What my birthdate means !

Your Birthdate: March 10

Independent and dominant, you tend to be the alpha dog in most situations. You're very confident, and hardly anything ever shakes you. Mundane tasks tend to drain you - you prefer to be making great plans. You are quite original. When people don't "get" you, it bothers you a lot. Your strength: Your ability to gain respect Your weakness: Caring too much what others think Your power color: Orange-red Your power symbol: Letter X Your power month: October

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Life: Update

You would think that one would update his blog when he is relatively free. But no, such things do not happen. Even when the person is absolutely jobless during his weekends and should spend time constructively reading books (which he misses) and writing more, he would rather stare at his computer day and night, downloading stuff from the internet and what not.

Below you will find a post which this person had started almost 3 months ago in the heat of frustration and anger over the university. You will find that its incomplete and this is only because 3 months have been enough to change the author's viewpoints and he cannot recall the emotions of that time required to complete the post.

Speaking of downloads, this person found a new thread of timepass called "Scrubs". Its a TV series featuring a hospital and the quirky doctors and staff in it. Scrubs-ER duo is analogous to the AllyMcBeal-ThePractice. Its a really funny and touching TV series and I would recommend it to anyone who has the time for such worthless pursuits.

Speaking of pursuits, this person has started his internship in Mentor Graphics Corporation and has already completed two weeks of it. He is posted in Wilsonville, Oregon which is on the west coast below Washington and above California. The place is scenic and breathtaking. He is enjoying it a lot and can't believe his good luck in landing such a great job with a superb group. The people in the group are brilliant and make their interns very comfortable. The company knows how to take care of their employees and this person already has several testimonials to that effect. In short this person is having a great time.

Speaking of having a great time, this person rented a car last weekend (for which his company paid even when not asked for!) and decided to explore the place. He went to the Evergreen Aviation Museum and the next day, Multnomah Falls. It was amazing to see the SpruceGoose and the B2 Bomber side by side. It was an overwhelming experience. Check out the photos here. The person you will see in front of the falls is Willy Joseph who is his current roommate.

This person will not be able to visit India this summer because of his internship commitments (in other words: greed). He will be in India in december most probably.

This was meant to be an update of his life. He should be posting more. Pray for him.

Piled Higher and Deeper

http://www.phdcomics.com

Never thought sad truth could be told in such a poignant manner. I guess I feel the same way when I read phdcomics as a new office-goer would feel reading Dilbert and actually relating to it for the first time.

I started reading this comic 2 days back and boy is it addictive. I have already finished 703 strips and the number 703 only because Jorge Cham is on his PhD Winter 2006 Tour and doesnt contribute to his strip on a regular basis. Most of you reading this who are not pursuing graduate studies will not relate to the comic just as I can't still relate to Dilbert. But if you wanna know what kind of life grad students lead, then there cannot be a better indicator than this strip.

Its true to the dot. The sustenance on Ramen noodles, there being no life outside the lab, professors treating you like dirt and making you feel miserable and a low life.

Procrastination - now that's a word which has become an integral part of my vocabulary after coming here. Is it grad school which does this to you or is it a phase which everyone goes through? If the answer is yes to the former alone, then why? My reasoning would be that somehow grad school doesn't enthuse and doesn't drive a person enough to overcome the constant tempatation to slack off, to not do anything and leave everything for tomorrow.

"I think I will start my own company. Anyways I don't get to implement my ideas here!", said I, to which a to-be-PhD friend of mine replied, " Then do a PhD ! You can most definitely excercise your ideas there." Can I? After encountering professors and their sick attitudes here I am least inclined to believe that.

I came in with a passion for technology, a passion to learn, and to implement my ideas. The University of Michigan has very effectively nipped any ideas/passion I may have had in its very bud. I have become this person who now detests any mention of the word tech, who will do anything to get away from it asap.

(Started writing this long back.. will finish sometime..)