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Moving Out

noreply@blogger.com (Gracelyne) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 06:20:00 +0000

Hi Yall,

I'm migrating to wordpress because of some paltry issues ;)

C u all there.

Do update my blog link in your blogrolls :-)

Have an awesome weekend ! :)

Bye,

Gracy

A normal Weekend after ages !!

noreply@blogger.com (Gracelyne) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 06:02:00 +0000

Dear imaginary reader,It has been ages since I blogged. I actually cannot point out a specific reason for my absence though I am quite certain that my glorious unpresence would hardly affect anyone/anything. :P Its been a long while since i've clicked on my blog URL,except for those occasional comment check times..Where was I ??Mostly on twitter and a few other forums and wasting my time @ college. Guess what ..For once in my 4 years of grad student life, I was a lil busy: stuck with that dire engineering formality called project work! Even tho' most parts of it(A web mining framework for evolving user profiles in dynamic websites) are woking and even tho' we got the site put up a week ago..No thanks to our lab admin (&to those lazy bum batchmates,who shud know more about mirroringimportant data)our project PC was formatted,leaving us blinking,unable to digest the fact that it was all gone.well....we had to start from version 1.5 Build 6 :P and proceed from Goodness knowswhere that was..and luckily restored the work :) Phewwww...!Yipee...Well thats just one reason.Loads of other things have happened.But wait..I'm not gonna bore you with those paltry happenings.Life these days is going _____ (I'm short of words to describe the boringness / monotony of life ****!!) You would never beleive that my movie time has now decreased to a big round ZER0 :( Can't believe that I'm still alive :PNo long holidays that i can spend @ home... Even the goverment holidays are stuffed with boring college :-/ Pretty much its a humdrum existence!!

(I love these Phd comic strips,that i'm subscribing to them..pretty cool)

Final Year classes ought to be cancelled - there's absolutely no point (NONE at all) in sitting in those dull classes except for attendance's sake... (Take a closer look,you see why)

The only use of those classes so far has been catching up on those mp3s i hadn't listened to for a long time,reading those classics,those lame magazines,Filling up slam books,sleeping,doodling,making abstract and face sketches..Just about everything that'd kill time.Final semester has been a time for everything but study - Happy to say 've mastered various arts - sketches,poetry,caricature,calligraphy and the like.
I can see that my sense of logic and proportion have started to have a eccentric turn ,which explains this irrational post and irrelevance of content.But trust me. I still have some degree of sanity left within me.
P.S: I am stopping here as the cursor has winked at me for the past 10minutes; mocking my inability to give a coherent shape to my frenzied thoughts. I will continue expounding on the crap-and-boredom which has pervaded my life,a little later. For now,let me think…….Disgruntled-ly yours,
Gracy.

P.S: I've migrated to wordpress.
Please update me in your list :-)
http://gracelyne.wordpress.com/

Emotionless wreck ??

noreply@blogger.com (Gracelyne) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 12:58:00 +0000

It really didn't strike me this post is valentine's day-worthy,until a certain friend who saw the draft(that was composed way back in 2008) asked me to publish it.Well.... Valentines Day is when A sweetheart(A person loved by another person)is chosen to receive a greeting or gift expressing love(well that's how dictionaries define it). Don't mock me by your immature talk-backs or impertinent cheekiness, that this day can not apply to forms of love other than the lovergirl-loverboy type.Assume as you may,but here in my world,things work my way(until of course, time or something else changes me:well ,even then it'd be my way right?! :) )Before you get to read this,let me just tell you this :"Publishing this post means embarrassment to me *blush* because the mood when this was written,why this was written is kinda inexplicable.)

People see me as somebody with zero emotions.. That just drives me mad!Seriously,could there be someone like that,who could survive in that manner???

Well this is the scenario:

Friend watches movie called vaaranam ayiram.. Calls up and says"Its really superb..Blah blah blah! In particular i got too much of feelings for a particular thing" I say,"Okay yaar..I'll watch it too..I'm going to the movies tomorrow!" Then I actually get to watch it... (actually its a pretty good movie about how happy a family is...how the son shares ~~almost~~ everything with his dad !!Movie goes fine..I'm more drawn by the scenes of Surya with Sameera Reddy,especially the train episodes! :D )When we speak again I tell this particular friend,"Hey it was good..So what was tat feelings part of the movie u admired so much ?"(Just inquisitive to know if our tastes matched)That's it ...!!! She's triggered and starts spitting out words(as if she knew all that she was gonna say,by heart) which tend to mean "Yeah ! I knew you wouldn't have liked it..It was far too emotional for you..Unaku than feelings ay varadhey + some other crap" :O I said "get a hold of urself ....Do you even know what I meant?"Well,that was what I meant to,in any case.. Rather I just hung up saying "tats it end of story.Ciao!" *really angry* The issue was over in a matter of few minutes,when the unemotional me called up again and corrected her !! /:|

Well..Now again..another gang of friends watch the movie again...and somehow someone says something similar to what the previous person said !! That's the zenith of whatever it was that I was feeling at that moment!!!

Hush ! don't say one more word..I know @ this point the truth seems so absurd..But thats exactly what I'm gonna tell you!!!

My emotions do not rest on ground zero... Well..this is the truth, the real truth and YOU , Mitha** and Caffinegirl** and the rest of you know it: "Gracy is NOT, I repeat,IS NOT a emotionless wreck! It may seem that I'm not too attached with my family,but that doesn't mean I miss them most of the times..I may not speak with them for as much time on the phone or as much,for that case,with them., as you the "so called emotional" guys speak,but that CERTAINLY doesn't mean I love them (or they love me) any less.How dare you challenge my intuitive feelings. You may quote this exact quote some other time , I'm sure, and I sincerely don't approve of it either..Now, Back to the point... When watching the movie,I had so many thoughts in my head too...But then..expression of thoughts is something I rarely do,unless it is absolutely necessary or if that is gonna do some good to mankind..."Else,why bother?" That's one principle I live by,and if you people who've been with me all thru' this 4 year engineering course don't know till now,Get to know it NOW!! The father Surya in the movie resembled my dad so much...(not all) only i've failed to be the equivalent of son Surya and tell him everything(because of my sick principle!) As for the mom ,I'm not so sure,cos my lovely mom is the strict kinda disciplined person.So that's variety in a household,which is an absolute must to cheer up the home! As for my brother,(Nobody knows this)I love him loads!(Sorry Dany,you had to find this one out,the same time the rest of the world had to) But we fight loads too..So that makes up for it!!Despite the fact mom and dad see us as dog and cat,the annoying cat shares kodak moments with the dog...Only..they aren't captured to be broadcast!So that's one really happy family as I see it! Don'tcha think!Well..I'm least bothered what you may think..So don't strain X(

Sorry everybody..This letter is kinda harsh today as I'm in a sorta fix,which I'm sure is gonna pass.

Slow motion devastation..should have seen it coming.Couldn't do nothing.Emotions desperation.... Go on get out of my head..I'm on the wrong side of a parallel universe..! (Lines from a music track by Hilary Duff crossing my mind now)..

Bottomline:Everybody's got a unique relationship with their family..For your info-I've got one too..Only it isn't publicized as much as yours(maybe)Other than that there's no big difference!This movie has gotten people think about their families to an extent no other "Tamil" movie has done.

i remember Mitha saying that she wanted to go kiss her dad and say i love u to him..But didn't do it because of not doing it all these years and suddenly one fine day....! Well..I strongly recommend you to do so on father's day !As for me.. emotionless wreck i'll remain to you always(till the time you change your opinion of me)..But in reality only a emotion-not displaying girl! I find playing this part more fun and like a part of the cool kid regime !I like it when you people say "I'm cool,poised and not bothered about what goes around"I feel that is how a person should be..not too stuck with or playing around with emotions.Well that's just one persons principle..and nobody can have a say in it.But when you actually brand me (time and again) as being emotionless,that's what pisses me off !!

That's it END OF STORY !

FILE.CLOSE();

EXIT

** - Names changed for privacy

Mitha,Caffinegirl read this letter later that night and haven't defied me again!So have the rest. :)

While men buy mostly for romantic reasons, women use Valentine's Day as an opportunity to show they care to mothers, daughters and friends, as well as their sweethearts. Women even treat themselves on Valentine's Day

I was just wondering...and googled and presto I was right - There are people who think like me!Here's proof. I think Valentines Day is a fun holiday for expressing love and affection which should not be ignored, even if the love is between family members and friends versus romantic partners.I know that parents have Mother's Day and Father's Day but Valentines Day is also significant and I don't think it is just for lovers but extends to anyone for whom you have a special place in your heart.
Am I taking it too far though and has Hallmark totally brainwashed unsuspecting consumers like me?

Well ,the reason I wanted to publish this at this time is this : Don't forget those people who love you far higher than you could reason or imagine: your genitors ! Come on ,Go make 'em happy with your valentine day wish...I'm sure Gen X never expects such wishes from Gen Y ,during the valentine season.. Of course you could never ask them the classic 'Will you be my..?" question :P,..still its a time to express that upsurge of love !I dunno if I have influenced you in any way...but if I have I'll be really happy to know of it :) Does anybody here agree with my principle - of feb14 ? Please enumerate and make my day !

Jack of all trades..master of none !!??

noreply@blogger.com (Gracelyne) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 19:41:00 +0000

*** Disclaimer : This post may seem like an attempt for self-assertion,self-promotion-watsoever,but that is something that is totally unintentional ! ***

Technically - Jill of all trades...I wanna rule every arena that exists..but that just is impossible...There are a zillion things I wannabe...wanted2be..will-wannabe, ever since I started planning out my career (dates way back to KG..no pre Kindergarten maybe...No.probably since I started speaking..!!mainly because of those vexatious relatives who think "what do u wanna be when you grow up?" is a starter question for conversing with children!) Well anyways, as far as my memory fetches,I remember wanting to start a hairstyling parlor(entrepreneur kiddo - cool ) when I was mebbe 7 or 8.Then in elementary, I wanted to be a doc just like my mom because people spoke high of docs,then! In high school... the library was the most visited block.I joined the book club and man..Did I have so many cool friends who shared my taste... We could take only one book a week...But on a daily basis,we'd take one in the evening and return it and get another the next day,much to the lazy librarian's exasperation(cos of which she stopped issuing one book/day ) so I had to grab other people's card and make them take books for me..( The habit still lasts... ;) but in a modified sorta way) So anywayz back to the point, I wanted to be a librarian..cos she gets to spend so much time with the book racks and news stands.."What a rocking life she leads.." i thought!! Well the librarian thingy passed soon,cos I realized there are other ways to grabbing books than the library :P (Note to the cripple brained people: Books here,strictly means novels,story books and the likes that any mom would shove away ,if she caught you sneaking past bedtime under the pretext of learning for an important subject test !!Well ..as I moved higher in the ladder of schooling,I wanted to be an artist, cos my painting was acclaimed second best in the all India camel color contest held then.. Nothing could stop the passion for paintbrushes,easels.I did manage to major myself in the various variants of the art -fabric,poster,watercolors,oil,glass,sand..!! Those were the good ol' days.!! Needless to mention the books I read, kneaded the way i thought about my career.. I loved reading sleuthhound stories ...Famous 5,secret 7 to Sherlock Holmes..Nancy Drew ..Agathe Christe.. Loved 'em all.. Forensic Science shows in Nat Geo made me seriously think of that as a career prospect.Class 8-9 We had Shakespeare and the high school english classes were a breeze and I was Miss.Jane's (my lovely english teacher) favorite student..Poetry contests and Shakespeare - needless 2 mention, brought the poetess in me out and showcased it to the world..mainly Ms.J cos it was she who judged my first poem - 'Is peace the need of the hour ? ' and acclaimed it to be a masterpiece(this is something I put in,myself :P ).That was the start and end of my poetry career.. I haven't written any major good poems, since..although I have written what I call mini-poems ..haikus ..!

Class 10 - what was that they called it ... ?? .." turning point in life..or something like that" My Biology teacher inspired me and that was when I decided that I wanted to be a scientist doing research projects..My Science fair project also won first prize something in school level only pushing the dream higher...Class 10 was the end of my enthusiastic study time !!

Class 11 ,12 were a world in its own entirety.It marks the birth of the punk in me !Its a marvel what these years can do to you...your ambitions..YOU mainly.. Although I was forced into learning music ever since I was 12 years(the Grand Piano !) I never really liked learning to read the musical notes and aarrgghh the music master I had first, ditched me :( for not practicing and doing as told ! Mom didn't stop there.. She found a new one each time one left and finally I had this super cool church pianist who made me one too :) It was at that time TV shows featured ..like the American Idol,Super Singer and stuff like that... So probably you are thinking I wanted to be a singer ...Embarrassingly ..Yes !! Not only that.. a music composer too...!! Well anyways...my music career is limited to singing in church choirs and carols and music I've composed is paltry.That's that! I can live with it !! Anyways, One should have a clear focus of the future @ this stage and probably 'cos people around me wanted me to do medicine , I didn't wanna... 'A maverick in the making !! :)' .. I started reading sidney sheldon.. And what do you know.. I loved the intelligent attorneys who screwed up the defendants ..Amazing.. how life makes you wannabe so many things at once.. Well,my family screwed up this choice of mine giving.. some dumb silly excuse that, law practitioners lead a dog's life and they(my parents) just can't see their bubble wrapped princess to endure that !!! HUH!!!(Gen X people!!!) That was so damn frustrating !!! Well I didn't know better about standing up to my wishes,then..so here I am now as a Engineer in computer science ! At the onset , I thought its the end of my thinking process for finding an ambition..but then... So many prospects and specializations here also !!So here I go again.. (Mba/Ms/work in the IT firm I'm placed in..?!?)But this time..I have the say in everything...Thankfully time has healed me or has it?!

Life is amazing .....There are a zilllion things you wanna do but actually do nothing at all.. !! Amazing or what! Right now I gotta kick out the lazy bum caterpillar in me and turn over into a cute butterfly...

I dunno the time frame whence Gracy wanted to be an astronaut,nuclear physicist,journalist,fiction writer,interior designer,national player in shuttle/badminton,movie director(this one I know:when i received accolades for the best skit in school assembly,for which I was director),Chess genius(this triggered off when I won gold- beginners level:sadly,the first and final chess medal.).. I'm sure the list is incomplete.Shall update when I remember the other wannabes.Uffff... Writing this post had made me wanna go back to those times and become jack of all those trades I started off with such an enthusiasm that evanesced with the same momentum!This picture probably sums me up:

Bottom line: I have deviated from the thread I was thinking along, to another(from the jack of all trades to life's ambitions)This has gotten me thinking..If only I had been jack of one trade,say chess - Would I have achieved something worth singling me out ?!So..... Is it worth being a jack of all trades or master of one?? Help me think .. Post your views in the comments section.

My Calculator and I

noreply@blogger.com (Gracelyne) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 06:59:00 +0000

This is something I penned down right after a certain exam I dreaded,got over(in mid December)..I didn't wanna publish it then,but now that I have heaved sighs of relief,I thought - why not?? and here goes :

As many of you know by now.. or even if you don't : The subject I dreaded the whole of the engineering process was Digital Signal Processing a.k.a Degree Stopping Paper :( I took the exam today @ 9... My preparations were done really good (relative to the meager preparations I had for the internal exams ) It so happens that I always enter the exam hall exactly after the last bell sounds(meaning I do not waste a drop of the last minute time).. and so, as always entered in a hurried manner took the answer sheet and filled the details.. Kept praying to God that the question paper should be easy.. Having an unpredictable pattern of question paper rules,(Why do they ask problems in theory papers and theory and derivations in Problematic ones,making it all the more knottier !!!)I was only hoping that there'd be some easy sums to solve.. Turned out it was a hybrid of both..paper was set such that you knew only one of the subdivisions under each option(meaning either way you lost half the marks) I did some major blunders (maybe) choosing the theory questions and somehow arriving at a speculation of the answer ! And in the problem section I don't know if what I did was right..(All the summations and Z transforms and filter design coefficients,choosing the right limits :X ) I know I have done a few mistakes.. Just kept pushing my calculator buttons the 3 hours time, trying hard!

Today morning I prayed and read the Bible . Psalm 46 : "God is our refuge and strength ,a very present help in time of need ..... The Lord Almighty is with us;the God of Jacob is our refuge" It was so solacing to read it and take that promise as mine !

When out of the exam hall, some of my peers had done as bad as me (as they said, but you just can't assess that ) and few others heaved huge sighs of relief ! I have learnt a huge lesson...I did a Why-Why assessment and learnt my lesson- The reason that this was the exam I "FEARED" the most was this : I flunked all the 3 class tests.. I have written the maximum number of DSP tests (including the 3 re-tests) and still the subject fumbles me!!!!! The reason I bombed all tests was my not heeding the professor's advice and taking down the notes.and why did I not wanna take notes?? Just my "I am in final year .. I 've got a job...I can do things at last minute and get away with it..."attitude ! Never let your "last minute breezing things" ability get to your head I'm sorry I 've let myself down! I'll try to be a better person in my forth coming student years.I am not gonna publish this post right now.If I clear the paper I will !

God, Pllleeeeeeeaaaassssssssssssseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee help me !

On a merrier note, My total aggregate is the lowest I've got so far..Who cares??!!! I have cleared DSP(with an awesome 75%) Hallelujah !! :-) and now I can scorn at that freako of a prof ,who looked down on me !!

P.S : The underlined portions... I can't believe I wrote them :O , No..seriously !

Full Throttle

noreply@blogger.com (Gracelyne) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 05:24:00 +0000

Its been a long time since I've visited my blog..I've been stuck with some exams and now that I'm done with most of it,I wanted to kick off again into the blogger world,and do what I like to do the best- Blogging,D'oh ! So stay tuned for pieces from my world ! :)

Have an awesome day !

Gracy - Full Throttle :D

Be right Back !!

noreply@blogger.com (Gracelyne) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:00:00 +0000

Dear blogging friends,

I don't know what to do. A few weeks ago, I stopped blogging all of a sudden. I disappeared without a trace..I was taking a break from posting because I had stuff going on in my life that I had to deal with.There's absolutely no time to blog , and the little time I had for blogging has now become even more restricted with college work and the stuff i am up to...And I am left wondering: should I pack it in altogether? Should I empty my blog once more and leave the blogging scene forever? I'm torn between my love of blogging and my fear of letting myself down !Hoping I will get some time once things get cleared up!! I've got so much happening around me!

P.S: Take a look @ my new punkymoods avatar at the right! Thats something thats updated everyday,for sure ! BRB ,Gracy !

Best of 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Gracelyne) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 10:33:00 +0000

Best Invention : Invisibility cloak

Best movie :This one's always tough..For now only Eagle Eye props up in moi mind.In Tamil I would say Varnam 1000 and abhiyum nanum. (similar flicks).In hindi..pbbly Rock on.

Best song : can't decide in this one ,at the moment.(shall update)

Best sms : James Watt invented Steam Engine using Steam.Muniyamma invented Idlies.THINK DIFFERENT !

Best days : Those exams dates(be it university / internal - Those were the time we really do have an amazing amount of fun !;) )

Best fight : the food fight b/w mom, danny and me..(on a totally sober note)

Best feeling : Taste of a certain success !! :)

I need some time to categorise the bests..(This section to be updated)

08 - A terrible setback for the business world...The terror attacks all over the country firing intuitive emotions.(I really wanna keep this down!)Whatever happens..Life must move on..On a merrier note, 2008 - The year Johann(baby cousin, FYI) came into my world ..My brother and I stopped our daily round of wrestling(the only kept resolution) and threw it away for good.(No more broken noses or chairs,seriously- No kidding)Another great year with friends-frolicking and hanging out for really long hours.Met many wonderful blogger friends and some really old pals.Funda @ Microsoft,Chennai :)...Jan 20 fun that lasted hardly a day,yet with such a terrible impact on my mind!! 8-O.. Had really fun conversations with mom..:D (although the fun was one-sided ;) )The college-arranged so-called tour to some Industry ... The real deal trip arranged by ourselves :) Muaaaaaaah!:D Many successes in the form of symposia and other stuff!The last few days of the year at my brother's wedding was great too..I met a lot of relatives after some 10-15 years..!!

2008 has been..(~~uhmm..I wouldn't say roller coaster~~) a great carrousel ride.The reason I claim it as a merry-go-round is because 08 has had its fair share of ups and downs....At the end of the year I'd rather not contemplate on the downs part of it..Its Thanksgiving tonight and I'm driving down south to meet my Dad's family...Before I wind up, let me proclaim my gratitude to everybody who stood with me (and few who stood against - you people made me think)! Thank You ,Everyone , for being a part of my 08 drive!

My brother did this: Computation of holidays in 2009 (Lame Job huh..But pretty useful info)

independence day - saturday

ganesh chaturthi - sunday

saraswathi pooja - sunday

diwali - saturday

bakrid - saturday.

Really sad,that most of the major festivals overlay with the weekends :(! )

Anyway.. looking forward to a super amazing year!

P.S: End of next year would feature me NOT-stuck-in-cracker town..infact i'd be stepping into the corporate heaven(if I'm not mistaken and hopefully :) )

FELIZ NAVIDAD !

noreply@blogger.com (Gracelyne) — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 17:42:00 +0000

Christmas is forever, not for just one day,

for loving, sharing, giving, are not to put away
like bells and lights and tinsel, in some box upon a shelf.
The good you do for others is good you do yourself...

I can't wait for christmas day to come...to go to church,wish everybody i see a merry x'mas.. eat freshly baked cake and christmas pastries and yummy food(slurp slurp..:P Not that I'm not previewing the cake on x'mas eve :D)....meet friends and family,and spread the cheer.

Even as an adult(half-adult,to be precise) I find it difficult to sleep on Christmas Eve. Yuletide excitement is a potent caffeine, no matter your age.

The Xmas tree this year was done by my brother..nevertheless it has turned out okay :) (kidding)That perhaps explains why there are only 2 levels in the tree(last year it was 3 levels and it was ceiling high)Li'l bro without big sister to help!Anyway this is the tree: Take a look -->

Bought a new lantern and put it up,and some snow ball lights on the door curtains.Everything is looking cool :)

I wanna have a different christmas this year...Lets see what I can do about it.No creative worthwhile idea yet.Any suggestions?

Christmas is forever, not for just one day,

for loving, sharing, giving, are not to put away
like bells and lights and tinsel, in some box upon a shelf.
The good you do for others is good you do yourself...

I wanna wish all my readers a MERRY CHRISTMAS from the bottom of my heart !

Dear Santa,

I still haven't got my xmas present delivered.So please look into your sack and send it soon !

Waiting eagerly,

Gracy

Whats the best excuse for going late to college???

noreply@blogger.com (Gracelyne) — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 05:12:00 +0000

From elementary thru' higher secondary thru' college,sadly(?) I've always been late to school/college,wateva!

Some may disagree and believe that it is ok to show up late to class. There are generically two separate attitudes:

1. "We pay our tuition, we should be able to make our own choices and if showing up late to class is one of them, then we have right to do so." -random student 1

2. "We pay our tuition so I think that we should be able to reap the benefits of a full class without interruptions or disturbances that effect the learning experience." -random student 2

I agree with #2 ,but have the #1 behavior,which makes my teachers think there's a problem with my attitude! :( Today morning we got chided by a senior lecturer,X and was then made to go meet a even higher designation official,Y for being late to project lab. 5 of us(the regularly chided :(( ) stood near the entrance having(?) dull faces seeing X.

(Act1 Scene 1 : arty,DP,sajj,balloon, me, X )

X: Go meet Y and get permission from him(her).
Us: (keeping mum)

me: lets go near X and say we won't be late again.

balloon: lets c if it works

(inching near X... 5 steps and then X yells"don't come here.go to Y.(s)he asked me to forward all the late comers to him(her))

me:ouch!!

us:(retreating to our original place near door..)

sajj:What do we tell X?I can't go to X..for sure X is gonna holler @ me!

me: What excuse r we gonna use.. We can't say we went to dispensary,for there'll be records there..

balloon:someone fell down on the way..???!!or her gold ring fell somewhere we were looking for it?

DP:maybe..My lens fell and we were searching for it .?!?

(People in the last rows near us: say you were only a minute late)

me: lol .He'd never believe..plus lets not lie.If he finds the truth>!@?

Art:lets not waste time..Start moving..

(EXIT art,balloon,dp,sajj,me)

(Act 1 Scene 2 :art,balloon,dp,sajj,me.Outside the lab)

sajj : I can never face X :((

me: me 2 yaar :( (having a terrible fit of giggle)

art: (glaring)Why is that u always laugh @ times like this..inside the lab also u r controlling ur fit.do u know what Y would think had (s)he seen you !

(seriously I don't know that myself.. :( evry1 around me scolding,only to increase the intensity of it.)

me:Ok i'm alright now.lets move and tell we will never be late again.(controlling a fit..maybe its the sadness that's coming out in the volatile form of a giggle !!?!)

dp:go thru' this way,else our class people will see this shame.

me: (thinking- is this such a shame?) good thinking..Move..

On the way (Ppl from IT lab laughing their best laughs/smiles @ us)

(Act 2 Scene 1)

Standing outside Y's cabin.Ppl telling me to come last incase I repeat the same.. Y is busy talking to Z,who had once severely censured us.

Thinking(Can it get worse than this??)

peon: stand somewhere where he can see you,only then he'll call you

balloon:No Thank you. let Z go,we'll meet Y then.

(Summoning ring of Y's bell !!!OOpsys!)

art: Sir(Ma'm).. We were late to class,so X sent us here to meet you

Y: (starts with)Do you have any sense,gals? How many times do i have to warn you.and u ,sajj -you've had 2 warnings already haven't you?and u ppl,Do u have a problem with your attitude?What's wrong?Tell me why you were late?(Rest is history.Can't be scripted down)

keeping mum.Just nodding heads, time and again.

(Whoops..Y starts questioning individually.We are blasted)

Y:art,wen did you go to sleep and wake up?

Art:10pm.got up @ 8 :|

Y :10 hours???!!! Only people above the age of 80 do that.6 hours of sleep is enough for young people.How can u sleep so long ma?(clearly surprised)

me: (having a hard time with that fit !!)thinking(Art is the only 1 who gets up early and wakes the rest of us.Lol he'd have worse fits of anger if he asks the rest of us.All the remaining 4 were the kinda people,who'd sacrifice food and water for sleep,and remain in bed 12-14 hours,STRAIGHT without the slightest disturbance)

The remaining part is not gonna be disclosed(especially not the one about sajj breaking down/my fit part).End of act-Writing a letter to be filed (OUch!!OMG.The college has these strict deals with people filing apologies(the even semester disaster has started)).Verdict by Y: "All 5 of you,you should be here by 8.55am,every single day.I will personally see to it.and if any of you comes late,then don't you dare (-deleted-).

Real reason behind every late moment is:getting up late- inability to get bathrooms to wash(being a hosteller,this is one of the problems).Not that the hostel is so unequipped or anything like that(best hostel in all of TN,I dare say)..just that everybody resides in the same wing of the residence and we have almost of the night birds in this wing,who also are part of the traffic of morning buckets!Anyway we usually have to waste 1 to 2 minutes standing there..But its a big deal when every single second counts :P

Usually reasons people use for being late is: room lock wasn't found.(not many buy this excuse),fell sick or went to the dispensary,forgot to take an important assignment so went back for it,Went to the administrative block(which is like a mile away from our block),Went to meet our project guide/staff advisor/mentor..Something like this..

I really am running out of reasons..So if anybody have any ideas,do write them down here.It wouldn't help me again(because I've sworn I'd never be late again,..I Hope)....but for the rest of the likely-to-be-late group of students,suffering from attendance problems...It may)

<<-- faces during the disaster moment.

Final semester of ENGG. :( / :) ???

noreply@blogger.com (Gracelyne) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 13:03:00 +0000

8th semester has technically begun...Only the institution where i study in could begin the new semester when you have not finished your 7th semester exams(No big deal - Postponement because of rains)Well leave that...

Dec 2oth,after ,my C# exams got over @ 1pm, 'technically' the new sem started @ 2pm !^%&^% Sucks right???? Beleive me its worse than you can imagine ! After the 11th hour preps and only 4 hours of sleep.. how heartless of the authorities to ask the students to sit @ the terminals and do something for the final year project !?!?!?!? That something is still unfigured...So what we are doing is just opening the IEEE paper(s) pdf and staring @ it and going to sleep..The regime continues and still will !! till the end of the sem ,possibly(maybe) !!

Well one good thing about these vetti lab sessions is that: "We've got loads of free time to do stuff -free internet to do everything that isn't blocked by the firewall,and incessant chattering, + ........(i'm not putting anything out here..just incase ..!) "

Thats about everything-1 ... (will eloborate in next post)

Hope We have fun during the last days of college..Reading what many others have written abt their last UG days in their blogs..I 've made up my mind to make the most of these days..Hope we don't tread on anything else(taking into consideration the fact its even semester,the dangerous semester in many aspects ;) )Thats it for now.. Gotta go meet the project co-ordinator. Ciao!

150 Questions

noreply@blogger.com (Gracelyne) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 13:04:00 +0000

Fun Time... Dont Panic seeing the title.Its pretty simple though. Not as scary as I thought either! You just have to skim through this list here and bold the ones that you have done.Simple right? You don't even have to use your thinking power ;) Just some memory power is all you need! :PJust select the ones that you have done before you turned 30!

And considering I have a long time to go 30 - hopefully I should be able to pick up a few more from here!

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink

02. Swam with dolphins

03. Climbed a mountain

04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive

05. Been inside the Great Pyramid

06. Held a tarantula

07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone

08. Said “I love you” and meant it [Of course to my many many friends ;)]

09. Hugged a tree

10. Bungee jumped

11. Visited Paris

12. Watched a lightning storm at sea

13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise( happens always when I'm home )

14. Seen the Northern Lights

15. Gone to a huge sports game

16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa

17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables

18. Touched an iceberg

19. Slept under the stars(when i was very young)

20. Changed a baby’s diaper (my baby brothers' ;D)

21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon

22. Watched a meteor shower

23. Gotten drunk on champagne

24. Given more than you can afford to charity

25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope

26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment (Have done this ALWAYS when wardens shout @ me making them go bonkers)

27. Had a food fight (Any hosteller cum member of KK would have had this)

28. Bet on a winning horse

29. Asked out a stranger

30. Had a snowball fight

31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can

32. Held a lamb

33. Seen a total eclipse (On TV)

34. Ridden a roller coaster

35. Hit a home run

36. Danced like a fool and didn’t care who was looking

37. Adopted an accent for an entire day(yea... Good old days)

38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment [This happens pretty often, right?]

39. Had two hard drives for your computer

40. Visited all 50 states

41. Taken care of someone who was drunk

42. Had amazing friends (and still have)

43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country

44. Watched whales (nopez.... but have watched dolphins and seal @ Dolphin City)

45. Stolen a sign [??]

46. Backpacked in Europe

47. Taken a road-trip

48. Gone rock climbing

49. Taken a midnight walk on the beach (At besant Nagar Beach,Chennai)

50. Gone sky diving

51. Visited Ireland (My Life time dream !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love

53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them

54. Visited Japan

55. Milked a cow

56. Alphabetized your CDs

57. Pretended to be a superhero

58. Sung karaoke

59. Lounged around in bed all day (Love to do this ,especially during one of those rainy days)

60. Played touch football

61. Gone scuba diving

62. Kissed in the rain(kissed my coffee mug o'course :D)

63. Played in the mud

64. Played in the rain

65. Gone to a drive-in theatre

66. Visited the Great Wall of China

67. Started a business

68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken

69. Toured ancient sites

70. Taken a martial arts class

71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight

72. Gotten married

73. Been in a movie

74. Crashed a party

75. Gotten divorced

76. Gone without food for 5 days

77. Made cookies from scratch

78. Won first prize in a costume contest (shared first place..I was a mobile phone)

79. Ridden a gondola in Venice

80. Gotten a tattoo (one of those stick on ones which we used to get with bubblegum)

81. Rafted the Snake River

82. Been on a television news program as an “expert”

83. Gotten flowers for no reason

84. Performed on stage(With my piano)

85. Been to Las Vegas

86. Recorded music

87. Eaten Shark

88. Kissed on the first date

89. Gone to Thailand

90. Bought a house

91. Been in a combat zone

92. Buried one/both of your parents

93. Been on a cruise ship

94. Spoken more than one language fluently

95. Performed in Rocky Horror

96. Raised children

97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour

98. Passed out cold

99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country

100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over

101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge

102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking with the windows open

103. Had plastic surgery

104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived

105. Wrote articles for a large publication(have written ..but not for a large one)

106. Lost over 100 pounds

107. Held someone while they were having a flashback

108. Piloted an airplane

109. Touched a stingray

110. Broken someone’s heart :(

111. Helped an animal give birth

112. Won money on a TV game show

113. Broken a bone

114. Gone on an African photo safari

115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears

116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol

117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild

118. Ridden a horse

119. Had major surgery

120. Had a snake as a pet

121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon

122. Slept for 30 hours in a 48 hour period

123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. States

124. Visited all 7 continents

125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days

126. Eaten kangaroo meat

127. Eaten sushi

128. Had your picture in the newspaper (For school rank in Board exams :D)

129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about

130. Gone back to school

131. Parasailed

132. Touched a cockroach (In bio lab)

133. Eaten fried green tomatoes

134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey

135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read (P.G.Woodehouse)

136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

137. Skipped all your school reunions

138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language

139. Been elected to public office

140. Written your own computer language

141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream

142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care

143. Built your own PC from parts

144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you

145. Had a booth at a street fair

146. Dyed your hair

147. Been a DJ

148. Shaved your head(when very young)

149. Caused a car accident

150. Saved someone’s life

And those who are willing to do this on your blog do it and present the link here. Awaiting some nice replies to this post

Mozilla on the Street

noreply@blogger.com (Gracelyne) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:25:00 +0000

A documentary I did on Nov30 for submission on Nov 30..
On the street... Being in the suburbs, this was how much I could muster

A footage taken for "Mozilla : On the Street" programme Location : Tuticorin,Tamil Nadu,India Taken in the suburbs of tuticorin where the people around are mostly computer illerate.
Note: As mentioned in the video,u can try firefox for the mobile,which is not out yet..but it likely to be out by the end of the year.
Goofs: firefox didnt introduce tabbed browsing first .Adam of NN did it first.It was adopted by other browsers then..
I regret the fact I couldn't get more footage at my campus / other hotspots .. cause this was done mostly at last minute and everthing looks (is) kinda set-up!
Video made by : Gracelyne Fernando

INTELLIGENT VOTING OPTIONS

noreply@blogger.com (Gracelyne) — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 11:38:00 +0000

I really believe this is important information to all Indians.
Especially in the event of the current attacks on Mumbai, it is high time our politicians and administrators rise to the occasion.
Indians are hard working people and the culture is always tolerance. But Indians deserve to live in peace and harmony and have a safe society for their kids. They deserve a clean place to raise their children and breathe good air as much as any person in the second or first world countries.

PLEASE EXERCISE INTELLIGENT VOTING OPTIONS.

read the law which is given below and decide what to do for this election!!! do u think ur rights r clearly told to u?? do u think that the politicians can really improve india?? dont u feel that someone new with a fire to improve the country should come like an obama of india??lets do it TOGETHER common my friends lets do it..

Did you know that there is a system in our constitution, as per the 1969 act, in section " 49-O" that a person can go to the polling booth, confirm his identity, get his finger marked and convey the presiding election officer that he doesn't want to vote anyone!
Yes such a feature is available, but obviously these leaders have never disclosed it.
This is called "49-O".
Why should you go and say " I VOTE NOBODY"... because, in a ward, if a candidate wins, say by 123 votes, and that particular ward has received "49-O" votes more than 123, then that polling will be cancelled and will have to be re-polled. Not only that, but the candidature of the contestants will be removed and they cannot contest the re-polling, since people had already expressed their decision on them.
This would bring fear into parties and hence look for genuine candidates for their parties for election. This would change the way; of our whole political system.... it is seemingly surprising why the election commission has not revealed such a feature to the public....
Please spread this news to as many as you know....
Seems to be a wonderful weapon against corrupt parties in India ... show your power, expressing your desire not to vote for anybody, is even more powerful than voting... so don't miss your chance. So either vote, or vote not to vote (vote 49-O) and pass this info on...
Use your voting right for a better INDIA.

so vote intelligently .LETS make a pledge to make our country a better place to live.Please forward it to all ur friends and all the Indians you know... lets make a difference today!
JAI HIND !!

P.S: I did not author this post. It was a forwarded message that I felt should be publicized even more.

Study Break Rants,Raves and Ruminations

noreply@blogger.com (Gracelyne) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 11:47:00 +0000

"If I have eight hours to cut down a tree,I will spend six hours to sharpen my axe" - Gracy. Plan your works ! Acheive success !

LOL ! ROFL..!!! Its Univ Exams time.. That explains why there are so many SUCH ~~crap~~ text messages being forwarded day and night..

Get a load of this one:

"A Genius is a person who can do for $1 what any fool can do for $100"... As such we complete the syllabus in one day what the lecturers try to finish in half a year!!

This one's my personal favourite.. It really is true ,the kinda place where I study..Not that all the lecturers are like...erm..good... We do have 1 or 2 good ones.. But still... I guess this probably is the plight of all engineering (or for that matter, any discipline) college today !

This is another of my favs:

"'Sei alladhu sethu madi' -Gandhiji ; 'padi aladhu paduthu thoongu'- anonymous".

Translation : "Do or die - gandhiji; Study or rollover and sleep -anonymous".

The writer of this text,wherever you are : "gr8t quote ! This should be made into posters,tee-shirt writing,wallpapers,screensavers,...and wat not " D'oh !

Basically I'm a procrastinator ,a cunctator,a postponer : a TOTAL last minute person(which explains why I'm the owner of the last minute people community)So.. this study break is just another excuse for enjoying life..Some of the stuff i kept doing these days:

#1 - Blogging / just being online..

#2 - Reclining on my lounger and staring at the radium(not the radioactive one) - the glowing thingy s, probably with the music on @ 80% volume and having a 1000 thoughts bounce around my head ranging from career options ( MS / MBA ?? I wanna continue being a student... Thing is I can't get a bonafide from college 'cos there's a catch : during placement , We gotta specify only one of these,meaning if u choose placement option, you gotta go for it! Curses!!@#@#(*(*(!@! ) ,Promoting my blogs,Earning from it,Sorry state of the affairs of the nation,how give a facelift to Microsoft campus club,blah blah blah.. and so forth!

#3 - Text message everyone.

#4 - Wonder whats for the next movie time?? and download it

#5 - rummage through my old drawers and computer folders looking at old pictures,videos,writeups,notes passed during class... and rejuvenate faded memories.. Boy ! did I have fun on this one...!

#6 - Karaoke singing,recording, and adding voice effects !(Not that I sound great.. Just for the fun of it:P )

#7 - Hanging out with a few pals when the city lights were down!

#8 - rendezvous with Johann (baby brother- just a few months)

#9 - Watching a hell lotta movies ! and writing reviews about it too !

#10 - Cursing the board of exams for conducting EXAMS X( as if exams determined one's assets

Uhoh .. Gotta blast,Its examtime in 2 days..Trotting off to inferno..

Oh dear Study holidays..When will I see thee again?

Happy Diwali !!

noreply@blogger.com (Gracelyne) — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 06:34:00 +0000

Its Diwali tomorrow..(atleast thats what my calendar says) but the celebs have already begun... Past few days,I can hear nothing but the bing bang booom! of the firecrackers -"sara veddi" as they call it..!

Diwali is the MAJOR Indian festival celebrated by hindus,jains,sikhs..(atleast thats how much wiki knows ) ..Around my place almost everyone I know celebrates it... Best part is getting invited to other peoples home for celebrations and probably a sumptuous dinner .. I, being a christian enjoy such priveleges...! You've got the whole to lie on ur lounger watchin the good programs,talk shows,movies,n what not .. On Television !! .. OR you probably can visit your kith and kin and make their day!! (Option 2 sounds good,doesn't it) And..When twilight sets in , O-M-G the whole town looks awwwesome... in a array of lights and diyas... Clad in their new clothes children n teens bursting crackers.. and displaying their fireworks ..and even if there s a little rain(like last year's)..that positively doesn't damper their festive spirit !!
So its time for the same fun again this year!!! Only difference : no invitations ,so far from friends around my place (although I'm ready to barge into homes if I don't get any festive treats on 'The day')...and the ones I've got are from places a little far off... !!!
Wishing you all a Very HAPPY DIWALI !!!!
Gracy
P.S: Play Safe ! and don't forget to send me those sweets I'm expecting so much!!

Life without the internet !

noreply@blogger.com (Gracelyne) — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 15:55:00 +0000

Hey Everyone, I'm back again(after a really long gap - a month nearly :( Gosh ! ) I wrote my last post 20 days ago.. since then it's been a roller coaster ride full of great experience..
So..... Here i am ,this is me ..there's nowhere else on earth I'd rather be..! Strikes a chord somewhere?? Was just listening to Bryan Adam's track-"here i am" :)

I've had a really disappointing week :( (tats wat i felt at the onset)
So... there I was at the inferno (moi hostel) , hoping to have a good time just surfing the tides on the www,.. What do I get ?? 5 days of pure non-wifi time.!!! Not to mention the sugar on top - Frequent and long power cuts during the day ! ( Tamil Nadu is reeling under one of the worst power shortages .. RESULT : TNEB resorting to frequent, unannounced cuts ranging between two hours and eight hours daily :O )
For an internet addict like me....(@%*#%(@&) well you can imagine how grumpy I must have gotten!!! X(
It was then I realised how much the Internet means to us , the poor earthlings! From the depths of desperation I began to imagine how the world could be without the Internet.. Beleive me....It looks like stone age the way my imagination swayed !
Can YOU survive without internet?? A lot of us are really hooked up to it ! Imagine life without e-mail, youtube, friendster, facebook,orkut, wordpress, blogger, online games,messenger …. and you can’t even pay your bills online, book tickets, order stuff !!! seems like armageddon huh??

Its hard to imagine how we ever survived without Google(my tour tram in this internetwork),ebay,skype,....but in reality, it is only a matter of a few years since we somehow managed to struggle from one day to the next without ever logging on.In those seemingly far-off days life existed and things were successfully executed - all without the internet, Its just a matter of doing things differently !
So the thing I realised is that : addicts like me should really find a better balance. Just like other things in life, at some point you might unexpectedly lose it - and you really have to cope with it !
so I listed down some things you can do to remain sane when disaster strikes again !! :P

#1 Use your legs :take a walk around your place,meet those old pals ..In addition to building relationships, the consequences can do some good to your health also
#2 Rediscover the art of conversation : this is something that I did... Surprisingly I found that I 've been living in a virtual place..and even my normal conversation with friends started out with:
hey,how r u?.. Hows life goin??...G-M for good morning (Sounds weird , if u r saying it to people who are colleagues !! =)) )
#3 Go out : enjoy the twilight hours just gazing at the pretty sky
#4 Go to the library : Even though there's no beating the online search, egrossing yourself in the library would make you appreciate the world of knowledge!
#5 Write a snail mail to a friend : Snail mails are always appreciated .. I love getting snail mail cards and stuff...
.
.
#n Enjoy the freedom : I'm sure there are a hell lotta things you can do ! So Come on all of you with strained eyes , disorderly lifestyle - Look @ the beautiful world outside your pc screen , i'm sure you'd appreciate the awesome resolution of the lifesize wall papers out there !! :)
I,for one, have definitely learnt to appreciate it !!
To be off-line felt like some sort of isolation even though it was only temporary. It's not something I would want to happen on a regular basis, and whilst I am sure that although we would undoubtedly cope without the Internet if we had to(but I sincerely doubt it would be an easy transition), the question is - would we want to? No way !!!
The internet phenomenon has become indispensable.. and for me 5 days without it was more than enough to prove that !!
It sure feels good to see the Blogger Dashboard ! :)

Its the start of moi Study hols..So I've got loads of hours at my disposal !!! Yay!! So I'll be surfing to my heart's content !
Things I've done recently
* Started a few more blogs (do check them out)
From my lounger
Mycyberpenseive
* Finished my university Lab Exams
Weather out here: Rains all the time .. So the sky from my window (the real wooden one :P) looks splendid !!!! No words right now to descibe its magnificence!! God, You Rock !!!

Favicon trouble !!!

noreply@blogger.com (Gracelyne) — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 11:47:00 +0000

Do favicons differ in browsers?? I didn't think so ...Until I saw the difference myself!

Those were the favicon in my ie8beta2... yahoomail luks totally out of the way doesn't it?and so does gmail! and look @ orkut - picassa ???!!!!
Look how the same sites' favicons look just the same as the old ones in FF 3.0.1 .. Beats me !!Does anybody know why these favicons have these uncanny shapes?? Do tell me !
Btw, if anybody noticed my gmail favicon in FF.. the cute blue one.. Its a userscript that i installed from THIS place.If you simply want your Gmail FavIcon to change in a pretty fashion,install it.. works with FF and opera.It has three icon-states by default:

* No New Mail: Red envelope. ScreenShot: No New Mail

* New Mail: Blue envelope. ScreenShot: New Mail

* Unread Chat Message: Orange envelope. This icon changes back to your mail status every two seconds. ScreenShot: New Chat Message

Any takes on why the favicon's changing enigmatically.. pls write tat in my comment page!waiting for replies!

UPDATION: (8 oct,2008)

Get a load of my taskmanager...Same Prob... wat now? OS probs?? :P
P.S: I'm loving it (the exceptions) !

♪ Happy birthday dear Google ♫

noreply@blogger.com (Gracelyne) — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 16:43:00 +0000

♪ Happy birthday to you ♫

♪ Happy birthday dear Google ♫

♪ Happy birthday to you! ♫

What could we have done without you dear google.. i'd be like a traveller without a map...mobile without an address book...person with internet..without a web browser (maybe this s a bad example! :P )

For its birthday, what do you give the company that has everything? In Google's case, the Internet giant is asking for only five presents, but each has the same qualification: Each one must help to change the world.
Google is celebrating its 10th birthday with Project 10^100, an endeavor that will commit $10 million to backing ideas to improve the world. Google's Project 10^100 will accept ideas big and small, from all walks of life.In a statement, the company said it was "asking our users to send us exciting ideas for ways to improve people's lives," adding that it has "committed $10 million to turn up to five of the best ideas into reality." What better gift could we give than the one that they ask for..(Remember the last date for sendin in the ideas is oct 20th..so buck up evry1 )

Google people.. U definitely Rule the world! Its my desire to be a part of you someday! (sooner/very sooner)

The timeline's interesting.The “second decade” is already promising more innovations and advances from the company with the odd little name. With their rumored Gphone development, an eye on the upcoming FCC 700MHz band auction, and more, who knows where this company could go next.

I just cannot imagine Internet without Google and to think it all began only 10 years ago... Whoa..thats awesome ryt..?.. they sure are to be appreciated!! Hats off to the team!

Love ya,

Gracy

A vision of students today !

noreply@blogger.com (Gracelyne) — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 06:16:00 +0000

"School trains children to be employees and consumers; teach your own to be leaders and adventurers. School trains children to obey reflexively; teach your own to think critically and independently."

This was something some big guy said...I totally agrree.!

I never actually intended to write this post.. But seeing this video a friend of mine showed.... my emotions have brimmed over!
Do watch the video its really good!

Very true huh!!

Education is the all round development of an individual.But the present education system of India has NOT (i feel so and.. u know it too..!!) been catering to this. The teacher student relationship is deteriorating.. The system is academic oriented and marks focussed.It is therfore kinda impossible to recognize the real talent of the individual and nourishing it for the betterment of the country. This is presume is the major reason for the brain drain as foreign countries respect and value the true and distinctive talent of the individual. Hence there is a need for serious reforms in the education system so that the human capital of India which is the country's biggest asset can be preserved and conserved.
Looking at various other countries' edu sys, I feel India shud take the best of each world and integrate it to form an unbeatable and massively impressive system of pruning kids @ school..!Mebbe take the field trip/field work pattern out of the American edu system.. Take the grading pattern off the british system.. entrance concept from the japanese (which is so unlike our bribe taking entrance concept)...german timing and elective system.. and hence forth. Just think : If Gracy (tats me:) ) could think and chart out various patterns that could be experimented..How much more the people up there in the constitution ,specially designated for this kinda job, could do !!!
Why should I be writing up all this ,when I'm on the verge of finishin my formal education.. Beats me ! The hatred I have for this stupid system is brimmin over...(aargghh) thanks to the place I study in..! If I were education minister I 'd seriously consider reformin the system ...I know its easier said than done.. :( But then...WHY do we have to have so many tests... internals... externals... University exams... Models... Lab exams...viva voces... Not to mention the burden on Mother Earth.. How many trees lumbered so as to make our answer sheets( a waste of good trees) , text books (in this e-world) which are rarely used! WHY WHY WHY????????
Please somebody save the world and SAVE THE TREES !!!

However .... the grass is always greener on the other side.. Here's proof :However I perceive this as the begining of a reform, which hasnt happened o'er here...Yet! Hope the system reforms!

The indigenous Indian game

noreply@blogger.com (Gracelyne) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 13:11:00 +0000

Ball badminton is an indigenous sport of India ....One of the oldest games known to the world of Sports. It had it's origin as early as 1856 in the Tanjore District of Tamilnadu in India.(wow isn't it) I never knew that India was its origin...No wonder now.. cos it was decided in 1856 itself ,that history was to be written in this arena of sports by a team known otherwise as Amathur25 (strikes a chord somewhere???? Could be related with chennai28 :) ,one of the superb tamil movies-Definitely one of a kind and my favourite!)
BB is an exceedingly fast game demanding skill, quick perception, correct judgment, agility of movement and capacity to control the ball with proper movement of wrist. Unfortunately none of the Amathur25 people possessed all of this...and still the college was willing to take the team out on a Picnic to Trichendur - 2day all expense paid trip(wow more days than our IV- now isn't that gr8t :P )What if all the 10 people on team were the FRIENDS mob... a mafia that the whole department feared ;) and the ones that hungout together- the gangster sorta crowd... That'd be even gr8tr ,ryt?... Well that was what it was .. :D so..uhmm...Even Better...!Lemme introduce the Amathur25 to yall...
The Captain- Manimegala -Backend player-Does splendid floats on the ball ..other than that did nothing great to win her captaincy :P
The Vice-captain - JeevaPriya- Center Player- Does good saves and ..great shuts,which just don't reach the opponent's court.
Back end Players :
Karthiga - Plays well ,except when under pressure whence looses all the balls...;D
Susi - Plays cricket with badminton racquet
Sivaranjani R @net - Net Adicha ball netta thandunadha saritharamay ilana pathukongaly :P
Subashree - held the bat only 2 days b4 match day.(for 1st tym)
Front Players:
Nabisath -Known for hopping around ,tryin to hit the balls.. :) and in the end making the center to loose the balls too..
Mangleswari - Does good shuts with the bat..and weird face reactions when playin (funny 1s too)Gracelyne / Me - The P.E.T teacher had great confidence in me seeing the practice sessions...But lost that when there were losses in the court.So in the end the three of us took turns on court.
One more on the list - Vetri.v - dunno where to add her up .. guess she's a front end player,but never seen her playing..hheh...does more of a check post kinda job bouncing balls off her.:PAnd Aarthy - couldn't make it to the match owing to the problem that there could be only 10 people going from one college..We missed you pal..!Well thats about Amathur25..and if you were wondering who plays the role eqivalent to that of the "enna kodumai sir" guy in the movie,the one that always drops the ball.. I think I'd give the title to Net...no..susi...no...vetri...I'm confused.. Well NET wins .. She gets the title..! :) She worked loads for the team...Picking up balls flung outside..Vetri did a good job of mixing glucose and serving to the not so tired players...and susi did a gr8t job of cheerleading backed by shree.Hats off to the whole team..We couldn't have lost without you all !!!! =)Let me not forget our P.E.T ma'm who took us all out there to compete..Our first win enthralled her loads .. who wouldn't be..to see a coachless team skyrocket up and beat last year's winners!Anyways.. even though we couldn't get the coveted title,we managed to get 3rd.. and ,again cheerin for the right team made our college get the overall title for the tournament !

uhmm..Though it may seem as if I may have defamed the college team..thats the bare bones,down-to-earth take on the team (my personal opinion ,strictly)but one thing sure is true, there was not a better team there , to beat us in the team play, and sportive spirit we all showcased and thats what made us go that far!Whats a team without a cheer song - yea idhu onu than korachala ena ..:D Well if you've heard the witch Doctor song (oo-ee-e-ah-ah bing bang walla walla ting tah)...the same! :P Have I forgotten anybody...anything..? yea..The 2nd year "perfect badminton" team that coached the final year team ...Well u can laugh ur heads off now..But you can't but accept the fact that the WE ROCK!!!!!!!By the way,this was an all CSE team (so no wonders tat we rocked!!! )

Regional UG Meet @ Chennai for MSP s !!

noreply@blogger.com (Gracelyne) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 18:57:00 +0000

Twas the 2nd weekend in September that I boarded this sleeper AC Bus to depart from college (hooray) to the capital city-Chennai for the Regional UG meet ,otherwise named by MSPs as BootCamp ;). It was a tightly packed 2day camp with loads of fun and knowledge ,the sort that the techie geeks enjoy!

Day 1 :We were received @ the bus staion by MS Academic Team Lead, Reza.Then it was breakfast @ MS chennai Office @ lancor towers...after which Reza helped us break the ice...Then it was time for lunch....postlunch reza and jadeja (from Sales and Marketing group of Microsoft) handled some really good sessions on how to make the best out of campus club sessions :).... I picked up some really good and valuable advice from the masters in the art of evangelism which I'm sure is gonna help me handle MCC sessions better than b4. Chennai and Madurai UGs were the attendees .. therefore reza partnered the both of us in teams of 2 to discuss our issues and stuff...It was a really useful session where we drew up our goals,challenges,vision and possible solutions...Then Jaddguji made a demo on WPF using an ellipse example, which could be done using Expression Studio aswell..he did it from the developer paradigm.In the twilight hours, we went to the Besant Nagar Beach,a popular relaxspot in the metro and had supper @ the Dosa House(if i remember the name right).Here Sid(Siddharth-MSP Pgm Lead) joined us for a short while..We had a really good feast and checked back into Hotel Woodlands at 12midnight after thebeach stroll at nyt :)...I do love beaches...
Day2 as everbody mentioned was a 100% technical one...At 10 we had Vinod Kumar(for those of u who don't know,he's one of the developers of SQL Server from MS.) .A session on 'Whats new in SQL server was indulged by him.A quick breakfast on bread,jam and biscuits fed our hungry tummies...but there was more in store for our almost full peanut sized brain :D. hehe kidding.!Yea.. and one more thing..Vinod showed us a cool app from MS , AutoCollage ,that has facial recognition incorporated,so your collage looks really neat!Then Sid gave us an overview on the new MSP portal and the sorta things we could and should do in the academic year(on a more sterner note)He also spoke about the Live@edu and other such stuff..Dominoes pizza for a quick lunch...and then they managed to squeeze in the rest of the technical stuff in the short 4 hour duration that was left...Sid handled a few .Net fundamentals... Jadega (jaduji's from the Sales and marketing part of MS) took a really interective session on Windows CE(embedded)....finally Krishnaa,passed-out MSP handled a Windows Server 2008 Demo.
After bidding goodbye to the team and fellow msps,We left hurriedly to the bus station (the delhi blasts tightened security measures in the metro).I could sense the air of excitment in the way everbody spoke.. Clearly everyone was enlightened to enlighten..and hopefully would try to make the MS Club @ their respective colleges like never b4 !

All this excitement happened on September 12,13,the 2nd weekend-so my stay at home sweet home was cut short :( ..!I am a little late in blogging na...Prioritisation problems ;).. Yea and one more thing I learnt from Jaduji - "ROI" Return on Investment (thats something I never used to care about ...until then on. :) )Anybody aspiring to an MSP contact me.. I ll give you the necessary info..This year the process has changed and is quite stringent(from the look of it :D)

Is Google Chrome worth it???

noreply@blogger.com (Gracelyne) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:15:00 +0000

Why did Google create their own browser?
Many people are asking why Google released this Chrome browser, I mean aren’t they supposed to be supporting FireFox? Apparently Matt Cutts explains that the big G is trying to make the internet a better place for web surfers who will in turn do more web searches, which we all know will likely create more mindshare for Google.

Google has kept quiet with the release of Google Chrome up until a few days before it’s release. Direct competitors like Firefox 3 used social networks to set a Guinness World Record for the largest number of software downloads (8,002,530) in 24 hours, but was Chrome’s relatively silent roll-out successful?

Anyhow here's my take on Chrome....

Reasons why I think Chrome is great:

Fast Browsing Speeds

Easy Transition

Slick Design

CPU & Memory usage

Why Chrome is not so great… yet:

Not many extensions

No cross OS versions

Security Vulnerabilities

I 've been having hang-ups with the browser which made me chafe @ it.Not to mention the crash-sugar on top :/ ( Whoa Google Chrome has crashed.Restart now?? Ok Cancel - They definitely have a way of saying that :) )

From what I understand, Chrome is an open source project. So you can study, compile, add features, distribute or even eat-it-for-breakfast if you so desire - my point being that I doubt Google is sending data to their servers to capture user behavior or you’d probably see a backlash from the tech crowd, which would not be good for Google.
Conclusion
Overall, I think Google Chrome is a superb browser and I’m anxious to see what new applications, and add-ons will be released. Sadly, not enough extensions limit the browser’s appeal, not to mention that Chrome is yet another browser thrown into the mix when developing websites (sigh).

21 long years on Planet Earth

noreply@blogger.com (Gracelyne) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:58:00 +0000

At 20 years of age the will reigns; at 30 the wit; and at 40 the judgment.- Ben Franklin
Aug25 this year was one of those good times in life for me.. Do'h ..Twas my b'day..So HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO Me :)

There are three hundred and sixty-four days when you might get un-birthday presents ... and only one for birthday presents, you know.~Lewis Carroll....

Gifts (mu-hahaaaaaa) are one of the best parts of this mighty gud day.The haul was pretty good this time :D...I don't wanna seem like a gift hogging ape...but who cares everybody loves presents.
Why is a birthday cake the only food you can blow on and spit on and everybody rushes to get a piece?-- Bobby Kelton .True huh !

As the years keep rolling I suddenly get the dreary feeling that I'm undergoing metamorphosis .. this transformation from a juvenile to what could possibly be termed mature adulthood... is

:( yuck ! Its something we all have to live with some day or the other whether we like it or not!Looking back @ everything.. prekindergarten at cape comorin.. Elementary at Nagercoil...High school n above at Pearl city..College at Cracker city(certainly a crackkker) I get the sick feeling of emptiness , I think :? .

This aug 25 had gotten me thinking about why am i on Planet earth...other than the fact that I am just a waste of good breathing air..(Lol).This sinking funny feeling left me thinking about what my life goals could be..I jotted down a few ideas.. and things I must do before I get off Planet Earth..I won't disclose all my jots.... But few of the things that I wanna do is this:

1) Take a world tour .( or at the least the UK,France..probably an Eurotrip :D )

2) Watch the opening of the Olympics.(In person i.e..,)

3) Learn to play the violin ( Meryl Streep's movie "Music from the heart" had something to do with this:) )
4) Learn how to speak Spanish (movies again;) )

5) Become a published author (whether in a newspaper, magazine, or preferably a book.)

6) Own the biggest Movie Library (Really passionate about this one)

7) Contribute something meaningful to a great charity or organization

8) See my favourite bands perform LIVE ( especially Avril I'd like to .. )

9) Donate my eyes

The list is endless .. I have about some 20 of them right now.All of it ain't worth publishing..atleast not @ this juncture..

Yeah, they are rather lofty,I agree... but some of them are kind of directions to go in, rather than do or die goals. As in, if I move towards becoming a enlightenend soul or published author, the process itself will be rewarding.

Apart from all of these worldly goals I do have a few religious ones too like Reading the entire Bible and praying and meditating everyday.

And again there are a few of the unhinged and insane ones like Singing in public :D

I may have to save, scrimp,skimp to achieve few of those goals.. But one thing is true..I find great things in the simple joys of life...A cup of hot coffee on a rainy day with my favourite music on the backdrop... Sleeping under the stars... Watching the twilight fade slowly and midnight creep in... (Lol I do sound like a weirdo at tyms don't I ?... Wait till you read this part below the pic :D )

Do you take time to appreciate the simple joys in life? Do you smile at the sun or sing in the rain? Do you feel the high of being on top of a mountain or feel the warmth of the sand beneath your feet at the beach? Do you stop to smell fruit on a tree or flowers on a bush? Do you take time to coo at an infant, or to watch puppies or kittens at play? Do you savor the foods you eat? Do you really listen to, and enjoy, the music you hear? Are you thankful for the air you breathe and the life you have been given? Most of all, do you ever take time to marvel in the mere-yet-profound fact that, of all the infinite possibilities in the Universe, God/The Creator (or whatever you wish to call the Ultimate Source) chose to create you?
We do not need magic to change the world. We carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: We have the power to imagine better. –J.K. Rowling

Lets make our stay on Planet Earth worthwhile !

Waiting for your feedback and hoping to see you pop in your goals.. on my comment page.

Good Day yall...

Have a great and fulfilling week ahead !

Lesson for a lifetime !

noreply@blogger.com (Gracelyne) — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 19:06:00 +0000

I'm in that part of adoloscence where you seem to get mature in
your thoughts,actions, basically everything about you sorta takes a turn for the best (/da worst :D), or atleast I think thats the part where I'm headed to..! Teens this age

Aug 19th,A day I'd like to erase from my life.! Me and my best pal made a spectacular and impressive fight out of a really silly matter of the teeniest importance, which doesn't seem ludicrous even in the aftermath(though i wish it'd be:( )This blog isn't about those times that i wish never happened,but something as a result of which I came to learn or realise..
I guess all i'm doing right now is befuddling u,my loyal readers :)...

Well lemme get this straight and write about about wat i intended to.... "The 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE"

Well there I was ,on Aug 21,in my Dept seminar hall for the Students Association Hour..With the idea of having fun by hoisting the juniors on stage and having a healthy n fun teaser session as they performed the various tasks we ,the seniors gave them(GD's and other stuff), it was a bummer when it was announced that we were gonna have a Guest Lecture on blah blah blah....(who cares -Guest lectures are downright Boring with a 'B' ).So I try to find the right cosy spot on my chair to have forty winks before my evening regime,without even bothering to give the poor prof a try.The Guest speaker turned out to be Mr.Sathya Narayan of Dept of MBA,My college.And Blahblahblah actually turned out to be something interesting.. which is the spine of this post.At the 2nd wink I must've been up ,for I he asked us to close our eyes .?!??!?! That must have been the thing that pulled open my palpebra(in lay terms, my eyelids :D).He spoke about the Paradigm Shift ,explaining it with this picture:

The 'Seven Habits' are a remarkable set of inspirational and aspirational standards for anyone who seeks to live a full, purposeful and good life, and are applicable today more than ever, as the business world becomes more attuned to humanist concepts. I've got so much to write about it but so little time ryt now.So lemme delve into it ryt away...
habit 1 - be proactive
This is the ability to control one's environment, rather than have it control you, as is so often the case. You have a set of responses to select from ...thing is u select the best respose to the situation..

habit 2 - begin with the end in mind

Covey calls this the habit of personal leadership - leading oneself that is, towards what you consider your aims. By developing the habit of concentrating on relevant activities you will build a platform to avoid distractions and become more productive and successful.

habit 3 - put first things first

This is about organising and implementing activities in line with the aims established in habit 2.

habit 4 - think win-win

Win-win sees life as a cooperative arena, not a competitive one. Win-win is a frame of mind and heart that constantly seeks mutual benefit in all human interactions. They say there's an emotional bank inside everybody..You either deposit or withdraw from it.Its called mutual dependence..success follows a co-operative approach more naturally and you need friends for that (Strike 1 !!!!!!!!!! )

habit 5 - seek first to understand and then to be understood

One of the great maxims of the modern age and my favourite slide in his ppt. This is Covey's habit of communication, and it's extremely powerful. This is the simple analogy 'diagnose before you prescribe'. Simple and effective, and essential for developing and maintaining positive relationships in all aspects of life.Our professor didn't have to go this far to make Strike 2 .Just the title made the Strike! (Strike 2 !!!!!!!!!!!!! )

habit 6 - synergize

Covey says this is the habit of creative co-operation - the principle that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, which implicitly lays down the challenge to see the good and potential in the other person's contribution.Valuing differences is what really drives synergy,meaning "2 heads are better than 1".Somehow this made Strike 3!!!!!!!!

Wondering wats with the strikes1,2 n 3? lemme finish..

habit 7 - sharpen the saw

This is the habit of self renewal and it necessarily surrounds all the other habits, enabling and encouraging them to happen and grow.

This blog wouldn't be complete if i don't attach this pic signifyin the 7 habits

If you think this is the end,there's also the 8th habit to which is dedicated an entire book tat will take u from effectiveness to greatness..I haven't read that yet.But I intend to atleast skim thru' in the days to come.

At this point the most important thing you can do for yourself is define YOUR goals.!I have found if you do not have a clear goal in mind there are plenty of people out there quite willing to tell you what it should be.To that end here is an interesting article about personal mission statements.Personal Mission Statements.
BTW...The strikes?? those were the blows on my mind bringing me to ground reality about not settling peace with my 9 year best bud ! :( I began to see thru' things and realised that this isn't the same old me , whos always the first to settle things,be @ peace with all.Something has come over me and it has gone just as enigmatically as it had come ! hooray.

Though the object of discussion had a different connotation the way the prof was seeing things, mine had a different dimension. Must be the 'Paradigm Shift' huh !!! :)

Anyways we had had a strong argument days ago,part of which was the element of mistrust that i had showcased.This broke my chum.:( . I lost no time in making up to her that nyt.A hug and a few lachrymal gland secretions was the finishline of this bitter experience.As she said later she had 3 strikes too ,like me(v r best frnds!rembr..)Yet thru' all this I never asked a word of sorry, for I too like Eric Segal(author of Love Story) beleive that "Loving means never having to say you are sorry"

Biddin adieu with a cheerful note,

The new and improved ME. :)

(If its new,how can it be improved or if its improved how can it be new?? Beats me, Its true!But still thats the phrase wat all television n other commercials use . LOL :D )

Anybody feel the same way i feel about Stephen Covey's book pls do post ur comments.Hope you lay ur hands on this "1989 book " do comment about it here.