strace ./a.out

blah-017: The Vagabond

2009-07-23T04:07:00.000+05:30

Give to me the life I love,
Let the lave go by me,
Give the jolly heaven above
And the byway nigh me.
Bed in the bush with stars to see,
Bread I dip in the river -
There's the life for a man like me,
There's the life for ever.

Let the blow fall soon or late,
Let what will be o'er me;
Give the face of earth around,
And the road before me.
Wealth I ask not, hope nor love,
Nor a friend to know me;
All I ask, the heaven above
And the road below me.

...

--

from Stevenson's The Vagabond

Life update: have been in a village named Bannerghatta in the City of Guards since 22nd June: enjoyable and full of fascinating people. Might be here for 2 years.

A few worlds apart

2009-05-26T00:53:00.000+05:30

The pursuit for testing the limits of my 150 pounds of meat, bones, cartilages and neurons, often results in me reading pieces like these (and often no ensuing test of limits)

Somewhere, there’s a guy who did it in half the time it took you. He suffered. Plasma forced its way into his lungs, causing him to hack on repeat. He choked down bile halfway through, and ended on his back, pupils dilated to the size of dimes. While you were walking around, telling your friends how hardcore your workout was, Guy Number Two was still collapsed, the prospect of driving home as daunting as climbing K2 during a snowstorm. When he finally stood up, he didn’t say a word. (.. againfaster.com )

or the famous Sydney Olympics ads which celebrated humanity

too many inspiring lines .. for instance the "To be a giant" , "you can't me courage" , "you'll smile, I'll smile" or to best it all the "you're my adversary..." one ..

or the lines of Boorstin

We are.. in search of our limits. We start with a single step, but, none of us stops there. With determination, a step becomes a stride, and a stride becomes a leap. With discipline and desire, we push ourselves to new heights. When we rise to the challenge we discover new strengths, our muscles grow stronger, our minds more agile. The body responds performing its marvelous inner dance of life. We share a design so magnificient, we can delight in movement itself. To find joy in the struggle to be our best - this is the adventure that defines the human spirit that drives us to the limit. (...)

It always strikes me as to how different a world they portray compared to the world of Sahir and Ghalib and Frost and Sakhi or for that matter how all these worlds are so far apart from the ones of Landau and Euler. Who says we have only one life and one world to live it in.

Moreover, in some sense there is such a sense of physical apodicticity , for lack of a better term,when it comes to all our endeavours physical. Something which is in strange ways analogous to the purity in Ghalib's verses or the palpable realism in Micarelli's Music from a Farther Room or Remy Zero's Somebody Save Me, or the elegance of the Lagrangian or the profundity of the Hamilton's principle.

What better proof is needed to realize how much Human spirit is in effect just a ramification of our guts and blood and bones.

Being moved and titillated by something has the often (unexpressed but definitely not ineffable) side-effect of a subtly noticeable derisive view towards things which appear evidently facile and banal to a purist. I for one, while not even a remote Crossfit purist and who could not claim to have pushed my limits more than any average guy, find such pursuits as hypertrophy, "gymming", jogging, dieting, other associated efforts to maintain an appearance or a healthy weight ( i am referring to average people like me ..say 15-40 years old?) etc.. somehow very.. well childish to say the least. Of course only as childish as breast implants, "hall tempo", devout priests and authors who write content-less thick volumes.

--
Narcissistic miscellany follows (er. i mean other than the obvious exposition above)

I started swimming again, not to mention an ecstatic 45 m dynamic apnea without fins ( read horizontal swim under water for us laymen) -- though a pittance compared to the world record (AIDA) of 213 metres ; see a 200m(with fins) video or this one ( without fins 25m pool), though ofcourse with a static apnea ( holding your breath) of more than 10 minutes, AIDA records would freak anybody even a bit uncommon -- along with improving my breaststroke and freestyle technique and thereby times. I am obviously way too bad a swimmer. Tom Sietas, you are the Fred Rouhling and Yang Wei of water.

Even though I have run sporadically since April, I realized today to my great relief that my aerobic capacity and lactic acid tolerance seem to have not been affected much.

--
1. just now, caught a house fly ( Musca domestica) with my thumb and fingers.. Must have been a drunk one..
2. re-visited facebook after more than 2 years. seems like sticking around for more than 2 weeks is unlikely.

Post Poll Analysis

2009-05-21T20:25:00.002+05:30

( Inspite of the slimy title and it's slimier political undertones, this is of course about something much worse -my own narcissistic poll about my irrelevant future which i had conducted. )

<a href="http://www.buzzdash.com/polls/what-should-i-do--162382/">What should I do ?</a> | <a href="http://www.buzzdash.com">BuzzDash polls</a>

A surprising 117* (sic. / sick) people voted . Since own optimistic estimate was 35, let me say i am more than shocked at the surprise voter turnout. Now as is usually the case with most elections and polls, most of the options doesn't make sense and to make it even more convoluted there were combination options resulting in people voting for some clubbed together items which they wouldn't have voted for individually in the first place.

the conclusions are as follows

85% think that i should not continue my sabbatical

51% think that i should not go to IISc

43 % think that i should not go to IIMB

Even though I knew that the IIM brand was a bit over rated, I am suprised to find that only 26 % really found some value in it by itself. The only way of explaining this would of course be by criticizing the weirdness of the Poll conductor (moi) and the resulting demography selected. Another notable fact is that most people who felt that i should not join IIM Bangalore or for that matter a managerial career at all, were concerned enough to actually come forward and talk to me about it. So eventhough in the numbers game IIMB wins, i believe more people really "care" about me not ending up a corporate bloodsucker or at worst screw up two years of my life doing pointless and completely irrelevant stuff (er.. haven't i been doing that for quarter a century now? ).

36%** think that i should not do GSoC

I still remember how ecstatic/surprised/shocked I was when i first got funded by google for my idea in the field of architectural morphology, mentored by Portland State University. I think I had walked around 3 or 4 km before coming to my senses. The fact that the news had come to my attention after around 10 days of the official date shows my expectation level. Over the next years, I had the opportunity to work with amazing people. This year when I got funded again for working with brl-cad, as grateful as i am for this amazing opportunity, I'd be lying if i said it had the same sense of euphoria as the first time. It is true that i learned much more in the last year than any other time. More than anything else, there is the apprehension of whether I would be able to do justice to my own milestones and plan. Add to that two computers failing on you by frying up, things are not exactly very convivial.

Some other obvious facts
    The loser was of course IISc at 10 % . In spite of being the most elite research institute in India and not to mention an amalgalm of a lot of brains and talent.. seems like it is not so much of a crowd-puller . Either that or the voter populace really hates me. Even after being coupled with GSoC we have only 28% who seem to favour IISc. My dear friend gurra's elementary explanation for these votes are the people who are in the waiting list at B, further showing the apprehensions about the value? of a research position in Indian academia.
     The single largest winner was the option of being at IIM Bangalore along with IISc and GSoC ( never mind ~~almost~~ an impossible thing to handle ) with 31 %.
   Coupled with other things - either gsoc alone or gsoc+iimb - IISc has achieved a 49 % support.

Next Step
The logical move would be to wait out for a month ( *** June 22nd is the registration at IIM Bangalore) and work on the gsoc implementation as much as I can ( hopefully the laptop returns in a couple of days) If nothing happens I would be just another guy who ended up beneath the pergolas at IIM Bangalore purely out of indecision / not having anything else to do ( which if I am not mistaken is a pretty sizeable portion of every batch there. ) I sincerely hope that I don't screw up anybody's life in there ( that would be the egotistic narcissism cropping up .) and equally importantly not get kicked out considering my Kharagpur attendance records.

Further facts regarding what would happen at Bangalore, for instance would i still have control over my breath , only time will tell. Regarding IISc, I still have time to decide and probably too little time to give. Things I am most excited about Bangalore in "roughly no particular" order.

1. Friends
2. Sports climbing
3. Nice ground/weather to run.
4. Possibly better swimming pools ( which won't burn my pockets ? )
5. Better access to gymnastics facilities?
6. Drama (Theatre .. not to mention the Human drama )
7. Riding (Bangalore Amateur Riding Institute)

Notes:
* 8 people who informed me that they did not vote but stated that they would like me to do something not among the options, have not been taken into consideration in the percentages.
** plus those of the 15% Sabbatical votes who though the sabbatical did not imply gsoc
*** The fact that I got a fees waiver for the first year does influence things to a large extent.

blah-016: Last Boy Scout

2009-05-05T21:55:00.000+05:30

“Water is wet, sky is blue, women have secrets–who gives a fuck”

1. almost as profound as Chef's prostitute payment explanation.

Future Imperfect

2009-05-04T21:52:00.000+05:30

As most of you ( read subset of the few followers who have enough time on the planet to read a pointless blog) you know i have been lethargically enjoying a sabbatical which owes equally to my adorable parents as well as my assholic self.
Approximately 360 days, 4 hours and 37 minutes have passed since I defended my thesis. Eventhough I was moderately busy with the implementation for BRL-CAD till September, you could safely assume that I have had quite a blast during the whole time. It is not that I am bored with it, not even remotely. But with my dad retiring in January 2010, I figure this is not the worst of times to be a bit responsible. I have a small poll below ( extremely egotistic and narcissistic as usual to say the least ) The options are not at all comprehensive. Suggestions other than these are more than welcome.

Legend for the poll:
IIMB : PGP 2009-2011 : June 22nd Onwards
IISc : Energy Efficieny Lab with Prof. Monto Mani @ CST : July to December
GSoc : Continuing parametric system implementation with Ballistic Research Laboratory Computer aided design system : June, July 2009
Multiple entries connected by + implies doing them together.

<a href="http://www.buzzdash.com/polls/what-should-i-do--162382/">What should I do ?</a> | <a href="http://www.buzzdash.com">BuzzDash polls</a>

I think most will assume that IIMB is a priority. I'd ofcourse be lying if I say it is an improbable option. I hope you know me better ..er .. or worse..

Anybody wanting to fund me -Investment with returns of course - is always welcome. Not Kidding.

ساحر

2009-05-03T12:01:00.000+05:30

سوچتا ھن کی محبت سع کینارا کر لئن
دل کو بعگاناع ترگیب ہ تامانا کر لئن

ساحر لدھیانوی

सोचता हूँ कि मुहब्बत से किनारा कर लूँ
दिल को बेगाना-ए-तरग़ीब-ओ-तमन्ना कर लूँ

सोचता हूँ कि मुहब्बत है जुनून-ए-रसवा
चंद बेकार-से बेहूदा ख़यालों का हुजूम
एक आज़ाद को पाबंद बनाने की हवस
एक बेगाने को अपनाने की सइ-ए-मौहूम

सोचता हूँ कि मुहब्बत है सुरूर-ए-मस्ती
इसकी तन्वीर में रौशन है फ़ज़ा-ए-हस्ती

सोचता हूँ कि मुहब्बत है बशर की फ़ितरत
इसका मिट जाना, मिटा देना बहुत मुश्किल है
सोचता हूँ कि मुहब्बत से है ताबिंदा हयात
आप ये शमा बुझा देना बहुत मुश्किल है

सोचता हूँ कि मुहब्बत पे कड़ी शर्त हैं
इक तमद्दुन में मसर्रत पे बड़ी शर्त हैं

सोचता हूँ कि मुहब्बत है इक अफ़सुर्दा सी लाश
चादर-ए-इज़्ज़त-ओ-नामूस में कफ़नाई हुई
दौर-ए-सर्माया की रौंदी हुई रुसवा हस्ती
दरगह-ए-मज़हब-ओ-इख़्लाक़ से ठुकराई हुई

सोचता हूँ कि बशर और मुहब्बत का जुनूँ
ऐसी बोसीदा तमद्दुन से है इक कार-ए-ज़बूँ

सोचता हूँ कि मुहब्बत न बचेगी ज़िंदा
पेश-अज़-वक़्त की सड़ जाये ये गलती हुई लाश
यही बेहतर है कि बेगाना-ए-उल्फ़त होकर
अपने सीने में करूँ जज़्ब-ए-नफ़रत की तलाश

और सौदा-ए-मुहब्बत से किनारा कर लूँ
दिल को बेगाना-ए-तरग़ीब-ओ-तमन्ना कर लूँ

1. Read it first when a couple of years ago..Nothing reflects what i feel about محبت any better. Ofcourse my urdu typing skills don't match my enthusiastic fervor. Sahir is a true magician

2. Do check Mohsin Naqvi saab while you are at it.

3. Kavita Kosh : Sahir Ludhianvi

retro-002

2009-03-27T08:30:00.000+05:30

Lemma 1 : I have pretty much the most amazing and loving parents ever
( Subjectively: Which other lower middle-income family lets their son take a sabbatical along with any other stupid decisions throughout my life.
Objectively: Pretty much anyone with a non-traumatic childhood must be thinking about their parents the same way right ? )

Lemma 2 : I am a moderate misanthrope

Retrospection : I wonder what would i have been if I had any less adorable parents.

Well, maybe causality is overrated with respect to the Human Condition.

1297: CrossFitness

2009-03-26T20:05:00.000+05:30

As I mentioned in my previous post, Crossfit is pretty neat to say the least.

It is a good way to realize how unfit you are anyways :)

Started following it properly this week. Still haven't figured out a way around olympic lifts etc. But even the non-equipment based WoDs are awesome. Combing Crossfit WoD with Crossfit Endurance would be an interesting experience. I am contemplating on the possibility of asking my dad's gym owner if I could come in once or twice a weak just to check out the snatch, squat , clean and jerk and so on.

Moderately crappy scores on Crossfit Benchmarks / WOD till now

1. Scaled down Murph

   1 mile- 30 pull ups - 100 squats - 50 pushups - 1mile
   Time : 27:02

2. Half Cindy

   Rounds of 5 pull ups , 10 push ups and 15 squats
   Result : 10 rounds in 10 minutes

3. Barbara
   5 rounds of 20 pull ups, 30 push ups, 40 crunches, 50 squats for time
   Stopped after two rounds ( roughly 11 minutes )

On a connected note made a set of gymnastic rings thanks to this instructable using PVC. Hopefully I will be able to do a muscle up in a couple of weeks. Ring dips are totally amazing.

Only good news physically seems to be the new found knowledge that I can hold a tuck planche and that I ran 2.1 km in 7:49 and the next 2.9 km in 14:41 finishing 5 km in 22:30

I found beyondthewhiteboard to be a very cool resource especially in terms of seeing the general distribution and so on for each workout.

--
Nagging people to start running has been a success . Hopefully a wonderful running event will happen tomorrow morning at kgp :D thanks to Thando, Daddu, Sarohaji and Victus.

Agha Shahid Ali : Farewell

2009-03-13T22:03:00.000+05:30

...
I am being rowed through Paradise in a river of Hell:
Exquisite ghost, it is night.

The paddle is a heart; it breaks the porcelain waves.
It is still night. The paddle is a lotus.
I am rowed- as it withers-toward the breeze which is soft as
if it had pity on me.

If only somehow you could have been mine, what wouldn't
have happened in the world?

I'm everything you lost. You won't forgive me.
My memory keeps getting in the way of your history.
There is nothing to forgive.You can't forgive me.
I hid my pain even from myself; I revealed my pain only to myself.

There is everything to forgive. You can't forgive me.

If only somehow you could have been mine,
what would not have been possible in the world?

--

Something I shouldn't have deleted. Read rest here

1296: 官话

2009-03-13T12:16:00.000+05:30

Regarding chinese learning resources, I am particularly impressed with the following

1. Routledge Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar - A Practical guide
2. Routledge Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar Workbook
3. Rapid Literacy in Chinese
4. Wheatley, J. K. Learning Chinese: A Foundation Course in Mandarin. and the associated courses at MIT OCW

also in terms of Online reference/assistance/practice

1. Livemocha - a very useful community approach to learning languages. (most of my chinese friends were made here)
2. Pin1Yin1 - helpful at initial stages thanks to the hanzi to pinyin conversion tool (I probably use it more than gmail these days)
3. Shuifeng - Eventhough the 笔顺 (stroke order) is relatively simple, it is nevertheless awesome to have a reference
4. Zhongwen - Too useful and obvious to be even mentioned

-晁淳 (Dawn Simple)

retro-001

2009-03-09T11:59:00.000+05:30

I wonder if I would have grown up to be a different man had my introduction to physics been the principle of least action rather than Newton's F=ma.

Though, I have fond memories of all my physics teachers including Mrs. Meenakumari who thought giving me ( read 15 year old ) her MSc Superconductivity textbook was a good idea.

--
retro for retrospective of course

1295: Foutaises

2009-03-06T20:32:00.006+05:30

( Obviously inspired by Jeunet's)

I love
sleeping on the floor..
long walks..
getting drenched every time it rains..
solitary dawns..
sleepless nights..
pears (the fruit)..
onion in vinegar..
strong coffee at 3 am..
the burning sensation after a nice long sprint..
Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi..
traveling in trains unreserved..
The Idiot..
passionate people
the few friends i have..
imagining that all the moments one has been through are still there somewhere..

I dislike
the phsyical act of throwing things away...
losing weight..
using the fan..
sound of people peeing..
mosquitoes (which bite you :| )
being waited for..
knowing that i keep forgetting most things in my life..

I am completely perplexed by
giggles
long nails
Landau's genius
"sorry"s , "thanks" and "never mind"s
Marquez's brilliance..
Orwell's foresight..
the lurking presence of pi and e..
Claude Shannon..
my fascination with things clearly futile..

I am moderately comfortable with
my
intellectual inadequacy
lack of physical fitness
artistic ineptitude
grotesque appearance
lack of social skills
sleeping for 18 hours
days spent without a single word.

--

what about you?

blah-015: Kyle XY

2009-03-04T08:40:00.000+05:30

(Of all things never expected something like this from such a stupid series)

Sometimes a moment becomes a memory the instant it is happening, because it is so true, so pure, so significant, you want to capture it for ever.

--

Well, not so great after some pondering, but nevertheless..

1294: Arduino sweep

2009-02-27T07:59:00.001+05:30

Stupid really
The simplest servo code possible : Sweep

Slowly inching towards reprap.

世界の約束

2009-02-10T21:51:00.009+05:30

涙の奥に　ゆらぐほほえみは
時の始めからの　世界の約束

いまは一人でも　二人の昨日から
今日は生まれきらめく
初めて会った　日のように
思い出のうちに　あなたはいない
そよかぜとなって　頬に触れてくる

木漏れ日の午後の　
別れのあとも
決して終わらない　世界の約束
いまは一人でも　明日は限りない
あなたが教えてくれた
夜にひそむ　やさしさ

思い出のうちに　あなたはいない
せせらぎの歌に　この空の色に
花の香りに　いつまでも生きて

--

The Promise of the World

beyond these tears
my flickering smile
holds the promise of love
from the beginning of time

even though i am alone now
this day is born aglow
with the light of our yesterdays
like the first time we spoke

somehow i lost you
among all my memories
you brushed past my face
softly as the breeze

though we slipped apart
like sunlight through the leaves
the promise of love
will live on eternally

even though i am alone now
my tomorrows are boundless
like the kindness you showed me
hidden in the night

somehow i lost you among all my memories
in a brook's gentle laughter
in the scent of a flower
in the depth of the sky
you will live on eternally

--
From Howl's Moving Castle
Something I remembered from long back.
Javidaan zindagi indeed

blah-014

2009-01-30T03:10:00.005+05:30

The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.

Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion

1289: Bodyweight Exercises

2009-01-23T06:13:00.007+05:30

For some time now I have been nagging every single soul who has had the misfortune of initiating an informal conversation with me regarding the extreme utility and functionality of Bodyweight exercises. To the uninitiated ( a.k.a un-nagged) let me start by saying "No, they are not exercises for reducing your body weight"( which I have come to realise is a huge fascination among a notable portion of web users)
As wikipedia puts it,

Bodyweight exercises are strength training exercises that do not require free weights; the practitioner's own weight provides the resistance for the movement. Movements such as the push-up, the pull-up, and the sit-up are some of the most common bodyweight exercises.

One of the side effects of stopping my gym visits--after realizing that my dad no longer needed the moral support and that the unique level of entertainment which is possible only in gyms (watching people watching themselves in the mirrors) was no longer that entertaining -- was the realization that I was not able to sleep properly (sic, considering my Kharagpur days) without doing my quota of daily physical exertion. Enter Bodyweight exercises.

A few days of surfing on the web and practising the basics and I was hooked and sleep was even better than before (yes even better than kgp). What I find the most exciting about it is the fact that all you need is yourself (really you don't even need clothes :P). The first picture which blew my mind away was the Planche (One of the first things in life which I really really REALLY felt like I should do) Afterwards of course further research (sic) showed that Planche was just the beginning. Maybe Manna is something I wouldn't even be able to do even after a year of sincerity. The collection of Sommer's articles is pretty neat.

Planche on fingertips ( hmm. these freaky bboys. no form but still impressive strength.)

I was trying to follow crossfit WoD (Workout of the Day) for a couple of weeks now and was disappointed with having to substitute the WoD of some days with bodyweight exercises myself. Thankfully gymnasticbodies provides a nice (and tougher) alternative. I intend to continue both the WoDs. Recent discoveries would mean some additions to my Bucketlist's physical section.

On a connected fitness note, I made myself a pull-up bar ( not that i don't enjoy the callus on my hands due to pull-ups using the horizontal concrete slab)

In effect a perfect way to proceed for a beginner ( errrr..) is to follow crossfit WoD, Sommer's WOD, and tackling the BWC 20 level challenge one at a time.

You can check out my bodyweight bookmarks at delicious.
For some jolts to your perception about what is physically feasible do check out gymasticbodies' youtube library.
--
Planche progress: When I started I was able to do roughly 30 normal push-ups with effort. Now I am able to do 50 and in terms of balance can hold the frog stand for over 1 minute. But I guess the next step of proceeding to the tuck planche is going to be tough.
Running Progress: ran 7.5 km for the first time (36:30) half marathon does not seem unlikely in 2010.
Pull-up progress: 20 proper form (approximately) Hoping for One Arm pullups and chin-ups in March.

blah-012: Je me sens vivre

2009-01-22T19:21:00.000+05:30

Je me sens vivre
rendition by Dalida

Je ne savais pas pourquoi je vivais
Je ne savais pas à quoi je servais
Maintenant, maintenant je le sais

Mes yeux ne sont fait que pour te regarder
Mes lèvres ne servent qu'à t'offrir mes baisers
Mon oreille à compter les battements de ton cœur
Et mes mains à saisir et garder ta chaleur

Et depuis lors je me sens vivre
Je me sens vivre parce que je t'aime
Et depuis lors je me sens vivre
Je me sens vivre parce que je t'aime
Parce que je t'aime, parce que je t'aime
Parce que je t'aime et suis aimée de toi

Mes yeux ne sont fait que pour voir ton réveil
Mes lèvres ne servent qu'à bercer ton sommeil
Mon épaule est formée pour le creux de tes bras
Et mon corps tout entier pour dormir avec toi

Et depuis lors je me sens vivre
Je me sens vivre parce que je t'aime
Et depuis lors je me sens vivre
Je me sens vivre parce que je t'aime
Parce que je t'aime, parce que je t'aime
Parce que je t'aime et suis aimée de toi

blah-013: Shehzad

2009-01-21T22:21:00.000+05:30

خواب جدا رنگ بھرنا اور
کھنا اور حی کرنا اور
صحرا کا دک سمجھی کون
حونا اور گزرنا اور
گھر میں رحنا بات جدا
دل میں جان اترنا اور
جان دکر بھی لگتا حی
مجھکو حی کچ مرنا اور

-
A wonderful piece by Farhat Shehzad.
I first came across Shehzad at alt.language.urdu.poetry. I particularly liked his "Ek bas tu hi nahi" ( tougher to type in Urdu for a beginner like me :( and therefore just linked) The above piece is roughly romanized below. Do listen to an extraordinary rendition of the same by Jalota.

khwaab judaa rang bharna aur
kehana aur hai karna aur
seharaa ka dukh samjhe kaun
hona aur guzarna aur
ghar mein rehana baat judaa
dil mein jaan utarnaa aur
jaan dekar bhi lagta hai
mujhko hai kuchh marna aur

But the lines I love the most are from "Ek bas tu hi nahi"

uth ke ma.nzil hii agar aaye to shaayad kuchh ho
shauq-e-ma.nzil me.n meraa aabalaapaa ho baiThaa

masalahat chhin gaii quvvat-e-guftaar magar
kuchh na kahanaa hii meraa merii sadaa ho baiThaa

[Note: Urdu fonts necessary for proper display. Typed using XKB . Apologies for any typos ( unable to right hai properly for instance) Seems like scim does not have a Urdu interface]

blah-011

2009-01-20T00:30:00.001+05:30

from Il y a longtemps que je t'aime (film)

Il y a longtemps que je t'aime
Jamais je ne t'oublierai¹.

Un jardin sous la plui

se doux triste comme moi sans toi

maman je veus pas que tu

meure jamais on sera ensemble

toujour tu ai mon amour

(ton petit Pierre)²

[
1.
I have loved you for so long, I will never forget you.

2.
Roughly (I should say conceptually):
A garden in the rain
Is peaceful and sad too.
Mummy, I feel the same
when I am far from you
Your smile lights up the sky
and makes me so happy.
If one day you must die,
do it after me.
You will always have my love.

Your son Pierre

PS: No wonder they say French is romantic. The film is fantastic

]

1287: Impossible

2009-01-11T18:48:00.001+05:30

Fred Rouhling is frigging unbelievable. People who are so good should be taxed for it. I was completely flabbergasted by this part of L'autre côté du ciel(The Other Side of the Sky) to say the least. It is so much better than the MI2 farce

Be it the amount of bashing he has received from the climbing scene or the awesome things he has done, he is truly outstanding (outhanging?) in a world where the term is overused. The Salamandre is no less awe-inspiring. The 9b part of Akira makes you wonder what the heck does impossible really mean ( other than purely from a point of view in physics.. possibly ruined by Heisenberg )

Do read this interview of Rouhling
and do see some awesome stuff here

1287: Climbing at Parsik Hills

2009-01-10T23:27:00.000+05:30

Not feeling very loquacious.
As mentioned here I went to the camp and it wasw totally supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. It was a totally awesome week and my reticence is only due to my confidence that i would not be able to do justice to that experience if I try explaining it in words.
Pictures (thanks to the demand of photogaphical proof from parents) are at picasaweb album: Climbing at Parsik Hills. As some of my geeky friends pointed out they already saw it due to picasa web updates. Combined with how absolutely lost i feel when trying to use a cellphone I guess I can proudly call myself tech-outdated.
Also just for my egotistical pleasure, am embedding a pic (sorry for the caopygian angle)

Not exactly the best first step towards free soloing 5.12~ :P but blah every great climbing journey starts with a foothold.. err..uhmm.. something like that.

On a completely unconnected note Entrepreneurship Summit 2009 is doing totally awesome at KGP :) Kudos to the toiling sleepless souls of Entrepreneurship Cell. Wish I was there.

1283: my Socratic mom

2008-12-13T20:33:00.000+05:30

Prelude

Euthyphro by Plato is a short dialogue between Socrates and Euthyphro which takes place near? the court where Socrates has been summoned to face charges . The dialogue constantly reminds me of Borat at various occasions. You could read it at Perseus. It is a good idea to read the tetralogy ( Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Phaedo) as one . Though considerably more though provoking than apology, I find many of the arguments really flimsy, and especially hate the habit of leaving certain questions unanswered after raising them (some how reminds me of the fairer sex)

Reflection

I dislike going shopping with women which can be considered to be a true phenotypical expression of the inheritance of the Y chromosome. In any case considering it is easier to comply and accompany and thereby expend lesser time than arguing and accompanying. This time things were better.

Following is an excerpt of conversation which takes place in a tiny restaurant in our tiny town.

Mom: I think the milk shake at home is much better than this one.
Moi: Honestly, I believe this is better and besides it is very difficult to evaluate the relative "good"ness of things which are ones own creation. Don't you think people who make things inherently would feel that it is good , considering of course that they put in a sincere effort according to their own standards.
Mom: It would feel good only if it is good.
Moi (stunned since I just read Euthyphro around 9 hours earlier) : hmmm.. Or is it that "good IS because it feels good" ?
Mom: hmm.. that is an interesting thought.

Then I go on about Euthyphro and Socrates and how it is fascinating that certain ideas that people keep thinking about remain constant over so many thousands of years. (blah blah)

( later.. )Mom: I still think the milk shake at home is better.

Epilogue

To be honest, the actual discussion in Euthyphro which is more concerned about beloved being beloved because it is loved or more pertinently holy being holy because it is beloved by gods or gods loving it because it is holy. As usual i find ethical discussions exceeding boring, eventhough, to some extent I guess that even if Euthyphro is filled with discussion about piety, injustice, and holiness, i find the questions raised concerning the state of being or becoming much much more pertinent and relevant (albeit pointless). To quote Socrates-bhai himself (in Plato-bhaisahab's words)

..Then one does not see it because its a seen thing, but, on the contrary, it is a seen thing because one sees it; and one does not lead it because it is a led thing, but it is a led thing because one leads it; and one does not carry it because it is a carried thing, but it is a carried thing because one carries it. Is it clear, Euthyphro, what I am trying to say? I am trying to say this, that if anything becomes or undergoes, it does not become because it is in a state of becoming, but it is in a state of becoming because it becomes, and it does not undergo because it is a thing which undergoes, but because it undergoes it is a thing which undergoes; or do you not agree to this?

1283: Climbing

2008-12-12T18:44:00.002+05:30

Introduction
This has been my first 'free' end-of-the-year in a long long time. Eventhough it is just another completely arbitrary point of time in the 'larger' scale of things I am enjoying it quite a bit. The most interesting aspect of the past few (unblogged) weeks and months is a bit of retrospection .. well, maybe not that much.

One of the facts which did come up without even much effort was my limits. By limits I mean both physical and cognitive. I made some reference to it in here and here. Due to spending quite sometime in a very sedentary lifestyle, I guess, I have been particularly lacking in the physical department, and was/am sure it needed immediate attention. 10 more years and no point trying to start doing a planche. As far as cognitive skills go, considering the fact that I am often lame, occassionally idiotic, and always hopelessly irrelevant, I can't see any future except for continuing my wandering a little bit more structurally.

I have already forgotten what it was that I wanted to explain, but nevertheless, my health has radically improved over the past few weeks/months. I am hopeful of making consistent progress over the next decade.

Content?

In particular I have always been impressed with climbing. Of late, quite possibly due to the retrospection, I started admiring it even more, in particular the feats of Bachar, John Gill , Dan Osman, Chris Sharma and so on. (Bachar is my favourite of course) After watching considerable amount of Dosage dvds and religiously studying Royal Robbins Rockcraft I am currently self-brainwashed enough to go to a rock climbing camp organized by Girivihar at Navi mumbai.
I am particularly impressed by John Gill. His personal website is definitely an awesome resource for braindead guys like myself. For a math professor by profession and gymnast by chance? being the greatest boulderer by choice sounds like not so bad an achievement. Maybe I would only understand the stuff he keeps rambling about ( "the inner poetry of climbing" etc.) after a long long time / never. But nevertheless. I am quite convinced about free soloing a 5.12a (god save my soul)
The picture to the right is of Dan Osman ( and yes the photo is in the right orientation)

Afterthought

Considering the fact that i am pursuing one goal, I figured why not make a bucketlist. I have never been good with TODOs . But this is the one list which I definitely want to do. around 4000 days left for many of the ones mentioned(Physical). And the best part is I have already started. The Bucketlist at a very rudimentary stage can be found here. That is one page I inted to keep updated just as meticulously(sic) as my ReadingList.

--
I should also mention that I had quite an amazing time at Kakinada with my dear good friend gurra a.k.a Gurpreet Singh Sawhney and his wonderful colleagues of Schlums Kakinada base and I would like to certify gurra's statement that "Kakinada IS a CITY" to be true.
If anybody is interested in Climbing please do come to the camp at Mumbai. It would be so much fun.

blah-010

2008-12-11T23:39:00.000+05:30

...And you know the kind of man Chaerephon was, how impetuous in whatever he undertook. Well, once he went to Delphi and made so bold as to ask the oracle this question; and, gentlemen, don't make a disturbance at what I say; for he asked if there were anyone wiser than I. Now the Pythia replied that there was no one wiser. And about these things his brother here will bear you witness, since Chaerephon is dead. But see why I say these things; for I am going to tell you whence the prejudice against me has arisen. For when I heard this, I thought to myself: “What in the world does the god mean, and what riddle is he propounding? For I am conscious that I am not wise either much or little. What then does he mean by declaring that I am the wisest? He certainly cannot be lying, for that is not possible for him.” And for a long time I was at a loss as to what he meant; then with great reluctance I proceeded to investigate him somewhat as follows.

I went to one of those who had a reputation for wisdom, thinking that there, if anywhere, I should prove the utterance wrong and should show the oracle “This man is wiser than I, but you said I was wisest.” So examining this man—for I need not call him by name, but it was one of the public men with regard to whom I had this kind of experience, men of Athens—and conversing with him, this man seemed to me to seem to be wise to many other people and especially to himself, but not to be so; and then I tried to show him that he thought he was wise, but was not. As a result, I became hateful to him and to many of those present; and so, as I went away, I thought to myself, “I am wiser than this man; for neither of us really knows anything fine and good, but this man thinks he knows something when he does not, whereas I, as I do not know anything, do not think I do either. I seem, then, in just this little thing to be wiser than this man at any rate, that what I do not know I do not think I know either.” From him I went to another of those who were reputed to be wiser than he, and these same things seemed to me to be true; and there I became hateful both to him and to many others.

...

Now from this investigation, men of Athens, many enmities have arisen against me, and such as are most harsh and grievous, so that many prejudices have resulted from them and I am called a wise man. For on each occasion those who are present think I am wise in the matters in which I confute someone else; but the fact is, gentlemen, it is likely that the god is really wise and by his oracle means this: “Human wisdom is of little or no value.” And it appears that he does not really say this of Socrates, but merely uses my name, and makes me an example, as if he were to say: “This one of you, O human beings, is wisest, who, like Socrates, recognizes that he is in truth of no account in respect to wisdom.”

Plato, Apology

One of the few things I truly believe in.

[ Recently revived my GBWW effort which i had started at KGP. I personally find the clarity of Aristotle much more impressive than the rambling dialogues of Socrates/Plato ]