Just another post on interaction encounters

I just wanted to ramble a little bit here before the clock struck 12 since today, the auspicious Christmas day marks the beginning of my virtual chatter, the third anniversary. Funny how time flies. Although I haven't customized many thoughts, I remember how I started this when I was a kid back then.

There are a lot of things I need to ooze out in the form of writing before I talk about anything here in this blog but one a-mazing experience precedes all else. It stands out amongst the clutter of interesting and not-so-interesting incidents I've had in the new life I began three months ago. I'm sure many of you out there would agree with me, it's all about meeting new people. It's SO intriguing how a short meeting with some person or people in general can -- change perceptions, set us thinking, keep ideas flowing, give new direction to solving problems, have a profound impact in our lives. These periods of interaction of any kind, is in my opinion very engaging and more often than not, symbiotic. There is so much to learn from every person we meet!

The anecdotes of meeting people in my school - academia comes later. Recently, I've been meeting immigrants who are well settled in this alien land for quite sometime. Bazillion thoughts cross my head during such encounters! They all seem happy to work for a "small" start-up, happy to meet people from their motherland occasionally, happy to learn cooking from some random mami's videos on youtube, happy to buy frozen food from the desi store, happy to discuss restaurants/ cloth stores/ lifestyle here,  happy with a couple of kids each, happy to see their kids speak a heavily accented mother-tongue or just plain accented English, happy to get them educated in a system that encourages questioning, happy to listen to them sing vara veena...

There are a few inspiring people in the lot. But being a highly principled being (or portraying myself as one), some questions kept thronging inside. Am I seeing a decade or two older self in these people? Do I have the stomach to become an alien to MY home, MY place back in the country? Will all the seemingly unpleasant things become the most acquainted ones sooner or later? Will I also "enjoy" watching the next gen growing up the way I see the kids here, now...?

Not wanting to think about these and with the satisfaction of scribbling, wishing a Merry Christmas to all!

The lost habits...

I know I'm supposed to complete the hypotheses I began in the previous post. But before that, I am trying to search for the lost me. The habits that constitute what I am. Or in fact the habits that used to define me. Old habits die hard they say. I have been proving it wrong and I seriously think it is bad habits that die hard. They are easy to cultivate and difficult to get out of. Something of a dangerous addiction. On musing about this issue, I encounter a few stunning revelations. Being disoriented, muddled, grouchy, bellyaching and so on and on and on..whoa, these have replaced my old self!  Now this is like being stuck in a rut; escaping from these centrifuge of actions depends on..er..no points for guessing, ya, it's just me!
Hoping to finish the housing hypotheses as I have had some more interesting experiences since last time. And it's time to move on with the fillers. What I should've been writing about. What it feels like to be out of my safe haven. The travails of looking for a person to work with in a classroom full of experienced people. The shock I went through on realizing I am not going to learn enough in the time span that a quarter revolves around. The hectic madness it all turns out to be. The disgusting use of toilet paper. The cold blast of wind making me numb and the frustratingly angled sunshine failing to make me warm. OH... there we go.. I just said I should stop doing this.
Okay, I have to make it sound like this: What is feels like to be independent. The exposure gained by belonging to a diverse classroom. The feverishly exciting pace at which things function here making me learn some tactics for managing the ever so precious time. The water conservation tendency that looms at large (which is good! it's a resource to be conserved! in future, we are going to face water-wars!). The pleasant weather with a tinge of the La Jolla Sun shining down on me, ever so mildly.. This is heaven on earth.
Sigh.

The Rant

I consider Twitter to be my rant board. But most of the times, that social networking cum micro blogging site allows me a meager 140 characters to spew out abuses, insults and anger. It isn't enough. So I get back to my dear old friend, blogspot!

Disclaimer: This particular post is not meant for reading. It will be more of rhetoric. The reason being, it is very closely related to some injustice I witnessed/ underwent in the past few weeks and there is just no way I can stomach that ordinarily. I have to vent. Since I do not find any means of fighting it in the near future, I write. 1. To soothe my mother's tired ears. 2. To see if my reasoning/ understanding is muddled.

I got an offer for pursuing (unfunded) Masters in a well-known university for my field in USA. I was thrilled since I hadn't in the least expected to get into this particular place. Natural instinct: try to minimize expenses as much as you can. Of all the procedures I am supposed to complete to enter USA as a graduate student, the first thing I did was to apply for on-campus housing. It is a general notion that poor Indian students will not be able to afford the expensive and luxurious apartments inside the campus. But in this zipcode of the US, the story is otherwise. In whichever way I calculate, on-campus turns out cheaper than off. Unless...

The supposed on-campus housing is managed, maintained, administered by a separate group. This looks like the (or my?) public research university has delegated the housing activity to private players. There are approximately seven residential communities in which undergrad, grad students, post doc scholars and staffs are given offers. The basic criteria for getting housing offer is the date of application; provided the students are not given preference based on whether they are recommended by their dept or are physically challenged or have children. Another crucial factor that determines housing offers to be made is the move-in date along with the 3 residential community preferences. Also, the offers are made 30 days in advance when a vacant spot is available. One concession is that we may update our application any number of times and that will not affect the wait-list position which is again, solely based on application date. Or that's what they say. When an offer is made, an individual is allowed one refusal. If he/she refuses the second, their application is withdrawn from the wait-list. On refusing once, there might be an interminable (or is it indeterminable) amount of time before which offer-2 might be made.

Given all these constraints (which eventually turn out to be variables instead of boundary conditions), I tried predicting the offer-making-ceremony using a standard set. That's the association for incoming Indian graduate students. The people in it will henceforth be referred to as A, B, C... Z. I had the earliest application date amongst all. And I tried to share my knowledge gained by inputs from seniors on what preferences and dates to give.

The first offer is made nearly 2 months in advance to person A. Person A and I had the same preferences and same move-in date. Only that my application date was 2 weeks earlier. But the most preferred housing offer was made to A leaving me out and puzzled. Email exchanges with housing admin and calls in vain. Moving on. Vigorously searching for a place off-campus. The next 2 offers were made consecutively to persons B and C from my second preferred housing community. Their application dates were 1 month later and move-in date about 18 days earlier. Alas, a point has just slipped my mind. The earlier the move-in date, the better chances of getting an offer, the more the rent I pay. I was forced to advance my move-in date and switch the first two housing preferences. I wait. I get an offer. Wow, not so exciting. I get an offer from my third preference -- any housing. So I get one of the most expensive, unfurnished apartments, quite far from the dept (which is very much unlike my first 2 prefs). Now that I cannot estimate the interminable time lag between the first and second offers, I choose to accept it, lest I can live in equally or more expensive off-campus apartments. This is also because one of my potential roommates (D) gets an offer along with me, but in a community that charges 60 dollars lesser than mine. Whatever it is, I thought my offer was decent after I spoke to a few well-meaning seniors and people who've lived in the locality for a long time. Now that I have accepted the offer, my application is withdrawn from the wait-list.

*exhaling*

Person E, also a potential roommate finally gets an apartment on-campus. Great! I was relieved. Not so fast..! E gets it in the same community as D, but in a different wing. What difference is that going to make? Only that it is just 102 dollars more than the former. :O Also, E gets the offer one-day prior to the mentioned move-in date. And is asked to pay security deposit and the rent in one-day. The only mode of payment from India is by sending a DD in American dollars (not all banks do this) via courier. E eventually gets time for payment after reasoning out the problem and the time constraint. Sealed.

Another offer. Person F. Application date 2 weeks late. Move-in 15 days late. Housing community, my updated first preference. Offer made 15 days in advance, new rule, F says.

Hmm...

I infer that the website has very ambiguous information about application and offers made. Also, the move-in date is the determining factor for getting an offer of choice. In case of tie with the move-in date, earlier application date is given preference. Again, an inference. This, combined with pending wait-listed applicants for as long/ more than a year, makes the system all the more complicated, mysterious, irritable and loathsome. The whole scheme of updation and giving housing offers must be decided by some algorithm I presume. The sophisticated-system-controlled-design adds to the complexity.

See it? I don’t have concrete information, leave alone arriving at a solid proof. Lots of loopholes and pieces to be fitted in. I wait for further inferences to be made. Eagerly looking forward to test my hypotheses. Life is an experiment after all! :D

Happy August! :)

TAG-athon

So, after a lot of pondering (see previous post), here I am, "trying" to revive my blog. Thanks to Preethi and the TAG.

The whole point of this tagging business is to get (not-so) lazy-procrastinating-bloody-bum bloggers to oil their brains; and let thoughts flow again..! (presumably after eons.)

I should now be discussing "11 Things about me". But being an extraordinary introvert in ordinary circumstances, I am not quite comfortable sharing intricate issues here. So this discussion is bound to take unpredictable (de)tour(s). Take Diversion it is.

1. Why 11 things about me? Why the number 11 I mean. The thing is I could have more (or less) stuff that make up all that is me, me. Here I am, questioning the astrologically or astronomically significant value which is helping me out in updating my dashboard.
The-questioner-who-almost-always-doesn't-know-the-answer.

2. The introvert part chips in again, forcing me to make it a point, EMPHATICALLY. The not-so-introvert-me, created this blog for voicing out views on general issues.
The-not-so-extrovert-introvert.

3. Reminded of the quote, Cogito Ergo Sum. For all the deep philosophical meaning of this statement (I think, therefore I am) by a predominantly mathematically inclined Rene Descartes, this is definitely taking a different shape in my dictionary. As for me, it's I read, therefore I am. Yes, reading makes me think, no doubt. But it's the impulse, the irresistible urge to read whatever I lay my hands upon, that makes me a predominantly avid-reader.

4. How can I ever forget to reiterate that this blog - the name and the so called tagline, make most of what I am trying to say here? It's getting boring, just like a 16-mark-answer to Anna University question. You state, and elaborate. You draw block diagrams, and re-elaborate in different words that explain the same thing. Getting to the point, The-Silent-Spectator is all of what I am. The sleeping dragon of an extrovert peeps it's head from inside, lethargically & occasionally.

5. Yes, the tagline. I had to split the explanation okay? Otherwise I would never ever get to the not-so-magical 11! I have this ambivalent attraction towards anything that makes me understand how our brains work. In the sense, how can a simple train of electrical impulse, combined with the interplay of a lot of sensing-actuating organ systems, fueled by hormones-juices-and other chemicals (that we should all be familiar with :P) make us do things that we are (or not) supposed to? A-mazing! Slight hatred and confusion owing to the complexity. Here I am, Verbally responding to all of my Visual Stimuli. (I know it generically characterizes all of homo sapiens, but see, I pointed it out!)

6. It's tiring already.
I get easily inspired. But getting me to DO something is as difficult as getting an unwilling child to eat/sleep. I see greatness in many things that everyone around me does. But acting upon what I've got inspired for - that's a stretch away! Dreamer. One who needs external push.

7. I am partially in the borderline-OCD category of weirdos! (That's my spot! :P) I am way too flexible at times. Extremes-of-nature.

8. There is always this Simmering Anger that is getting ready to burst as powerfully as Mt.Etna. At? Apathy for social issues. I would love to throw bricks at people who say things like "I hate Politics." "Politics is Scum." "Government, bah!" "Oh you are discussing political issues, pch (giving a foolish smile thinking it's intellectually cool), that's not what I would like to talk about..!"
So who do you think you are? You are worse than those "corrupt" politicians and the "corrupt" government that you are fighting against with the weapon of a noble aim to pass the janlokpal bill! Not to mention the crusader who is associated with a right wing institution! What-eh-WoW!
You don't find time to read newspapers. You think India is shining. And India will become a superpower by 2020 only if all the black money stashed away is retrieved. You watch and dance to the tunes of IPL. You smile at Vedanta ad, not knowing what it is to do. You become so cheerful about Olympics 2012! Oh yes, Dow Chemicals that destroyed Bhopal is sponsoring the event! You view that with a Why-should-I-care-about-it approach! You support NaMo, hail him as the best CM ever! But you don't know Zakia Jafri, Gulberg Society etc.

So this was the major detour I promised.

9. Cycling is an IN thing. With Sprinter vs. Long-distance runner as an analogy, I might belong to the Long-distance-cycler(!) category. No, I missed the Chennai Cycling Marathon on Feb 26, 2012.

10.

I am affectionately known as Nadamaadum Naalkaati (Walking Calendar, when roughly translated from Tamil). Yes, I almost always (not always) remember all pointless/pointful(!) stuff with date time year blahs. And I was cloyingly titled so, because of the relatively little more (may be 1%) capacity to recollect nonsense. (This is remotely similar to Dr.Sheldon Cooper of Big Bang fame. Remotely-because I cannot match the intellectual level of that character in a thousand years.)

11. WoW. Finally. To sum things up, I cannot be summed up. Just like everyone, I cannot be generalized in any sense. I am a normal (!) human being with my own set of idiosyncrasies, whims-and-fancies; and normalcy is again a variable threshold. I can be too happy for simple things as much as I ponder and mull over seemingly casual issues that can be sorted out with the blink of an eye.

This was a challenge I set to myself. To blab 11 (not-so) different things. And I succeeded I hope.

Patting myself on the back, continuing with the TAG-athon task.

Preethi wants me to answer a few questions.

1. Your views on God, Spirituality, Ghosts and Athma.

-- Everyone has some set of beliefs based on which their life moves. Something like a road one lays for oneself. Or may be the vehicle one chooses to ride depending on a lot of factors including safety. Some prefer Car, you don't skid as in a 2-wheeler (including cycle :P), although it also has a lot of disadvantages. let's not get into the 2-stroke, 4-stroke details.
Ya, so some people need a protector, a guardian-angel that helps and guides them through the travails of life. For a few others all these aren't needed. Theism is one such thing.
As for the rest, the same explanation holds good given the boundary conditions of "belief". Ghosts and Athma aren't my things. And so it is for the former two as well.

*singing, peigala nambaadha pinjula vembaadhe....*

2. What makes your life meaningful?

--People (Friends, Relatives, Acquaintances, "Networks"). Man is a social animal you see. I am no exception.

3. The best ways to tackle anger and detest.

--Drink a cupa tea. Read something. Go cycling.

4. How do you visualize yourself in another 10years.

--As a person who is 30 years old :P

5. What remains as your far-fetched dream till date?

--Traveling. India majorly. I want to visit all places that P.Sainath manages to dig into, observe and write about. And experience that pain.

(for those who are wondering who he is, please google him. And read "Everybody loves a good drought")

6. Something that makes you proud or stays as your identity.

--I am not proud of the blunt remarks that I give out. It is my identity though.

7. How do you connect with me?

--As a fellow CDB (Content Development Board) member :P A fellow blogger, ex-busmate and most impportant of all, a great friend. Oops.. I missed the question, connection through physical meetings in college and virtually through facebook and blogspot.

That's it for now, thank you!

So, now it's my turn to question, I would like to ask the same set of questions as Preethi (curious to know how you will respond to these)

1. Your views on God, Spirituality, Ghosts and Athma
2. What makes your life meaningful?
3. The best ways to tackle anger and detest.
4. How do you visualize yourself in another 10years.
5. What remains as your far-fetched dream till date?
6. Something that makes you proud or stays as your identity.
7. How do you connect with me?

Tagging,

Trisha
Irfan
Manish
Rohit
Aswin


Whew, that was quite a task..! Hope atleast 2/5 respond with their set of tags..! :D