when did we last consider a Muslim guy doing something constructive for the society? It is sad, but true that there are certainly African-American people who could have been US presidents or Muslim guys who probably want to fight against the so-called religious terrorism, instead of endorsing them.

But sadly, we have always overlooked them. We have preferred living in a world driven by our biases - simply because it makes us use our brain lesser and may be simplifies the horrendous mundane and selfish lives we have been leading all this while.

We talk of the "rise" of humanity; but I don't see it coming, unfortunately. When will we break free those shackles? When will we really grow out into individuals who really deserve to be the dominators of the world?

A long winter morning...

"It is not that I don't love you. Nor is that I am being insensitive. Just that, it has been sometime that I felt this relationship has not been working. I also feel we have different expectations from each other and that we are not able to meet each other's needs out of a relationship, staying four thousand miles apart. So I feel I should cut the chord at one point. And I think it is this point... I don't want to keep any contact with you anymore..."

... the letter read, on a day cloudy and overcast, dull and morose as it could be, with no beam of the Sun peeping Sonam's study desk, unlike other winter mornings. It was a day she had been waiting for since a while - since she started seeing Ronny last May. It was the Valentine's Day. As she would naturally do out of curiosity, she stepped up to her mailbox and to her hopes, found an envelope that read "From Ronny G. 324 S. Madison Dr., Foster, RI 02825."

She was stuck to ecstasy, expecting it to be a Valentine card from her beloved. Ran she straight to her study desk, juggled through her tray of knick-knacks to find a knife. She quickly opened the envelope and to her surprise found it was letter. The desk wasn't as bright it would be on other days, so she turned on her lamp. The reading started in the yellow intense light.

Having read it, she felt like having a wet face: they were two thin threads of tears rolling down fast down her cheeks. She knew, the day was long, even though it was still a winter morning. She knew she had a long journey to cover; on a road where she could only see a faint dull glow at the end; but whose voyage to her was unknown. A voyage she would now have to make without somebody at the center of her life, with a spirit which should come with whatever it takes.

It was a long winter morning, till the sun suddenly set.

Would a technological singularity really happen?

I am not sure how many of you are familiar with the concept of "technological singularity". I wasn't as well, till last Thursday!

Singularity is a state (from Kurzweil's The Singularity is Near) when human intelligence transcends the barriers of the laws we govern our physical and virtual realities with. It is a point which is predicted to arrive in this century where there won't be apparent differences between man and machines any more; because we would be capable of designing ultra-intelligent machines. Our intelligence coupled with the machines, humans would take technological strides not only on Earth, but the entire universe. As Kurzweil's book describes it,

"Now, in The Singularity Is Near, he examines the next step in this inexorable evolutionary process: the union of human and machine, in which the knowledge and skills embedded in our brains will be combined with the vastly greater capacity, speed, and knowledge-sharing ability of our own creations."

And ironically this first ultra-intelligent machine would probabaly be the last invention would ever make; as the world would then be taken over a more superior species: the species Man would make himself through technological evolution (compare, biological evolution which yields homo sapiens).

But I am skeptical about the advent of this kind of a technological singularity at least this century. Here are a few reasons for that:

1. I agree we have been increasing our technological capabilities at a accelerating rate: a form comparable to Moore's law. But depends how much extensible it is: is there a threshold to it? We still don't know the future of the exponential curve of technological progress.
   
2. Now the comes the capabilities of Artificial Intelligence in playing a significant role in reaching the Singularity. Look up the kind of AI paper that used to be written in the 90's. Most of the visionary or theoretical papers' goal was how to design that ultimate intelligent machine: which can perceive the world as we do through our five senses, reason, learn and take intelligent decisions. And now see the AI research today: most of the research has been segmented; people work on building an intelligent system which can either analyze human speech, or computer vision, or a robot navigating a rough terrain and taking optimal decisions for movement. The concept of intelligence is now distributed; we are trying to build a host of intelligent machines which render a focused task intelligently. However our knowledge or capabilities of how to integrate all those intelligent machines into one single ultra-intelligent one is still very limited unfortunately. The future of this kind of integration research is also pretty bleak!
3. The achievement of morality. The book says, we might be able to get over the morality that characterizes us today. But the question is, one the way, aren't we giving rise to more deadly diseases? Isn't a significant part of the research diverted to that?
4. The only hope I see that can render technological singularity is nano-technology or bio-informatics. The hope to see an ultra-intelligent machine is predicated by the fact that genetically it has to be coherent with human brain. The question still remains: can we with our limited brains, build a machine which is smarter?
   

Only future can tell us...

Easy to make Cold Sandwich Wrap Recipe!

Here is a great sandwich wrap recipe that is healthy and quick to make! The preparation time is about 10 minutes and ideal for a tasty lunch (that doesn't need to be heated or microwaved) or quick dinner. The only thing you need to have ready is slices of grilled chicken breast, although for a vegetarian substitute you can well discount this or substitute it with scrambled eggs! I usually grill the chicken in the weekend and refrigerate it for the week.

(Ingredients for 1 serving)

1 burrito size tortilla
salad spring mix (or cut iceberg lettuce, romaine and spinach leaves)
1 avocado (ripe) thinly sliced or mashed freshly
cut red onions (optional)
diced cucumber
diced tomatoes
Alfalfa sprouts
sliced grilled chicken breast
Bit of Mayo
Ranch dressing
Hot sauce
Pinch of salt / pepper to taste

(Method)

Place the tortilla on a plate and layer it thinly with Mayo. Then align the salad spring mix in the middle of the tortilla along a narrow line. Heap the tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, sprouts, avocados and the chicken on it. Apply the Ranch dressing along with the hot sauce. Sprinkle a little bit of salt and pepper to taste. Now roll the whole tortilla into a narrow roll and tuck it with a toothpick in the center. Your lunch is good to go!

A dedication note

On this very "hyped" day, when I don't really have anything to celebrate upon (and I am perfectly fine with that!), I randomly came across this lines from the movie Om Shanti Om:

Itni Shiddat Se Maine Tujhe Paane Ki Koshish Ki hai,
Ki Har Zarre Ne Mujhe Tujhse Milane ki Saazish Ki Hai.

And looking back I see that whatever I am doing today, it is really what I wanted to do in life yet! Sometimes I feel lucky; lucky having got an opportunity to do stuff I wanted to do - when the PhD thing happened!

Somebody back from my college asked me a few questions on the PhD thing. I have put two of my favorite ones here. The shayari from Om Shanti Om is dedicated to all the interesting endeavors I am doing, and wish to do in the times to come! The questions are a little tweaked for certain reasons.

1) Why should one go for a PhD, i.e what are the basic qualities or interests required that would help one in doing PhD?

A: I think the primary urge the student needs to have is the desire to learn, apply his knowledge, look beyond $$ and books and explore the world. With a suitable academic background, the only thing a student needs is a "free mind" to nurture his or her academic interests in a more organized fashion.

2) With a lot of emphasis on other careers now-a-days, what makes the PhD course attractive enough?

A: Using the word "emphasis" on a career decision is probably a bad idea. A person's academic or professional interest is not like walking the ramp at a fashion show where you display the "in" or the "attractive" thing of today. A career is merely a person's own choice, unbiased by time; what the person wants out of life. It is not about a "competition" between other careers and PhD as most of you would think today. I would suggest grow out of these wrong notions! Life is much bigger than you have thought of!

There is nothing like a situation when one career is universally better than others. Coming here I see that the physicists, the mathematicians and the psychologists are actually much more insightful than we, the "engineer scientists"! As much as these guys are intelligent, make as much good money as our community, they are actually more respected in the society than just "another programmer" or just "another manager"!

So it was never the "emphasis" laid on me by some career professionals that affected by decisions in life. I have found PhD "attractive" because it is letting me work on something which I want to; something which can strike a difference to the world of tomorrow, someway; a manner which can let me vent out the crazy thoughts inside me; the tool for me to explore and gain insights about the world we live in today! It has definitely been the best decision I have taken in my life, and so would many of my peers agree. Talking of "emphasis", which other career lets you do all these? :)

"The Ideal Relationship"

We often talk about the "ideal relationship". A relationship which we would cherish through our lives.

I believe an ideal relationships is one which does not compel you to change.
I believe an ideal relationship is one which is built on trust and mutual understanding.
I believe an ideal relationship is one which is a strength to us.
I believe an ideal relationship is one which lets you tide over tough times.
I believe an ideal relationship is one where you can always go back at the end of the day; after good or bad happens, after love or fight.
I believe an ideal relationship is one which would not need a physical co-existence.
I believe an ideal relationship is one which you know you are with day in and day out.
I believe an ideal relationship is one when you weigh it more than your personal reasonings.
I believe an ideal relationship is one which is an integral part of your life.
I believe an ideal relationship is one which lets you live...

I read this somewhere and found it to be so true. Relationships might not have worked out so good for me, but I would remember this always...

"Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. "
- Corinthians, The New Testament.

An ideal relationship is built on love: love which happens and exists this way...

Surviving Life as the Fittest

Scientists say, one of the primary reasons the dinosaurs got extinct was that with the beginning of the ice age, they could not cope with the changing environment. And Nature did not choose them because they didn't satisfy the needs of the "survival of the fittest". I guess this is very true of ourselves as well. Life is a great test. And we survive it only when we satiate the condition: survival of the fittest.

It is so easy to snap at a friend when you don't like something about his or her. It is so easy to curse destiny and life for all the bad things that happened. It is so easy to feel self-pity when something goes wrong in life. And it is so easy to feel that life is meaningless without certain things. And it is also so easy to say "I lost it".

However, we forget all this while that the way to lead life is to be the survivor of the fittest! Tests after tests, we need to gear up and running every time for newer horizons whatever life yields us: good or bad. And the way to survive life is to make the good times the strength, and the bad times the closed chapters - the source of learning. And looking ahead. Trust in self. The faith that we can live better. The ability to be ourselves whatever happens.

Another one of my insights...

Life can often be described by several crossroads and some dead ends. Sometimes we have too many choices. Sometimes we are forced to pick one option over the other. And sometimes that option leads us through a road which lands us in a dead end. Sometimes a narrow beam of hope springs us alive. And again sometimes the gloom takes over our very essence of life.

I wonder if life can ever be perfect, or the way we want it to be. I am sure every one of us would have some complain or the other. We would often say "I wish I could change this chapter of my life". And these are the chapters which prevent lives from reaching our notion of perfection.

And so the very truth is, life is not perfect. There are days of high and low; there are times easy and hard. There are weeks we shatter and we repair. And the worst thing probably is, the easy times seem to drift away so soon; but it is the hard times that stick along all the time.

I feel like reflecting on my life since I came here in Tempe. Life has been really variegated: with tough times and little sweet memories. It has been an altogether different life, totally on oneself, trying to build an identity, trying to survive the life of a PhD student and experiments with other aspects of life. Yeah, I would call them experiments. Because you never know one of those chapters of life until you lead it. And if not a surprise, then yeah some of those experiments turned out something I probably would never expect. Some for the good, and some for the bad. Although it is the bad which sticks through; and I am okay with it, because it helped me learn about life probably. And the good, obviously it kept me alive!

Sometimes certain things come very expensive; I am talking about the ambitious career decisions I have made yet. I had to leave several of those chapters behind which were nice. And had to take up several of the other dark chapters, because the ambition cost it. Today, I am torn between several dimensions. But one dimension I know; the dimension of my ambition has always stuck together with me. It has let me justify all those dark chapters, sometime, somewhere. And also helped me learn to complain less about the so-called imperfect life. As long as this ambition lets me justify life, I would continue to make choices, shatter and repair even through those dead ends.

I guess this is what individualizes me after all...

The Wind Blew it All!

When the wind rose alive,
Before it could take her by any surprise,
In just the flick of a minute,
Blew away those memories, till then so vivid.

A cozy corner and a caring shoulder,
Was all that she would need to lead a life more bolder;
Smothered she was in so much of affection,
Memories were intertwined in every nook and corner of her life's jubilation.

Till the day when her life succumbed to a dark sunrise,
Made all the things so difficult to tackle and to stand and rise;
The tombs on which the memories were so enshrined,
The fleeting thoughts pulled her life to move forward and rewind.

Till that day when the wind blew along,
Sweeping the pains in her heart's core so deep and long,
She saw the storm come and the storm go,
And she knew it was no more the time to feel any low!

The Best I can Do!!

May be this should make me learn something! :D
1. The second option is the best I can do.
2. Find a non-nerd life partner!
3. Don't carry a laptop while going shopping.
4. Not have a wireless card in the laptop.
5. Pick the first thing you see in the store.

Now you tell me, why are so many jokes on nerds? :D

Microsoft's Yahoo Buzz

I have been pretty much following the possibility of Microsoft's Yahoo acquisition. I was reading this article here where experts are discussing how this can impact Microsoft and more, the culture in the Silicon Valley. It is indeed interesting how a three decade old company Microsoft and a decade old Yahoo seem to be succumbing to much less than a decade old Internet computing leader of today Google! As the article aptly describes,
"It (Google) has unleashed the power of free — not a new idea for the Valley — to endear itself to a new generation of computer users with services they find they cannot live without, like e-mail, digital video and social networking."

I couldn't have agreed more! To me today, "I can spend a month on green salads only but not without gmail / orkut / youtube !"

I don't understand much of business or the kind of speculations that are being made by people about how such a big acquisition might impact the innovation structure in the Silicon Valley. But I do understand the concern for Microsoft.

Microsoft has never been ahead of coming up with the "next cool thing", rather have often re-done things already existent before (compare Vista to Mac, for example). And the reason they are one of the biggest companies today is definitely because of their wide array of licensed software!

However, I know people in Microsoft and Yahoo Research; and ironically most of the people in their Research Labs are one of the smartest people in those areas today! Google paradoxically doesn't have a research lab, which they say they integrate with their main modules. This is probably partly true; because being in my research area, we know that Microsoft and Yahoo Research do much starter things (thinking ahead 10 years say) than what Google does!

Nevertheless, the picture is completely reversed in the market! Google is the leader of the "next cool thing" in Internet computing; be it emails, multimedia management, social networking and undoubtedly search.

The observations are pretty interesting. We in research / academics often consider the key to success is to have smart people doing smart things which are look ahead, at least five years from now. However, this smart man power is not enough for Microsoft or Yahoo to succeed! Google with great programmers and their search tool capital are ready to take much bigger strides into the software industry today. They know that acquiring a potential start-up doing an innovative thing is much smarter than acquiring a dead giant like Yahoo. And with their increasing automatically generative user data profiles, Google can probably dictate several cool things in the coming years which we, in academics, despite knowing them much ahead of time, haven't really been able to strike due to limited availability of gigs of user data!

When I learned to Admire...

One of the most useful learnings I have had in my life till now is the beauty of admiring people. I have often met people who loathe admiring others, especially their adversaries at school, work place, status quo or any other place where they felt they are competing. I won't say I was born to think differently the moment I was born: rather all the while I also saw my tendency to get bogged down feeling complex at the positive aspects and success of somebody who was doing as good as or better than me.

Nevertheless, time has been the greatest tutor! I have learned that suffering from any sort of complex is never the best thing to happen to development of personality. If an acquaintance of mine succeeded in something which I too wanted to do well in, I have learned to learn from them. Keeping a positive attitude, maintaining amicable relationships is the first step towards being a good human being. And the interesting part of learning from the success of your adversaries is that you learn to admire the good in everything. Of course everyone and everything has its pros and cons, the key lies in how we look at them. The ability to admire the good in others will never leave us morose in life.

And the most precious part of the learning: admiring others doesn't lessen your own achievements, hard work, will or ability. We always have to remember that if a person's act is good, whether or not you admire it or feel jealous about it, it won't make a difference to its acceptability. Truth, honesty and the best are universal. They won't change whether or you appreciate it! The wise take is therefore always to look at them so that we learn from them; and reproduce them in our own activities.

Whichever arena you work for, success is really re-inventing the wheel! Look around and learn to admire your contemporaries, you will get myriads of reasons to learn and put them in some way to make success your way!

A note on being "unsocial"

Today I was reading this post by a fellow blogger sodamncool on being unsocial. This is a response I wrote about my experience.

I came here for grad studies back in Fall 2005. It was everything new: new place, customs, work ethics, things that would streamline existence greatly! But ironically enough, things have not been so rosy on the social side. I am often unable to connect with the crowd here; just so much as I can't do the same with friends back in India. Despite having room-mates and other fellow MS / PhD students, I have not built up a large group. And this is not just true for me, I have seen the same for some of my other friends.

Sometimes I thought it is just me: my line of thought is just too different now to interact normally with others. To me hanging around is no more partying / discussing bf, gfs / bitching about other people / complaining about work / studies. I often look for something more creative: like going hiking somewhere, doing photography, discussing philosophy, appreciating Art, discussing nice movies, talking of literature, suggesting nice books to read, exchange cooking recipes etc. But unfortunately I find very few people with whom I can do these things. Neither can I run after getting jobs (as most MS students do) or start my drive to find a handsome guy to date (most ABCDs do). May be I am the odd one!

When You are Not Born with a Silver Spoon in Your Mouth

I have often heard of people who were said to be "born with a silver spoon in their mouth". They are the people to whom the world has mostly been generous enough to exonerate most of their wrong doings, to shower wealth and prosperity and to endow them with power which is behemoth in its measures. To many of them, the 'throne' has simply come as a primogeniture!

Nevertheless, such people are only a handful and the genre we frequent more around us are the commonplace people like you and me. Many a times this genre has to come upfront with the bare reality; a world which is often not very favorable, a place where you have to take all sorts of impromptu decisions amidst bright sunny days or bleak sunsets. Life just seems so much more difficult!

Will you attribute this to destiny? Perhaps many of us will. After all, everyone is not born with a silver spoon in mouth. It is true. But one of us has to bring ourselves that silver spoon. By hook or by crook we need to gear up the chutzpah to dictate our own destiny. And trust me, it is no chicanery, rather reaching that zenith needs perennial determination, enthusiasm and courage. Nevertheless, ironically enough, earning ourselves that silver spoon has a modus-operandi charateristic of everyone of us: and that altogether makes it all more challenging!

But as most wise men of our earlier times have said, that silver spoon is 'silver' only when we know the meaning of iron: it is all the dusk-long toil, midnight oil, sweat of our brows and the sacrifices we make to earn a sweet fruit that makes life worthy of living. After all, life has to be led in the full sense of its charm; a bit of whim, the ability to bring out the capricious self in ourselves leaves us merry and the rest of the world enchanted, enthralled and mesmerized! Often a spur-of-the-moment ad-lib act unravels a novel dimension to thinking, scope and joy. Who knows, that can earn us the "silver spoon"? However, a striking balance of whim and pragmatism is important to lead a life: the marathon after the silver spoon ought not to lead us astray for enjoying life to the fullest.

One and all of us have hitherto led lives in hunt of something: many a times that silver spoon if in their lingua franca, we are not destined for. But the rocky terrains on the way often make us so morose that we seem to be lost somehwere. This reminds me of a few very famous lines by Robert Frost: it instills in my desolate self, the vigor and accrues for me the silver lining in a whole vista of dark dreary melancholy clouds:
"The woods are lovely dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
.....
And miles to go before I sleep."

PS: The post uses the ten words (shown in bold); courtesy Partha and Satish.

When will we learn from them?

Today I was just talking to a friend when the topic about the eastwhile poet from Bangladesh, Kazi Nazrul Islam came upfront. I had read his numerous poems back in middle school, had sang some of his songs and had also heard stories about how different-thinking he was from my grandmother who used to be a great fan of his works. I have known that he was much talented and used to write straight from his heart. A prominent poet and a thinker who was up for social justice for women and was rebellious against the strained relationship between the Hindus and Muslims in the then times: he has left a mark very differently in the sands of time, be it literature, social reform or culture.

I was flipping through Wikipedia when I found this translation of one of his poems.

I am the unutterable grief,
I am the trembling first touch of the virgin,
I am the throbbing tenderness of her first stolen kiss.
I am the fleeting glance of the veiled beloved,
I am her constant surreptitious gaze...

...

I am the burning volcano in the bosom of the earth,
I am the wild fire of the woods,
I am Hell's mad terrific sea of wrath!
I ride on the wings of lightning with joy and profundity,
I scatter misery and fear all around,
I bring earth-quakes on this world! “(8th stanza)”

I am the rebel eternal,
I raise my head beyond this world,
High, ever erect and alone!

There are some people like us, who are so much intertwined in the knick-knacks of life, trying to explore avenues to make our lives better, running after goals, competing with adversaries; and then there were, are and will be people like Nazrul who geared the courage, the urge, the passion to think differently and make a difference to the world, in their own manner for the greater humanity.

When will we learn from them?

When Wisdom dawns...

There are two kinds of people you would ever meet in life: ones whose negative qualities come to your notice before their positive qualities. But probably in your urge to be a better person you would tend to appreciate them for their positive qualities instead. And then there is the other category of people whose negative qualities we are often blind to. All we notice ever are their strengths and positive qualities.

And this proposition follows from the fact that we attach ourselves differentially to people. We hate some people, just don't care about some and really love some others. And this probably reveals when they say, love is blind.

However, no man can ever be an epitome of perfection: good and bad qualities adorn him day in and day out. Should love really be blind then? Should a person lose his or her own judgment to critique the bad and embrace the better because he or she loves a person? Probably it will not be a great decision.

One and all of us seem to be running after attaining wisdom in life. Unfortunately we often fail to realize that wisdom doesn't come from religion, caste, academic degree, money or atonement. It is as simple as opening our eyes to the world: deterring the blind self in us. Whether it is a partner, a pet, a sibling or a child, we ought to execute judgment to distinguish the bad from the good qualities. I believe that is one way we could make the two ends meet: extreme hatred and extreme love. Life needs a balance; and therein dawns wisdom.

"The Happy Man's Shirt"

Many a times I find it placating to myself to re-iterate unto me one of the short yet profound tales I had read in one of my text books back in middle school. I was probably too young or not matured enough to interpret its beauty; but today, as I stand, striving hard to lead a life in this unpredictable world, recalling the tale often lends me peace, hope and joy.

Here goes the tale. I have written it in my own manner and a little bit maneuvered; because it was a poem and I don't remember it word to word- all I know its the plot and the moral of the story.

It was one victory after another; the kingdom was spreading its boundaries by leaps and bounds. The people who dwelt in that kingdom were reaching the peak of prosperity. There was a celebration at every nook and corner, in the wet air. But there was a King who was not happy.

Adorned in clothing of silken threads, rows of pearl beads around the neck, a beautiful queen, a host of servants pulling the string of the fan, the silver glassware overflowing with wine and champagne: nothing seemed enough to him. Artists, musicians, thinkers and men and women with multi-faceted bliss of talent and grandeur adorned his court: none-the-less, for the King, no one could satiate his desire to fill his own glass of happiness upto the brim.

Till one day, when the sun was overhead with its bright yellow beams penetrating the ground glorifying every sand into a marvellous golden hue, the birds chirping and the swan singing a melody, a smart man arrived at his court. The King who was as morose as he could ever be, could not be more eager to talk to him to ward his sickness of unhappiness off forever: a secret key which could unlock unto him the door of ultimate mirth, happiness and joy.

"My Majesty, I have a medicine for you which can make you happy forever! It is the secret key you have been looking for," said the man. The King was stirred to astonishment amidst his ecstasy so much so that he was ready to hunt down the man's medicine for happiness with as much as it could take. "I am glad there are smart men in my kingdom like you. I will reward you with a hundred horses, thousand shillings of gold and silver and a palace in my courtyard. But the medcine you suggested ought to make me happy forever," the King replied. The smart man bowed and accepted the King's words with utmost submission, faith and a smile.

The hunt for the medicine of happiness started from the next dawn itself. Courtmen, soldiers one and all engaged into the job assigned by their King, who was eagerly awaiting the miraculous medicine. The medicine was: search for the person who replies he or she is happy when asked; and get the King his or her shirt to wear for a day. The King would be happy from the next sunrise onwards, for ever and ever.

The King's men went door to door seeking that one "happy" person. They met an old woman who said, "I lost my son in war two years ago; I am not happy." Then there was a farmer sitting by a lush green paddy field who said, "They took my land, they took my toil." Another little boy crying by his courtyard mummed, "The other kid broke my toy!" When they met a beautiful young lady sitting in trance by the sea-shore, she uttered, "I am waiting with my woes for my husband to return who went sailing down this sea in hunt of treasure beyond seven oceans and thirteen lands."

The soldiers got tired seeking for the right person. Tired and pensive, sitting under a shady tree, a soothing wind was swaying them, caressing lightly their gloomy faces; when suddenly they heard a very sweet melody. Looking around, they saw a beggar sitting by the roadside. He was extremely lean and thin, almost the same width from the front as he was sideways. He seemed to be hungry for days together. His eyes had mellowed down into caves of darkness and the edges of his pants were torn with several threads coming out with holes in them as if it was an activity of notorious rats. He was sitting on a piece of newspaper which had turned pale yellow and was looking more like a parchment paper than anything else.

The soldiers were in no more enthusiasm to ask this beggar if he is happy. After all, they had met so many rich people and everyone replied in negative. Then how can this beggar who doesn't even have proper clothes, house or food be happy? Nevertheless, they had the fear of losing their jobs, should they be not able to get the King his much coveted medicine of happiness!

So they walked up to the beggar with the least interest, half asleep with exertion and depressed with the outcome of their medicine hunt. One of them asked, "Hello man, our King wants to know if you are happy." The beggar was singing anyway, but their question made him start laughing terribly. "Yes, Sir! I am very happy!" he said.

This reply dumbfounded the soldiers: despite his attire, they could see a bright hope behind those dark crevices in his eyes, a big grin stretching his dwindled cheeks and a slender body which though beaten bad by the cold, but not enough to beat the mirth emanating from his body language. They were in loss of words when they re-iterated the question, "Do you understand young man, what we are asking? If you lie, then the King won't spare your life." "Yes I do, Sir. I am telling you, I am very happy. I don't have complains against anything. Please go and tell the King if this reply can be of any service to him in anything," said the beggar.

"OK, if you are sure about your answer, the King wants to have your shirt. He will also reward you in emeralds, rubies and gold should you give him your shirt. A smart man says this shirt can make him happy forever," asserted the soldiers. The beggar's intensity of laughter knew no bounds. Trembling with a small sleek body, his white jaws were pushing out with the huge grin. The soldiers got angry and said, "Don't you see what were are asking for? Give us your shirt. Where is it?" The beggar calmed down, and to everyone's astonishment replied, "Sir, don't you see I don't have a shirt?"

The King woke up the next morning and learnt what the real medicine for happiness was.

The Five Things I Admire...

Five things which I have always admired, and things which will always keep on revealing newer shades to me every morning and every night.

1. Art: The heart of the world since time immemorial. Something I have admired since I can recall my conscience. I still remember one of the dinner table talks with Dad when he said, "If it was some super-power which or who created the world, it is the artists who are closest to that power- a writer can create a character, a painter can imagine and build a landscape, a musician can develop a melody and a craftsman can carve out an object. All these creations are unique and are not limited by the constraints of the world created by that super power: they transcend all boundaries."

2. Nature: The most amazing of everything in the world. Mother Nature unveils itself with its vermilion sunrises, the shiny water droplets, the flaky snow which tingles your skin, the bountiful oceans always aspiring you to hope for, the golden desert sands and the leaflets of rainbow. People say, beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. To Nature, every beholder perceives her beauty, delving into colors like a painter's palate, like a chef's new recipe and like an athlete's vigor.

3. Creativity: One of the most precious qualities of the civilized man; the reason behind where we stand today in the twenty first century. Thanks to men who could nurture it in themselves: Galileo's relentless faith in his theory of the Earth's revolution, Newton's connection with the falling apple, Wright brothers' realization of man's desire to fly, or Leonardo's creation of the eternal beauty of Monalisa. No one is born gifted, creativity is a quality inherent in all of us; we need to nurture it till the right trigger comes at the right opportunity.

4. Sincerity: The other quality I have always admired in men. There is no secret password to success after all: it has been people's perseverance and tenacity that has paid off: today we bear the fruits' of their toil and sincerity, through things that have streamlined our existence in every walk of life.

5. Parents: The other name for faith, trust and reliance. The whole world can fall apart, but there is one place you can always go back to: to mother's lap or father's arms. The relationships which I have valued most in my life, and would continue to do so forever. Right from my first step to walk, to the first spoonful of rice, to the first alphabet I learned, to the day and the place where I am today, I credit them. Whatever little I am able to think, do and cherish, it was none other than them always standing behind. Be the days be merry, be the nights be dark, they are the people whom you can always fall back upon: to the cave of recluse, hope and peace forever.

And my belief in these five things and the appreciation for them oozes from my desire for being a better human being tomorrow than what I was yesterday...

Just One Resolution...

"Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man." -Benjamin Franklin, American Founding Father, Statesman, Publisher and Inventor.

This year I don't have many pin pointed goals to work for. Life and its experiences are diverse to teach me abound. I only wish to become a better person with this new dawn. Swimming through the tumultuous waters of challenges, excitement and sincere endeavors, I have only learned as Franklin would say: to be a better person: each new day starts with a bigger promise, a simple promise to do better.

Not only the new year, in fact every sunrise and every dawn brings scope as well as hope that the world can be made a better place to live in. Because despite all odds, there are still people who dwell in every nook and corner of the Earth who strive to be "better" people. Every move that they make, strikes a positive energy in the world around us. Nevertheless, we often seem to be morose by the feeling that the small inch of positive motive is offset by another five people's mis-doings. Yet, I would argue, it is worth the effort to improve our own life and advance the common goal of manifesting the best in ourselves round the clock. At this critical hour with the evil dwelling all admist the rare good beings and doings, we need to culture and cling to the faith in ourselves and in the world around us: the first step towards being a better man...

Prelude: forest, food, faith, laugh and illegal

Today I got an interesting plan worked out with Arvind (his blog is here). We decided to suggest each other a set of any five words; and the other person would write any sensible blog post on each word. The article below goes as the prelude to those five posts. It contains all the five words suggested by Arvind. The five words are: forest, food, faith, laugh and illegal.

Prelude:

The modern man has moved ahead from being the food hoarder of the pre-historic times. Life now resembles more like a convoluted terrain through the most dense forest in the universe. Interestingly, this terrain does not give us rules to abide by: obviously no one peeks into an illegal crossroad! And that is what makes life challenging and yet so exciting. It is what has created the good and the evil. Because it is so easy to get astray and become the 'frog in the well': turning a deaf ear to the rest of world- the blind man trying to cross the road, the deaf child attempting to enjoy music and the penny-less beggar who had not had a meal since last Thursday.

However, history has been the eternal witness: the reason that the mankind has been able to traverse this long terrain is because the good has been victorious over the evil: the power of faith in oneself. Nevertheless, this voyage through this uncertainty is also often associated with a simple goal for one and all: the reason to 'laugh'- the desire to strike the word around you to mirth and ecstasy. This is the reason why in today's cursed day we still find people who help the blind man cross the road, people who work day in and day out to support the deaf with technology and the people who can spare a penny for the beggar despite having two in his own pocket.

US up-bringing

This is a response to Aparna's blog about values in life to which I couldn't have agreed more. In fact, I always have realized that the kids here in US have several qualities that are almost non-existent in kids back in India.

1. They grow up to be more self-responsible due to the social structure of self-reliance after 18 years of age. Most of them start working and earning something by the end of their teens. I am impressed by the concept of trying to fund one's own undergraduate education with one's own penny; even though it often involves taking student loans- still it makes them self-responsible.

2. They don't suffer from the "I am a rich parents' kid" syndrome: dignity of labor is utmost. Most of my American friends I have seen, started working in some Mc Donald's or Subway: not because their parents did not have enough money; but because the joy of earning one's own dollar is marvellous!

3. I also have seen them cherish the ability to respect independent and variegated career decisions. I have often seen them to respect a History major person even if he or she is doing Physics.

I would always want my kids to grow up in US: despite the common desi notion that kids here lack parental attachment. I disagree, because kids in India often get entangled into parents' never-terminating pamper, which I think is not a great idea for development of the kid's personality. Hunting and accruing one's own identity, being able to take one's own decisions and the realization of the necessity to be self-dependent is very important. And then, after all, values begin at home: if I am able to impart the right education to kids about moral values, the topographical coordinates on Earth just wouldn't matter any more!

Nevertheless, there are always light and shades to both sides of the coin! Upbringing of kids in US has also its short-comings: the vulnerability to get into bad habits (e.g. smoking, drinking at an inappropriate age, doping etc) and more. But what I have learned looking at the manner I was brought up and several other friends and acquaintances of mine both in India and US, that culturing the right set of values begins at home. Being parents whether in US or in India is never an easier task! Yet, the first and the last education begin at home...

Self-Identity

I have often known and heard of women who would at their own will or under so-called cultural norms or family customs change their lastnames to the one of her husband's family. It is no doubt a personal choice: but one question always comes to my mind- why is this required?

On one hand, we have always tried to stick to the philosophy "Live and let live"; and on the other, we know that at the end of the day, all of us are, in some manner or the other, bound to societal ethics, established practices and notions. There is definitely a trade-off, and the reason the human civilization has been able to traverse a journey this far is because our ancestors had been able to strike a balance between the two poles. Then why is it so, that for women, the second proposition holds and not the first? I am not implying the loads of social injustice done to women: probably they are persistent amidst the folk of illiterate people in remote areas; but this is a more grave issue. I have known so many educated women from well-off and socially reputed families changing their lastnames.

The reason behind this is unknown to me: and that is the reason I find this to be illogical. I believe, when a man marries a woman, it is the beginning of a journey together- and not the women losing her previous identity. I believe, a marriage involves two different families, and therefore both the families would have equal representation and respect for each other. Then why should the daughter of one family lose her original identity?

It this beyond a typical feminist issue. It is about something our civilization had branded as 'morals'. I find it extremely objectionable that the women has to give up her lastname (and in certain situations her first name as well). As human beings, man or woman, we grow as a individuals and often the ultimate goal in our life is to build our own identity. How does it feel to lose it one fine morning you wake up?

I would not protest against the practice being following at a time forty or fifty years back from today. For, then, women were less educated, and therefore their sole identity was their husbands' identity. But the woman of twenty first century has broken free those shackles. Amidst all odds, she has earned her self-identity.

I strongly detest customs and practices that compel one party to sacrifice an abstract feeling close to their heart. Neither men nor women should be a victim to this. It is not about disobeying culture: culture is a set of norms that characterizes a society for the good on a road which can take it far towards prosperity, happiness and bliss.

Romeo-Juliet

Nothing ever has befuddled me more than the cliched tendency of all couples and love stories to consider Romeo-Juliet's as the archetype of all times! Just listen to your conscience: do you want your own or your loved ones' love stories to end in a tragedy as theirs? I am sure you will not; and herein lands the irony! The never-ending perplexed human being you are, you roam around the world and shout 'you' are the architect of your own destiny; and still at dusk, you avert the dark starry sky relying on acts which you do not really approve of! You do not want your love story to be tragic; and yet you go about idolizing Romeo and Juliet: and you say you are the most reasonable being ever on Earth - where is the contradiction, inside you or in the rest of the universe?

The Answer of the 'Rebel'

Many of my friends and acquaintances, especially the ones from my undergrad college back in India ask me,
Tu abhee bhi padh rahi hai?
Aur kitna padhegi?
Kitna research karegi?
PhD kyun?
Kitna time hai tujhe graduate hone mein?
Tu bore nahee hoti padhai se?

The translation being,
You still in school!
How much more you want to study?
How much more research do you want to do?
Why PhD?
How many more years to go to graduate?
Don't you get bored of it?"

These folks are the ones who are quite 'settled' in life right now: earning a decently fat salary, with or without an MBA from somewhere in India. Now they are desperately looking for some pretty and hot girl whom they can date for sometime and then marry. Dwelling in the Fool's paradise that they have achieved almost everything in life, they loathe the very idea of continuing an academic career. To them, probably, being in school at 25 is so uncool! To the girls, the time is ripe to find Mr. Perfect, a guy who is reasonably handsome, earns a fat salary, owns his own flat and/or a car in India, or lives in US or been to US for considerable time and has reasonable bank balance so that he can buy her a diamond necklace every year on her birthday.

I am not being mean describing them this way: some of them are people with whom I have spend quality time in the past and I like them. Also, I totally respect their decision to feel complete with a bachelors degree. It is after all, a personal matter of choice and everyone has his or her liberty to take decisions for themselves in life.

The conflict occurs when the personal decision accrues the shape of a generic judgment which they seamlessly attempt to fit into one and all. And that is what flows out from these questions that they have been uttering all this while.

Joining the PhD program and the decision to go for research has been one of the best decisions in my life. I have forever been a risk-taker, right since I was 16 years old: I loved to do things which no one else would do; I loved the joy in doing those things and marking myself as different from the commonplace crowd. But just the desire to be different was not about it. As far as my mature conscious takes me back, I remember I liked pure sciences, I loved to question things around me and think crazy if any of the established truths weren't true today. When I was in 4th grade, I came to know about something called a 'scientist'. I participated in a painting competition and came out first rank holder when the organizers gave me an interesting prize: a biographical account of several renowned scientists in the world. I would read that book for long, discuss those scientists with Dad and then feel so happy that certain people can rise against appartently impossible odds and still be so much successful! I also wanted to be a scientist from then onwards, and make a mark in the sands of time by thinking the world from an altogether different facet!

Half of my dream has come true the day I joined the PhD program! While this feels so placated to me several times, I know each new day brings up a new vista of challenges to me. In an academic program spanning over at least five years, you are answerable to several people and several questions: ranging from these friends, to parents, to relatives and to professors and the advisor. Nevertheless, therein lies the real charm of life!

Research has taught me several things larger than academics and sometimes larger than life. It is no longer the pre-conceived notion that those friends possess about studies: research transcends studies. It connects you directly to your soul: a means to think beyond the constrained realms of mundane world. It teaches you perseverance, teaches you tenacity; above all, teaches you there is something beyond earning a fat salary and marrying a pretty girl or a handsome guy, and so called living happily ever after. The meaning of life has more to it: and research reveals this truth to you.

After all, life is not an algorithm where you execute certain steps and finally terminate into a stable state. It is stranger than fiction, as you know. And research and PhD just add a new degree of zest to it: you learn life, beyond books, alcohol or credit cards. Research is the tool of the rebel of today...

The Metaphor of Hypothesis Proving

Seldom did it happen that a bad weather outside your window made you morose and pensive to the extent that you were pushed to reflect on the life you have been leading. And ironical, how certain days turn out to be so difficult than some others!
One of all of us seem to running after some goal or the other in life: we fight, we strive, we sweat our brows day in and day out. Nevertheless, it is on those gloomy days when all your colossal efforts sever making much sense: the journey seems to have got lost in the meandering terrains of the zest to excel and 'achieve' the goal.
Where do we stand now? It is the 21st century: a life adorned with all the technology, intelligent-wares streamlining every work in our homes, work places, restaurants, gardens etc. A life with all the grandeur, if you have the cents to be the spend-thrift! A laptop, a modem, a DVD and a Heineken: you are all set to spend a wonderful exhilarating weekend, a drive away from the immensely bone-weary work.
But, wait a minute: are we missing something in this marathon of running after these mundane goals?

I feel I have lost the actual meaning of life somewhere. I had it once upon a time; but lost it as of now and as I stand today here at this juncture of my life, I only see myself running after some goals which probably will not make a difference to another person than me tomorrow. Because I am trying to spend my life doing something which probably I might not be good at; however much efforts I put, they are never enough for excellence. I am still running after that excellence which probably might be too far a land to swim to!

But the next moment, it dawns on my mind: I loathe being the ship without the rudder, running toward the excellence is necessary for getting the best out of ourselves, after all!
Life just seems to be a contradiction: we begin with a hypothesis; but ironically, move forward in life with all the evidences to disprove that initial hypothesis! What happens next? Only time will tell.

The Story of the 'Inside'

Perplexed I was the entire gloomy afternoon,
Though an overcast day with the breeze swaying the skin so cool;
But nothing was as beautiful to me as it actually was,
A morose soul amidst the aphotic bleaky ambience of virtual wars.

A leap I took to look beyond the pensive tyranny of dingy daylight soon after,
Not a sense of withdrawal could further stop me thereafter,
Deep forest, monstrous ocean, mammoth mountain: none could put a bar towards that 'pasture',
The hunt: the search for the ultimate source of ecstasy and laughter.

Variegated folks did I all encounter,
In that voyage of the key to fun and banter;
But none could endow me with a terse answer,
I was depressed: only more eager to uncover the mysterious universe of all wonder.

Days passed, years dwindled, without a ray of hope,
The hope for the key to the sweetest of my dream that round the clock I wanted to grope,
Soon after, did dawn a 'sun' into my mind's realm,
Where is the hunt: where in the universe is happiness as it might seem?

I knew then, that all these years, I was wrong,
After all, happiness was just another habit which you adorn inside, not in some special throne,
I knew, the storm was 'within',
And I geared up with all new vigor to cull out the zealous, without giving in!

The world you live in, is an APPROXIMATION!

The physical world we live in is highly approximate. Consider the definition of a point in space: "a point is a physical entity which has no length, breadth and height but has existence only".

Can a point have a fourth dimension, like time? may be. But how do we justify this? Will a point travel in time? No it cannot. Since it does not have length, breadth or height, it cannot have physical properties that characterize other things, e.g. can point characterize temperature? No. So point is just an existential quantity in space, not time.

Consider the definition of a physical object:
"an entity that can be perceived by human beings in one or more of their visual or auditory senses".
This means a physical object will have existence as well as stability or volatility across space and time.

Now the connection between a point and a physical object which hints at the subtle but highly approximate definition of the physical world. This theory of approximation is demonstrated by the fact that physical objects can be considered an assembly of points and point does not have any dimensions: no length, breadth and height, only existence; then how do physical objects have dimentions? This is a contradiction which can only be supported by the fact that the objects themselves are approximations and points do have dimensions. Because, if it was not true, then, the following will always be true:
0+ 0+ 0+ 0 = 0 always. No physical object that we see around us can have dimensions.
Hence the universe and its contained physical objects are merely approximation of a bigger assumption that dimensions are inherent to entities around us.

What are your plans for Christmas? :P

Here are some interesting vacation spots for you this winter (okay for me; I want to go to these places some winter). Enjoy!

1. Grand Canyon, Arizona: Beyond its fame as one of the seven natural wonders of the world, its beauty is multiplied in the snow covered gorges, mountains, semi-frozen waters of the Colorado river and the vegetation.

2. New York City, New York: The real USA: it has always been Hollywood's and Bollywood's favorite shooting place in winters. PS: Karan Johar's favorite site for shoots :P. While on one hand it brings out the harsh life in the depressing sun-less mornings, the flaky snow and driving through snow covered terrains is altogether a different adventure.

3. Hawaii: The hot honeymoon- perfect place for many people! Winter is a great time there to enjoy the warmth of the Central Pacific. Just checked farecast, great ticket prices to Honolulu.

4. Kerala, India: One of the most interesting adobes of natural sea-side beauty in India. Be ready for some interesting coconutty food!

5. Istanbul, Turkey: Istanbul is a great cultural and financial center in eastern Europe. Wikitravel says, "Located on both sides of the Bosphorus, the narrow strait between the Black Sea and the Marmara Sea, Istanbul truly bridges Asia and Europe both literally and figuratively." Winter is a great time to visit this cultural hub. The palaces, mosques and cisterns are a wonderful relax out of the din and bustle of the cities in US.

6. Mexico: Of course you cannot leave this out! Wikitravel says, "Mexico has nice and warm people, unique food, art and archeology, pyramids, museums, Haciendas, 6,000 miles of shores, superb architecture and cities, weather from snow mountains in the Sierras, to rainy jungles in the Southeast and desert in the Northwest, more than 50 golf courses, excellent fishing, world top destinations like Acapulco, Cancun, Cozumel, Los Cabos, Patzcuaro, among others amenities. Mexico is ranked 8th major destination for foreigner visitors, according to WTO." And how can you forget the most authentic Margaritas!

7. Canary Islands, Spain: The Canary Islands are an Atlantic territory of Spain on the west coast of Africa, near Morocco, Cape Verde and the archipelagos of the Azores Islands and Madeira Islands, both Portuguese territories. Abounded with wonderful honeymoon-like vacation resorts!

8. Fiji: Fiji is characterized by the combination of volcanic mountains and warm tropical waters. Its majestic and ever-varied coral reefs today draw tourists from around the world. Very close from US west coast and Hawaii.

9. Taiwan: One of the greatest tourist destinations in eastern Asia. It is amazing to see tradition, culture and westernization all in the same vista! Don't forget about the semi-American and Chinese-Japanese fusion of a variety of classic foods!

10. Miami, Florida: Check out some of the most soothing warm climates in US! Proximity to Cuban culture as well as the great sea coasts of the Atlantic make the vacation more than just enthralling and enchanting. Miami has the largest Latin American population outside of Latin America itself with nearly 65% of its populace either from Latin America or of Latin American ancestry. There are also some great Spanish monasteries and meseums and gardens.


Do you have any more suggestions? :P
Photos: Courtesy, Flickr

Om Shanti Om

I would make a very honest statement: I really liked Om Shanti Om. And I mean it. Reasons are numerous: please get rid of your self-notion imagination that it is because the King Khan is there. Of course I am a big fan of him; but I believe there are reasons beyond this liking that makes this movie a nice watch (without any sort of cursing) to me.

If you would hunt for logic behind the happening of the movie, I am sorry: you make a bad pick. Probably a movie like "The Pursuit of Happyness" would suit you more. Well, let me clarify: I am not comparing the two movies at all. Just pointing out a contrast in movie taste: the former a true fiction, the latter bringing you face to face to the hard reality.

It is the story of an aspiring actor who falls for a big star. And how his failure in that birth leads to his reincarnation to fulfil his dreams, one and all. I personally don't believe in rebirth and the genre. But I really liked the movie. Reasons:

1. The movie is a complete fiction: a drive away from reality. It is not just reincarnation, but also things like a commonplace guy coming into the notice of a superstar, and the girl coming out to spend an evening with the guy. These things are far away from reality. But what makes this movie beautiful is the intricacy with which these fictional events have been rendered.

2. The actors do their jobs. SRK gives 'life' to the character so much so that you yourself feel that something should happen even if out of the blue to fulfil his dreams! And that's what happens: when it comes, it is no surprise to you!

3. Deepika is not just another new comer with a great deal of item numbers and skin show. Her acting skills, if not the great ones, are appreciable with her experience in the acting arena. Shreyas and Kiron Kher are good as ever.

I strongly feel why this fiction succeeds and why others (like No Smoking) fails. Om Shanti Om does not attempt to make a connection with the reality. For those three and a half hours you are transported to a surreal world. And the credit probably goes to the director Farah and of course the producer SRK.

Bollywood really needs to understand that a movie success doesn't necessary happen because of:
1. focusing on just classy and expensive sets (e.g. Saawariya).
2. characters have a great role to play. They need to be true to themselves in rendering their job. Kudos, OSO does it very nicely!

Consider any fiction movie in Hollywood: from "being John Malcovich" to "Matrix" to "Jurassic Park", all were fictions. But they came out a great movies. The reason being: they did their best jobs 'inside' their realm of the fiction!

Relativity= Compromised Perfection?

I was reading a research paper the other day when I ran into this really strong statement and eventually provoked me to think: Is relativity a compromised perfection? The author was trying to press upon the implicit relative success of several methods in a certain research topic (Human Computer Interaction) and was trying to brain storm on newer ideas. But his approach was interesting. He was telling that the reason these methods have been successful so far is because we have not been able to devise better ones. Ironical, but agreed: this is true. Certain things around us seem to be pseudo-successful or nicer simply because there are no similar better things around!

There is a very famous quote made by Churchill when he lost the elections in 1946-47 after the war. He says, "Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time." (from a House of Commons speech on Nov. 11, 1947)

It is not just about democracy. We often seem to be happy with what we have. We live and die to 'maintain' this so-called implicit perfect world. But is it really perfect? Isn't this sense of relativity: the fact that we don't have nicer things just dwindling into a hollow sense of compromised perfection?

Although there is of course a thin line between being ever-greedy for better things and being a little non-complacent with the current state of things. While the former is definitely not advisable nor is meant in this blog, yet I believe the latter is the key to a race's ever-lasting journey towards a more prosperous civilization.

Are you growing old?

Since quite sometime, I have been feeling a soothing placidness inside me: as if I can see the implicit signs of aging in me! Some of the signs I could decipher: may be you want to check them out for yourself!
1. I am enjoying tragic movies more these days compared to my ever-favorite: Sci-Fi. I somehow get this intuition I will like watching Saawariya although the movie is a commercial disaster. Hope I do that soon. Probably the bluish-greenish surreal ambience will match my state of mind (age?).
2. I am more into softer romantic songs now: for example, Hindi: Jab We Met's Tum Se Hi. Days are gone for the Hip Hop numbers of Dus or Bluffmaster's Talk To Me.
3. No more Rap or Hip Hop in English genre. I feel suffocated in the sweaty congested environment of dance floors in clubs playing loud Hip Hop. Jazz takes me away; especially of The Kenny G. kind. I only log on to 95.5 FM smooth Jazz or 107.9 FM KMLE Country radio in my car stereo as well while driving.
4. I kind of have shrugged the desire for alcohol. No hard stuff other than beer sometimes, very very rarely.
5. I have also grown increasing fondness for cats.
6. My finickiness for cleanliness is ever on an exponential increasing note.
7. Art always captivated me: but I find tremendous match with my sometimes' pensive mood in appreciating art pieces anywhere around Tempe. The USPS building puts up the current exhibits of fine artwork in the city.
8. I want to attend Jazz concerts, pretty often on Sundays in Phoenix.
9. And yeah, I am not going to miss the next Broadway Musical that is going to be played in the Gammage at ASU next time!
10. And last but not the least, I am developing a much mature insight into my research. After all, I have started to believe, that is how I can contribute to the progress of the human civilization!

I am only (?) 25 though: what do you think? Is it too late? Is it too early?

"What is Intelligence?": Food for the AI Folks...

Wikipedia describes intelligence to be: a property of mind that encompasses many related abilities, such as the capacities to reason, to plan, to solve problems, to think abstractly, to comprehend ideas, to use language, and to learn.
And this is simply not what wikipedia thinks; some of the great talks by renowned computer scientists I have ever attended (including Turing Award winners like Fran Allen) talk alike. Nevertheless the question is, it is really sufficient to describe intelligence by these skills? Haven't most of the work traditionally in AI starting from propositional planning to combinatorial logic always strived to inculcate one or more of these traits in the computers? If yes, then why are we so much away from even a 10% intelligent (compared to humans) computer today?
I am not sure if there is any precise answer, or actually if we ever will have the ability to actually answer this and make it happen in the future. But there are two things, I believe, which are typically very characteristic of humans and which the AI community hasn't probably thought of to instill in their endeavor for a super-smart computer!
These are: intuition and adaptation.
Intuition: It is the ability to take decisions or do things without being goaded by a standard reasoning process. I guess it is very typical of human beings and acts as a sophisticated ability to make judgments where reasoning cannot be applied. Unfortunately, while lot of work has been done about how to make computer reason about things, little has been said about taking decisions (under certain circumstances) when no reasoning can be applied. So here is a new direction, although the problem is difficult!
Adaptation: It is typically a positive characteristic of an organism that has been favored by natural selection. Is it not interesting to think of building systems that can actually evolve over time? Agreed, there has been some work in this regard. But the problem is more profound than judged. Adaptation is something which should enable a system to evolve in the sense can it can get rid of some characteristics, generate some, inherit some other others as well as mould and modify them to its own needs. The second food for thought!
Let's see what the next 40 years of AI research has in store for us! I will come back to this blog to compare my perceptions then...

The Four Questions...

The Grace Hopper 2007 is more than another Computer Science conference for me. What struck me most were these four pretty cliched, but ever-thought-arousing questions I heard (or re-iterated in my ears) today.
1. What is computable?
2. What is intelligence?
3. What is information?
4. Can we build complex systems simply?
I am trying to figure out these answers. Of course it is not easy: even many of the Turing Award winners have met many stumbling blocks on the way. But I will strike a take on it! As rightly said, "I Invent the Future" :)

'Meaning'...

Life just moves on, whatever happens, however unfavorable circumstances might be. It is amazing how much patience and reticence to one's self-conscience one might have that we still hold on to something as the 'center' of our lives despite all odds shattering our dreams which once used to leave us mesmerized. Everything comes and goes in the flick of a moment...

The key and the biggest learning of life is how you want to hold on to the real passion in your life in order to make life more meaningful. After all, none is born without an inherent meaning! The clue is how we or if we ever happen to unlock that mysterious 'bolt' of real meaning amidst numerous 'keys' all scrambled around us...
Life is greater than what we think of it to be. It is a long journey towards eternity: the destination of 'meaning'. And all our lives groom around just different facets of some consistent meaning. Like the rainbow is hidden all the time, lest the times when light is reflected from the clouds in some specific manner. What is that 'light' which can bring out the rainbow of our lives?
I guess it is a never-ending quest: a quest of truth. The 'meaning' of life...

Reasons why you should cook at home!

So here comes a blog which can all over again motivate you to start cooking and eating at home! A few good reasons:

1. Value-for-money (the cost factor): Home made food is far less expensive compared to the same thing you order at a restaurant. This is because the ingredients (the raw materials) that you would use for cooking is decently cheap at any local grocery store. For example, a box of brownies comes for about $5 in a standard grocery store. You probably need a $1 to buy brownie mix and bake them at home! Another good example, ice creams in waffle cone would cost you like $8 at any Cold Stone store. If you buy a huge box of ice cream and a few cones, it won't come more than $2 per ice cream!
2. Quality: You are your own chef, so you are at liberty to go for quality ingredients, especially about spices, cooking oil, butter, eggs, milk and cheese.
PS: though disputed, yet beware of buying specifically these stuff cheap, they have been known to cause deadly diseases like breast cancer. The second threat are the preservatives in all the cooked frozen food and ready-to-eat stuff.
3. Variety: And of course you have the freedom to go ahead and delve into cooking some really innovative meal! Try any possible fusion, like Chinese-American, Indian-Thai, Indian-Ethiopian or Mexican-Cuban!
PS: these are pretty standard fusions, but you can always introduce some variations!
4. Taste: Last but not the least, cooking is a passion! If you enjoy cooking, you can master the art of culinary skills and be the chef of numerous delicious recipes for your friends, family and loved ones. If you are a woman, then you know the saying "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach". While if you are a man, then you know the best chefs in the world are all men, an opportunity to be a better husband to your sweetheart!

... every little moment I live...

Of late, I have realized that life is simply about living everyday! It is all about those little petty things we do that make us happy and sad. Nothing is pre-defined before. Every moment is a surprise and living is about happily embracing all those moments...
I can see myself sitting in trance by the sea shore and watching those moments come and go by. Sometimes I would see a distant sail making its way through the unruly waves, thrashing water behind; till it finally makes it to the harbor.
Sometimes I see a homeless person downstairs in the downtown with his dog which reminds me how beautiful world is still now: some assets turn into lives themselves and no one could part them however pathetic life could be.
Sometimes I would see my fellow Asian colleagues at work, day in and day out with utmost devotion, re-iterating the fact that you don't need a God to believe in, for, work is worship.
Sometimes I would burst into laughter for no good reason at something which is far from being humorous.
Sometimes I would run after a few pebbles of happiness brought down by the rolling waves on the shore.
Sometimes I would knit my own fabric of day dreams with my joys and woes.
Sometimes I would be worried, sometimes placid, sometimes elated, sometimes pensive even though I would be clueless about the answer to the biggest questions in my life.
Life is all about what we see, learn, feel, visualize and cull out with our experiences of such numerous petty moments. It is about living every moment which caters to delivering an essence to life and its continual learning. My wish, "let me breathe in the fresh air of every moment that sweeps me by, let me drab it in, let me feel and let me live..."

'One Love'

Despite all the grandeurs of technology streamlining every segment of our daily life, if you ask me, the most common unsolved mystery that we still have not been able to solve is probably the question, "What gives me the ultimate happiness?" Do we really have a precise answer to this?
The mundane earthly life is a perennial sequence of unending desires: desire to acquire more and more; and that is what keeps us away from reaching our ultimate goal:to become happy. Imagine, every act we indulge in, right from dawn to dusk, has a lone common goal, how it can, in some manner, yield something towards our happiness. We work, we inculcate our passions, cherish our hobbies: all with one single goal. But the hunt for happiness seems never-ending!
I believe life is all about possessing 'one single thing'. And that possession 'does' it all: leads us to our ultimate goal of happiness. It is that thing which accrues the center of our life: diverges as a vivid facet to every aspect of our life. It lets us survive amidst all the odds and evens. To some, that one thing is their loved one, to some their pet, to others their passions.
I recall a few lines from the song 'One Love' from BLUE. I find it very apt how we need just 'one love' to live. It takes care of everything: paves the road to achieving happiness...

Yeah, alright

It's kinda funny
How life can change
Can flip 180
In a matta of days

Sometimes love works in
Mystertious ways
One day you wake up
Gone without a trace

I refuse to give up
I refuse to give in
You're my everything
I don't wanna give up
I don't wanna give in
So everybody sing

One love for the mothers prider
One love for the times we cried
One love gotta stay alive
I will survive

We only need to hunt for that 'one love' in life!

Along the waves of 'transitory' flow...

They are right when they say, "Life is stranger than fiction". I have always been amazed by the manner our thought process is involved with the sequence of actions and happennings in life. We are morose and taken aback when we see our hopes getting shattered; we drive up to ecstasy with the hint of a positive happenning around us.
I believe wherefrom our lives accrue meaning is the way we build magnificent domes and architectures of hopes, dreams and expectations around us. But on the rolling sands of time and life everything seems transitory. Hopes and dreams come and go, and we either watch them blooming into physical existence, or we see them being run down by the thrashing unruly waves of circumstances.
Nevertheless, life is so strange! Time and again, we would build those deck of cards for our hopes and dreams. Even when we know they have been shattered to pieces before. We never learn!
The inherent truth is, life itself is transitory. We are a petty existence of a sequence of happennings in the course of space and time. We dwindle away, and still try to groom again, with our energies. Needless to say, this perseverance to achieve what one wants in life, is what drives life. And an icing on the cake, the root to all woes in the world!
Along such never ending waves of continual transitory flow of life, when will we really grow up above these mundane hopes and dreams?