Entries Tagged as 'Uncategorized'

My new home.

After all that whining I made in the last post, this is a positive post. I am so impressed by the hostel facilities provided by NTU amongst other things. Graduate students are accommodated in Graduate Hall, Nanyang Heights and Nanyang Valley. I am currently staying in Graduate Hall. The number to my room is interesting: 01-02-03 (Lobby 1: Level 2: Room no: 3) :)

From My Roon at NTU

This is the entrance to my room. What you see in the right is the wardrobe and in the left is the toilet! An attached toilet is a cool thing if you are not thinking about the responsibility to clean it. There is a notice in that door which specifically says about cleanliness. As Singapore is a “FINE” country I don’t dare to disobey.

From My Roon at NTU

This is all the room is about.

From My Roon at NTU

Another View. :)

From My Roon at NTU

That is my work desk (or simply desk). It is quite big.

From My Roon at NTU

Do you see that heater in there. Heater is not a necessity here in Singapore. I don’t know why they have it.

From My Roon at NTU

That is how the Graduate Hall looks like, when I look up from the corridor. You guessed right.. You are seeing the A/C compressors.. We have air conditioners in hall rooms. Just that we need to pay every time we use it, with a pre paid card. I did not buy the card (yet). Again, the climate of Singapore does not demands an A/C.

The sad thing is that we are privileged to have these facilities (the room rent is damn cheap) only for 10 months. We will be kicked out of this place after that and have to find private apartments.

Should I have taken the blue pill?

It has been a week since I reached Singapore and I got matriculated last week as a student at NTU. Most part of my life, I lived the life of a student. In fact I am a veteran in studentship and it should not be a problem for me to lead a student life. But somehow there is a tinge of fear somewhere in the corner of my mind.

For all these years I lived a chaotic life, which I enjoyed, and it worked perfectly well with me. But now this country, with all its beauty and wealth, is filled with lives in order. It is so ordered that it is scaring me. It scares me if my way of student life works here, it scares me if I can diffuse with the way of student life that works here, it scares me if I change that way will I end up being a serious, boring geek!

Now, I don’t have answers for any of them.  The other part of my mind which consoles me has got this point that I had similar feelings when I joined GEC Thrissur for B-Tech and I got over it. Probably this will take a similar path too..

Relatively yours!!

The problem with being a product of a nuclear family is that I know none of my level-4 relatives (Well, there are exceptions with celebrity relatives who are even at level 10). Now one might think what is the big deal in not knowing my cousin’s cousin’s cousin’s cousin or aunt. It is not, if you are sitting at home typing junk in your blog but it is, if you are in a wedding party when these level-4 aunties recognises you with your star-sign, name (nickname!) and the naughtiest (stupidest?) thing you did when you were at an age of 2. How hard I try to get all those names into my cranium this happens to me over and over again.

To add more spice to it the aunties or grand aunties (not because they are ‘grand’ but just because they are old) are capable enough to revenge you back for your ignorance.

I was attending this wedding a couple of days back at my dad’s ancestral place. And as you know with the PhD admission I was feeling asif I were Vijay Malliya (infact Dr. Vijay Malliya) even though I have no clue how I am going to pass the exams at NTU. So, I was sitting in a corner observing the beautiful girls running around the bridegroom when these two aunties came smiling at me. I had seen one of the aunty in some other function but could not recollect the name. Anyways, I smiled back wonderfully and they approached with the classical question.

Aunty 1 & 2: Do you know me, vivek dear?

Me: What aquestion!? Of course..

Aunty 1: Ok.. Then tell who??

Me: Gulp!! Ahem.. What’s in a name??

Aunty 2: Aah.. These days kids don’t even know their parents let alone relatives..

Aunty 1: BTW, Where are you working now?

Me: Well, I am not working. I am planning for studies.

Aunty 1: You finished studying 3-4 years backs, right?

Me: That is B-Tech. I am planning for higher studies.

Aunty 1: (to Aunty2 ) You know Sreejesh of Kallumpurathu, he is 3 years younger than him and got a job in Technopark just after his B.A.

Aunty 2: He is a smart fellow. He even ordered for an Alto car. Where are you going to study, by the way?

Me: Singapore.

Aunty 1: (to Aunty 2) You know what? Engineers from America calls Sree when they have problems. And he is the one who solves it for them. That too from here.

Aunty 2: OK mone, Try to be smarter than just being a book worm. You’ll also get a good job.

Aunty 1: And next time don’t forget our names..

Me: (And when did you tell me your names) Nodding with the same smile.

Adieu NITC

Two years back I joined NIT Calicut for M-tech and now I am a Master in Computer Science, at least in records. :P

NITC has been a great experience. The shallowness of my knowledge was exposed. My knowledge on computer science has increased exponentially both in theoretical and system side aspects of the field. I have earned experience in handling high-tech software tools and in understanding high standard international journals with ease. My programming has improved to a level that I can code 10000 lines of code in an hour with one hand.

LOL!! You believed that, didn’t you? :P

M-Tech at NITC was an extension of B-Tech life. There has been good technical exposure. But more than that there were a big group of friends who made my life brighter during this 2 years. Similar to B-Tech, I managed to get a handful of GREAT friends and unlike B-Tech my friend group was a heterogeneous one.

Thought of mentioning some of those who had been an integral part of my M-Tech life..

Arun Bhai: The Big Brother. Without you the trips were impossible…

Merin: Crazy, Intelligent and Systematic. Gonna miss the way you arrange things.

Jereesh: With whom I share the girl stuffs. Hope you remember the plans we had!!

Jyothisha Chechi: Sister to me. Will miss the pleasant smile of yours and all those free coffees..

Vineela: Was fun teasing you. Thank you for not beating me up.. :)

Sumesh: Marathi guy, who always had his love story to share.

Shalini: My Best friend at NITC. I will miss proving rubbish theories! :(

Thushara chechi: Baskin and Robins!! (:P). Gonna miss all those american gifts :P

Rekha Chechi: Thank you for all the support during project. When can we have our next bike ride?

Christy: Simplest guy I had ever seen. Keep your cool man and all the best with Geethu. ;)

Bindu Chechi: So much tension!! Yes, you can Bindhu chechi…

Renjith, Nipun and Kishore: You have been wonderful. Never thought of making friends from your sect.

Inception - the movie.

From Comics

The movie is wonderful, a must watcher. “I’m asking you to take a leap of faith.” :)

Cloud Nine

Most of you know that I have been trying for doctrol studies for quite some time now. Without any journal publication and with not so great GRE score it was tough applying to various universities. The disheartnening regret letters filled my room. I spent around 60,000 INR applying to Universities abroad as well as in India (The application fee is quite expensive in most universities)

Finally, there is a good news. I am offered admission for Ph.D. in the School of Computer Engineering at NTU, Singapore with full scholarship! I have not received the offer letter yet, the information has been obtained from NTU website. The most interesting thing is that I have not spent any money while applying to NTU. :)

If everything goes fine I should be in Singapore by August 2010. :)

The wrong turn.

I am typing this with bandages all over my hand and a stitch in my forehead :).

Met with an accident in my Calicut-Thrissur ride, yesterday. The blog (?) would have been something else if not for the helmet (which is now a broken helmet).

And about the heading: I took a different route this time. From Valanchery I took a bypass road to Kuttipuram and that is where I fell down. Oh yes, no vehicle came and hit me, I just fell down myself. A turning which appeared all of a sudden, gravelled road and sudden application of the break made the process smooth and clean. :)..

Anyways, I am still alive to bore you all… :)

Coffee with Vivek - 4

This is different from the earlier versions of ‘Coffee with Vivek’, where I bug my close friends and make them say stupid things and publish it here for the sake of increasing my blog entries. In the previous entries there weren’t any anonymity and the people whom I was referring to were they themselves. This time it is different and I choose not to disclose whom I am talking with. So for the sake of anonymity let us call her ‘Serena Williams’. Now, this person, in spite of being an intelligent girl she is one of the nuttiest of persons I ever met. To say more about this person, she is athletic and plays tennis :P. Anyways, some days back I was browsing with my gtalk on and then..

SW: Avivekam, are you there? (Some people call me ‘a  vivek’ :P)

Me: Yes

SW: avivekame, there is a personal sorrow I want to share with u. Are you ready?

me: ok!

SW: Most men whom i meet always think bad things abt me.

Me: Maybe you are bad.. Hehe..

SW: No, not like that. We start of as friends and then their attitude changes

me: oh ok. “THAT” bad.

SW: Is it the same with all men or is it specific to some women only?

me: Hmmm, it is quite funny.. I am also a man whom you know so isn’t that weird to ask me that question?

SW: You must say whatever you truly feel like. I need to know the truth!

me: Oh..  The question is not that clear. Can you rephrase the question?

SW: Do all you men think the same when it comes to women?

me: Ooph.. That is a tough question to answer. But I should say ‘yes’. When the girl is a stranger, she is a THING for most men. A THING of beauty is a joy forever. You don’t ogle or flirt with your friends or sisters but you do it always with strangers. I mean, most men.

SW: LIAR!

me: Oh! You caught me in the friends part! :P

SW: So when people touch me, they are doing it because i am a thing.

me: Well, I don’t know exactly. But the way you are expressing, I think YES.

SW: Did I ever mention you that you remind me of my cousin’s kid back home.

Me: No!!

SW: One more question. What if I was just a stranger and you saw me on the street? What would go through your mind?

Me: What the heck?? I wont see you even with a hubble attached to my eye. There are zillion others.

SW: Avivekam, I need the truth.

(Has she gone mad?? Or have I ever ogled at her?.. No way!!)

Me: It is the Truth. I wont even notice you. My ogling sense is so high. I ogle only the prettiest of girls.

SW: So, I am not pretty?

Me: They say “Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder”. And you are not to my pair of eyes. I think this is going a little wild. I am getting embarrassed.

SW: You are such a nice kid.

me: I know that I am a nice person and I am not a KID. I hate people calling/considering me as a kid. I am a 24 yr old boy. Anyways, I got to go. Bye Bye.

Vivek’s Cloth Washing Algorithm.

From Necker cubicle

PS: Should be the same for almost all boys!! :)

World T20 begins..

India does not takes Afghanistan lightly ~ Dhoni

From Comics

India vs Afghanistan: Tune your channel at 7.00 pm IST today…