America's Next Top Statistical Model

I get a call from Jess, who was excited about this idea that has been conceived by her friend Andy. Andy who goes to the Harvard School of Public Health wanted to spoof the show "America's Next Top Model" and make "America's Next Top Statistical Model"!! Given that I am used to making the most pathetic statistical puns, even in Data analysis class, Jess thought that I would enjoy getting my hands dirty with this... and she was right... we sat together one sunny Sunday and made the whole thing!! it was great fun!
Andy got together a class cast to act out the characters and with about 6 practice sessions, they were ready... cool... i added background effects and we were good to go for Harvard School of Public Health's International Night! they were amazing on stage and i loved watching the abstract puns come to life...hahaha

The background of the play:
There are 8 statistical models and the compere, Ion T-test, gives them a task based on which one will be chosen "America's Next Top Statistical Model". The email (ahem..."STATA MAIL") outlining the task:
Hey Ya’ll, I need some help. My grandmother has come down with some serious heartache. I need you to help me lessen her risk. So ladies, it’s time to pimp my relative’s risk. In this challenge, you will each have to build a model that will fill her aorta and balloon her heart with love. Please turn your output and syntax into me by midnight.
In Confidence,
Ion T-Test

the fun begins soon after!

This is not the whole play and it is missing bits, as you can make out, and this was shot with a handheld so the audio is a little screwy, but enjoy it all the same!




It links here

Mascot? Cute, cuddly, fun?

Some of them, maybe.... but not all...

I loved Wired's presentation of Mascots Gone Wild!!

"Your so vain, you probably think this post is about you..."

... or maybe it is!
Have you had the the following phrases, or modifications thereof, thrown at you?
"I think your a great guy [/girl]"
"You're doctors scribble is atrocious"
"You're contribution is acknowledged"
Do not forget the classics: "Their is no one who can beat me"; "Dogs love to chew on they're bones"; "Is there meeting going to be long?"

hmmm...Who do people spell by pronunciation alone?... I wonder if this is why i run across personal (as in HR), dumbell, its vs it's, momento, greatful, bellweather, pronunciation, among others, so frequently!

Here's a WikiHow step-by-step instructional page on getting your yours right!!

I like the use of thereof, wherein, notwithstanding.... even if it makes no sense to use it... especially if it makes no sense to use it...

If I were in trouble....

...I would call ADG!!!




Or you can check it out here

UPDATE: This video has been taken off Youtube... pity... they cant take a joke anymore!!

Who's your Lead User?

Last week I bumped into an Innovation researcher, Eric Von Hippel, who is a Professor and Head of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Group at the MIT Sloan School of Management. I heard some fascinating case studies of "pioneers" or "lead users", leading me to look it up, and after the journey of a thousand steps, I found myself becoming a member of "The Instructables Squad"
And look, they have a "Not Liable" section too!!!! hahaha

"Yesterday was 1st April, so???"

"...and what has that got to do with your post?"
"oh....Aaaaaaaahh"

Ironically, the bait reeled in all of the fish only on the 2nd! *ow ow ow* Ducking from all the brickbats thrown his way

Thank you for the wishes and the request for details! I will take a raincheck on answering them! For there exists no question without an answer... unless it is "What is the meaning of life?"... hang on.. thats taken...42, isn't it?

"I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toes..."

... "Love is all around me, And so the feeling grows..."

There's a song always running through my head, I skip when I walk, whistle a melodious refrain while on the train, smile at strangers, have this goofy happy face look all the time, I can't stop thinking of this one person, she finally said yes....
Diagnosis, Doctor?

hahaha... this is hilarious...

If you are having trouble opening it, follow the link

Wow, it's been a long time...

A flavour of soon-to-be-released stories...
1) Vitamin B12 kicks ass!
2) Adventures of Moving Out - A Remote Story
3) Ajanta - the Journey of a 2nd century B.C. to the 21st century
4) Delhi Roundup
5) Aah... to be with family and friends again!
6) Bike Angel
7) Back in Boston *sigh*

"It's all coming back to me now..."

...Or is it that I am going back?
A bit of both...
My next post will be after a trip across a few seas, if not all the seven!
Boston-Mumbai-Lonavla-Aurangabad-Mumbai-Delhi-Bangalore-Vellore-Bangalore-Boston...whew!!!

A Big Thank You...

...to the Shpais - Girish and Lo, Ram and his deep pockets (and I am not talking about Pita bread), Dinu-saurus and Lachchho...
...for keeping me afloat, solvent... for "dissolving" my pain :)

Eventful...

January 2005: Jim and the impromptu "Happy Birthday to You" rendition @ the Boston Symphony Hall!
January 2006: Ram, Shalini, Nunu and Sitara @ Asmara... and how did that cake get sneaked in under my very nose? Brilliant!
January 2007: Afsan, Tara, Mo, Caroline, Magali, Greg @ Addis and follow-up with sleigh bells, cake and "funny" (atleast he thought he was!) waiter at Garden of Eden....

Yep... eventful, wonderful, memorable... its what we live for, isnt it? *sigh*

Weirder and Weirder!

I have been tagged by the Axe-man and I have the not-so-popular task of listing 6 things about me, myself and me that make me weird... so here goes
1) I go banannas over banannas but I sometimes whine for grapes
2) Sense of humour
3) When I am on a concrete sidewalk that has been carved into large rectangles, I have to take equal number of steps on either side of the dividing line... it drives me nuts when they cant ensure that the rectangles are of the same size as then my walking pace varies... go figure that weird one out... something to do with my mathematical brain (i dont want to hear any more talk of "huh? dude, you? brain?")... and its not OCD if it does not happen all the time; only the times when my blood serotonin levels are the 98th percentile values
4) I have the attention span of a baby dodo (No backtalk about - "Did you know that the reason why the dodos went extinct was because they experienced an acute shortage of baby dodos?")
5) I want to join the Space Monkey Mafia :)
6) What lies beneath...

The Prodigal Son....

...Returns!

A shout out...

...to the dinu-saurus, who turns 16 today, or a multiple thereof!
Highlights of my New Years Eve:
1) Evening out with Mo, Beaudry and Chris at Boston's First Night
3) making calculated guesses on which part of the Pegasus Ice Sculpture was going to melt first... I put my money on the tail
2) Missing most events due to the really really slow progress of the T
3) Interpretive Dance performance by the Eva Dean Dance company
4) Bowling on the Nintendo Wii with MIT super-geniuses at a gathering
5) Making Aloo Parathas with the aforementioned New Years Eve gang on New Years Day, followed by Monty Python hilarity

All in all, a quiet time!
how was your day?

Conversations with Ella

Doggies are your unconditional best friends, but they've got the "puppy dog" look down pat! Ella, though, has more than a puppy dog look in her repertoire, and i received all of them during my week taking care of her. We also indulged in staring contests, mano a dogo, and to my credit, i won a few of them. Our conversations mainly went like this:
-----
Ella (with mournful look): Can I have a doggie treat?
Me: Didnt I give you one a few minutes ago?
Ella (deepening mournful look): I am a big doggie, the treat is a small treat; we suffer from a inadequacy of matching sizes
Me: I have my orders; your next treat comes with your medicine
-----
Ella (during our walks): Let's go near that man who is walking that tiny dog?
Me: I thought you didnt like other dogs?
Ella : No i dont. I want to tear that mutt limb from limb
Me: oh, sorry; I have my orders
-----
Ella (while I am cooking Indian food): What is that curious smell? Can i have a taste?
Me: Didnt you just polish off a bowl of your doggie food?
Ella : yep. pleaasee, pretty please with whipped cream and cherry on top
Me: Dude, I dont think you can handle this. Believe me, you are better off without it.
-----
Ella (squeezing herself onto my bed): Hey mister.. make space for me on your side
Me: Go lie on your bed
Ella : (puppy dog and mournful doggy look sent my way at the same time)
-----

Since Roslindale, MA was almost next door to Norwood, MA I took this opportunity to spend time with "Nunu Baby". Toddlers never tire of the peekaboo game, as I have learnt during my extensive pediatric training and reinforced over the last week with Nunu. And they love Bow-Bow, atleast Nunu does; and is not scared of her. The boys also make a sponge cake which was no too bad!

It was a relaxed week!

HoHoHo...

No, I am not cursing you out, girl!
Is a merry christmas to y'all, Happiness in the Hannukah and Kwanza in da house!
I am taking care of a wonderful little doggie mutt... ahem.. not so little but wonderful all the same... Ella... And missing being in India like crazy... and other random things that make me sad... questioning why I am here doing what I am doing... My aim is solid... but my goals looks distant... I want to translate all this knowledge that is bursting out of my head into action... NOW... but waiting teaches you a great lesson... its called Patience...
and "everybody needs a little patience"...
stream of consciousness thought is pooling into a lake of nonsense!

Chad Vader

I found this hilarious series on the adventures of Chad Vader, Darth's less than impressive younger brother...

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Episode 5

Hahahaha...

I discovered this here

" Weapons of Math Instruction

At New York's Kennedy airport today, an individual later discovered to be a public school teacher was arrested trying to board a flight while in possession of a protractor, a T-square, a slide rule, and a calculator.

At a morning press conference, Attorney general John Ashcroft said he believes the man is a member of the notorious Al-gebra movement. The man is being charged by the FBI with carrying weapons of math instruction.

"Al-gebra is a fearsome cult," Ashcroft said. "They desire average solutions by means and extremes, and sometimes go off on tangents in a search for absolute value. They use secret code names like x and y and refer to themselves as unknowns, but we have determined they belong to a common denominator of the axis of medieval with coordinates in every country. As the Greek philanderer Isosceles used to say, there are 3 sides to every triangle," Ashcroft declared.

When asked to comment on the arrest, President Bush said, "If God had wanted us to have better weapons of math instruction, He would have given us more fingers and toes. I am gratified that our government has given us a sine that it is intent on protracting us from these math-dogs who are willing to dis-integrate us with calculus disregard. Murky statisticians love to inflict plane on every sphere of influence," the President said, adding: "Under the circumferences, we must differentiate their root, make our point, and draw the line."

President Bush warned, "These weapons of math instruction have the potential to decimal everything in their math on a scalene never before seen unless we become exponents of a Higher Power and begin to factor-in random facts of vertex."

Attorney General Ashcroft said, "As our Great Leader would say, read my ellipse. Here is one principle he is uncertainty of: though they continue to multiply, their days are numbered as the hypotenuse tightens around their necks."
--
This fractured my punny bone!

This is the first day of the rest of your life...

Aah...

Daniel PowterBad Day

Daniel Powters MySpace Page

Vitamin E

I have been notified that Vitamin E is a good thing! So go gorge on Vitamin E... and Vitamin D... and random other alphabet soup items :)

"Fall of the House of Dents"....

.... occurs in exactly 24 and a half hours when I am told the results of my qualifying exams! Edgar Allen Poe, eat your heart out! This tale of suspense has no equal!

Sometimes....

You are looking at the questions,
But the answers don't come to mind,
You wonder if your head contains a brain,
Or that got left behind,

Supply and demand - those are mean curves,
More inelastic than fungible,
Are the externalities on my life,

Oh, show me the light, If I am right,
I am not going down without a fight!

Done, Done, Done, Done, Done .....

Just sent in my written answer.... I havent slept in 30 hours!!!!
BUT
I am Done, Done, Done, Done, Done, Done, Done.....
with the written part... i decided to change my study design on the 6th day as the first one was not "flamboyant" enuf! ha!that will teach me! And decided to adopt a different country to do the study in... double ha! i am sooooo tired!
YAWN!

Bang in the middle....

I am exactly two hours and 12 minutes from reaching the halfway mark in this marathon that is disguised as the written part of my qualifying exam... I have two words and a punctuation mark for the world out there....

"Why Me?"

Was it not sufficient that they cancelled Bharat Ek Khoj and The Office (UK)? Wasn't it enough to make me cry at the end of Forrest Gump , when Jenny dies? (oh shoot, did I give away the suspenseful ending... is there anyone in the house who hasnt seen the Gump???)


Did I ask for this level of stress and tension? Absolutely! Do I love it? YES!


Ask me again in three and a half days time, and do a paired t-test to see if there is any significant difference in my response... Your results, though, are not valid due to sample size issues, and the fact that you are cocking a snook at the body of statistical literature by even contemplating the use of a paired t-test with a sample size of 1...unless... your population is "you, yourself and not-irene"

The writing hand, having writ, goes into spasms...

43 hours and 20 minutes before I receive my written question for my PhD qualifing exam... the question on everybody's mind is....
"Who let the dogs out...to take PhD exams???"
The question on my mind is...
"What is the meaning of life? Does the ends of life justify the means or do they only affect standard errors and test statistics" (Duh, sorry, statistics joke.... All Ye Awake, Stats nerd in Da House!)

Its official...

Its good to be back... the last three weeks have been an emotional rollercoaster... an intermingling of the personal, academic and social sides of this hunka cheesecake ("Who? Me?!!")...

Some updates:

I now run three miles every morning (for the metric folks, which *sigh* still includes me - its 5 kilometres)... I wake up at 5 AM, jump out of bed (i take that back.. I limp out of bed), and start running... The average tempretures outside range from 46-56 F(7 - 12 C)... Father Winter is around the corner... By mile 0.5 the tip of my nose is frozen and by mile 0.75 i can't feel my hands... To paraphrase Calvin's Dad (of the Calvin and Hobbes fame/notoriety): "Its good to be alive"... by Mile 2 I am panting and sweating... by mile 3 i am dead... but i feel alive

I am the Teaching Assistant to a Data Analysis class... and I love molding young minds (Read as, messing around spreading misinformation and humour)

I take the written part of my PhD qualifying exams next Tuesday (Nov 1) and the oral exams on Nov 21 (9 AM to Noon)...

I still do not know when I get to go home (Since that hasnt changed in the last few months, I guess that does not qualify as an update)

I make a presentation on Nov 9 to the PhD seminar on some ideas that i am entertaining for my PhD...

I entertained one lone stray thought of leaving it all and coming home.. but that was a fleeting moment of weakness at the nadir of the rollercoaster, and that very thought is now banished forever...

I will not be posting as much as I wish, for reasons that are purely and wholly academic (Again, not much of an update point, is it??)

Later...

Break

I am on a short hiatus from blogging (both the reading and the writing varieties)... this is for the information of all my readers (yes, all four of you!)
How short? Only time will tell :-)

Lost posts...

It looks like Blogger has dropped two of my latest posts because they were getting so many hits that they clogged every available internet server! ...
I switched templates.. and voila... the posts are visible again
Ha!

Tag? As in the TAG Hardware Store in Porter Square, Cambridge?

Alo, in all her Glorious Wisdom, made me a part of this curious phenomenon called Tagging. Social Networkologists believe that Tagging it is a by-product of ...duh... social networks (some even go to say that it is THE product), and all that jazz. I think it is a refined version of the "hoax mail", you know, the one where, "if you love your friends you have to forward this mail to atleast 20 friend units in the next five minutes" and "earn $280 million because Bill Gates is giving away his fortune"!! HA
Alo's "pass on the TAG" TAG exercise needs the the TAGee to answer the following in brief:
1) Say who tagged you
2) Say eight things about yourself
3) Tag 6 people

Answer:
1) Alo
2) Since this is an "anonymous"(HA to that too, since my name and my naked torso have made guest appearances!) blog, the chances of me putting in eight true things about myself is as high as the chances of me finishing a four quarter NBA basketball game (or should I amend that to me playing in the NBA???) ... if you want to get to know me, meet me; no better way.
a) I was once the Michael Jordan of the school Basketball Court, I am now the Adonis of the Food Court
b) Dents is my nickname; I do not possess the strength or skill to induce temporary distortions in the continutity of gleaming automobile surfaces; and no, I dont repair dents either
c) I have "literally" bowled a maiden over on the basketball court
d) I watch horror movies from under a thin sheet of fabric; that way you can see whats creature from hell is going to eat the poor half-naked girl wandering about in the forest on a freezing winter night in her negligee (in my opinion, she deserves to get eaten, only to "improve the genome" - Darwin Awards) without jumping up startled, and spilling all of the popcorn over the couch
e) I am doing a PhD in Conversational Physics
f) I have used theorems of Conversational Physics in actual conversations (ha ha): "I know about this Newton guy, wasn't he the one that invented gravity" to "Kneels Bore is a medieval torture instrument"
g) I once bought and spilled a Grande cup of Starbucks coffee all over meself; no, it was not a lab experiment in "How to get started with Conversational Physics"
h) I am funny; not the weird kind of funny, the amusing silly kind of funny... notice the number of HAs expended in this area of cyberspace
....whew... done
3) TAG Away... the new brand from the makers of precision timepieces. I am TAGging Vee, Taz, Axe and Ozzy's Mom. Now for the best part: I am putting a kink in the Network by reverse TAGging Alo and self-TAGging Dents. Notice the insidious plot to create a infinitesimal (degree of importance to the existence of humanity) infinite (degree of boredom induced by trying to understand me) loop - The IIL of humanity; might I add that this self taggin' has been done on a closed course with professional nincompoops, DO NOT TRY IT AT HOME. Take that, you netTAGologists!

Wining and Dining

Its Boston Restaurant Week 2006 out here, a chance to dine fine, and pay less! We were at Vox Populi last night. It was nice to kick your heels back, and chill out!! Last night's success might push me in the direction of Cafe Fleuri at Langham Hotel or the Avenue One at Hyatt Regency Boston next week. Anyone care to join me? :)
Pat's weather report from Texas: "Its 112 F (45 C) here. Who turned off the AC in Texas?" ... hahaha
Further Update from Weatherman Pat: "Its 113 degrees Kelvin here"

I'm back...

... and full speed ahead!
I submitted my application to take my PhD qualifying exam today... written: November 1 2006; Orals: November 21/22 2006.
Getting upto speed on a lot of academics... I'm in the zone right now...

Back to Beantown..

*sigh*
Its going to be a tough day today.. i take leave of Lori and Pat...
*sigh*

We are in Texas...

Arrival @ Benbrook, TX: Tuesday 8th August 2006 @ 3.54 PM Central Time
No of Small furry creatures converted to Road Kill: 0
No of other co-travellers on the highway scared into a senseless mass of quivering protoplasm: 1234
Number of times I had Patrick praying for his life as a result of my beautiful driving abilities: 6
Number of times we were pulled over by various State Police personnel: 0
Number of times we were gives rude finger gestures: 0 [Hey, this is the nice midwest, not Boston]
Onwards to Dallas and then I head back to Beantown

On the road again...

Pat's car is the center of attraction once again....


Reached Little Rock, Arkansas last night... Watching the reality show called "30 Days" on TV last night, I experienced a moment of irony! This show is by Morgan Spurlock, the creator of Super Size Me. The show idea is to put a person outside his/her comfort zone for 30 days. On last night's version, an American Enginner named John spends a month with an Indian family in Bangalore, working in a Call Center. The moment I am talking about occurs with John teaching the daughter-in-law of the family he is staying with, to pronounce Arkansas...
... Here I am, sitting in Arkansas, USA, and there she is, trying to say "Ar-kan-saw"


We are now watching "Saved By The Bell" on TBS!

Free wireless in Ohio!!

Reporting Live from AmeriHost Inn Jeffersonville!!!



View from outside our window in AmeriHost Inn Jeffersonville

10160 Carr Road N.W. * I-71 at State Route 41 exit 69, Jeffersonville, OH 43128, US
Phone: 740-426-6400 * Fax: 740-426-6500
Reached safely and soundly last night... and soundly fell asleep... we aim to reach Little Rock by this evening... a day for goofy fun, wacky road videos, and Denish singing... yes, if there is one way to spur Pat into reaching the destination earlier, it is the vision, audio and all, of me singing!!!
So far, we havent been shot at, yelled at (though the person I cut in front of, and apologized to, in New York state doesnt count!!), chased by police or picked up hitchhikers! So the objectives of the trip still lie unfulfilled :)
More from the home of the Bill Clinton Museum.... I have two words.. White and Water!!!

And off to Texas we go....

We leave in 20 minutes... 3 relaxed days of driving... 1887 miles... I am going to see a lot more of Americana than I have seen in the last two years!
Patrick and I decided to make a "Road Trip" movie out of this... Release Date: Sometime in the Fall of 2006!
Watch the national media outlets for hot breaking news of our wild adventures:
Day 1: Boston, Mass to Columbus, Ohio
Day 2: Columbus to Little Rock, Arkansas (This day will be tough!)
Day 3: Little Rock to Fort Worth, Texas

I bid thee adieu!
coz we are gone in 60 seconds!

The Red Sox

Boston's favorites take on the Cleveland Indians this evening at 7.05 PM. I will be one of the non-Cleveland Indians there.
Yipeeee! Thanks to Francis, for getting the tickets!

*UPDATE*The Sox lost 6-3. I had a good time but I guess I was not the only happy Indian in the Park :-)

A weekend of fun...

*Start of Report*
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Finally, family time!
It was a "getting together time" for the Rastapeth family! A day of Adarsh's T-ball, Ananya's attempts at walking, Denish's first time driving in the US (Yes, I do have a license!!), and 18 holes of mini-golf (Note to self: Excellence in computer golf does not translate into any degree of skill in real life mini-golf). All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable day.
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Another fun day with Patrick. I finally met his fantastic sister and brother-in-law (Genius and laughter runs in famillies, i believe). They were visiting from New York and we had a good afternoon at Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market. The afternoon was finished off in style with back-to-back, multiple games of Ping Pong and Basketball.

*End of report*
UPDATE: Monday, July 31, 2006: Pat and I are heading out for a few sets of Tennis... boy, my blog reads like a filled out physical activity questionnaire!!!
Did I mention that I went to a Bon Jovi concert on Thursday, 27th July? Good gig!

Death to the Bot programs...

I spend one day in New York and come back to a friggin' bot leaving messages on every post of mine!!!! Its time to call on my favorite Blog Superheroes: Word Verifier Man and the Comment Moderator Woman!
On a related note, it was humid in New York, but the when I reached there, there was a fine mist hanging in the air... it was beautiful! I made Anand and Pandu walk 40 blocks from 42nd West to 82nd West, to the Met. Brave soldiers, they did not complain! We did the tourist things after that, given that both of them had not been there before... yes Axe, we were one of the millions on the street looking up all the time!!
Its a beautiful day here in Boston... Anand is here and we are going to enjoy it to the hilt!

The Indian Challenger takes on the Fillipino Basketball King

One fine July evening, the Filipino and the Indian, walking back from work, decide to indulge in a bit of Basketball one on one. The Indian dude is in his casual attire with sandals and absolutely refuses to wear shoes ("It is against my culture to do so... and besides, it will take me 15 mins to walk home to do that, so you will have to take me as I am")
The War of the Basketball World ensued... And our tiny camera lens captured this epic contest...



The Clip is available here , courtesy of Patrick "I-have-to-go-to-work-in-5-hours" Productions!

"Ooh, what a feeling..."

"When we're dancing on the ceiling..."
Why is this song running through my head for the last two days???
Mike joined us for a lunch hour ping pong break... He is warming up after many months of not playing the game, and I see another tough opponent (after a few more warm-up games).

The light at the end of the tunnel...

After a long chat with my advisor, Jim and another with one of my mentors in the program, i have some insight into what I need to do now... and that is to study... which I am doing... I met with my study group (rather one person in the study group!!) and decided to set out a schedule...
In the meanwhile Patrick has been wiping the floor with me in table tennis (a.k.a ping pong)... His cutting/chopping smash kill shot is deadly (pun intended)... Anyone out there with suggestion on a counter shot? i.e a counter shot that does not involve guns... And history repeats itself on the basketball floor... I aim to try to reverse the trend in Tennis but unless i lose about 15 kilos, that is not going to happen... Operation Weight and See is on...
On an unrelated note, my friend K asked me to see two movies that she had - Singles, 1992 and Prime, 2005 . Loved Singles (Dir: Cameron Crowe) and so-so on Prime. See it and tell me what you think... Who do you identify with? or, as Rick says to Ilsa, "Who are you really, and what were you before?" *nudge grin wink*

One word: WOW!

Thanks to Raj and Lachchho, I got to see one of my heroes live (*okay, okay, also a teen crush*), and within a spiderman leap from my seat too! Shock and Awe, thats what the show was all about and I am still reeling from the after effects of short term acoustic trauma!! She is 48 years old and she can still do splits!!
We had Balcony seats *behind* the stage. When we went to get seated, we were offered seats on the floor, about 50 feet from the catwalk. Guess the All-Star Baseball game kept many away.. Raj paid $65 each for our seats and we got to sit in $350 seats ... how lucky can we get... I must be our "Lucky Star" *grin grin* (She did sing it!) because the same thing happened a year ago when we went for the REM concert

I give up...

I have been trying to read about the vitamin B12 deficiency, cell expression, intracellular and mitochondrial effects of B12 deficiency, and I have to say that it is not working... I am averaging one page a day (or less, sometime) and that is not helpful... I think I need a vacation.. and Chicago and Seattle look really good right now!

The Jewish side of Me...

The Hindu Brahmin from Bangalore,
Participated in Jewish ceremonies four,
A memorial service, a burial, a Bat Mitzvah and an unveiling,
While Jim was rabbinically "hitting for the cycle" and winning
The Indian's adventures are now part of Marlboro folklore

Ask me about Hitting for the cycle bit! Over the weekend, one movie that brought back old memories was The Party, 1968 with Mr Hrundi V. Bakshi and his "Birdy Num Num" ... *I laughed till moi guts hurt*... Not to forget the idli sambhar and coconut chutney dinner night! Aah...

"Run to the Hills..."

Heading north to the cool climes of Jim's house in Vermont... His house is a part of a small community in Marlboro, in the hills above Brattleboro, Vermont....
Did you notice the 0.41% Asian population in the census data in the link? My arrival will add significantly to that :)
Its a quaint town with a close community of neighbours... Whoopi Goldberg has a house nearby! There will be more swimming and Kayaking but Pat will not be around to film me playing the role of stupid, so there will be no record for posterity :(
L (Jim's wife) has planned for dosa and coconut chutney; hence I go armed with coconut and mint leaves ... Looking forward to a week of no TV, no cable, and dial up... my break from the world continues....

Monique, Jerry, Pat, et al

If the "random screenshot" from Youtube is not enough of an indicator [honest, I was not responsible for that... i guess Youtube just picks the most delectable shot ;)... they have to sell themselves, right?], then I must warn you that this is a NSFW clip! Thanks, Neha vish !!

Pat deserves a pat on the back for this short notice filming and editing ... We (the Gang!) spent the Sunday afternoon in Monique and Jerry's (gracious, wonderful and kind, take a back seat - Mo and Jerry are here!) lake front house in Concord, Massachusetts. Result: swimming, diving, jumping, floating, kayaking, silly antics and the video... you will see all of us in the video at various points...
Watch and enjoy!

Its all about the movies....

What, you may ask, have I been upto these last few days?
Well, ask away!
Among other things, I have been steadily devouring a constant stream of movies from my Netflix subscription! So without much ado (or I do!), or fanfare, I present:

Movies watched over the last four weeks that you must see:
If you have seen them, see them again!

1) The Usual Suspects : Its all about Kevin Spacey and Bryan Singer (X-Men anyone?)
2) MASH: Season 1: Disc 1,2,3 1972; MASH: Season 2: Disc 1 1973: Hawkeye, Trapper, Radar, Blake, Frank, Hotlips - Can you say no?
3) Lost Boys of Sudan, 2003 : A touching story
4) Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic, 2005 : This woman is so baaad, but this is sooo good! She can sing, dance and be so funny - some kind of intellectually risque funny one, she is!
5) The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill: Watch out for a surprise ending
6) The Hudsucker Proxy, 1994: Tim Robbins and Paul Newman are unmissable
7) The Yes Men, 2003: The antics and what they got away with - hilarious
8) The Boondock Saints: Thanks to Schpai and Lo for pointing this one out
9) Elizabethtown, 2005: Can Kirsten Dunst be any more chirpy?

Update: Just finished with Cool Hand Luke, 1967 - "What we got here is a failure to communicate" - Paul Newman again... he was 42 when he made this movie... where does he go wrong?...

And continuing in the opposite vein, here are Movies watched over the last four weeks that you must absolutely NOT see:

1) Aeon Flux: Special Collector's Edition, 2005 : Arrgghhhhhhh... against my better judgement, i selected this!
2) Osmosis Jones, 2001: This movie is by the farrelly brothers, gross out kings par compare... there was a point in my life when i enjoyed this... not so much anymore, though i do regress sometimes

There you go, kids... details of other naughty events and happenings will be made available with a subscription fee.

Tracers

Just got back from Philly, having spent three days in a hospital... aah nostalgia!
I discovered that my friend T is on the web now! You can find her here . She is the most talented jewellry designer I know (In fact, she is the only jewellry designer I know but that doesnt take away from the fact that she is fantastic!). She also has an online design studio . I know where I am going to get my sparkles made :)
More later... This Master is Doctoring his travel details!

You can now call me Master

Whew!
Step 1 is over. I graduated from my Masters Course yesterday. The commencement was fantastic!
Lance Armstrong was the University Commencement Speaker and Prof James Levinson was the Nutrition School Commencement Speaker. Fantastic speeches by both, though Jim's speech was more personal. Photos and Videos will be put up as soon as I get back from Philly.
Summer's on, and I may be seen streaking on the Boston Common!

An Era Ends and Another Begins...

My grandfather, who has been such an inspirational part of my childhood, died last weekend, in Bangalore. He had lived a fullfilling life, and enriched our lives to the maximum extent possible. His legacy remains in the form of his wonderful family. May he rest in peace!
Another day, another milestone! I graduate from the Masters program this Sunday, May 21, 2006. James Levinson is the Commencement Speaker, and I can think of no better inspiration for fresh graduates! Having heard him speak at Marlboro College, I am looking forward to his speech! My journey has only begun! The huge PhD mountain looms before me! Before I start scaling it, I think I need to see more of this country. I start with a trip to Philly next week for a Positive Deviance training workshop at the Albert Einstein Medical Center . After that, the world is my oyster!
Given that my knee could navigate the 20 mile walk for hunger, I have decided to train with F and her friend A, for a 10K run in July. For obvious reasons, they would be training to run it in the shortest time possible, while I will be training to just complete it!
Today is Day 2 of my epic battle with Jerry and Monique's computer, trying to get it to work without crashing, sending weird pop-ups, messing up the display, and generally being a Windows machine!
The struggle continues...

"Time, Ladies and Gentlemen"

As the Chair Umpire announces the end of the break, and the start of the final nailbiting game to decide the Champion at the 2006 Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club at Wimbledon, little does he realize that the chain of events that led to that last game began on the sunny morning of May 7 2006. On this day, a brave group of souls from an august institution set out on a journey with 40000 other heroic beings, to raise awareness on the most acute of all human miseries - hunger!
*end*
I hate to leave you dangling, but I trust you will find the thread connecting the two events (pun intended)!!
My Walk was not as body a-aching and mind a-numbing as I thought it would turn out. It helps if you are walking with a wonderful person who has just completed the Boston Marathon and can tell you the hows and whens of stretching and resting. F also shared some of her Marathon secrets, kept me smiling throughout the journey and *poof* 20 miles were over!!! J joined us halfway, and she is also a bright beam of sunshine (not that we needed the sun - it was a glorious day for walking!) and tons of fun to walk the walk!
F, J and I didnt bring our walk sheet; so at each of the 8 checkpoints, we had the back of our hands "checked off". the results are the for you to see



On a different note, I tried my hand at Salsa last week and found out that my mind, body, and mouth do not communicate with one another, leave alone the need for coordination!!! I have decided that I prefer the Jalapeno variety!!

For all you Star Wars Fans...

"The legend never dies"

Enjoy!

If you thought Baywatch sucked...

... you aint seen nothing yet!!!
Ladies and Gentlemen, presenting David Whatsisname

Let us Cleanse our "Collective Soul"

Link to Clip on YouTube

I lost...

... in the second round of the 2006 Tufts Spring Ping Pong tournament
:(

funny stuff!

My friend sent this to me because she though I would find this funny (note the Indian character in the cast!)... and I did find this funny... hilarious... the guys at wongfuprodutions.com are good! This clip is about 15 minutes long... enjoy!




If the embedded video player doesnt work, then follow this link

What A Day!

Have you had a day where everything falls into place?
I got up this morning with a zero balance and ended with a 'full house'! "Cut it out"
I finished my part of the evaluation of the M&E presentation. The big shindig is on tomorrow morning at 8.30 AM!!! I hope I get some sleep!
Sooo, this work which was going to take 5 hours took only 3 1/2. So I was able to mosey on home and take a breather before my match up against the "giant killer" sophomore who was going to take me out of the 2006 Tufts Spring Ping Pong tournament. Looks like I go forward to the second round... live to survive the tale or is it survive to live the tale... or whatever... its a tall tale!! I WON :)
I go home, add finishing touches to the presentation slides that my friends have sent me, and then Bob comes over to play the trivia game at Johnny D's trivia night . SO we are running a bit late... we walk in and everyone is already settled in.... its the third question of the first round as we enter and the song is nearing its end (the time for a question is the length of the song)... we ask what the question is and we are told "unit of pressure that is represented as newton per meter square and which is also a computer language"... i immediately thought of krish, kosh and their struggles with fortran and pascal (while I had my own internal struggles with the anatomy of an earthworm)... and voila, ve vere voff!!!
the picture round messed us up... lead singers and their bands... not our cup of tea... BUT Bob killed the competition with guessing the middle names of ten presidents that were read out... and the best part of it... as the QuizMaster (QM) was reading out the questions, Bob was telling me the answers and i was writing it down... and poof! when the QM finished the tenth name, we had our answers in his lap and he was stunned!!! "This has to be the closest game in the history of trivia night" "This is the first time in my life that I have seen two guys, who came in towards the end of the first round, staged an amazing comeback to win"... Yay! We won a $30 gift certificate...'Pies R Us' Rules!!!
The only blight spot was that I couldnt see my friends F & L finish the Boston marathon! *sigh*... but hey, we cant win them all, can we?
I have broken my unsaid anonymity rule.. because Bob deserves more than one round of applause! Bob Choo, Ladies and Gentlemen!!!!

Explorations, discoveries, serendipity

I am overwhelmed!

My Project Bread Walk for Hunger Walk Page is an affirmation of the lovely qualities of moi friends - kind, selfless, and generous. I have updated my collection goal 5 times, and each time, my friends and family have helped me meet it!!! What about that? Fantastic indeed! :) Talking to, and mailing, some of them, brings up memories that just choke me up. I guess I must also be homesick :) And I found the Menon after a long long time, through the Walk page! Now I have to catch up with him . God (or any other force that one believes in, even if it is your own life force) Bless them!

Among other things, my friends F and L are running in the Boston Marathon with the Tufts Team along with 198 other dedicated runners from Tufts. I have to admire their courage and am looking forward to seeing them come over the finish line!

A-ha, I am also part of the 2006 Tufts Spring Ping Pong tournament . I am drawn against a Sophomore, who, I guess, is faster, quicker, younger (for sure) and more talented than me. She is sure to sweep me out, but hey, I am going to have fun playing!!

My lovely professors, who I work for, and TA for, are amazing. When their good friend, Dr Singhal visited Boston from Ohio, they took him, and F and I for a visit to Walden Pond, and their upcoming house in Concord . Its a beautiful house, on the banks of a pond, and I am promised summer fun there!!!! Woo Hoo!

Bob and I are also doing the Johnny D's trivia night on Apr 17. We need team players, so join us if you can!

Blogthings

Excerpts of some Mass humour from Blogthings ! Follow the Link for more!

"You Know You're From Massachusetts When...
The person driving in front of you is going 70 mph and you are cursing him for going too slow.
You know how to pronounce the names of towns like Worcester, Billerica, Haverhill, Barre and Cotuit.
You think the rest of the country owes you for Thanksgiving and Independence Day.
You have never been to Cheers. (True! Never been there!)
When the words 'WICKED' and 'GOOD' go together.
The curse of the Bambino is taught in public schools.
You own a "Yankees Suck" shirt or hat.
You do not recognize the letter "R" as a part of the English language.(Never a truer statement has been made)"

How many esses are there in Massachusetts?

1, 2 3?? As many as you want to put in? These spelling syntactical and philosophical issues come to the forefront when I look am on the T, and leave the conscious part of the brain the moment I exit the metallic snake.... ah, the frivolous vagaries of fate and faith...
I am taking this very interesting course in my school called "Theories of Public Policy"
Its a very hands-on course in US Policy and I just love the stories that Kathleen, our Professor, has up her sleeve... In the first class, I get asked "Why do you want to take this course?" Without a funny repartee coming to mind, i decided to stick to the boring truth and said,"Because I think it is going to be fun"!!
And fun it has been; in addition to reading about some interesting cases from the field of automotive and agriclutural policy, we paid a visit to the Massachussetts State House, the seat of the House of Representatives and the Senate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to hand our "citizen legislation" on eliminating the use of non-therapeutic use of antibiotic in animals to State Representative J. James Marzili, Jr..
What a hoot!!!

Project Bread and the Walk for Hunger

Every year, Project Bread holds the annual Walk for Hunger, the largest annual one-day fundraiser to alleviate local hunger in Massaschusetts. The 20-mile Walk route weaves through Boston, Brookline, Newton, and Cambridge.
I walked the 20 miles last year and will do so again this year. This is a plug for your support of my Walk and you can do so on my Walk Page . I also want to take this opportunity to thank all those who visited the site and made a contribution to Project Bread.
All of us have altruistic intentions, though not all of us get an opportunity to convert our thoughts into action. The Walk for Hunger is one such effort that resonates with me, both in terms of the purpose and the process. If I am in Boston on the first sunday of May every year, you know where to find me.

PS: I am really excited about, and determined to complete, the walk because my almost-three year old niece is supporting my walk!!!! How cool is that??? She turns three on the Fourth of July!

Pump Up the Volume

Turn up your volume and watch this!

Chicaago!!

Just came back from the Windy city... tons of stories, pics and, a *ahem* embarassing new video clip of me (as I told one of my good friends, its a "family" video...involving me, a spoon and a bowl of chocolate) from my three days there... watch this space for more... winding down with homework and entering spring recess break...

Presenting Kaili

My good friend Kaili is a new entrant to the blog scene, one of the reamining Few Good Women (*immediately hides from the bricks, bats and stones hurled in his direction*)

I am honoured to be listed on her blog. Enjoy her blog as it matures and blossoms!

This weekend, I am headed Chicago way - a reunion that is many years in the making! The Original Three Musketeers - 22/7, Peedus and I - will walk the dark streets, and the light streets, dispensing summary justice to one and all! I will get a chance ot catch up on old friends, WHO allies, and Doctors in the making!

UPDATE: Kaili's blog is offline. Watch this space for more

The Mother of Game Nights

Wow!
The evening of Friday the 3rd February 2006 was a watershed in Mason Street history. At a unique event this day, we had citizens of varying nationality, with diverse educational backgrounds coming together to participate in the largest (to date) Game Night of 23 Mason Street. Gingerbreak cake and baked nectarines hobnobbed with bhel puri and tortilla chips and salsa while Oreo cookies complemented the fantastic Tiramisu. Japanese graciousness and Korean humour kept the night alive while the Filipino brain and the American supercomputer raced to victory. There were taboos left unspoken and pursuits made trivial . It was also the celebration of the day of birth of one of our own - A doctor-to-be, a Mason-ite of long standing. Suffice to say, our expectations (I refer to the 23 Mason-ites - G, L, T and I) were exceeded with nary a backward glance!!
Yesterday my friends and I paid a visit to the new kid on the block and picked up this and this and this. What fun, all this!

Universal Truth: family and friends... You can't do without them!

My friend P turns to me on the T, and says "How is your 'sup dog' doing?"

I look at him quizzically and say, "What's sup dog"?

* One evil grin * later, he says

"Nothin, wassup wid you?"


... i fell for that, hook line and sinker...


We have an ongoing cat and mouse game where we try to sneak into each other's office and scare the heebie jeebies out of the person on his chair by suddenly shouting "Boo" into the back of their head.. I have to say, I have succeeded a few times while he has had me jumping out of my skin, not just in the office but also at home!! The War continues...

... continues on to the table tennis table... My knee is back to being fully flexible and "operational" (pun totally intended) and in addition to the physical therapy exercises, I have been indulging in a few games of TT now and then... Dont tell my doc, he will have a fit!... Thats the problem with docs, they are so busy playing God that they forget that their patients are human... one advantage of being a doc and not being allowed to be a doc is that, at the same time, I can be sitting in, looking out and sitting out, looking in... doubly so if I am a patient!
ah, life is wonderful

On unrelated issues, Dr Nevin Scrimshaw speaks on the urban legend that was the protein gap . My good friend Lau and I will moderate the discussion. All are invited!

Phew!

Its been a hectic holiday! After Vermont, New Years in Boston and North Reading, I had a lovely evening of Tan Dun at the BSO, a good weekend with Chet and Bop in NYC, and now, am in a blissfully ignorant state at the start of the academic term!
New England weather is at its worst! 10 C one day and - 2.5 C the next, one has to "look no further" to see how nature is toying with humans!
Update Snow this morning... followed by bright (but cold) sunshine ... "we are your puppets!"
Whee! I am actually a teaching assistant!! *muhahahaha*
To quote from the site :
"
NUTR 291PD: Positive Deviance for Behavior Change: A Course for Practitioners
Description:
Positive Deviance provides a unique approach for solving problems that require social or behavioral change. At its heart is the belief that in every community there are a few individuals – “positive deviants” – whose uncommon practices or behaviors enable them to outperform or find better solutions to pervasive problems than their neighbors with whom they share the same resource base. Identifying the positive deviants’ special practices/behaviors reveals hidden resources already present in the environment, from which it is possible to devise solutions to pervasive community problems, solutions that are sustainable as well as cost-effective. Students will read and discuss positive deviance and behavior change literature, review and critique studies and programs, and design and carry out positive deviance inquiries in the Boston area. Grading is Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U). Course enrollment is limited to 12.
Credit: 1
Prerequisites: Graduate standing or instructor consent.
Course Director: Sternin
Day/Time: Wednesdays 1:00 - 3:30 pm
Location: Jaharis 155, Boston Campus
Enrollment Number: NUTR291-PD
Call Number: 03750
"
My first! :-)

"This is the End"

An Era has ended..... here

Another just begins... here

Ice Ice Baby

History of the World Part II - "Hitler on Ice"!
What a Year! It takes a couple of ligaments to tear free of their moorings for the focal length of your perspective lens to change! Its been snowy and icy in Boston the past month and Somerville, the city I now call home, is especially riddled with icy and snowy spots! There have been times i have taken a step only to slide forward like a runaway deer on ice (dont even ask - i have a vivid imagination!)...
"Let it Snow, Let it Snow"
And it did! Tons... and then the rains came and swept it all away! The only thing that can trump nature is Nature!
"Jingle Bells"
I attended Christmas Mass at the St Paul's Church in Harvard Square. The highlight of the Christmas Service every year is the Boston Boy Choir that performs, and even the tone deaf like me can see that they are good!.
The other highlight was when I attended my first "White Elephant Party" on my yearly post-christmas before-new-year trip to Vermont!! My professor who invites me over to his "house in the hills" every year, is one of the most amazing people in the world! At this party I met a bunch of really interesting people, Vermonters who are so full of life.
"Its Another Day in Paradise"
The New Year was rung in with quiet reflection... we now have a lovely new roommate, G, whose intelligence and vivacity is a complement to the brains, niceness and pure brightness of my other two roomates... One wonders how I fit into the scheme of things... the only explanation I can offer is that some people "slip through the cracks" and this one crack that let me in was a big wide one!!... back to the subject, G's boyfriend D (Wai am full of da alphabet in my posts wonly, in interest of annoynimity) was hosting a party and i ended up there, my first new year where everyone I met was someone who I hadnt known for more than 2 weeks... small world, this!
New Year Day was spent singing karaoke Christmas Carols (dont ask, will not tell!) with family in North Reading... my whole khandaan in Boston was assembled and we had great fun with the angels, the glory, the silent night, among others...
On a totally unrelated topic, a good friend sent this across ...
Back to work, now....

Finals

Been really busy with papers and assignments, figuring out how to change the lightbulb while standing on one leg on a one legged stool, wondering if "42" is the answer... will get back to blogging after finals

the video feed is live

WARNING!
The link below takes you to a motion clip of pain and suffering. It is NOT for the faint hearted! No blood, though! If you are ready to see my knee unravel, do so at your own risk!
This is "how it happened"
PS: I did save one goal!

Immovable force and an Irresistable Object

What happens when an ageing soccer warhorse attempts to block goalscoring efforts by the Varsity soccer team? According to my orthopedic physician, the least of my worries is a blowout of my anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments. Knee immobilizer, crutches, elevation, cold compress... they are parts of my life now!

I now appreciate how brave people with physical handicaps must be to venture into this bad world. Even in Boston, one of the most handicap-friendly transport systems, I was caught at wits ends many times. Frequent escalator service stoppages ensure that my long jump training didnt go waste- though long jump doesnt really prepare you for hopping up four flights of stairs!! Another big peeve - why is it that the T stop (the T is the Boston subway) servicing the largest hospital in New England, the Massachusetts General Hospital, does not have any provisions for handicapped people to reach the street level from the elevated platform. I went from hopping up four flights of stairs in the morning to hopping down four flights of stairs in the evening! Do they imagine that patients reach the hospital only in an ambulance? Its a shame!
On a related note, are there any good knees being sold on the market? I could use one, especially if it belonged to a Genius!
As to the answer to the first question, my good friend P filmed the whole episode! It will SOON be available on Google Video . A note of Warning - the video is graphic and NOT to be watched by the queasy and the faint-hearted. As one person told me after he watched it "After watching the clip, I feel twinges of pain everytime i bend my knee" Watch for the links!

A new meaning to the word "Ironman"

One of my professors at school, Park Wilde, has a wonderful blog on food and nutrition policy issues in the United States. Its called US Food Policy and one of the stories on the blog is this anecdote from Gary King at Harvard, talking about the need for control groups in research.

Its funny that the proportion of graduate and kindergarden (KG) students who got this right was similar. Given that KG students go on to learn more stuff - history, geography, biology and calculus, among them - is there a point where it all starts to go downhill?!!! As a doctoral student, I find myself at the bottom of that downhill slope. Does this mean that I have to go back to kindergarden after this? Or does it metaphorically mean that I will soon start the kindergarden of life?
Bring on the bib!

I was a Ring Keeper

Taking a cue from Varun V Nair, I found out that I closely resemble *trumpets, please* Galadriel.
The results are there for you to see:

We think its the long locks, precious, but according to Legend, I am possessing a rare combination of wisdom and humility, while serenely dominating my environment!
"What an elfish fairy tale!"

Last night

I laughed a lot last night! I met a bunch of people at my friend M's birthday party, some old friends, some who I knew by name and face, and some who I met for the first time! Laughter is a good cathartic, both emotionally and psychologically!
"’cause I’m as free as a bird now"
My next step? Save the World.. I am flying high on mighty wings (Anyone remember an obscure band in the Eighties named Cheap Trick?)
Before that, its Futsal (indoor soccer) time at Tufts University! Watch the Friedman School compete with the best of Boston to lift the Kings Cup. More details can be had here .
When:November 19th, Saturday
More When: 10:00am-4:00pm
Where: Gantcher Gym

I think, therefore I am

somber, empty
mood, dark
big,ego
tears, hurt
deficiency, good
think, logic
catastrophe, peace
right, wrong
purpose, life
lost, wandering
partner, grow

Calvin & Hobbes

My favorite comic is Calvin & Hobbes, featuring the boy "genius" with a disregard for authority and a disdain for structure, and his tiger "friend". I was introduced to them a long time ago, and they stayed with me because Calvin often eloquently put into words how I feel
Some are pure gems:
"I think we dream so we don't have to be apart so long. If we're in each other's dreams, we can be together all the time."
"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."
"Talking with you is sort of the conversational equivalent of an out of body experience."
"History is the fiction we invent to persuade ourselves that events are knowable and that life has order and direction."
"That's the difference between me and the rest of the world! Happiness isn't good enough for me! I demand euphoria!"
"In my opinion, we don't devote nearly enough scientific research to finding a cure for jerks."
And my favorite
"I'm learning real skills that I can apply throughout the rest of my life ... Procrastinating and rationalizing."
Source: http://homepage.eircom.net/~odyssey/Quotes/Popular/Comics/Calvin_Hobbes.html

What is funny is that, since reading this, I see flashes of Calvin in every kid I meet, making it seem that Calvin speaks for kids all over, tellig us, "the older people" to "watch it"

To sign off, in Calvin's own words...
"It's a magical world, Hobbes ol' buddy.... Lets go exploring"

My attempt at a Poem

The night is cold
The snow sits easy on the tree,
the colour of the sky mirrors the mood of events to come

The phone rings,
There is a hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach
What follows is meant to be

When I saw you standing there
My heart leapt for joy
And I knew that we were going to be just fine

I feel comfortable
And I feel safe
Telling you that I love you
Feels just right

The Public Face

Tomorrow, I place myself right in front of the Board of Overseers at Tufts, talking about why I came to Tufts.... and how my fellowship is going to help me reach whereever I am going... did that make sense? Oddly enough, it did to me... preparing for the talk, it gave me a chance to reevaluate my aims and goals and how I intend to reach them... it does good for one to be shaken up once in a while.. there is a risk of being caught in the wave of blissful ignorance, and in the end, finding yourself washed up on shores unwanted... not happening with me, not here at Tufts... its a lovely place, (inspite of being located in downtown Boston) the faculty is incredible diverse and experienced, and I have funding! Best platform for "life launch", if I have seen any!
This is one instance where my public face and my private face are the same! I do hope I dont cry!!

Game Night

"Do you like Trivial Pursuit, Scrabble. Monopoly, Dumb Charades?
In other words, are you one of the following: Geek, Nerd, Dork, or plain fun lovin'?
Drop by our house on Friday Evening and find out!"

I am a loser! In all of the games mentioned above!

Deja-vu

It happened again.... the return episode of the hair-today-gone-tomorrow saga; Only this time, the protagonists were me and the nice Chinese lady manning the "hair station"!! When you lose money, they tell you that "you got shaved"; in my case, I literally got near-shaved!!
The first person who saw this new look was M, who remarked "hon, you look great"! That did buoy my spirits up a bit, further bolstered by my good buddy and TT challenge ("I will win, someday, P, when I master my new racquet!!"), P, who said _ "It makes you look younger"... younger or not, i am certainly lighter... a few grams lighter!!

On a related note, the P and D Table Tennis (TT) Championships have begun! All ye who are interested in seeing two giants in the Friedman School TT scene (also the only two people on the Friedman TT scene) clash are welcome to make their way to the third floor of 130 Harrison Avenue, Boston! Armed with Butterfly racquets (the locals here call them paddles!) PD or DP will play out sets of 5-7 matches everyday and the loser in those matches wins the Championship. I amight as well take the Cup home right now!

Mood Music

Sitting here listening to 'These Eyes' by the Guess Who, I am struck by how my perception of music is influenced by the mood I am in... to digress, the Guess Who named themselves as such because they gained popularity in the extremely competitive American music scene on the basis of a rumor that they were the Beatles![Source: John Einarson's "American Woman: The Story of the Guess Who"] ... going back to my mood, I was feeling real goooood three days back and 'Otherside' [Red Hot Chilli Peppers] was really moving me... I like this song brcause its rythmn "moves me" but that effect was magnified that day! It felt greaaat! .. When I am moping, Goodbye Blue Sky, Soldier of fortune and Killing Me Softly resonate with my mood and their effect on me lasts longer... talk about mood music
Or I could be just a strange little guy with a fractional emotional quotient!
Take a look at this bitchin' site. Its chillin' magellan!

Hmmm...

I wonder

Singing Beach, Cooking

This weekend I paid a visit to the "Singing Beach" at Manchester-by-the-Sea! The Commuter Rail from North Station takes you to Manchester in all of 51 minutes... a 10 minute walk from the station brought us to the singing beach...
Too bad, the "sun don't shine like in Tel Aviv"... the sun was shining but the day was cold! A, A's friend C, and I ....
(sounds like I am reciting the alphabet isnt it? "ABC, A's friend is C, AC and I, we went out to Sea" ... Strike one, Dr Seuss).. well getting back to the story, A, C and I went out to spend the afternoon and evening on the beach, and hoped to get some water time too... well, Poseidon (Neptune, as he is known in the Roman circles) had other plans... within 25 seconds of entering the water, i exited with a yelp, and with all of my teeth (wisdom too, not that they helped !!) chattering! it was cold, collddd... brrrrr....... that put an end to Jacques Cousteau like adventures... C had brought her wet suit but it was too cold to think of entering the water.... wet suit remained dry! ... we played volleyball, ate pistachio nuts, chocolate chip cookies, fruits, found out that if you kick up the sand, the particles rub against each other, and actually "sing".. i heard a refrain that sounded like "pour some sugar on me" but hey, it could be "shifting whispering sands by rusty draper"
We got back late, tired but content!
Next day, I cooked. Over the last few months, I discovered that I can cook, I like cooking, and other people are not dying like flies from eating the food that I have cooked ... all good news for my future health and life! I am adept at making both north and south indian dishes, which is also a plus! Last week, we had a Dosa cookout (or I should say, cookin, as it was all indoors!), thanks to a generous donation of dosa batter and coconut chutney by my dear cousin sister, L. (L, if you ever navigate to this page, all who have savoured the dosa that was created from the batter you gave, thank thee from the bottom of our bottomless stomach pits!!)
Au revoir!

Random Thoughts

As I have told more than one person, "the anchors for my logical processes are always up in the air", so a post about 'random' thoughts is always inevitable! Though random in order and content, you might also find a thread of "lateral thought" interwoven in the broad tapestry of my creation! I claim sole ownership rights for these thoughts (not likely that anyone else would want to touch this one with a bargepole!)
1) I have the best roommates one can have!
2) Dosa and coconut chutney make a potent combination, second only to mosaranna, the curd rice ... *sigh*
3) Karl Popper is a cool daddy
4) The Boston Symphony Orchestra is playing Weber, Schumann and Mendelssohn on October 18. Dont miss it!
5) If my roommates stay in the same house, but not the same room, shouldnt they be called housemates?
6) I cant wait to see Nisha.
7) If radio waves can cause physical damage to our brain, does it not stand to reason that we might one day be able to recieve radio waves without the use of a cellular phone. What happens to the phone companies? Do they start installing radio frequency chips in our heads. Does the prepaid plan still remain more expensive?
8) Are waffles better with maple syrup or with Blueberry syrup?
9) If the inhibition centre of your brain is the first to be overwhelmed by alcohol, then why is there a psychological need to drink more when alcohol has not been shown to induce a physical craving?
10) What are the 'statue" couple in Davis Square talking about?
11) Why does the "Uruk-Hai" theme from the Lord of the Rings strike such a "chord" in me?
12) I can cook
13) Over the last year, I have learnt that out of the box is better than within the box... Ten years hence, I would not be surprised to find myself stuck in the middle of the Sahara, without water, and regretting the fact that I did not learn how to skin a cactus fruit when I was in the Negev
14) As I grow older, I grow more obstinate
15) Sometimes I am so full of s**t that I disgust myself... luckily, these days, those times are rare
16) I now find time to appreciate life for what it is... not something that I need to subdue and control... Less anal, more oral!!
17) I know a lot more about a lot of things that others didnt think possible of me... I see that as a result of the new emerging me!
18) Things look a lot different after the past weekend... I find that I realize my boundaries, limits.... or is that my limitless boundaries?
19) Does age matter? Not in the general scheme of things, but in the personal scheme of things?
20) When should I speak up? Is there a right time? What if the window of opportunity is slowly being shut in my face?

On this note, I bid thee goodbye!

Parties, Gita, et al

My friend, M and I had left a Tufts party at 11.00 PM. We reached Central Square at 11.40. We were on our way to another party! (Did I mention that I was going to spend this semester enjoying curricular and extra-curricular activities?)
We reached the house where the second party was to be held and found, to our consternation, a silent party-animals-less house! (Two days later I was to find out that we had been standing in front of the wrong building, staring bleary eyed at a complete stranger's house!)
M and I decided to walk the few miles to our respective houses, catching up on what we had done this summer.
Notable among our discussions was the origin of religion and the concept of god; our perceptions on our religions and how we view other religions.
I started out on the Vedas, the Bhagwad Gita, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata... not as much trying to explain where these stories are from as trying to understand how they have influenced my perceptions (This at 12.30 AM on a saturday morning!). I thought back to the week before where a good friend of mine, D, read out the "Opulence of the Absolute", a chapter in the Bhagwad Gita.
This chapter came into my mind when trying to explain my vision of God to M.
M, if you are reading this, these links might make what I said a wee bit clearer, though you have to make allowances for the hour of the night when i said what i said!! More when we meet again.
D, Thanks. I am sure you will take a dekko at this page, someday, when you are not enjoying a refreshing cold beer on a hot day; then again, even when you are!

UK trip update

Some snippets from my UK visit... I spent two days in London, headed out to Cambridge for a day trip, hoofed it to Leicester and ended the trip with a day trek in the Peak District at Edale!

Lord Love a Duck, its Lords!
Did you know that Lords is walking distance from Sherlock Holmes' house on Baker Street? I found out the hard way or rather the "walk way"!


The all seeing Eye!
If you think the red eye of Mordor was bad, you should check out the British Airways "Bad Boy" London Eye!!



Doesn't he look tired?
and this was before...



He became one of the "Indian Men Who Went Up This Mountain...



"And Came Down This Hill"... All these adventures in the Peak District!

More... later.. from Bahston!

aah! Boston!

London, Leicester, Peak District passed by in a blur... its good to be back in Boston again!

The Not-So-Little Merman a.k.a Random Stories from the Field

Its Beach time!
Another story from the sands of time. All the Jellyfish died and went to Jellyfish heaven. But the beach was not lacking in strange creatures. Spotted on the rocks was a curiously pigmented, de-finned Merman ("They call him Super Merman"), dressed in the fashion of the beach Bum, luring unsuspecting Mermaids on to the rocks.


Foam Debris has nothing on this Rock

The Mermaids (truly wonderous creatures of the Ocean, but camera shy) were smart enough to see through his disguise and soon the lonely Merman was seen swimming out to Sea, watched by his canine companion, who later howled a haunting melody in his passing.


Canine Ahoy!


Ah! "The Tel Aviv Minute"
My lovely roommates (M & R) treated me to a concert by Israeli rocker Corinne Allal. Even though she is toying with a half century's worth of life experiences, she can still rock and roll with the best of them.


Corinne Allal

Held at the Tel Aviv club Tmoona, this musical treat started at 11.00 PM! We were right up there next to the stage. Maintaining a surprisingly dignified demeanour, I didnt headbang, stand on the table and jump into the audience, or some of the other things that I am wont to do when in a crazy mode. The show went on till the wee hours of the night and Tel Aviv was still awake when we left!

To paraphrase Ol' Blue Eyes:


"Start spreading the news, I’m leaving today
I want to be a part of it - Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv
These vagabond shoes, are longing to stray
Right through the very heart of it - Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv
I actually walked and strayed through the heart of Tel Aviv but that is another story


Corinne "encored" three times and still the crowd kept asking for more! Awesome...


Corinne and Friends



More on Shefayim
This is a quick shot of the lunch snack that is served to the pre-schoolers at Kibbutz Shefayim. There is also bread and meat, but isnt this a fine example of healthy eating?



Kindergarten Snack Food

R has a new Dog friend and his name is Pepper, Beatles inspired. Playful and friendly, he is also possessed of the world's cutest Will-you-pet-me-and-play-with-me look, which is not the look he is giving me... that falls into the category of what-is-the-gizmo-the-big-man-is-pointing-at-me?-Curiouser-and-curiouser look



Say Hello to Pepper


Laqiya, An Oasis in the Desert
My cultural treat never ends in this lovely place. I spent a day in the Bedouin town of Laqiya with my friends K&I and their lovely children, B&Y; Laqiya is one of the towns where the Bedouins , traditionally semi-nomadic tribes of the Negev desert, are settling down. Bedouins are lovely hospitable people and my time there was a papmered one!! Among other experiences, this baby camel tried to eat my camera, thinking I was bringing him milk. I have this cute guy on a movie clip but I dont know how to insert that into my Blog, so I guess I'll podcast it sometime. The sad part of this tale is that the baby is an orphan and dosent mix well with the other camels.


Baby Camel


A Quick Query: Where do the Necks end and the bodies begin?



The Camel Family

I also ate the "lovely" looking Cactus Fruit. To draw analogy to life in the Negev, to all appearances, the fruit is dangerous, loaded with thorns, and it takes a lot of hard work to peel it. But once the tough shell is gone, the pulp is sweet and juicy, and as welcome to the weary plodder as bread to the hungry


Cactus Fruit


One more week and I head back to Boston

*sigh*

Makhtesh and Mitzpe Ramon!

Warning! LOOOOONG POST AHEAD

Beauty, they say, lies in the eyes of the beholder.. If those eyes are mine, then Makhtesh Ramon is Paradise! You want the beach, you want the waterfalls, the trees, but dude, there is beauty in starkness too! Making a spectacular entry into my Top 5 places to be, this natural crater rocks (no, no, a meteorite did not hit this place and cause the dinosaurs here to die!; just nature shaking up the bowels of the earth)... it is a natural crater ... it's a wildlife sanctuary, a natural reserve, a national park... and a hikers paradise!
Being an enthusiast of none of the above, (maybe some hiking) but having heard a lot of nice things about this place, I decided to take a peek at the "fire causing all this smoke".
Being a huge 40 km crater (9 kms across), there has to be a vantage point to this place and Mitzpe Ramon was It!

Our story begins on one nice sunny morning. Our protagonist, who is not an enthusiast of wildlife sanctuaries, natural reserves, or national parks, wakes up late. (Wrong. Error 1)
Instead of taking a guided tour, He, being the adventurer that he is, decides to take the local Egged bus to Mitzpe Ramon (Wrong. Error 2). He is in time to take the 8.15 bus. (Wrong. Error 1 is making him make more errors!). 8.15 is "going to work" time. He finds himself in a bus filled with passengers who are all carrying shooting devices. He is the only one who is carrying a camera, all the others being army cadets going to their posted bases. The bus, thus, makes a detour to every known (and some unknown!!) army bases on the way to Mitzpe. End result, our fine friend reaches Mitzpe some time around 10 AM.
Mitzpe is gorgeous. Located on the crater rim, we can see vista spread out before our eyes, 500 meteres below! ...too cool!
Contacting the local agents, at the Visitors Center, he is advised that he might do the 5 hour hike now, rather than later in the day, as it can get pretty hot. "Take plenty of water, at least 5 litres, the heat is dangerous" they tell him. Our hero takes the advice, but takes only 3 litres ("I am from India, this little heat is not going to bother me", he thinks) (Wrong. Error 3).


Setting out

All rigged up and looking set, our friend launches himself off the face of the five hundred feet cliff... (More of the gingerly-feeling-his-way-down-the-steep-slope kind of launching it was..)
"Its a long and lonely road that Frodo was traveling." Before he entered the dreary fields of Gorgoroth, Frodo looked down into "a formless gloom" where "smokes trailed on the ground and lurked in hollows, and fumes leaked from fissures in the earth." Makhtesh on the other hand, is beautiful. See for yourself...


Makhtesh Ramon



The first task after launching oneself off the cliff was to reach the bottom without losing hair ("When its rare, it becomes more preciousss") or hide ("Thick skinned I may be, but impervious I am not!).


My Safe-Hair-and-Hide journey down the cliff face

A bit pre-emptive and impromptu little celebration for being halfway down the previously many-mentioned cliff face was not a good idea. (Wrong - Error X.. too much energy spent at the beginning itself!)


Halfway Down.. this is the beginning


So after a long slide down to the bottom, where was he to go? The destination was the sandstone "Prism" - a mountain of black, red purple, brown and white sandstone. The place was desolate. Most hikers preferred the Spring, fall or Winter season to hike in this pretty place; not so with my Indian friend. He remembered the words of the nice lady at the Visitors Centre - "Follow the trail signs, you wont get lost". Like an expert tracker, he sought out the white and green and the red, blue and white trail signs painted on the rocks. Lizards, snakes, scorpions, beetles, and rodents, all got out of his was as he plodded unceremoniously towards the basaltic hills that ringed his sandstone destination.




He walked and walked.....


Some parts of his journey resembled the winding paths of the plains of Mordor, but the resemblance ended there.



The White Tree of Gondor gave him hope that the end was near. The sun was high in the sky, and then he saw it!

The windings stairs of Mount Prism ...

The Winding Stairs dont look so "winding", but, take my word, they do wind around the mountain

At last, the Mountain had been climbed, the obligatory photographs taken via Timer ...

On the Top of the Prism...

On analysis, it might be useful to mention some statistics:
No of homo sapiens seen on this journey: 0
No of Lizards, snakes, scorpions, beetles, and rodents seen: 0
No of Lizards, snakes, scorpions, beetles, and rodents watching me: 56,547



It took longer to walk back... could have been the sun, the acute lack of stamina in the tired body, fear of stepping on Lizards, snakes, scorpions, beetles, and rodents with aforementioned tired foot, presence of sharp stabbing pains in hitherto unknown muscles in leg, back, arms, foot and head, anything could have caused the slowdown... but, steadily, the miles were eaten away, and the base of the cliff was reached.

But disaster, our smart friend decided to drink all his water and thought he could hoof it up the slope before his cells ran out of water (Wrong. Error-too-many-to-count). ( If you are holding your breath, rest assured that Death is absent from the cast of characters!)

One step at a time, he went up the slope. Halfway there, he suddenly remembered that he had brought more than one bottle before he left and put it in the smaller pocket in his bag. Lo behold! It was there, the nectar, the elixir, the water of life. Whats more, his trusty stock of Ibuprofen was also in the same pocket! God Bless Ibuprofen! One tablet and half a bottle of water lighter, the rest of the journey up the face was a cinch!




With a tired body, Everest has nothing on Makhtesh!

Back on the top, he ran to the restaurant, bought water, added salt, added sugar and ORS was ready!! Praise ORS! (ORS is Oral Rehydrating Solution)


Moral: All Wrongs combined to make this trip just Right! Look, I even found me a Iron Age house to settle down in!



My Iron Age Rock House

Ramon, Mitzpe, Makhtesh
I will be back!