Going on Hibernation Mode...

Ohkay, life's been too busy these days. First it's the regular class tests that have been keeping my ass on the frying pan almost every moment. And secondly...ummm...playing WarCraft III pretty heavily these days on the LAN. So, hardly could find time to come online. But well, I'm sure I should be back soon. It's just that I'm on the hibernation mode these days. Do keep checking back, folks! Thanks!!

Check the waters before you dive in...

Ohkay, this's really hilarious and very very emabarassing. I don't know if such a thing has ever happened to you, but if it has, I'd surely love to know that I've company.

Well, as stated in my earlier post, had a class test today, and was in absolutely in no mood to go to the class without taking my bath. (Now c'mon, don't tell me you guys who stay in hostels take your bath everyday!) So, I just collected my towel, soap, shampoo & oil...and off I went to clean myself. It was good for some time...had a nice shower, lathered myself up with the soap and had even shampooed my hair. Was washing them them off when suddenly....Boom!....the water just refused to fall off the shower. Boy, wasn't I frightened? I tried the tap...no use. Hastily wrapped the towel around my vital parts, emerged out of the bathroom and tried the basins frantically, but still no luck. Asked around people if they'd saved up some water in their buckets. Damn them...not a single one could help me out, or maybe didn't want to 'coz they liked my condition, who knows? Guess what I had to do then, in that condition! I finally lumbered up my own bucket and collected water from the toilet! Thank the Devil that at least there was water there! Then had to use that water to finally rinse myself off. Needless to say, I again had a nice good bath after returning from college, in the afternoon !!

Finally the damned test is over!!

Boy...oh Boy, what a paper that was! A simple Electrical Network Theory paper, that too just a goddamn class test, had taken away my peace of life. Somehow, I'd gotten so much tensed up and frustrated 'coz of this one test. Anyways, finally got it over with, today. Had to answer just two questions...answered one myself and copied the other ;-) Alas, the one I copied turned out to be the wrong solution! Damn, 'guess this's why the elders had always advised not to cheat in the exams! Well, no point talking about it anymore. Finally it's over! Got another test again next week, though. But that's much easier, Maths! Should be easier to comprehend than the cursed circuits.

Planning to spend the night playing cards with the seniors. Even they'd gotten placed in good enough companies, so hardly anything to worry about. Let's see if the plan materialises. Truely, this weekend is heartily welcome. And to top it all, another of our seniors got placed recently. C'mon guys, where's the party? Take out the booze, let's rock n roll!! Anyways, shouldn't get overboard with celebrations...got my mid-semsters from the 30th. Even my health hadn't been giving me all that great support. So, should take care of myself. Can't afford to fall ill.

Planning to go home, that's Mumbai, on the 7th of next month. Got my ticket in Gitanjali. Although have a waiting list of 56, expect it to clear out by the time I need to board the train. Had been buttering Dad to get me a PC this time. Really need it. Not just 'coz people are gonna watch porn and movies & play games on it...but I'm a programmer myself and really need to sharpen up my skills. Doing Electrical Engineering, it might be tough to get into a software company doing hardcore software work. I know, software's where I'm gonna go and build up my career in. Core streams aren't my cuppa tea!

I'm Scared...No, I'm Not...Am I?

Well...haven't been keeping well for the past few days. Don't feel like doing a thing! Dunno what's happened to myself!! All I do these days is visit the college's computer center, attend some of my classes & sleep big time in my room, that is it! Got a class test coming up this Friday. For the first time in my life, I'm a li'l tensed. And what pisses me off more is that it's 'coz of just a chhota-sa class test. Damn it, had even appeared for my boards and entrance exams without flinching for once & now just this one class test is taking all the juice outta me. What the hell's happening?

Watch me @ Vlog

Following in the footsteps of text blogs, video blogs are starting to take off on the Internet.

In fact, it was rather inevitable: Bloggers who write endlessly about everything from politics to tech tips and how to fry an egg on a hot sidewalk can now take their commentary, advice and random experiments to the next level by filming and broadcasting their work, thanks to the latest web trend of video blogging.

Video blogs are also known by their shorter name, vLogs are blogs that primarily feature video shots instead of text. Like another web trend, podcasts, where people can subscribe to largely home-brewed audio programs, people can sign up to receive regular video downloads.

Many of the vlogs have a home-grown, experimental feel. People capture moments in their everyday lives. Some post cooking lessons, short films or videos of local festivals or family events like graduations.

Politicians are also wading in the video-blogging waters. North Carolina Sen John Edwards is receiving and responding to questions using video. Boston City Councillor John Tobin has a video blog as well. vLogs by offering the potential for everyone to self-publish has the ability to revolutionise the world by sharing video across cultures and countries.

It will also help those interested in exploring niche subjects ignored by traditional media. Some vlog content is even making the leap to television. Akimbo offers its subscribers the ability to subscribe to several vLogs, in addition to its other video-on-demand programs. Just like blogs, which have become an extension of traditional media, video blogs have the potential to be a supplement to traditional broadcasting.

Though people have experimented with video blogs for a number of years, the medium has boomed this year. Vloggers gathered in January for the first vloggercon, and this recently vloggers gathered in New York, Minneapolis and Los Angeles for vloggercue, a summer meeting. And according to a recent report, Google plans to start "archiving people's personal videos and vLogs.

The vLogging community is still pretty small compared to the blogosphere. Many of the vloggers share tips and network in videoblogging groups. Vlogging is still in its early stages, attracting tech-savvy types who are comfortable experimenting with video online. Vloggers want to get as many people as possible involved. Unlike podcasting, though, vlogging doesn't have any wildly popular device like the iPod to help fuel the vlogging trend as yet.

Copyright issues are also popping up as more and more people get into vLogging. Vloggers sometimes use copyright music in their vLogs, but they are unclear about its legality.

(Shamelessly Ctrl+C & Ctrl+V-ied from Indiatimes InfoTech)

Finally a Reason to Celebrate...

...and finally a day without smoke. Yeah, finally spent a day without lighting up a single cigarette. Ohkay, agreed that 3 n half hours are still remaining for the day to get over & that I've spent almost 12 hours of the day just sleeping, but still, doncha think it's great enough when I'd come back to smoking around 4 sticks a day, from nil a couple of months ago? Hope I can maintain a lot more of such days in future! I think I'll have to think up some ways of awarding yself when I don't smoke a single cig in a day. Whadda think, isn't the idea novel?

Not feeling all that great !!

Dunno what's happened to me...don't feel like doing a thing except hitting the sack. Trust me, have never been so damn lethargic all my life. Even last night, slept off at around 9 at night & woke up straight at 8:30 in the morn (baring a wake up stint of half an hour in the early morning hours). Boy, even now, all I want is a bed to lie on! Almost each and every bone in my body is aching, head's spinning, eyelids drroping, as if pounds of weight have been suspended on them...!!

Called up my girlfriend. She too was worried a lot about my health. And moreover, things haven't been going all too smooth between me & my folks. Am seriously outta cash too. Have to make up some cock & bull story back home for the extra money I've spent this month. Wish I'd been working some place now. Really needed some money now.

Ohkay, enough of cribbing. I guess I myself am the one to be blamed. Shouldn't have been too careless of my money. Anyways, exams are coming on. Gotta study well for them. Didn't score really great CGPA last sem. Have to make it up this time. Just pray for me, guys!

Perils of bathing when you stay in a Hostel...

Boy, oh Boy! I think it was for the better that I didn't use to take my bath as regularly as any sane guy should. I mean, c'mon...it had been just a few days that I'd started to get myself watered & soaped and voila! Just one day I forget to collect my shampoo & oil and the very next day I find it lost. And to top my woes, my neighbor tells me that he did spot a Garnier Fructis (yeah, that's the brand of shampoo I use) bottle and an oil one too, but didn't take it 'coz he thought whosoever that belonged, would come back to collect. How I wish he wasn't so virtuous! Well, now I have a very good mind to go back to my normal bathing routine, around twice or thrice a week, max. At least that ways, I'd always remember to collect my stuffs after I dry myself!!

Devil's Tramping Ground !!

A very good buddy of mine, Abhishek, sent me a link to a flash site called Devil's Tramping Ground. It's a cool link created by "Dark Arts Media" & is definitely worth a check.So, thought I'd write about it here so that others can also give it a visit. I have even added the link in my GateWays in the Links section for further haunts!

My PhotoBlogs...

I guess I'll have to start photoblogs one of these days. True, I'm actually inspired by Nikhil. But I don't think it'll be as interesting as his 'coz I don't own a cam myself & neither does any of my immediate friends. Instead, I'm planning to post some really cool pics that I've been getting in my mailbox & also some I've collected in my Yahoo! Photos for a few years now. I could've posted them here in this page itself, but that ways it'll look out of the context. Let's see when I actually manage to set it up. Till then, plan to post some of the pics here itself!

Resolutions...

Ohkay, finally set up my resolution to start studying for my mid-semesters. But before everything else, have to control a few things that've been consuming almost all of my time. Some of my new resolutions are:

• No more playing cards. Although I don't bet money, still had been betting my grades on cards, it seems now! Have to put a stop to it urgently.
• No more playing Comp Games. Ohkay, playing games on the LAN is the ultimate experience a gamer can have, but I guess I'll have to put some restraint to how many hours I put into it.
• Have to start attending classes. Somehow, have been feeling very lethargic to attend classes these days. Just don't find the urge to go sit in the class. Even if I do sometimes, I hardly can survive more than one lecture.
• Have been spending a lot of time being online. It's almost become an obsession now. It's not that I visit porn sites or matchmaking pages or something. Check out my blogroll and you'll know where I spend my time. I visit at least 20 of them everyday. 'Guess shall have to reduce to just Blogger, my Email and just the News sites.
• Have to try to be in my room more oftep :-p. If I manage to do that, I'm sure most of my woes regarding the exams are gonna vanish.

Well, I guess that is it. Now all I need to do is heed to them. Just got a good scolding from my girlfriend last night (and yeah, it's her B'Day today :-D) for not letting her know that I'm feeling queasy about my exams and that she'd to learn about it from my blogs. Don't know how she's gonna react now after reading this one.

Be Careful when you are Na-KiD...

Well, a friend of mine had mailed me these GIF files which I found really very cute and couldn't control my urge to post them on my page. They are gonna split up your tummy with laughter, I'm sure. Cheers...!!

Hell Is Hot But It Isn't a Bad Place To Live

Let's face it, Hell has gotten a bad wrap over the years. I mean, is it really all that bad to go to Hell? It’s not so much Hell that’s the problem. It’s the company that resides within confines of the Netherworld. Whether it's The Devil or some of His evil little Dominions causing a ruckus, it’s the company not so much the place.

Hell has fantastic scenery of glowing red that bounces off the ever flowing lake of fire that literally lights up the Hell-sky! This continuous flowing lake sends off the slightest roar of delicate thundering into the air. It’s a truly tranquil sound as it snakes its way throughout the hills and valleys of the Netherworld! As the Flames lick the everlasting fiery night sky with snaps of joy, the air warms and becomes quite warm and pleasant. Therefore, there is no need for snow shovels & snow blowers in Hell.

Another term for Hell is Bottomless Pit. This brings me to the aspect of the residents that call Hell their home. Hell is packed with its fair share of evilness. I mean let’s face it the Devil or Lucifer has not been known to be a good neighbor. Because the bottomless pit is, well, bottomless, there are plenty of places that one can go to settle down.

We don’t necessarily have to go to Hell and set up camp directly across from the thrown of Beelzebub himself, we can go miles away, somewhere more north even. It’s time we stand up and say “I’m not going to take it any longer! I want to live in Hell and no one is going to stop me, not even the Devil Himself!”

9 out of 10 preachers shall disapprove this article (even though it was in good fun)…..okay, not really, I doubt even 1 preacher shall ever read this tiny bit of dribble.

I Flirt with Straight Guys !!

Ohkay...ohkay, I'm no gay. Was just checking out a few blogs on the Blogger when I suddenly found this pic. I found it really hilarious, so thought I'd post it in my page. Click on the picture to visit the blog PostSecret. It's actually an organisation that encourages people to send in the darkest of their secrets and then posts them on the site. While quite a few of the postcards are pretty hilarious, some of them are outright gross! So, a word of caution, do visit it at your own risk!

Planning to hibernate...

Oh boy, exams are finally looming large on me. My mid-semesters starting from the 30th of September till the 7th of next month. I'm all clueless! Don't even know what the syllabus is. Ohkay, true that around 3 weeks should be enough for an engineering student to cope up. But still, I'm getting a li'l tensed this time. Although had never thought about the papers n all last year, this time, I can feel my feet turning to Jelly. Moreover, got a class test too coming Friday. My ass's gonna get fried now, it seems. Don't even remember when was the last time I had attended a class. A branchmate just informed me of the test just 'coz he was afraid that I'd bunk that class too, such has become my reputation in my class.

But then, I guess I shouldn't be complaining, 'coz it's me myself who'd been ignoring the hard facts of life that once you are in college, you are supposed to attend classes, if you want at least the 10 marks that's entitled to you for free, every semester. I'm such an ass that I never heeded to even that much. Got away with it last time 'coz i had contracted Jaundice & had the medical files to back me up. If this time the authority stops me 'coz of inadequate attendance, I'll have not a thing to put up for my side. I'll be damned. Oh, just hope that I clear the issues, or else, shall have a lot to explain to Dad!

I should take a bath now, shouldn't I?

Has been over two days now that I haven't washed myself as yet. Don't know why such lethargy! It's not that I stink. Actually, I do take my bath everyday, but can I really afford Axe everyday? I guess it's high time I shifted to plain water & shampoo, what say? I marvel at my folks who are still putting up with me. Now I know that they r my true friends, for sure. Thanx guys. I promise, I'll surely switch over to water within a week, Till then, kindly bear with me the way you've been till now. 3 cheers to Axe Effect!

Guess Who's Back, Back Again...

Well, has been exactly one week since last posted something out here. Won't say that I've been all too busy, but rather, hadn't really had the opportunity to come to the center & and write something. And to top it all, there was no net connection in our college for the past 3 whole goddamn days., dunno what'd screwed up the line. Anyways, finally things've started to roll out and just hope & pray that there's both the net connection as well as the lights for some time now, at least. Have really grown sick & tired of these power cuts. Don't know how the situations are in other NITs or rather any other residential Engineering colleges, for that matter. Oh boy, just think about it, no electricity, no water (that's 'coz no current to power the water pumps) & zillions of every-sized insects to rip the flesh off you. This's the kind of surrounding I'm staying in. Well, at least there's one consolation that after this place, wheresoever I might land up in, in this whole wide cosmos, I shouldn't be having that bad a problem ;-) This place's gotten me adapted to almost each & every kind of rottenness possible on Mother Earth.

Just 3 days ago, all the students from the 2nd to 4th year had gone on a strike demanding electricity supply. Well, most of us had supported just 'coz we could bunk our classes :-p. Well anyways, spoke to the Dean about it. And oh boy, just listen to what the old hog says. It's gonna take them over 3 months just to get new generators installed in place of the defunct old ones. 3 f***king months, can you beat the sh*t? According to him, the power failures can't be helped 'coz it's taken care of by the Jamshedpur Electricity Board. He even suggested us to 'outsource' generators, if we like, and that the bills will be paid on submission of the bills. Now apart from all the tension already prevailing, we'll have to take care of generators as well, just Great!! I had a great mind of asking him to shove it up him a** then. Pardon me for the profanity, but I really couldn't help it.

Anyways, after the rendezvous with the Dean, guys marched on towards the town's power grid too. I guess a few of us had gotten too excited on reaching there that they started mouthing all sorta profanities they'd ever learnt in their lifetime & started creating commotions in general, almost everyone chanting in unison, "Maro, maro - sab tod dalo" (let's beat them up, destroy everything). The local women out there (as I've heard) got all worked up and started to rush towards the crowd with rods, sticks & whatever they could reach to, lol. However, some of the sane folks finally managed to calm down the crowd and made them realise that the furore was nothing but appeal to supply electricity more regularly to our college. In the meantime, some local journos, who were in the vicinity, started to take pictures of the mob with their digi-cams. But the cams were satched away by the students and were returned only after deleting each and every pic they had taken. I guess the reporters were also threatened not to write a thing about the incident in the papers.

Well, needless to say, the electricity conditions in our college is still just as same. I really don't understand why we can't get the current from TISCO, that gives uninterrupted power supply. And to think that Mr. Mutthuraman, MD of TATA, is the Chairman of our college. 'Guess we'll have to spend the rest of our college lives in the dark. Thank God, at least we get our jobs on campus, otherwise dunno if we could ever manage to get out of this hole...!!

The cost of a Miracle

Was just scouring through my BlogRoll the other day when I suddenly stumbled upon this short story in, my good friend, Steve's page. I was really moved by it, so thought about sharing it with my readers too. Here it goes:

A little girl went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet. She poured the change out on the floor and counted it carefully. Three times, even. The total had to be exactly perfect. No chance here for mistakes. Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and made her way 6 blocks to Rexall's Drug Store with the big red Indian Chief sign above the door.She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention but he was too busy at this moment. Tess twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise. Nothing. She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound she could muster. No good. Finally she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass counter. That did it!"And what do you want?" the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice. "I'm talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven't seen in ages," he said without waiting for a reply to his question."Well, I want to talk to you about my brother," Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone. "He's really, really sick... and I want to buy a miracle."" I beg your pardon?" said the pharmacist." His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle cost?""We don't sell miracles here, little girl. I'm sorry but I can't help you," the pharmacist said, softening a little."Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn't enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs."The pharmacist's brother was a well dressed man. He stooped down and asked the little girl, "What kind of a miracle does your brother need?""I don't know," Tess replied with her eyes welling up. I just know he's really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation. But my Daddy can't pay for it, so I want to use my money.""How much do you have?" asked the man from Chicago."One dollar and eleven cents," Tess answered barely audibly. "And it's all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to.""Well, what a coincidence," smiled the man. "A dollar and eleven cents---the exact price of a miracle for little brothers. "He took her money in one hand and with the other hand he grasped her mitten and said "Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let's see if I have the miracle you need."That well dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specializing in neuro-surgery. The operation was completed free of charge and it wasn't long until Andrew was home again and doing well.Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them to this place. "That surgery," her Mom whispered. "was a real miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost?"Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost...one dollar and eleven cents .... plus the faith of a little child...

It had gotten almost close to tears. It's not everyday that we get to see such miracles. True, there's a supernatural being taking care of all of us. There's someone above us who wishes to see us all happy. Guys, if you wish, you are free to copy this and paste wherever you wish 'coz great words should never be constrained. Hope miracles happen in your lives too!