The small piece of chalk had fallen dow under the grey base of the wooden bench. It might have been thrown at the previous occupant from a distance, and if it was, it's what we'd call immaculate aim. From the writing angle, what one can see when you lifted your eyes is a door that's just short of one push to indicate an unwanted disturbance. A red cushioned chair facing you, waiting for someone's deliberate presence.
Moving closer to line of sight, lay the brightly lit octagonal projection diffracted at the slits in the corner. Overlapping transparenices adorned the wall.
A slight change in orientation..
Left hand supported on the forehead, a momentary blink, a curl of the lip - engrossed, clearly, but I owe to distance, the fact that I couldn't say, in what.
A checked shirt, green pencil, an ocassional upward nod, propped with a convenient Arthur C Clarke in the desk beneath; fair focus on both, no doubt!
A spiked hairdo, a crisp white shirt, peering into a notebook, probably gauging symmetries with a pencil in the left hand.
Right hand rested on cheek, half of a right angle with the bench, an infusion of serious pretension, stealing looks at neighbours,
A 180 degree turn, blended into a stretch to scan some more...
A black pullover to beat the cold, repeated extension of a design, a mehendi model, it'd not be easy to see the hobby express itself in another situation.
The imposed quiet, inabitlty or indifference to follow - skills surge.
At an angle of zilch with the bench, an imperative shift in arm position, restless and can hardly find a blink free stretch of vision.
And finally, the HERO - history, problem, leading to solution, assertion and conclusion - his work, I say.
Of course, how could I forget the blue-n-blue attire, a4 sheets piled infront, an efficient pencil, a guided scan, expressions for every word, oscillating between staring into space, and writing, the very pencil out of which these words are born.
Now, an empty classroom.
Nothing discrete to observe, but an arrangement of benches, an assortment of bags, time for reflection.
It is one of those places, one of those sites of self forgotten involvement, a mega-harmony in action.
50 odd attires, 50 odd thoughts, 50 odd hobbies, none to interfere except for an ocassional irritated glare, but again, why care??
It was not wrong when someone probably said, all classrooms are cradles of creativity. 50 odd intitatives - there's really nowhere else where so many people can independently and simultaneously pursue their never fulfilled ambitions.
Lack of attention in a lecture is fine.
A good lecture is a mere aid to a good student. And he will know it then.
No one really has to do analysis unless they find peace and joy in it. And sometimes, I wonder, may be, that's why people DO attend classes, lectures - a creativity surge.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
The Story Ripens
Green to Red
Green to orange
Green 'n' Black to Yellow 'n' Black (essentially to yellow!)
Green to Yellow
Green to Light Green
Green to Brownish maroon
Green to Blue
Green to other shades whose names I know not
Green to so on and so forth.....
Now, what could be this unidirectional change of colour that happens around us, in nature?
I thought of this astounding, universal colour change, when -
(skip if you do not like flashbacks and stories)
"I went to the fruit shop to buy an Avocado/Butter fruit, and since I hadn't tasted one and had only seen a picture on Wiki, I asked the seller to hand me one. He handed me a dark green fruit, which looked way smaller than I imagined it to be. It seemed a little hard, and without any questions, I walked away to go home and eat it. On cutting the fruit, I found a seed, as promised. But, the pulp was too hard. And scooping it out was an impossibility. After efforts, the real taste was not there. A little disappointed, I went to the shop again, a day later and asked him for a ripe avocado, and he handed me another green looking butter fruit and asked me to wait for three days or so. I was a little annoyed at my haste and went home equipped with patience. And two days later,it had become pulpy and the green had changed to brownish maroon. I was pleasantly surprised at this colour. I never remotely thought that avocados were brownish when they ripened."
(resume reading if you skipped above portion)
And then, I realised that most fruits are green till they ripen to yellow, orange or red or blue (in case of blueberries). So, why should a fruit ripen? Ripeness, as humans know it, is a quality of the fruit that makes it edible. But, ripeness is what civilisation has come up with to serve its needs of nutrition. But, why would nature subscribe to ripening a fruit only to be left into human consumption?
Turns out, one of the main gases responsible for causing ripening, is Ethylene. It is an important plant hormone which brings about senescence and death. Ripening of fruits is a relaxation to defenses against premature consumption. Fruit consumption is important for the plant as it helps in seed dispersal. At the level of consumption, there are both vertebrate and invertebrate consumers, like insect larvae. In view of better developed locomotory skills, plants choose vertebrate frugivores than others. During the process of ripening, what are the kind of changes that occur?
We observe a change in the fruit texture, colour and taste (sweetness). Ethylene is known to bring about all these changes. It turns on a few genes and sets the transcriptional and translational machinery in action, and increases the quantity of some enzymes in the cell. And these include enzymes which make the fruit sweet, starch to sugar converters (amylase), making the fruit softer (pectinases), and enzymes which break green pigments (chlorophyll) which are replaced by other coloured pigments (chromophylls) - red, blue, yellow.etc. This coordinated colour conversion, may also be too attract vertebrates to these fruits and enable dispersal of seeds. Fully ripe fruits are prone to degradation by microbes and hence, they are competitors for vertebrates to get good food.
And, so I learnt from avocados. Avocados are the only fruits that ripen after being picked. Firm avocados take about three days to ripen.
Remember not to eat fruits right under the same tree, and assist in achieveing the evolutionary goal of dispersal.
Yours
Green to orange
Green 'n' Black to Yellow 'n' Black (essentially to yellow!)
Green to Yellow
Green to Light Green
Green to Brownish maroon
Green to Blue
Green to other shades whose names I know not
Green to so on and so forth.....
Now, what could be this unidirectional change of colour that happens around us, in nature?
I thought of this astounding, universal colour change, when -
(skip if you do not like flashbacks and stories)
"I went to the fruit shop to buy an Avocado/Butter fruit, and since I hadn't tasted one and had only seen a picture on Wiki, I asked the seller to hand me one. He handed me a dark green fruit, which looked way smaller than I imagined it to be. It seemed a little hard, and without any questions, I walked away to go home and eat it. On cutting the fruit, I found a seed, as promised. But, the pulp was too hard. And scooping it out was an impossibility. After efforts, the real taste was not there. A little disappointed, I went to the shop again, a day later and asked him for a ripe avocado, and he handed me another green looking butter fruit and asked me to wait for three days or so. I was a little annoyed at my haste and went home equipped with patience. And two days later,it had become pulpy and the green had changed to brownish maroon. I was pleasantly surprised at this colour. I never remotely thought that avocados were brownish when they ripened."
(resume reading if you skipped above portion)
And then, I realised that most fruits are green till they ripen to yellow, orange or red or blue (in case of blueberries). So, why should a fruit ripen? Ripeness, as humans know it, is a quality of the fruit that makes it edible. But, ripeness is what civilisation has come up with to serve its needs of nutrition. But, why would nature subscribe to ripening a fruit only to be left into human consumption?
Turns out, one of the main gases responsible for causing ripening, is Ethylene. It is an important plant hormone which brings about senescence and death. Ripening of fruits is a relaxation to defenses against premature consumption. Fruit consumption is important for the plant as it helps in seed dispersal. At the level of consumption, there are both vertebrate and invertebrate consumers, like insect larvae. In view of better developed locomotory skills, plants choose vertebrate frugivores than others. During the process of ripening, what are the kind of changes that occur?
We observe a change in the fruit texture, colour and taste (sweetness). Ethylene is known to bring about all these changes. It turns on a few genes and sets the transcriptional and translational machinery in action, and increases the quantity of some enzymes in the cell. And these include enzymes which make the fruit sweet, starch to sugar converters (amylase), making the fruit softer (pectinases), and enzymes which break green pigments (chlorophyll) which are replaced by other coloured pigments (chromophylls) - red, blue, yellow.etc. This coordinated colour conversion, may also be too attract vertebrates to these fruits and enable dispersal of seeds. Fully ripe fruits are prone to degradation by microbes and hence, they are competitors for vertebrates to get good food.
And, so I learnt from avocados. Avocados are the only fruits that ripen after being picked. Firm avocados take about three days to ripen.
Remember not to eat fruits right under the same tree, and assist in achieveing the evolutionary goal of dispersal.
Yours
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Of Bumble Bees and Brethren Beings
After spending rather long hours thinking of an appropriate title, and whether or not it must possess the alliterative streak, following the tip of a friend, I settled on the afore mentioned group of words.
Having said that, a family trip with cousins and nephews can be very enriching. Hand-in-hand with two nephews, travelling on the paved roads of Puttaparthi, the conversation one engages in, with kids is a memorable and a thoughtful experience altogether. At an inadvertent pause in our walk, the conversation manoeuvred to insects and pests. As he incessantly thumped on black ants and could not contain his thrill at killing harmful insects (since they bite and leave you itchy!), I was acting the Devil's Advocate trying to reproach him for his deeds.(Oh! Makes me sound like a saint). A part of the dialogue went like this :
N1(nephew 1) : Thump! Thump! Muahahaha.....Now, they'll never bite us.
Me : Tut tut tut...don't do that! Let them live in their natural environment. Now look, your brother is imitating you.
N2 : Nooo...no.....i am all itchy! (scratches torso). Thump! Thump.
N1 : Let's get a spider to eat them. Do spiders eat ants?
Me : May be, if it manages to get caught in the spider's web.
N1 : What about bees?
Me : Do you know that, if a bee bites you, it dies?
N1 : Really? But why?
Me : (Not really knowing the answer, hoping it was not a misnomer, I meandered around the question, made a mental note that the sting might be connected to its heart...) I don't know why, but I shall find out for you.
N1 : Is it connected to its heart?
Me : May be, but not too sure.
Meanwhile, N2 was making a racket trying to rout my attention to his dead ant spoils.
So, it turns out that, bees rarely sting unless handled roughly or you get into its way. (I'd know because I got bitten by one, only because I kind of walked through a swarm of 8 bees.) The misnomer which I hoped it would not be, was partly one, as most myths are since they lack completion. So, the sting of worker bees is barbed, so that it embeds the sting on to the victim's skin, tearing loose from its abdomen, leading to its death in minutes. So far, so good. But this holds true only if the victim is an avian or a mammal. So, that's where the catch is! The bee's sting developed for inter-bee combats, and the barbs in that case, improves attack through the chitinous exoskeleton. And they are hazardous as they penetrate the elastic skins of higher animals. So, potential encounters with mammals were of little evolutionary significance. Whether the bees have adapted themselves to fight mammals, and have evolved, I don't know, but that's an interesting possibility. As I pen down these, I am reminded of the day a bee bit me and the havoc the disturbed hive wreaked in my school. But, that's for another day.
Buzzing-ly
Yours
Having said that, a family trip with cousins and nephews can be very enriching. Hand-in-hand with two nephews, travelling on the paved roads of Puttaparthi, the conversation one engages in, with kids is a memorable and a thoughtful experience altogether. At an inadvertent pause in our walk, the conversation manoeuvred to insects and pests. As he incessantly thumped on black ants and could not contain his thrill at killing harmful insects (since they bite and leave you itchy!), I was acting the Devil's Advocate trying to reproach him for his deeds.(Oh! Makes me sound like a saint). A part of the dialogue went like this :
N1(nephew 1) : Thump! Thump! Muahahaha.....Now, they'll never bite us.
Me : Tut tut tut...don't do that! Let them live in their natural environment. Now look, your brother is imitating you.
N2 : Nooo...no.....i am all itchy! (scratches torso). Thump! Thump.
N1 : Let's get a spider to eat them. Do spiders eat ants?
Me : May be, if it manages to get caught in the spider's web.
N1 : What about bees?
Me : Do you know that, if a bee bites you, it dies?
N1 : Really? But why?
Me : (Not really knowing the answer, hoping it was not a misnomer, I meandered around the question, made a mental note that the sting might be connected to its heart...) I don't know why, but I shall find out for you.
N1 : Is it connected to its heart?
Me : May be, but not too sure.
Meanwhile, N2 was making a racket trying to rout my attention to his dead ant spoils.
So, it turns out that, bees rarely sting unless handled roughly or you get into its way. (I'd know because I got bitten by one, only because I kind of walked through a swarm of 8 bees.) The misnomer which I hoped it would not be, was partly one, as most myths are since they lack completion. So, the sting of worker bees is barbed, so that it embeds the sting on to the victim's skin, tearing loose from its abdomen, leading to its death in minutes. So far, so good. But this holds true only if the victim is an avian or a mammal. So, that's where the catch is! The bee's sting developed for inter-bee combats, and the barbs in that case, improves attack through the chitinous exoskeleton. And they are hazardous as they penetrate the elastic skins of higher animals. So, potential encounters with mammals were of little evolutionary significance. Whether the bees have adapted themselves to fight mammals, and have evolved, I don't know, but that's an interesting possibility. As I pen down these, I am reminded of the day a bee bit me and the havoc the disturbed hive wreaked in my school. But, that's for another day.
Buzzing-ly
Yours
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Economically Equipped
The Budget Plan drawn by the Government of India every year, interests me a lot. It may be because of a Chartered Accountant father who used to come home, early in the afternoon, to watch the proceedings of the Budget on DD National. But as life got busier and probably, more advanced, it converged into following it on the internet. But, the trend always continued. I would still watch the TV, either the news or the proceedings. I would relentlessly follow the life-changing decisions-scrapped surcharge, fertiliser subsidies and the like, with the same impassive expression, whether or not I really understood those finance words.
A Budget is a financial plan that the Government makes every year (according to a mandate in an Article in the Constitution) where it details out the country's income and expenditure for the year ahead. The Finance Ministry comsists of some 100-200 ministers who may be economists, financiers.,et cetera. There are three different kinds of funds that the Government allocates the money into.
--> Consolidated Fund comprising revenues in and out of the Govt., loans it gives and receives, tax collected. etc. Transactions involving money in this fund always require parliamentary authorisation before implementation.
--> Contingency Fund comprising of some amount of money allocated for emergency purposes, say war, flood, drought which does not require parliamentary authorisation (which means the President can use it directly).
--> Public Accounts Fund comprising all the service schemes like National Service Schemes, Prime Minister Fund and other schemes.
Now, acquainting with how the budget works, procedures followed, loop-holes, coverups, ministry woes and how the united efforts spill out in the undeniably soothing words of P.Chidambaram or from the heavily accented words of Pranab Mukherjee, it's Macroeconomy. Studying the system, that's what it is!
But, when I asked my father, "So, tell me something about the budget!". He promptly began, "Surcharge has been removed, Fringe Benefit Tax has also been scrapped,..." and so on, an explanation ensued. Detailing the budget nittigritties at an individual level, about how it affects you and me (Fine, fine, even if I don't pay tax, I exercise my freedom to the use of the phrase non literally.), is Microeconomy.
So, once the Government lays out the Budget plan, it tallies it income and expenditure, but despite all efforts, there's always a Budget Deficit. When the proposed expenditure leaps ahead of the proposed income, the amount by which the income falls short is the budget deficit. And, after hushing questions regarding how to deal with this, one possible solution comes out to be, literally, "Mint Money". Oh yea, the Finance Minister telephones the RBI Chairman and says, "Hey buddy, print about 15 lakh crores, budget deficit. Catch ya then." And that's where aam aadmi is affected. More money spells Inflation.
So, more money in the markets. Each of us has more money than before. But, the market situation, in terms of supply has not changed. I have more money and I want to buy a car. My neighbour has more money and he also wants to buy a car. And, so the story extends to every other guy and his neighbour who all want to buy cars. The car seller is mobbed. His company does not manufacture as many cars as people mobbing him. So, now there is an imbalance between the market forces of demand and supply. More demand, but not enough supply.
The car seller is confused as to what to do. How can he get the company to manufacture 500 cars when they have been giving an output of 100, in the same timeframe? A problem intitally, but eventually he evens it out. He increases the price of the car. Now, he has the same car output from the manufacturer, but he wards away sections of the mob by introducing a pseudo selection screen on the basis of money. Now the buyer (the final one) ends up paying more for a car that was not even worth his final bill. So, when "too much money chases too little 'items'", we all are struck by price rise. An artificial increase in prices. There is no value for the increase. The money that we use becomes a dummy. It's just a piece of paper after all.
Yours
A Budget is a financial plan that the Government makes every year (according to a mandate in an Article in the Constitution) where it details out the country's income and expenditure for the year ahead. The Finance Ministry comsists of some 100-200 ministers who may be economists, financiers.,et cetera. There are three different kinds of funds that the Government allocates the money into.
--> Consolidated Fund comprising revenues in and out of the Govt., loans it gives and receives, tax collected. etc. Transactions involving money in this fund always require parliamentary authorisation before implementation.
--> Contingency Fund comprising of some amount of money allocated for emergency purposes, say war, flood, drought which does not require parliamentary authorisation (which means the President can use it directly).
--> Public Accounts Fund comprising all the service schemes like National Service Schemes, Prime Minister Fund and other schemes.
Now, acquainting with how the budget works, procedures followed, loop-holes, coverups, ministry woes and how the united efforts spill out in the undeniably soothing words of P.Chidambaram or from the heavily accented words of Pranab Mukherjee, it's Macroeconomy. Studying the system, that's what it is!
But, when I asked my father, "So, tell me something about the budget!". He promptly began, "Surcharge has been removed, Fringe Benefit Tax has also been scrapped,..." and so on, an explanation ensued. Detailing the budget nittigritties at an individual level, about how it affects you and me (Fine, fine, even if I don't pay tax, I exercise my freedom to the use of the phrase non literally.), is Microeconomy.
So, once the Government lays out the Budget plan, it tallies it income and expenditure, but despite all efforts, there's always a Budget Deficit. When the proposed expenditure leaps ahead of the proposed income, the amount by which the income falls short is the budget deficit. And, after hushing questions regarding how to deal with this, one possible solution comes out to be, literally, "Mint Money". Oh yea, the Finance Minister telephones the RBI Chairman and says, "Hey buddy, print about 15 lakh crores, budget deficit. Catch ya then." And that's where aam aadmi is affected. More money spells Inflation.
So, more money in the markets. Each of us has more money than before. But, the market situation, in terms of supply has not changed. I have more money and I want to buy a car. My neighbour has more money and he also wants to buy a car. And, so the story extends to every other guy and his neighbour who all want to buy cars. The car seller is mobbed. His company does not manufacture as many cars as people mobbing him. So, now there is an imbalance between the market forces of demand and supply. More demand, but not enough supply.
The car seller is confused as to what to do. How can he get the company to manufacture 500 cars when they have been giving an output of 100, in the same timeframe? A problem intitally, but eventually he evens it out. He increases the price of the car. Now, he has the same car output from the manufacturer, but he wards away sections of the mob by introducing a pseudo selection screen on the basis of money. Now the buyer (the final one) ends up paying more for a car that was not even worth his final bill. So, when "too much money chases too little 'items'", we all are struck by price rise. An artificial increase in prices. There is no value for the increase. The money that we use becomes a dummy. It's just a piece of paper after all.
Yours
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Skating Skywards
A quick apology for the not-so-deliberate post with no content, it was a confused, restless mind, pressing wrong buttons, closing windows hurriedly, trying to not let the battery die down to eternity.
Moving on, Skating is one of my newfound obsessions, in addition to avid newspaper reading, biking, hobbying through Dragon Rider and the like.
It was on Saturday afternoon that the family geared to the Sports Store to buy skates for me. Mentally ready for roller blades, skates seemed commonplace, on the other hand, the skateboard seemed risky and inappropriate. Repeated insistence that skates are better for beginners made me settle for them. An inconsistent shuffle, I almost felt like BFG trodding down the granite of the sports store as the saleswoman rushed to not let me venture into my asphalted dreams. My first trial. That was the first time doubt crossed my mind.
"Conscience : Should you really buy it? What if you never skate? What if you don't use it well?
Me : Bah! Shut up.
Conscience : But, sho...
Me : Shh (irritated-ly)"
My cousin came to my rescue when he urged my parents into buying the relevant protective gear, threatening us with "just-wait-till-you-fall-with-skates-on-and-you'd-never-touch-them-again" rants. We eventually marched out with a lofty bag containing:
$ A pair of red roller skates
$ A metallic blue head guard (like cyclists wear!)
$ Wrist, elbow and knee guard.
It's not everyday that you buy quite the necessary equipment for hobbying a sport. It took me more than a moment to gauge what lay ahead of me.
Happy but apprehensive and determined.
How's my first legs-on-wheels experience going to go?
Little did I know, that 2 weeks hence I'd stumble upwards everyday as I time myself to do lengths, breadths and diagonals in the shortest time with latent skill.
More coming...
Moving on, Skating is one of my newfound obsessions, in addition to avid newspaper reading, biking, hobbying through Dragon Rider and the like.
It was on Saturday afternoon that the family geared to the Sports Store to buy skates for me. Mentally ready for roller blades, skates seemed commonplace, on the other hand, the skateboard seemed risky and inappropriate. Repeated insistence that skates are better for beginners made me settle for them. An inconsistent shuffle, I almost felt like BFG trodding down the granite of the sports store as the saleswoman rushed to not let me venture into my asphalted dreams. My first trial. That was the first time doubt crossed my mind.
"Conscience : Should you really buy it? What if you never skate? What if you don't use it well?
Me : Bah! Shut up.
Conscience : But, sho...
Me : Shh (irritated-ly)"
My cousin came to my rescue when he urged my parents into buying the relevant protective gear, threatening us with "just-wait-till-you-fall-with-skates-on-and-you'd-never-touch-them-again" rants. We eventually marched out with a lofty bag containing:
$ A pair of red roller skates
$ A metallic blue head guard (like cyclists wear!)
$ Wrist, elbow and knee guard.
It's not everyday that you buy quite the necessary equipment for hobbying a sport. It took me more than a moment to gauge what lay ahead of me.
Happy but apprehensive and determined.
How's my first legs-on-wheels experience going to go?
Little did I know, that 2 weeks hence I'd stumble upwards everyday as I time myself to do lengths, breadths and diagonals in the shortest time with latent skill.
More coming...
Travel, Tennis and Tea
After a week long absence (Courtesy : Chennai (It's my native)), leaning against a wall, peering into the laptop, negotiating with the 234 Kbps CDMA_1X connection, with tennis on tv and steaming tea in my hands, I am somewhat back!
A stylish Federer, and a child-like Roddick set against one another. Hope the spirit of the child within emerges. It might be a tough bargain, but hope the guy makes it for all he deserves.
I might add some more to this post, but Tennis beckons, more like Roddick does.
Yours
A stylish Federer, and a child-like Roddick set against one another. Hope the spirit of the child within emerges. It might be a tough bargain, but hope the guy makes it for all he deserves.
I might add some more to this post, but Tennis beckons, more like Roddick does.
Yours
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Biking for Beginners
Today was the first time I rode a bike! The feeling is just exhilarating...
Courtesies to my brother, a recap of today's half-hour biking.
Actually, to sum it all up, in one line, biking is all about a careful manipulation of thrust/pressure on four limbs -
Right hand on the accelerator and brake (for the front wheel)
Right leg on the brake (for the rear wheel)
Left hand on the handle and clutch
Left leg on the gear control
Step1 : Make sure the Petrol is pointing towards ON. (trivia)
Step 2 : Insert the key and turn it towards on. (trivia)
Step 3 : Check if the gear is on neutral. Start the bike, I kickstarted..see!
Don't exert pressure on the clutch or the accelerator while starting. Well, you could try, but the gaadi won't budge.
Step 4 : Change gears to GearI. While changing, hold on to the clutch.
Step 5 : THE TOUGHEST FOR A BEGINNER
After the gear is changed, hold on to the clutch. Increase the accelerator (as in rotational movement of the wrist) and release the hold on the clutch simultaneously and proportionately (or is it proportionally?)
Troubleshoot : The bike might stop with a jerk.
This only means that the release and increase were not proporti0nal.
Either
1. You did not release the clutch fully.
2. You did not increase the accelerator enough for sustained motion.
Remember : Don't aim for a smooth, zooming flow initially itself, it's important to get a feel for the motion of the bike, let the gaadi move a few inches slowly and that means you have control.
Step 6 : If you have travelled the first few yards smoothly, after overcoming balance problems and simultaneous control, you'd probably want to change gears.
Everytime you change gears, reduce the accelerator a little, hold on to the clutch, and change gears.
The changing gears technique might differ from bike to bike.
And then you can keep riding on and on...
Courtesies to my brother, a recap of today's half-hour biking.
Actually, to sum it all up, in one line, biking is all about a careful manipulation of thrust/pressure on four limbs -
Right hand on the accelerator and brake (for the front wheel)
Right leg on the brake (for the rear wheel)
Left hand on the handle and clutch
Left leg on the gear control
Step1 : Make sure the Petrol is pointing towards ON. (trivia)
Step 2 : Insert the key and turn it towards on. (trivia)
Step 3 : Check if the gear is on neutral. Start the bike, I kickstarted..see!
Don't exert pressure on the clutch or the accelerator while starting. Well, you could try, but the gaadi won't budge.
Step 4 : Change gears to GearI. While changing, hold on to the clutch.
Step 5 : THE TOUGHEST FOR A BEGINNER
After the gear is changed, hold on to the clutch. Increase the accelerator (as in rotational movement of the wrist) and release the hold on the clutch simultaneously and proportionately (or is it proportionally?)
Troubleshoot : The bike might stop with a jerk.
This only means that the release and increase were not proporti0nal.
Either
1. You did not release the clutch fully.
2. You did not increase the accelerator enough for sustained motion.
Remember : Don't aim for a smooth, zooming flow initially itself, it's important to get a feel for the motion of the bike, let the gaadi move a few inches slowly and that means you have control.
Step 6 : If you have travelled the first few yards smoothly, after overcoming balance problems and simultaneous control, you'd probably want to change gears.
Everytime you change gears, reduce the accelerator a little, hold on to the clutch, and change gears.
The changing gears technique might differ from bike to bike.
And then you can keep riding on and on...
DAYI I had trouble getting to start, failed at Step 5 a couple of times, 1/5 times I started the bike, did it move forward! Will practice tomorrow.
Strategy for tomorrow : Look ahead in front of me, and not at my feet for the gear, or at the clutch. And of course, move 3/5 times after starting.
More lessons as I learn...
Yours
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Deep Dark Wish
One of the deepest wishes I have is to land (or reach somehow) an empty stretch of land, that extends to infinity atleast to as far as my myopic eye can see...
Let's characterise the land more...it could be grassy, a little wilderness, but the grass blades should not exceed my knee height (from the ground!).
Ideally, I should not be able to see anything but land and land for miles, but if not possible, a few buildings(just two, may be) are allowed a grace appearance.
With hands on my hips, all free to stretch without constraints, I'd probably look around just to re-check absence of people.
Oh, I forgot to mention that there should be no people, none whomsoever. Not even looking from buildings...(shakes a finger menacingly, subsequently softens hoping that you'll accommodate).
And then I'd stand in the middle, hands on hips, look around for a last time, close my eyes, take a breath and yell my heart out...AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! until my breath permits me, in between opening my eyes once I am no longer conscious. And I smile for having done what I've always wanted to...
Peace reigns.
Yours
PS : I haven't re-read the 'post', but if tenses have changed in between, don't worry, I am not yet in delirium!
canned laughter please!
Let's characterise the land more...it could be grassy, a little wilderness, but the grass blades should not exceed my knee height (from the ground!).
Ideally, I should not be able to see anything but land and land for miles, but if not possible, a few buildings(just two, may be) are allowed a grace appearance.
With hands on my hips, all free to stretch without constraints, I'd probably look around just to re-check absence of people.
Oh, I forgot to mention that there should be no people, none whomsoever. Not even looking from buildings...(shakes a finger menacingly, subsequently softens hoping that you'll accommodate).
And then I'd stand in the middle, hands on hips, look around for a last time, close my eyes, take a breath and yell my heart out...AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! until my breath permits me, in between opening my eyes once I am no longer conscious. And I smile for having done what I've always wanted to...
Peace reigns.
Yours
PS : I haven't re-read the 'post', but if tenses have changed in between, don't worry, I am not yet in delirium!
canned laughter please!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
A revival of sorts...
The night before yesterday was an eye-opener for me.
As I was a part of a Sanskrit recital, I was led into thinking about origin of Tamil. Right from how most Tamilians cannot articulate aspirated sounds, whether voiced or voiceless set me wondering about how only Tamil missed the aspirated letters. In comparison to the Sanskrit Varnamala, the entire 'kavarga' is represented only by 'ka' in tamil. And there are no counterparts for the aspirated 'kha', unaspirated but voiced 'ga' nor for the aspirated and voiced 'gha'.
And so to speak, Tamil seemed to be the one left out. As far as my knowledge runs, the other dravidian languages have their aspirated sounds too.
On posing the question to my dad, he matter-of-fact-ly says, "Yes, so Tamil isn't derived from Sanskrit." That kind of took me by surprise. I exclaimed and went on to question about the origin of Tamil. And so it seems that Tamil is older than Sanskrit. What also was a revelation to me was the fact that Tamil grammar is so elaborate that the voiced and aspirated sounds are also included in its rules. That it is said in grammar, that if x is flanked by k, and b on either sides, pronounce it as 'something else'. And owing to its antiquity, the rules of grammar are hardly known to people today, and letters in Tamil are pronounced literally. And, so the infamous pronouciations.
Also, Tamil is the only language to have a 'zha' (the letter does not have an english counterpart).
Vaazhga Tamizh
Yours
The shell has broken, the sun has risen!
As I was a part of a Sanskrit recital, I was led into thinking about origin of Tamil. Right from how most Tamilians cannot articulate aspirated sounds, whether voiced or voiceless set me wondering about how only Tamil missed the aspirated letters. In comparison to the Sanskrit Varnamala, the entire 'kavarga' is represented only by 'ka' in tamil. And there are no counterparts for the aspirated 'kha', unaspirated but voiced 'ga' nor for the aspirated and voiced 'gha'.
And so to speak, Tamil seemed to be the one left out. As far as my knowledge runs, the other dravidian languages have their aspirated sounds too.
On posing the question to my dad, he matter-of-fact-ly says, "Yes, so Tamil isn't derived from Sanskrit." That kind of took me by surprise. I exclaimed and went on to question about the origin of Tamil. And so it seems that Tamil is older than Sanskrit. What also was a revelation to me was the fact that Tamil grammar is so elaborate that the voiced and aspirated sounds are also included in its rules. That it is said in grammar, that if x is flanked by k, and b on either sides, pronounce it as 'something else'. And owing to its antiquity, the rules of grammar are hardly known to people today, and letters in Tamil are pronounced literally. And, so the infamous pronouciations.
Also, Tamil is the only language to have a 'zha' (the letter does not have an english counterpart).
Vaazhga Tamizh
Yours
The shell has broken, the sun has risen!
Friday, May 29, 2009
Magically Tragic
Science is a wonderful, fascinating day-to-day explanation of facts, phenomena and the like.
The wonder and magic that's encapsulated within its expanding realm,
The peculiarities and oddities of things happening around
The understanding and awe it imparts,
And questions more it provokes us to ask;
Stands a distance away and entices us with answers
Till we seek, the mystery remains
And once we know, the bubble is broken
So does vanish all the stun
Continuing after my unexpected creative outburst, well that summarises one of the problems in science.
You feel like a wondering, hopeful, thinking, questioning kid who feels the need to know answers to many questions,
And as the questions are answered by science, all the magic vanishes, all the awe ends.
Of course, the appreciation of nature's way of doing it stays.
But, once we know and understand, we say, "Oh, that's it!" and move on to more questions.
Keep questioning
And Thinking
Yours
The wonder and magic that's encapsulated within its expanding realm,
The peculiarities and oddities of things happening around
The understanding and awe it imparts,
And questions more it provokes us to ask;
Stands a distance away and entices us with answers
Till we seek, the mystery remains
And once we know, the bubble is broken
So does vanish all the stun
Continuing after my unexpected creative outburst, well that summarises one of the problems in science.
You feel like a wondering, hopeful, thinking, questioning kid who feels the need to know answers to many questions,
And as the questions are answered by science, all the magic vanishes, all the awe ends.
Of course, the appreciation of nature's way of doing it stays.
But, once we know and understand, we say, "Oh, that's it!" and move on to more questions.
Keep questioning
And Thinking
Yours
Costliest Coffee
In a conversation today about coffee-drinking habits of people, I was told about the World's Costliest Coffee - Kopi* Luwak
*I so bet that they flicked the name from modest tamil South Indians known for their kaapi
You bet you'd want it.
Priced at about 30$ per cup after being shipped to say, Switzerland (No, I have never been there, nor have I drunk the coffee, but I doubt if it sells here, they are standard prices. And I don't do numbers in dollars).
Yes, yes you will become rich and go to the swiss and have a cup of the costliest coffee.
But, why is it so costly?
So, here's the bit!
Marsupial civet cats in Indonesia eat coffee seeds. And coffee brewers collect the seeds back from their faeces and remove a thin layer off it and it's ready for grinding and roasting. The droppings of these wild civets are rare to find and so, the price. It has also been found that the gastric juices in the digestive system act upon the coffee removes some of the caffeine and some proteins that make the coffee bitter.
There's nothing in there that can cause harm.
Care for a cuppa?
Come over
At the thought of amma's filter coffee, salivating-ly
Yours
*I so bet that they flicked the name from modest tamil South Indians known for their kaapi
You bet you'd want it.
Priced at about 30$ per cup after being shipped to say, Switzerland (No, I have never been there, nor have I drunk the coffee, but I doubt if it sells here, they are standard prices. And I don't do numbers in dollars).
Yes, yes you will become rich and go to the swiss and have a cup of the costliest coffee.
But, why is it so costly?
So, here's the bit!
Marsupial civet cats in Indonesia eat coffee seeds. And coffee brewers collect the seeds back from their faeces and remove a thin layer off it and it's ready for grinding and roasting. The droppings of these wild civets are rare to find and so, the price. It has also been found that the gastric juices in the digestive system act upon the coffee removes some of the caffeine and some proteins that make the coffee bitter.
There's nothing in there that can cause harm.
Care for a cuppa?
Come over
At the thought of amma's filter coffee, salivating-ly
Yours
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Guess
The crisp, uncrinkled daily lands with a smooth skid and you acknowledge its presence as you take your eyes of the cooling coffee. A silent stretch and you are off to melt into the world with its woes, worries, joys and jargon. Sifting through the carbon-filled pages, sipping the cooled coffee, some days you look at me walking groggily with a toothbrush docked in my mouth, other days you watch me come with a few deliberate droplets of water on my eyes. Trying to stifle a smile, I stride upto you (inspite of the sleepiness), and wrestle with words (mostly due to my incapacity in others). After a much expected defeat, I slide onto the sofa and wait for the coffee to come. Meanwhile, digesting a 14 pg newspaper, you trot away to do your chores of the day. And that's when I pick it up. Trying to leave the paper as uncrinkled as it was after you read it to prevent detection, I skim through the pages catching words - here and there - Power cuts - Water woes - Bribery - Money - Investment - Victory and done! My paper reading for the day is over.
May be it's inherent, may be it's just me, but what I dislike the most is creases on papers - papers whatsoever, the fresh morning daily, radiant sheets from an A4 bundle, unnecessary folds on answer scripts, casual creases on my notes, thumbing of page edges, browning due to touch., Oh STOP!
Do people ever notice it? Or they don't care?
Either way, let me not spot another unnecessarily crinkled sheet!
Momentarily disgruntled this morning-ly
Yours
PS : When you're hungry and have no option, look on peacefully at the vada-pav guy who packs it up in newspaper just so he leaves you less hungry.
And yes, what do you think the first passage is about? I thank YOU in this passage. Post your guesses.
May be it's inherent, may be it's just me, but what I dislike the most is creases on papers - papers whatsoever, the fresh morning daily, radiant sheets from an A4 bundle, unnecessary folds on answer scripts, casual creases on my notes, thumbing of page edges, browning due to touch., Oh STOP!
Do people ever notice it? Or they don't care?
Either way, let me not spot another unnecessarily crinkled sheet!
Momentarily disgruntled this morning-ly
Yours
PS : When you're hungry and have no option, look on peacefully at the vada-pav guy who packs it up in newspaper just so he leaves you less hungry.
And yes, what do you think the first passage is about? I thank YOU in this passage. Post your guesses.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Kubuntu | linux for human beings
Kubuntu is a user-friendly operating system based on the K Desktop Environment.
I am a rather frequent user of KDE, especially after my (sniffle) GNOME crashed due to someone (swallows) let's pass over that.
(clears throat)
But, KDE has been a great substitute. I know I am being relatively disloyal but I really cannot help overcome the personal touch it comes with. You might not particularly relate to it unless of course, we come as close to naming. Still!
The applications that come along with KDE are worth some notice and thought :
KSirtet (I play it atleast 15 times a day, so a personal favourite)
KBounce (Childhood favourite)
KCalc (15+9-2+3-4-10+1-4-5+3-6=?)
KAlarm (wake! wake!)
Kandy (Drool!)
Klipper (clipper, clamper and super!)
KDict (innocuous?)
KNotes (right right right away)
KPDF (Adobe!)
Kooka (Sounds like a childish referral)
Korn (slurp!)
Konqueror (of the World!)
Korganizer (Fall into slumber!)
Kaboodle (Bamboozle?)
K3b (sorry but memory --> Bollywood)
Keyboard (haha! what did you expect?!)
Kwikdisk (Nor do i know, why risk?)
Clap both my hands together, A Happy laugh!!!
Humph! Only, I realised its existence after my GNOME died, but it's worth it, I tell you!
The pride that comes along....
That feeling of being special....
Beams....
A Humble Bow
Flourishingly
Krithika
PS : With pride comes patience, for I ain't boldened every capital K that didn't feature!
I am a rather frequent user of KDE, especially after my (sniffle) GNOME crashed due to someone (swallows) let's pass over that.
(clears throat)
But, KDE has been a great substitute. I know I am being relatively disloyal but I really cannot help overcome the personal touch it comes with. You might not particularly relate to it unless of course, we come as close to naming. Still!
The applications that come along with KDE are worth some notice and thought :
KSirtet (I play it atleast 15 times a day, so a personal favourite)
KBounce (Childhood favourite)
KCalc (15+9-2+3-4-10+1-4-5+3-6=?)
KAlarm (wake! wake!)
Kandy (Drool!)
Klipper (clipper, clamper and super!)
KDict (innocuous?)
KNotes (right right right away)
KPDF (Adobe!)
Kooka (Sounds like a childish referral)
Korn (slurp!)
Konqueror (of the World!)
Korganizer (Fall into slumber!)
Kaboodle (Bamboozle?)
K3b (sorry but memory --> Bollywood)
Keyboard (haha! what did you expect?!)
Kwikdisk (Nor do i know, why risk?)
Clap both my hands together, A Happy laugh!!!
Humph! Only, I realised its existence after my GNOME died, but it's worth it, I tell you!
The pride that comes along....
That feeling of being special....
Beams....
A Humble Bow
Flourishingly
Krithika
PS : With pride comes patience, for I ain't boldened every capital K that didn't feature!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Rain, Rain, Come Again!!!!
Rain, Rain Come Again...
*I don't think in capitals, that's why the change in style, but I do think in green. Really!
Now let me try
*someone = arthur, kids, john (of course) [and the other variants of english names. (we wouldn't say li'l rama/gopi/raju wants to play)].
Wait, I wonder why these are the only names that strike me now.
AHH!!!! Thank God. Now I have a better thought. At least I remember my rhyme if not action potentials or scaffolding! I shall definitely write a longer post and describe my rhyme book and learning as I toddled! It remains a mystery till today.
Oh my! I really do digress, but that's what's interesting too.
So, it's raining here, where I live. No, not like the way it rains cats and dogs in Bangalore (because i only know of those), it's just a damp drizzle which doubtlessly did us a lot of good. A lot of respite from the heat of Pune.
Merry times are here, rejoice people!
Hope rains are showered often enough and the city flourishes and green-ing begins.
PS : It's mainly a lot of fun to blog because you can wonder aloud, and digress as you feel!
PPS : And, I don't want the rain to go away, hope the heavens haven't listened too attentively!
So long
I really have to confess, I got the first line from google!
Urghh...Oh my Holy God!
i cannot remember that rhyme, i just know it, wait, let me try, just once more,
rain rain...oh what is it!
i even remember the illustration in my rhyme book
there was an umbrella, and drops of rain
and a small boy foreboding the rain to go away!
Ahh...there...visual recall!*
i cannot remember that rhyme, i just know it, wait, let me try, just once more,
rain rain...oh what is it!
i even remember the illustration in my rhyme book
there was an umbrella, and drops of rain
and a small boy foreboding the rain to go away!
Ahh...there...visual recall!*
*I don't think in capitals, that's why the change in style, but I do think in green. Really!
Now let me try
Rain, Rain, Go Away
Come again another day
Little someone* wants to play
Rain, Rain, Go Away.......
Come again another day
Little someone* wants to play
Rain, Rain, Go Away.......
*someone = arthur, kids, john (of course) [and the other variants of english names. (we wouldn't say li'l rama/gopi/raju wants to play)].
Wait, I wonder why these are the only names that strike me now.
AHH!!!! Thank God. Now I have a better thought. At least I remember my rhyme if not action potentials or scaffolding! I shall definitely write a longer post and describe my rhyme book and learning as I toddled! It remains a mystery till today.
Oh my! I really do digress, but that's what's interesting too.
So, it's raining here, where I live. No, not like the way it rains cats and dogs in Bangalore (because i only know of those), it's just a damp drizzle which doubtlessly did us a lot of good. A lot of respite from the heat of Pune.
Merry times are here, rejoice people!
Hope rains are showered often enough and the city flourishes and green-ing begins.
PS : It's mainly a lot of fun to blog because you can wonder aloud, and digress as you feel!
PPS : And, I don't want the rain to go away, hope the heavens haven't listened too attentively!
So long
I really have to confess, I got the first line from google!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Humour
I had this interesting thought about humour, comedy and the similar. Many of us belong to an audience that subscribes to good comedy as we prefer to call it. But think about this.....
Humour is invariably at the expense of the comedian or the situation that is being explained. Sure, it is. All our oh-so-famous sardarji jokes talk about a community and their flaws. The analogue in Western culture would be 'blondes'. Any comedian would always put himself in a relatively menial position to entertain others. Let me tell you, we are plagued by Crab Mentality (A teacher told me what this meant about three years ago!).
Humour is invariably at the expense of the comedian or the situation that is being explained. Sure, it is. All our oh-so-famous sardarji jokes talk about a community and their flaws. The analogue in Western culture would be 'blondes'. Any comedian would always put himself in a relatively menial position to entertain others. Let me tell you, we are plagued by Crab Mentality (A teacher told me what this meant about three years ago!).
Crabs, many crabs when put into a jar never let another climb up to the brim. If one does succeed, it is pulled down by its jar mates.
I am not saying that subscribing to humour is bad, it's not!
But do give it a thought once a while!
Signing off on a windy day, the wind blew in intervals, like waves of the ocean.
Yours
But do give it a thought once a while!
Signing off on a windy day, the wind blew in intervals, like waves of the ocean.
Yours
The day that is...
Today is a good day.
I read the whole newspaper, as in flipped through all the pages and read an interesting article, actually TWO interesting articles.
No, they were not about LTTE surrendering, nor where they about the victories for the Royals. I actually support one of them. (That's a clue!). It's not too hard nor is it too obvious.
Digress back: Today, MAY 18th is the day Wolfram|Alpha has been launched.
What is it?
It is a search engine for all computations that you need to perform. And yes, this Wolfram was the same guy as the one who created Mathematica. ( Steven Wolfram who got his phD at the age of 20..child prodigy!)
And news 2:
I also read an article in the newspaper about the efficiency of news channels in the coverage of the general elections that just happened. That was funny! The news channels are all out to sensationalising events and then there's the newspaper which talks about who did sensationalising the best! Anyway, he concluded that even if CNN-IBN used their panelists suboptimally, they won with NDTV and Times Now as rivals.
My second blog entry!
Adios.
Typed yesterday, but posted on the day it says...
I read the whole newspaper, as in flipped through all the pages and read an interesting article, actually TWO interesting articles.
No, they were not about LTTE surrendering, nor where they about the victories for the Royals. I actually support one of them. (That's a clue!). It's not too hard nor is it too obvious.
Digress back: Today, MAY 18th is the day Wolfram|Alpha has been launched.
What is it?
It is a search engine for all computations that you need to perform. And yes, this Wolfram was the same guy as the one who created Mathematica. ( Steven Wolfram who got his phD at the age of 20..child prodigy!)
And news 2:
I also read an article in the newspaper about the efficiency of news channels in the coverage of the general elections that just happened. That was funny! The news channels are all out to sensationalising events and then there's the newspaper which talks about who did sensationalising the best! Anyway, he concluded that even if CNN-IBN used their panelists suboptimally, they won with NDTV and Times Now as rivals.
My second blog entry!
Adios.
Typed yesterday, but posted on the day it says...
Monday, May 18, 2009
Hello World
This is my first blog entry!
I agree it sounds like one of those C tutorials or some cool software that you try to learn. And the first thing they ask you to do is say "Hello world" and the like.
Let me explain the nomenclature. This blog is not at all about Cats, nor is it about curious people nor am I revengeful.
Only, as an aspiring writer, I decided that my first book should be named so. No plot, yet though.
Well, with no plots and my book not shaping up in a while, I settled for a compromise.
Saved me the effort of naming my blog!
I will be back today to 'blog' more, so long, till then!
PS : Actually, I really want to See my blog!!
I agree it sounds like one of those C tutorials or some cool software that you try to learn. And the first thing they ask you to do is say "Hello world" and the like.
Let me explain the nomenclature. This blog is not at all about Cats, nor is it about curious people nor am I revengeful.
Only, as an aspiring writer, I decided that my first book should be named so. No plot, yet though.
Well, with no plots and my book not shaping up in a while, I settled for a compromise.
Saved me the effort of naming my blog!
I will be back today to 'blog' more, so long, till then!
PS : Actually, I really want to See my blog!!
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