learning from books, life and experiences

"Is it normal to enjoy eating French fries at McDonald’s and puliyodharai from the temple? Is it possible for a single person to enjoy watching 'namma ooru' mega serials and Quentin Tarantino?" "Of course. Why not?"- would be anybody's refrain. Because human beings, by some peculiar nature, have learnt to enjoy the best of everything. We enjoy watching and appreciate a superlative task, regardless of the identity of the performer. That is why we give an Australian batsman a standing ovation when he scores a century in a match against India. Because deep inside we know that while patriotism flows strongly in our blood, it is no reason to reject the wonderful display of cricket that was on show or pretend that we did not enjoy the game. And that is why even during our hours of frustration while memorising Newton’s equations of motion for the next day's exam, we are still able to pay a moment's homage to the great scientist whose work it was.

Which is why it is shocking to read Ayn Rand's novel 'atlas shrugged' and see the description of human depravity and celebration of mediocrity in a doomed world which seems so alien yet strikes a chord deep within. Rand’s novel revolves around a few businessmen who revolutionise the world with their inventions and who are excellent at the job that they do and how they deal with the world around them- the bureaucrats and the so-called philanthropists.

I originally began writing a review about the novel, but gave up; realising that it would be futile to express in words what one feels while experiencing something rare and beautiful. Well, made me rethink a whole lot of things in my life.

well,this is probably the week when most of my self-revelation is scheduled to happen i guess,so..

And I finally understood that tenet from Bhagawad Gita-"do your duty and do not expect the result". I was crestfallen when i entered the counselling hall during the counselling session held by Anna University. For some unknown reason, i had got this desire to get into electronics and instrumentation engineering at MIT. As soon as i entered, i saw on the big board displaying the vacancies for each course and college community-wise. There were no seats left for E&I in my community. As we had decided earlier to select computer science and engineering at MIT in that case, i ended up doing just that. I was heartbroken and wondered what more i could have done. i had sacrificed countless hours of sleep, TV watching, playing to studying and it was grossly unfair that it be rewarded this way.

It was only during my first semester while studying engineering graphics that i understood that getting CSE had been a blessing in disguise. i had absolutely no talent for circuits or anything related to mechanics. It was during my second semester that i understood that getting CSE had been my reward. While i didn't know what i would or wouldn't enjoy, God apparently did. The joy i get while writing a program is boundless. And not being much of a writer let me borrow from Rand.

".... Joy is the goal of existence, and joy is not to be stumbled upon, but to be achieved.."

"Happiness is that state of consciousness which proceeds from the achievement of one's values."

Well, that pretty much sums it up. and it is for this exultant feeling called joy that i do not mind spending sleepless nights in front of a computer, programming. And i realise that it is not just the results which make me happy, programming is a joy in itself and thus a means to an equally exultant goal. But the result can never take away the joy that i experience in the moment i get the correct output for a program that i code by myself.

And this is the joy, which pretty much forms the core of my existence.

writer's block,books and more

well, after a gap of about 15 or more days, here i am with my next post.well,this delay in posting is not for want of trying,you know(in my defence!).. it's more because, each time i started seriously putting pen to paper, i ended up with 1 or 2 paragraphs. while they might have been grammatically perfect, they did not really do justice to the thoughts or the feelings that i wanted to convey. anyway,determined to overcome my writer's block(perhaps,it really isn't writer's block.. only writers are afflicted with writer's block, right?!!?),here goes..

most people who know me also know that i am pretty seriously addicted to books.until i finish reading a particular book, it almost feels like my whole universe revolves around it, which is why i read them only during the holidays. but, point is, reading books transports you to another world and it is sort of refreshing to look at things from another person's perspective.

that brings me to a discussion i was having with my friends quite sometime ago. it was about a charcter from a popular book, who could read people's minds, or to be more precise, could hear their thoughts. we were thinking aloud on how interesting it would be to have that particular gift. but one thing we all agreed on was it would definitely not be interesting the other way aroud. i.e. to have your mind read by someone.. i think that is where books provide the perfect solution because they allow you to actually get to know for yourself the thought processes of all the characters.

but then, that is probably why movie adaptations of books don't do that well. the reader after having read the book would have formed a different impression about the characters, the settings and so on. but the movie being shot from the author's or the director's point of view would definitely disappoint die hard fans of the books. for instance, i had envisioned the hogwarts of the harry potter series quite differently and was sorely disappointed on watchng the movie. and the 4th movie especially looked more like a powerpoint presentation of selected scenes than like a full-fledged movie.

well, as i am running out of things to write, this is the end of this post. i sure do love the fact that i can write whatever i want. hoping the next post will be more coherent.

P.S. i should probably call this blog "mindless ramblings"!

my first post

As I sit in front of my keyboard wondering how to start... wondering what to write about, it strikes me that I don’t really have to write about something that will interest someone else. After all, it’s my blog. So, here goes.
Have just got my first assess marks today. I have scored miserably. Such things leave me wondering about the so-called power of hard work, about whether this means that I am capable of only scoring so much. Makes me think about whether I judge myself too harshly. After all, isn’t the whole purpose of education to learn something well and to enjoy the process?
It is worth mentioning here that my parents are fully supportive, they haven’t really scolded me for scoring low since about 7th standard or so. It is my own thoughts which keep torturing me, alternately inducing self-pity, anger, disappointment and sorrow. What did I do wrong? I completed my homework on time, reviewed my lessons every day, what more and what not. Hmmmm... Things always happen for the best. Maybe this is supposed to be an eye-opener. Maybe this is supposed to make me analyse my strengths and weaknesses and do better in the future.
Let’s see. Meanwhile, I think about the so many other blessings that god has bestowed on me. A caring, affectionate family, the best friends anyone could get, a seat in a good college in a course which I enjoy studying. (Let’s forget about the marks for now, shall we?!). Having started my own blog finally and having written about what has been bugging for quite a few hours now has made me feel better. Ah, now going to enjoy this weekend. Signing off for now. :)