A Letter From "The Alter Ego"

Dear Reader,

How do you do? First & foremost, I'd like to thank you for visiting my blog.

So, before we move on, do I have the liberty to ask you what you do for a living? Are you a journalist? Or is it that you're a doctor? Or probably an architect slogging your ass off for a multi national firm. Uhh...kindly pardon me if I've already started to bore you. You know, today, I've decided I'll keep a clear mind and write a letter to you asking about your health, your life and your feelings about this beloved blogpage of mine. I've been blogging for over 3 years now and yet, all I happen to manage is a meagre 22 subscribers and around 40 visitors to my page. I am not too sure exactly what is it that makes me crazy about blogging but here I am, trying to post something or the other, at every opportunity I can conjure up. Of course, I can blame the non-popularity of my page to my irregularity which in turn is because of the lack of a personal computer and an active internet connection in my college, where I live most of the time.

Okay, I'm sorry. This letter is not exactly about my problems and complaints in life. It's more about a decision that I need to take, a decision that needs to be sorted out soon. And for this, I shall desperately need your help. It is you who has been visiting and reading this page for a while now and it is you who can tell me if I'm good enough to be able to take it up as a career option. I know, I can always join up some company and then carry out blogging simultaenously, just like so many of the rest out there. But here comes the problem. I just don't think I'm the kind of material who would be happy and content working for some one else. I need my own decision making and creative independence. It's not that I've never tried a 9-5 job. I'd been with M/s Crompton Greaves for 2 months and I realized that it's just not for me. Yes, I'm good in programming and I love it too. Yet, I still find it weird to be coding for someone else. As for blogging, it's not just trying to earn by running adsense on my page. I have a much grander plan. Unfortunately, I shall need to be a little discreet about it out here. But yeah, if you think you shall be able to advise me on this, kindly leave your email address in the comments section and I shall be more than happy to get back to you. And well, it just so happens that I've been doing a few things in my life that I hardly loved. This apathy ended up with dire consequences and here I am, trying to figure out what I want outta my life.

I know I can write decent enough, I know I have enough interest in this field and I also know that I have good enough entrepreunal skills. What more, I am even eager to learn new things. And yes, I shall need to regiment my life and be regular. What else does a man need to be successful in his life? Do I really need outstanding academic records to be able to feed myself and raise a family happily? Or is it that I'm day-dreaming?

I shall sincerely hope that you've realized the kind of indecisiveness I'm struggling with and am very grateful that you felt this letter's worth the time you've sacrificed to read it. Thanks again.

Yours Truly,
The Alter Ego.

Why Do You Blog?

Blogs have been mushrooming on the internet at the rate of thousands a day, these days. Thanks to free blog services like Blogger, Wordpress, LiveJournal, Rediff Blogs and the likes, there are about 70 million blogs on the internet, today. There are blogs that tell you about health care, there are ones that teach you things like repairing a computer, learning JAVA and other computer languages, gardening and even having great sex with your partner. There are people who log their daily lives, converting their blogs into an online journal, of sorts. There are budding poets who love to make poems and showcase them to the world. There are businesses that thrive on the community they create, thanks to their blogs. What more? There are even blogs that teach you how to blog effectively. Blogs have become almost synonymous to social networks, these days. The relationships you garner with you readers is considered to be a blogger's greatest asset. Blogs are also created to earn moolah with advertising!

As for me, I had started this page as an insight towards my thoughts, as a log on my daily life. But now, I' write about what I love the most - gadgets, latest internet technology, websites and entrepreneurs. So, what's your story? Why do you blog?

Sorting Out My GMail Inbox

Almost everyone uses GMail these days. I'm sure, you do too. So, how much of space has Google allocated to you? How frequently do you check your mails? Do you check your inbox neat and sorted out? Do you even feel the need of keeping your inbox organized? Well, I do. It's been long long time since I last sorted out my GMail inbox, labeled the mails properly and created filters to suit my needs. I donno what got into my head today but I just got myself determined to get the heap sorted out and well, it took me about an hour to get the thing done to my satisfaction. I realized, I've been using up 698MB of Google's allocated 2892MB of real estate and I have over 3K of mails in my archives. Well, I am certainly a net freak, I guess. Thankfully, I still haven't run out of my GMail quota, at least. :-P

Vacationing In Kolkata

Yeah, I'm in Kolkata right now, on an extended vacation. I was supposed to reach here on the 19th of this month, by 10pm but actually reached the next day, 12 in the morning! Would you believe it? I was waiting in Howrah station itself, for the next 4 hours, all alone, just so that I could catch the first bus next morning to Belghoria, that's where my maternal uncle lives! Loads of experiences in the station. Can't write about it just now, 'coz I'm posting from a cyber. I'll be back to college by the 24th. Shall post a full account then. Till then, sayonara! Have fun and enjoy!!

100 facts about me...

Ohkay, I don't know if any one would be interested to know anything at all about me, but still thought I'd share a few stuffs about me. 100 facts about me...seems to be quite a far fetched one to write about, but I shall try. Let's see for how many days it stays in my Drafts section.

Anyways, here it goes...

1. Name: Sayantan Pal
2. Sex: Male
3. Birthday: July 07th, 1985
4. Nationality: Indian
5. Languages I can Speak: English, Hindi, Marathi & Bengali
6. Religion: Hindu
7. Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
8. Relationship Status: Committed
9. Children: No
10. Smoking: Regularly
11. Drinking: Socially
12. Email ID: shayonpal[at]yahoo.com, shayon.pal[at]gmail.com
13. Mobile No: +919939370506
14. Currently Doing: Electrical Engineering, 7th Semesters (As of July 11, 2007)
15. Institute: National Institute of Technology, Jamshedpur
16. Hard facts are almost over. Now I'm gonna give you some of the real dope about me.
17. I hate my branch, Electrical.
18. Still had to take it up 'coz wasn't getting Computer Science in any decent college.
19. Love my college, though.
20. I'm still a virgin.
21. I'm a male and I love being one. Have no fascination for sex change.
22. I love having steaming black coffee in the evening and while reading novels.
23. Mostly read sci-fi and religion oriented novels.
24. But that doesn't mean I don't enjoy erotica ;-).
25. Hate Jackie Collins, though.
26. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a cashier - 'coz my Dad works in a bank & a cashier was the only employee I'd seen each time I visited a bank.
27. Now, I won't work in a government bank for my life.
28. Am open for private banks, though.
29. The green paper's gonna be a huge decider when I participate in my campus selections.
30. Wanna be rich, but 'stinking rich' doesn't appeal to me.
31. For a major part of life, used to dream of heading a company that'd have the potential to replace Microsoft.
32. Now, I dream of owning a company that'd be listed in Fortune 500.
33. If not even that, then wish I can work for Yahoo! Inc. some day, in the Silicon Valley.
34. I guess, by now you've had a good idea that I'm a computer geek.
35. I love computers and everything that has anything to do with gadgets.
36. I'm an avid programmer and not really that bad in it.
37. I can't believe that within 5 minutes of starting the post, I've completed 35 points about me.
38. Have had quite a fair share of girlfriends in my life.
39. However, I'm quite serious about my present one & absolutely have no intention of going out looking for another.
40. I really love my girlfriend a lot.
41. Does that sound too cheesy? Tell you what, I don't give a damn!
42. I'm a hardcore Bengali at heart. Love Bengali Food, Songs, Literature & Gals too ;-).
43. I love wearing Dhoti & Kurta, Bengali style.
44. Always try to sneak out excuses for wearing the same in occassions.
45. However, I'm most comfy in my Jeans & T.
46. Don't have any preference of traditional, conservative or mod clothes. Just should be decent & comfy enough.
47. Same goes for my spouse (to-be, of course!).
48. Heard about the concept of blogging, first time, around 5 years ago.
49. But typing used to bore me, so never gave it a try.
50. But it got the best of my curiosity when I found Rediff to had started the blogging feature. That was when I first thought of giving it a try, about 1 year ago.
51. Had stopped blogging there after a few posts.
52. Then shifted to Yahoo! after they started the Yahoo! 360 feature.
53. Then again shifted my base to Blogger on August 08, 2005.
54. I'm loving it here!
55. I have a fetish for piercings.
56. Find the nose piercing very arousing.
57. That doesn't mean I dig for Sania Mirza!
58. My favorite cuisine is Chinese. Italian comes a close second.
59. I love to eat. Gimme good food and I'll gobble it all up!
60. I'm slightly overweight. Currently 82Kgs while I stand 5'9" tall.
61. Had joined Gym thrice in my life to lose the extra flab & shape up the muscles.
62. Left all the 3 times 'coz had no one to accompany me & I used to get bored all alone :-p
63. Had again joined one, last sem. Haven't visited it yet, after coming back from home.
64. Dream to conjure up a super computer in near future, for myself.
65. I'm a li'l biased upon Anil Ambani than Mukesh Ambani.
66. Ankit Fadia [pdf] has been my idol for some 5 years now.
67. I prefer Yahoo! to Google whenever I search the net.
68. I can be very moody at times.
69. Right now, it seems to me that I'll never reach 100!
70. This post was originally started on the 9th of July, 2005. Hope I can finish it off by today, that is July 11, 2007.
71. Started up on this again 'coz Sakshi happened to go through this post in my drafts, yesterday and said she had a good time reading it.
72. As for all of the above facts, that I'd written 2 years back, have been updated to stand true, as of July 11, 2007.
73. Whenever I'm home, I'm online for about 16hrs a day. Yup, I ain't kidding!
74. I'm writing this post using my mobile, NOKIA 5070.
75. Yes! I'm fascinated and obssessed with my phone!
76. There are times when I do get a bit upset for not caring the way I'd maintained my academic life, in college.
77. But then, for the rest of the time I go, "What the heck!!"
78. I use Google Reader as my personal RSS feed reader.
79. I use Opera Mini as the browser for my phone.
80. I consider Pragnya as my idol in blogging.
81. I love getting wet in the rains.
82. I hate scorching summers the most.
83. I also hate wearing anything to sleep ;-) (HeHe)
84. I'm a photography freak. I love taking pictures and bringing out interesting profiles of my subjects.
85. I'd rather prefer nature and still objects to human figures (unless they are naked at strategic places) for photography.
86. I'm glad that I'm inching towards the 100th fact.
87. Okay, I'm certainly surprised at one thing. You actually took interest and read all the 86 points above?
88. Anyways, coming back to academics, I'm planning to take the GMAT in 2 years from now.
89. Despite chalking out my career, somewhat, I still had to go to a career counselor the other day. However, her reports are pending for July 16th, 2007.
90. I was once counseled by a psychiatrist some time back. (Do I look freaky to you?)
91. I love having ice creams in the middle of December nights.
92. I hate pizza from Domino's.
    
93. I plan to get an IMate with my very first salary.
94. I find Blackberrys pretty useless!
95. Although I've been using Airtel for a long time now, after using Hutch for half a month, I've become an ardent fan of the service.
96. Yet, I still use Airtel 'coz it has much better connectivity in the country!
97. You know, after racking my brains so much, I have a very good idea of tagging a few people.
98. What do you think, is it gonna be you? ;-)
99. I think it's a huge possibility!
100. Well, I'd like to tag Sakshi, Arushi, Karma, Rathz, Mann, Paresh, Dion and Sam.
     

CGL Laboratory

Refering to one of my older posts, I'd already mentioned that I've been interning in Crompton Greaves for the past 1 and a half months. Courtesy my new mobile, clicked a few snaps of the laboratory today. I thought I'd share them with you.

Here is the lab. The instruments are pretty much okay in size. They say, the whole lab of instruments are worth 15 crores, in all!

This is the other side of the lab.

That's my personal space. That's the lappy I work on. The instrument beside it is used to test hardnedd of copper strips used in the manufacture of Transformers.

The oven that you can see here, is used to find out the amount of gaseous components dissolved in Copper.

This one is used to measure the viscosity of Transformer Oil using a test called Vicker's Test. Sorry, forgot the name of the instrument :-P.

NOKIA, Photobucket & The Wall Mag!

So, can u see the picture of a pretty NOKIA handset at the top? Well, I happen to be a proud owner of one of them :-P. The reason ain't all that romantic, though. My previous phone, the NOKIA 1108, had been flicked by some unfortunate bloke off my pocket, while I was travelling in a inhumanely congested train, from Kanjur Marg (that's where my office is) to Dadar. At the first, I was definitely very very pissed off. But then, u hardly have anything you can do, in these situations, have you? Hehe, "unfortunate bloke", 'coz my sim was blocked with pin code and the phone was locked with security code. He can't even insert a new sim in it 'coz in that case he shall have to insert the security code! :-P Anyways, wot had gotten me pissed off the most was the fact that I lost all my fucking contacts and messages. Over 250 of my contacts got washed off in a jiffy. Hope people do respond to my mails fast and send me their contact numbers.

Oh, did you hear that Yahoo! Photos is shutting down? The moment I heard that (about a month ago), I've been wondering how to save the hundreds of pics I have storred in there, in the past 3 years. Although Yahoo! has given options to export your pictures to a lot of other photo hosting websites, it was getting tough for me to choose between Flickr, Photobucket and Shutterfly. After some research, I realised Photobucket was the one for me. I just started the export of my pictures from Yahoo! Photos onto Photobucket, right before I started writing this post. They say it's gonna take them about 72 hrs, that's 3 days. Hope it's a satisfying service!

While I was in college, staying in Hostel 'E', the topfloor boarders of the same had formed a community called "TopFloorers" which consisted most of the top floorers and a few regulars from other floors and hostels too. My dear friend Rathin suddenly, out of the blue, thought up of creating a "Wall Magazine" where bits and pieces could be shared by us all, and hence "The Wall Mag"was born. It gives me immense pride to inform that I happen to be a co-admin of that blog page. It's a novel idea that Rathz has started, hope the tradition of the TopFloorers continues.

Amen!

Wow...it certainly feels good!

I just cudn't stop myself from writing about it. Nothing much, it's just that, for the first time in my life, I got asked for a visitor's card of my own! Wow...it feels good to be working...although it's true that, at times, all the pressure just squeezes the juice outta you..hehe!! :-P