Was it magic?

 

There was once a girl and her dog

One loved food, the other loved frogs...

It so happened one fine summer’s day,

When the sun was blazing away;

The girl and her dog were home alone

And the heat had gotten to them both.

 The poor girl sat in her room, trying to study;

While the dog was roaming about, “probably being grumpy!”

She decided to find the dog, and see if he needed water

“Surely, the heat for him must be a bigger bother!”

Lo and behold, what should she find:  

The dog in the other room, sleeping like a child! 

The AC was switched on, and the room was cool

She was shocked, and felt like a fool!

“Is there someone else in the house, waiting to attack?

(The dog could have been courteous, and invited me perhaps)

After all, who else could have switched on the air conditioner?

Surely a dog is not capable of this endeavor…”

Yet nobody else in the house she could find,

Was it the dog or was it some power divine? 

It was a mystery, and it remains so till this day,

Who did it, nobody could say!

There was once a girl and her dog,

And one was smart, the other was not …

Is he the culprit? ....I don't think so either! 

This may or may not have been inspired by real life events, that depends on who you are deciding was the smart one... 

PS: The above poem is dedicated to Tom, who is the cutest and the best (also the worst) dog ever! 

Dissertation : Work in Progress (?)

With just a few days left to submit my (atleast) 15,000 words dissertation; I am (but, of course) stressed... because as always, I have been waiting until the last minute to actually  start my work. (though I have been giving my supervisor the impression that I have been putting in all hours of my life in this project...Or so I hope?) With the deadline fast approaching and my work (very) slowly progressing, it is a miracle how have I not hit the panic button yet.
For the people who may be even mildly interested in what is my research topic, I shall enlighten you today. For those who are not.. well then, you must still read, because , honestly, you also know you are just procrastinating from your work when you came across this blog, why not spend a few minutes and know what is it about?
(For those who are actually not  procrastinating, my apologies, you may now continue to your work; because the following might not be terribly important for you anyway...)

So I shall try to put down this journey of my  research project (so far) as succinctly as possible.

 (Just a random thought : I have a tendency to be the most creative when I have overwhelming amounts of work.. case in point: the post I wrote during exams! Wasn't that the best piece of writing you ever read or what!

OK. You don't need to tell me you don't agree with that.
 Because it was indeed the best piece of writing humankind has ever witnessed in the history of the world!

Just a slight exaggeration. Never mind, because , "Within every elaborate lie lies a kernel of truth.." ~Someone

Yes I just googled it to put in the blog to make it seem like I can fit in quotes whenever I like 'cos ofcourse I am well read and I remember every quote of every book I have ever read and I can put in a quote anywhere and everywhere just to make it sound like I am so smart.

and that  is how you increase the word-count ,people!

Sorry, this has been one huge bracket comment. I tend to deviate!)

So, yes, to the serious matter of my thesis so far.

Once upon a time there was a young woman who was very much passionate about doing something worthwhile in her life. (Apparently writing a blog twice a year does not count! I know I was shocked to learn that too..!) Anyway, she had no idea how to proceed to do the same. It must have been destiny then, that she enrolled in a graduate program in social statistics, one that demanded her to do an engaging project at the end.

It was a summer's evening in late April when the class was told they need to start thinking about their thesis and potential topics, and start meeting potential supervisors to discuss the validity of their project. Naturally, everyone was thrown off track and were infuriated at this bit of information.  "Don't they know that we have approximately a million deadlines and exams coming up in less than a month? They actually expect us to think?"
But the world doesn't work our way, because even though they had a million deadlines, they had also been given a million years to do it. (They must be really lazy students to not work until the last minute...)

Anyhow, this young woman was also perturbed. She hadn't even started thinking about her dissertation, and now she was suddenly expected to meet professors and discuss her research goals with them; there just wasn't enough time for everything!

However, there is the Law of Productivity ( which I firmly believe in, and it is not at all made up) which states : "The level of productivity of a person shall be constant (and low) ; unless and until the amount of time left to complete the said work approaches zero, after which the productivity increases exponentially"
In other words, productivity is inversely proportional to time.

Which means that, even though the young woman knew there was no time, she wasn't aware of the law of productivity, and she did manage to meet her deadlines and study for exams and think up of her research topic. ( with a little help from her friends...)

And thus, she finished her exams, submitted all the assignments by the deadlines, and sat down to work for her project.

Or she thought she did.

You see, she pretended to work, because let's be honest, she had no clue what she was supposed to be doing in the research project. She had never done anything like that ever before. It was too daunting a task...and there was so much time! She would figure it out..
So, after a lot of pretend-work (and also a bit of actual work) she eventually convinced herself that she had been working very, very hard. (and I agree. Pretend-work isn't easy you know. All that pretension! It's tiring!)  Her belief spread to the extent that when there was little time left , she thought - "Oh, I have been working so hard the past few months, I really deserve a break!"


Which is how this post came into existence.






Notes:
1. Sorry for the shameless bit of advertising there ! But, that's how promotions work don't they?
2. The above story is a complete fictional account, believe me. (Ofcourse I don't pretend-work!)
3. For someone actually interested, my thesis is titled : "Determinants of child health in the context of gender inequality : A study in rural Haryana and Kerela "

(This is a working title. And please don't ask me further questions about it since I happen to know not a lot.)

My favourite things

Going through my old posts, I realize, not only have I been a tad bit infrequent, I have also never written a post about the many things I love. ( I may or may not have been inspired by the song My favourite things!)  After all, an aspiring writer (yes , that's me!) should first write about the things they love, the things they turn to when they are feeling blue. Such things are easiest to write about; minimal amount of thinking is required!

Coming back to my favourite things, I must admit I never thought about this until very recently. You think you know yourself very well, and suddenly if this question is popped to you; you fluster to give an answer that best defines you. After having thought a lot about this; I have realized I love the following things : (in no particular order)

Food

I am an Indian. I am a Delhiite. How can I NOT love food? I am a self confessed foodie; and there literally have been times when I have eaten myself sick. (that's nothing to be proud of, I realize) I appreciate good food, I (now) understand the work that goes behind making a good meal. Food is something I definitely turn to when I'm blue! Food is a primal need, no wonder it goes a long way in making me feel better.!

 Reading

I somehow have those 'feeling blue' days quite often, and I cannot rely on food all the time. Being a girl dictates that I watch my weight all the time (Sob!) As much as I would love to eat all the time, I cannot, and that is when I turn to reading. Reading offers me an escape that little else can; I can read  and for a while I can become the character in the book, whose life is being determined by another human just like me. It is fascinating and rejuvenating to live as someone else, in another world, even if for a short duration. I have always recognized reading as a hobby, but it was more because of lack of any other activities in childhood. Reading was a pastime, something I turned to when I didn't have anything better to do. Having always been a shy child, books were the world of solace; they were my first friends. Reading has developed into a habit which now proves to be very beneficial; and of course I love it when I find someone with similar interests in books (it is an excellent conversation starter for someone like me; who otherwise finds it difficult to talk to new people!)

Writing

The reason for this blog. The reason for this post.  A corollary from the above point (Ah, the mathematician in me awakens!)  While reading is truly wonderful, writing is a level beyond that. Writing helps me express myself better, and in the process, I understand myself better. It has always been a creative outlet .. ( and here, a sense of deja vu! Have I written those exact same words before?) Writing connects me to myself, helps me analyse my feelings ...and helps me in stirring up the (very) occasional post for this blog! 

Nature!

No! I am not about to embark on speech about how we must be thankful for this beautiful nature mother Earth has given us (although we must be thankful and stop all the environment degradation....) 

No, by nature I mean the beautiful patterns nature weaves out for us in the form of trees, flowers, rivers, mountains, sunrises and sunsets, clouds.. The list is endless. The thing which makes me most peaceful is the beauty of nature. Just sit in a park, or near a river or an ocean; and witness the beauty all around..and not just the natural beauty, also experience the beauty of innocence of children playing, the beauty of a teenage couple sneaking glances at each other as they walk together, the beauty of an old couple walking hand in hand, the beauty of a mother with her child, the beauty of people with their pets. Families, and groups of friends, all these things make me feel a little less lonely, and make me feel blessed for having such things in my life.This gives me the tranquillity when my mind is in its (alarmingly often) agitated state... 

There. I just described the things I love in this world. Just writing about these things make me happy!

In case you aren't particularly happy right now; try listening to the song which (sort of) inspired this post : 

 

And if you still don't feel happy, just remember a few of your favourite things! :D 

Exam Time is here again!

Here I am, updating this blog after months again..(In my defence, I have been busy with assignments, courseworks and exams.... Ah, the 'perks' of being a Masters Student) and while my exams are still going on I decide to procrastinate, and what better way to do this by writing!( because of course, updating my blog is waaay more important than trying to think about the Bayesian Statistics exam I have in a day.) 

While trying to think of an interesting anecdote I can write about, I draw a blank. Is there absolutely nothing worth sharing or writing about? 

I could write about the recently concluded Indian Elections; but I do not want to inadvertently take sides and then end up in debates over the internet. After all, defending your stance is not an easy job! 

(Although I would love to write something about our Congress Vice President,  the 'prince' of India,  how must he be feeling after seeing the party suffer its worst defeat ever? Going by his expressions on the Result Day, however, I do not think he even realized that the Congress has lost by that big a margin) 

Yes! Stalling the readers for a few minutes has worked, because now I am about to share with you something no one would have ever before. Something that will, believe me, will change your life ..

And now, imagine some drum rolls please, if you will...

Life as a student at a British University

No,  this isn't my University. Wish it was though!

What? Do I hear you thinking that this is not at all something that has never been shared with you before? That there are countless blogs/articles/video blogs/pictures (did I miss out anything?) with the exact same title, and all of which you have read/seen and you might as well consider yourself to be an expert on the subject. 

(In case you do not fall in the category above, well , good for me!) 

However, dear readers, please bear with me, because my experiences as a student at a British University are definitely not something you must have read about before. 

First, for those who don't know me, (because I like to believe that there are many people who don't know me, reading my blog) a brief introduction . Formally, I am a Statistics student (yes I love data, no I do not know how that data can affect your life decisions) studying at the University of Southampton, UK. I have completed a Bachelor's in Mathematics from the University of Delhi in India... but these things do not define me. I am a person who loves writing, loves reading, loves eating (but hates cooking!). Some find me friendly, some find me reserved, and I agree I am both...

In short, I am just like any other person, trying to find her way in this world.. 

Life as a student at a British University is everything I imagined it would be, and more. I thought the professors here would be very knowledgeable, very enthusiastic, very keen. Turns out, that's something you can't generalize. There are all sorts of people everywhere, and I have some amazing professors here, but there are some who could care less about the students and the modules. As a student you are expected to be very independent and have the ability to work things out on your own. This came as  a rude shock to me, because , well , in India we had always been offered things on a platter. ('We're spoon-feeding you!' was something my professors always said, and then still  continued to do that.) However, studies are less rigorous here than expected (which is not to say that I am not completely swamped with work!) You are not expected to memorise things, just understand and apply the concepts. Again, this was a rude shock to the Delhi University graduate who is writing this, as in her undergraduate days she only understood and applied concepts that were 'important' (which translates as: This is definitely coming in the exam, just learn this bit and you are good to go) 

The universities are very hi-tech here, and essentially all work you do is on a computer. Now while this is very convenient, it also has some major disadvantages. There are so many options to procrastinate when you are studying on your computer! (Case in point: now) There are just so many times a student will resist the temptations before thinking 'oh, facebook for just 5 minutes, before I continue my work in the other window' , or , 'I can chat with friends on facebook, watch a football match , read the news, and study at the same time! Of course I can!'; and since all of these options are now on the computer, there is no shame associated with not studying, because, after all, you have your work/study notes open in the other window. Of course I'm studying, how dare you suggest otherwise!

One thing that I have realized here is how community driven our society is. All Indians I have met here are very helpful and friendly, and there is a sense of belonging when we're all together; and I believe it is the same with students from other communities. While it is true that people can relate more to people from their own country/region, I never imagined I would make more Indian friends in the UK than I ever did in India.. (yes, that's only partly true; but I am a statistician..I can manipulate numbers to prove my statements!)

 The University Interchange. I spend a lot of time waiting for buses here

Oh and how can I not talk about food. I don't think this has anything to do with being in a British University though, I think it must be universally true. Everything is either too expensive, too unsuited to my tastes.. or sometimes just too raw.(Imagine, having to cook your own food! The horror! ) There come times when you have some benevolent friends who sometimes cook for you; and then you can't thank god enough for sending them into your life. 

Then there are times when you learn to get by with whatever limited cooking abilities you have, and find comfort in your own cooked food. I have never felt more accomplished than when I managed to successfully make a proper meal for myself; which just makes me feel I can do anything and everything if I can cook. Bring it on! I am ready! 

To see the good side of things, there are often some really ground breaking researches going on in the university which inspire feelings of awe; and if you're lucky, one of your professors might be the ones doing such awe-striking work. Seeing such inspiring people in close quarters makes you humble and grateful for having such opportunities. The options provided for learning are immense! I have met such a plethora of people , and I have learnt so much about the world. I now know little things such as everyday cultures and traditions that can probably be never learnt through any amount of reading. Sometimes you just need to experience things, because no piece of writing can ever truly justify the experiences of a lifetime!

(I realize this didn’t really change your life. I can't believe you believed that....) 

My (Rainy) Days in England..

Today is a sunny day (amidst days of storm and incessant rain) and this rare event encouraged me to write this blog that I have been procrastinating about..

A rare sunny day..and yes, that's my shadow! 

I have completed almost 5 months in the UK. It seems like a long time, but honestly, it seems to have flown away. Studying for a Masters is not an easy task, as I  have realized. Living alone in a new country just adds to the challenge. However this is not to say I am not loving it! Every day is a new experience, and I continue to be overwhelmed on a daily basis. Southampton is a beautiful, historic, student friendly city, different from New Delhi in every way. It is an unfamiliar territory, and yet I feel safer here than I ever did back home. Things seem easy and convenient here. Having friends from all over the world make me aware of my own ignorance about their cultures, ashamedly so. Meeting new people also gives me new insights into what they think about India, and I love to enlighten them about the wonderful land that is India. Bollywood movies and songs seem to be something that are universally loved, maybe because of the colours or the music, or just the energetic dance moves that accompany these songs!

There are  many different things that can be said about the British food (Tea and Scones,  fish and chips)  British mannerisms (Please, I'm sorry; thank you!) or about the weather (' It's raining!' 'Well what do you expect, its England!'); but the thing which is most interesting to me is how genuinely cheerful and friendly the people seem, and you can strike up a wonderful conversation with anyone just by talking about the weather. That seems to be the common topic, over which you can talk for hours, making a new friend in the process. (and if you can master the British sarcasm.. well then, you shall fit in perfectly here)

Oh! How can I forget the English accent , that's loved universally, and which reminds me of the Harry Potter movies, and of childhood when I was so desperate to speak 'like them'. Sadly though, I have yet not mastered it, although I hope to before I leave this country.

United Kingdom has been the mystical land where all my favourite characters from Enid Blyton's imagination lived. It was the place of boarding schools, of prim and proper school children,the land of Hogwarts, of Sherlock Holmes. Home of the Queen, home to the oldest universities in the English speaking world. It was the place from where Titanic left for its maiden voyage (interestingly, the port was Southampton). It is home to some of my favourite authors. It  is a place I had always wanted to visit, and now studying here is like a dream come true.

The clouds gathering in... 

And as expected, the sun has hidden amongst the clouds, and the sky is grey once again..