I am not sure if I should be happy or sad about this recent finding. Apparently, Cockroaches are quite intelligent during the night while are quite retarded during the early hours of the day. Well, the article reminds me of someone I know. ME !

Yes. I would like to think that I am probably one of those weird offsprings in the evolution of nature, adapted to live quite contended during the night while needing adequate amounts of caffeine to keep myself awake during the day. And hence, productivity suffers as a function of my clock.

Sadly, most people around me are quite happy working during the day, causing me great distress. If only everyone didn’t evolve individually, they’d all be just like me, loving their wonderful nocturnal life. But then, where will the vagary in nature come from 😉

Independence. Something taken for granted in this generation, without that aching for freedom beyond chains, that sweet memory almost lost in the sands of time. Pride fills my chest thinking about what we have accomplished over 4000 years, with her culture strong, her diversity numerous, I salute, all those faded heroes my backyard red sand holds.

Vande Mataram.

Thanksgiving. What is it ? Why is the dinner on Thanksgiving day such a big deal here in the U.S ? I’ve asked many people about that and have received varying interesting answers. Here’s a brief analysis of this holiday from my perspective.

History

The fourth Thursday in November, Thanksgiving Day, in the US is celebrated traditionally to give thanks to God for the things one has at the close of the harvest season.

Parallels

US – Thanksgiving : Fourth thursday in November
India – Pongal : Middle of January
Canada – Thanksgiving : Second monday in October
UK – Harvest festival : Full moon day in September
Germany – Erntedank : First sunday of October

A holiday by any other name, still is sweeeet !

Evolution

The modern day Thanksgiving seems to have diverged far from its origins and is usually marked with parades, huge family meals, wall-to-wall american football. The festival has become a commercial event bringing together family and friends for feast and marks the start of the official holiday season in US.

Nonetheless, in the basic principle of thanking God or whoever else they feel most obliged to do so, families do get together even amidst rigorous schedules. And that is probably the important aspect about any holiday – bringing people closer.

My Thanksgiving nostalgia

I was invited to a very informal Thanksgiving dinner by few friends. For my part, i made few delicious Rasagulla for dessert which by the way did not hit it off among everyone here. Sigh. Anyway, the dinner eventhough did not involve any traditional thanking speeches and toasts, still brought a deep nostalgic feeling that claws the heart. And needless to say, i watched a lot of american football games over the past few days even if i still think that it does not match the intensity of a soccer game. But hey, thats just me.

The point of that short ramble is that even a very informal dinner on such an occasion managed to bring back sweet memories into my fragile little mind. These new friends remind me of those old ones and family, so far away in India. And there lies the beauty of a holiday !

The closer the day of my visit to India draws in, the more i feel nostalgic over every simple action. 12 days and counting …

A long absence. A huge work-load. Reminiscent feelings rushing back. God i feel home-sick.

Usually, i do not go around hooting my horn when it is my birthday but yesterday, what the hell, i did. And guess what, many of the friends i know threw me one big ass huge party. I had one of the best times after coming here to US. But what made the day special and out of the ordinary was my visit to the big house for failing the breathalyzer test. Except for the part where i had to pay a fine, the experience was pretty funny, now that i think about it. I’ve been drunk a lot worse many other times but yesterday did not quite qualify for such a treatment. Anyway, the cells did look quite like what is shown in the movies and my comrades, in an effort to cheer me up, sang the ‘Happy Birthday’ song. I couldn’t stop laughing for a while after that ! Finally, after about 6 hours they let me get back to my peaceful existence.

Now that is one of the best birthday celebrations i’ve had in a long time. It had all the elements that makes a day special ; Friends, Beer and Adventure !

One day, Another time,
In life’s long path, another moment.
I wonder if i will remember this crime
During the serene period of soccer and torrent.

The feeling of being satisfied and bored,
Sets in like a pus in a wound,
Nagging and hurting more than the torn ligament,
This shall haunt me for another three years.

Where shall i run again to hide ?
How can i start meditating to releive the tension ?
In agony, i pray for strength
And I shall conquer, as before, always.

A very scary article that i just read. Not so much of atmost importance but something of relevance to what i am doing right now. In simple words, the moral of this story is ‘Backup all your data : For better or worse’. Now here are some excerpts.

When Linda Cerniglia went back to school, it took her almost seven years to get through all the prerequisites, the labs, the research. And it took a thief just moments to grab her purse, with the only copy of her master’s thesis stored on a tiny jump drive inside.

If i were her, i’ve got no idea what mental state i would have reached. Either i would have become zen or gone crazy. Both are quite a possibility. hmm.

There’s just one more sentence in the article that caught my eye, that even hit me like a bullet, in the face. The sheer truth, as experienced by a fellow thesis writer :

“It was so painful,” she said. “I would rather go outside and dig a hole all day long than write.”

Hopefully, i would not end up in a situation like this. As of now, i have 6 different copies of different versions all over the place – from my home comp to work comp, my usb to a backup in my site. Unless, all the electronics fail together, i wouldn’t have to rewrite my thesis from scratch again. This is a lesson i wont forget.