Napping power

A long day and a load of tasks to do. You get up early in the morning, do the chores and then set out. One task after another, you keep on doing them but at one point, the brain gives up. Only then you realize that you need a break. That is when the power nap comes in as a remedy.

For my regular habit of dozing for three hours in the afternoon siesta, this came as a handy tool to refresh. The mind is so much preoccupied with the list, that you forget that you need a pause. And to top the tasks would be a lecture not to be afforded to miss, for the tiny things that are missed out in slides which come handy during examination and some of your job interviews, that is when the brain tries to doze if the lecture isn't going interesting. You have to stay awake, else someone would take note of the points and zooms ahead of you. That is when the power nap comes in as a remedy.

The same thing happened to me yesterday. With my regular 12 hour day job, I had a good sleep the night before. After a long morning of reading blogs and studying notes of the earlier lectures, lunch awaited. Resuming after, I hurried to the library to borrow some recommended books for learning passion, being the reader in me to keep up my newly found habit. Checking the regular NewsFeed on my Facebook and trying to dive into the concepts of Android development, I surged. With such constant inputs all the time, the mind slows to reciprocate. If we try to continue, you tend to skip some few important things in hand. So, I thought of trying a short nap to see the enormous power that it brings in, having read many articles on the same.

Napping eases out the tensions just like reading a book, only that the mind thinks of nothing else. The only criteria of such a nap is, to doze for a very short amount of time until the mind enters a state of calm. It takes a maximum of an hour for the brain to get stabilized and the body pain to dwindle. But, we tend to start liking the relaxed state, often forgetting that we still have the remaining long day to pass through. And thus, we doze off with a elongated siesta, turning things haywire.

A method to be used in case of a tiring day, this worked wonders as it did for me. I was able to concentrate at the lecture thereafter and was not even blinking for a slightest moment thinking of the tiredness.

The art of learning

Once I amazed myself. For the fact of learning something from scratch. All by myself. Through some techniques and simple observations. And picked up a skill, unaware of how it began.  And, I am describing the same to share.

How it triggered was my name. Yes! My simple name. Dozing in a class amid one dull afternoon in my 3rd year of under-graduate college, the last benchers, we the cult, were looking around for methods to kill time. Of the people around, one of them was busy scribbling in his book, some words in a language, that grabbed my eye. I asked him about what he was doing. He was writing the same words oozed by the professor, in Tamil.

I wasn't even aware that being in Bangalore and having a junta writing in Kannada, here was one person who could try something out of the box to write in his mother tongue. First of all, Tamil is a hard one to learn. As it has a script and a method totally different from the regular style. This language is very hard to speak, having so many tongue-twisters and imbibed meanings in words together which you will have decode them by joining sentences. This one simple fact of the toughness of the language caught my attention and I requested him to write my name in Tamil. And he did. So, there began my interest in the very language that I had no idea about.

When I compared my name with my father tongue Kannada and Tamil, I found a startling observation. The letters in Tamil were few to write and most of the remaining are permutations and combinations of these. It is a language which has very few vowels and implied letters which cannot be understood if, you are given to test in general. The wonderful thing was the words of Tamil and Kannada rhymed only that the writing script mattered. One sure method for people to catch/look for.

So, to the people who know Kannada, Tamil is easier to learn as it has fewer letters than the former and can be deciphered quite comfortably once the basic flow is grabbed hold. Reading and writing speed improves for obvious reasons of constant exposure. For me it were the news channels, movies, shop hoardings and billboards whenever I had a chance to visit Tamil Nadu or the local bus stands in Bangalore. Of course, I may not be well versed with the kind of exposure that the native gets, but it was an act of self-learning which I can be proud of.

Now, I amaze people in Singapore by reading and writing words in Tamil. When I can do it, so can you! Only important factor is to imbibe interest in yourself and the mission is half accomplished.

A point to ponder

As I was sipping through the evening tea amid a sunny clad weather, I noticed something. The vapours of the tea were swirling over the cup. These vapours had a flurry of dance provoked by an external agent. With the wind being that, these were fluttering along the direction in which it passed through. At some point of time, they swooned to the right and then after a pause, to the left. Maybe was it following the tune or was it signalling a message in them?

The message strikes when we juxtapose with our very own lives. Struggle, confusions and the choices that we make along as life passes. An external agent usually provokes us in one way or the other and so, our life goes into that direction. The agent? Circumstances! They in our case can make us lead to a path known or to a roadblock, only to take diversions. Choices can't be made in all situations, just like the vapours in my tea who don't know in which direction the wind carries them away. In the end, all the vapours lead into the same cloud and then the rain pours in.

What's mysterious is how we are tuned by these circumstances and then realize as we reach a certain stage in ourselves. Some are lucky to be carried in the right path, some are backtracked in an opposite way and some keep going around themselves, unaware of the fact that is controlling them. In the end, we all become individuals, the cloud. And then pours in happiness and hope, the rain. Of course, rain can also bring disasters for the circumstances in totality, cause the vapours.

I do feel that there should be a point where in we need to stop, analyze ourselves and seek for a path. But, just being carried away by the things that control us doesn't make us do that. A point to ponder?

Inconsonant Choice

People can take you for granted. Only for the reason that you let things go. Sometimes, it is okay to make fun of you in a casual manner so that you can laugh at yourself but everything has a limit not to cross to. Our own maturity lets us down in reciprocating and thus, everything sums up and reaches a boiling point where we start cutting out. Why is it that these bunch of idiots don't mind their own bloody business and remain in their arses rather than poking into others' matters unnecessarily?

The most pricking point is that, we all have a certain bunch who just can't keep their mouth shut when someone pokes at us. Laughter erupts - the snobby type- more annoying than just the talk. Thinking to keep it calm, composed and uncaring, the mistake occurs. The poking heightens! With more dumbfucks joining, this gets onto your nerves. Poking is never balanced - you make fun of the person and it is just not acceptable! Making fun of people to get a sadistic pleasure is the quality of a wannabe loser. An asshole, in fact!

Adding to the fire is the back-talk! A speciality with us Indians. Gossiping about the friend behind their back and then making fun in front is not cool. When properly questioned, comes the answer that this is just for gags! THIS IS NOT FUN, you dumb shithole! It is just plain fake behaviour displaying sheer dumbness.

The fact that hurts is of the way they behave after treating in such a manner. You then start appearing like a trash, something of no value and respect, a feat not in the lines of what they term as friendship. Friends do exactly the opposite and would always be the ones to support rather than making fun for the heck of it and not feeling an inch of sorry in them. If they really knew the value of friendship, the back-talk and the pokes wouldn't have occurred  in the very first place!

Throughout my life so far, I've been in search of good people, compatible with and like to embrace them with an open heart. I tend to connect for that one unique quality in them with distinguishes them from the "aam junta". But also to some for the sake of it through a mutual contact. Do avoid such! The choice of choosing people to network with, lies in our own hands. Was it a mistake to outlay the stupidity of our friends so that we don't see them repeat it again, thinking of their own good? Or was it our very own maturity to let things off and not retort. Or is it that inconsonant choice of ours to misunderstand the relation as pals and not just another silly crowd.

I don't know. So, all you semi-introverts like me, show the finger if somebody pokes at you and remove them from your contacts. You tend to loose nothing if they aren't in your friend's list and neither it matters to them. After all, they are there just to make fun of you and nothing else. And if a fight erupts, be ready to hit and face some punches and kicks. It gets you a respect in a way, at the least to yourself!

Creativity's chimera

One thing that strikes is the way the mind thinks. A feeling unquantifiable, relentless and serene. The right brain works in a way difficult to comprehend and this is what makes the world beautiful and demented at the same time - former for the artistic phenomenon and the latter for the infinite loop it creates through people's connectivity.

To share a personal experience, some close pals wanted to start a coffee outlet. The objective being the usual - different from other models and of a brand value building. So, work began for the fundamentals - land for the shop, bamboo furniture to lay in, talks with coffee bean dealers and the menu listing. But, in the process of brand building, they forgot the basic rule.

Of naming the outlet! At a casual meeting over a birthday treat of Samosas and chai, we debated. Many names came into being - most of them being the regular, off-beat ones which linked to only coffee and the beans. Some suggested after looking out to other outlets as their names deal with the size of the cup! A regular, boring list came up and then the discussion was about to confine. But then, at the right most point, when the argument heated up, came the ridiculousness and astonishment.

The name I suggested, was that of the tagline which sounded like the ones that I read about in some book grabbed in the store. Simply put, it tagged that it wasn't another coffee point. Ignorant people quickly found the name attractive and asked me about the main header. Suggestion was to just acronym the tag line! Jealousy came in some, for the way the name came up and happiness among one of the outlet founders. Adding this to the list, we sailed to a nearby restaurant to dine.

I don't know why the name clicked but then the founders polled it to console themselves. And thus, the brand came up. And now, is getting expanded to four more outlets!

Was surprised how a small line can be a brand. I should have asked for renumeration. The creative consultant, you see!

Weird!

People can really get annoying. Taking you for granted. You can't decipher the mindset unless you get a tight hard slap with their mouths.

Take the case of one pal. This guy is a tech freak and had inspired many to follow his list of activities. A sound applied mind with an urge to learn new technologies in the computing world, he was a sure shot of inspiration. Coming from a town having dreams of none other than becoming the next Steve Jobs, he motivated the ignorant to really look into the world in an inquisitive manner. But things turned sour one day.

It was the way he used to take in others' concerns. The way it was ditched was heinous, let alone admire the thing of the idea. He would imagine that idea into reality in a flash moment, a feat rarely seen. But the point of letting it go in a very harsh manner was not his right. Either he would dump the idea saying it as baseless or would consider very amateurish. Being brilliant with coding and algorithmic thinking but equally introverted and an attitude: harsh, demeaning and straight forward. That hurts when the advice pour in a language not supposed to be in for others.

What happened was he had shared an idea. Maybe, he just wanted to market it or show it off. But the idea was confined to a college level and the general public wouldn't be interested. Obviously, friends would think of suggesting a place to market it better, to make it more visible and popular. The manner in which the reply came was bitter. Disturbing. Hard. A reply depicting wrong attitude. That effects the mind, specially if the recipient is not adjusted to such! You then think inside of what wrong did you say and become more careful in picking up contacts.

Bah! People.

Airport Experience

Talking to a friend makes you feel lighter. Specially if you are holding onto something. The same thing happened on my way back home from Singapore that I got a friend to accompany with.

To deviate from the subject for sometime, the journey itself was an unexpected one. While sending off to a friend at the airport, he had a pre-booked ticket to Bangalore. Unable to go home due to his new job reporting in Sweden, he offered it. Totally taken aback with how destiny plays, I took sometime to decide. After seeing the work in hand and arriving at the conclusion that this could be managed, I grabbed the ticket. To my surprise, he took in the transfer charges into his stride and told me to pay the ticket fare only. So, you now know why my tryst with destiny appears.

Coming back to the friend's conversation, we then boarded the flight on the planned date. To describe my friend, she was working in Singapore and wanted to meet her parents before packing her bags to Sweden to accompany her husband, of whose ticket that was transferred to me. A simple, traditional but independent girl who can blast you off if it comes to a woman's freedom! A totally outright person with a noble heart for close friends, I wondered how her husband allowed me to go with her! The Indian husband mentality was not visible as she said he trusted her completely. Or I would say he trusted me, in fact. She had two heavy bags of luggage to be dumped in her house so that the Swedish journey would be lightened. As I had nothing but a simple travel bag, I thought of giving her, a helping hand. After an automated clearance and the luggage check-in, we then boarded the flight after a long wait at the terminal.

The fun and introspection started when the flight started. I came to know more about her and her family. A simple conversation can open up many thoughts. She then asked me about my own personal life, a highly closetted part. I didn't mind saying things which I myself hadn't analyzed before. And to my disbelief, she liked the way the conversation flew. From talking about her husband to the way how I landed in Singapore, it looked like a story when I finished it. Of course, I am not used to chattering, be it hearing too, this talk became more inquisitive as I came to know some facts that you learn by sharing.

Yes. Sharing helps. It eases your emotional hold up. And can make you look at yourself in a different prospective. Things I learnt was to open up experiences to friends, let them flow and listen to theirs. Things become more clear in front of you.

After a convinced mind and a short slumber, the flight landed in the cold Bangalore airport. Waving her off and then hiring a cab, I looked out of the window and was left amazed.

The Deceit

Location: Mumbai.
"Where are you guys taking me to?", said Suresh, in a worried manner. He was apprehensive of the fact that it wasn't a regular affair.

"Nothing, macha. Just wanted to introduce you to some friends. Don't worry!". Shastri retorted. He was getting late for his work. And now he needed a candidate badly. A limited time in hand and his friends already being furious, he has no other option but to choose Suresh.

Shastri then hired a taxi from Dadar and then they went to a Dandia concert in Vile Parle where his friends were waiting. Suresh converses again in the taxi out of excitement. "Macha, are you sure that this is nothing dangerous?".

"Don't worry, macha. My friends are nice people. They won't do anything bad. They just need something from you and then, you are out of the place."

Having come from a middle-class upbringing, Suresh grew up to become an engineer in Bangalore. His classmate, Shastri was just in front of his attendance rolls. Whenever there were assignments and exams, Shastri always flocked towards Suresh for his intelligence. And so, they became the closest of friends while studying. When Suresh got a job in Mumbai in a private firm, he shifted his family.

Shastri also had similar ways of life, only that he had the passion to earn quick money. When his family business bankrupted due to false commitments from non-payers, Shastri opted to study Engineering and thus, landed in Bangalore. An outright extrovert, proactive and selfless heart towards friends, he and Suresh then glued to become the best of friends. The slang of togetherness was evident of the macha word. Being placed in the same company, Shastri followed Suresh, only that his family was based in Bangalore. Of the work done for 3 years, he became frustrated and opted out of service and projected that he was doing some part-time job.

"Where have we come to?"

"It is my friend's show. He is DJing there. Look!". And there was DJ Harpreet doing the dance tracks. The DJing was a common trend in Dandia events. People thronged at the venue with traditional Garba dresses, Dandia sticks in hands and a dancing eagerness to celebrate the event. After waving to Harpreet, Shastri then took Suresh through the crowd.

"I am pretty scared, man. I came only because I believed you."

"Oh! I know. Come over. You need a drink?"

Hesitatingly, Suresh picks up one and watches the crowd. In a moment, he thinks of his parents. Wonder what they would be doing at the house.

"Shall we leave?".
"OK."

After sailing through the crowd, Shastri leads Suresh to a narrow way. The way smelled of betel leaves and cigarettes. And then, he sees a small stall-like getup where he finds some people, boys and girls dancing to an iPhone.

"Guys, Meet Suresh. My closest friend. Suresh, this is Neha, Divya, Krish, Udi, Shiamak, Parvin and the Vinod. Our leader."

Vinod looks at Suresh strangely but ignores him and continues to dance. He was high on marijuana and was giggling throughout. Suresh sensed something is wrong.

And then, Krish pulls him in, and snatches his wallet. Shocked by the happenings, Suresh panics. With people surrounded and no escape route, he remains silent.

"Well now, Suresh. Are you ready?"

And then his life changed forever...

After 10 years.
Location: Singapore.


Suparna opens the door and leads in her aunt who is a non-stop chatterbox, be it on the phone or otherwise. Both Suresh and Suparna now were adjusted with her taunts and chats that they simply ignored it.

"How are you, Aunty? How was your journey? Hope your flight was alright."

Aunty gave a look of satisfaction. She was quite impressed with the flight Suresh booked and they had serviced her well. So she was silent and began to survey the new apartment. Suparna went in to make some tea for all and Suresh continued with his reading.

"I got a letter from the Mumbai Police yesterday. Thought of sharing with you." And handed it to him. Suresh opens it with a sweaty palm. Suparna runs out of kitchen and joins Suresh to read it.

Both Suresh and Suparna were shocked to see the contents of the letter. Was it for the past 10 years' curse that was to re-run again?

"What's the matter?", Aunty asked.

No answer.

And there she was!

With a headache tinkering, uneasiness swiveling and the mind numbed, Keerthan set out for the day. Loads of work awaited - his head treatment was overdue for 2 weeks for he had to tonsure his head to begin with, college work was pending with no proper coordination from the office personnel and his own personal list of activities growing up exponentially.

Keerthan had just one thing in mind. To finish up his tasks for the day for a peaceful, extended weekend. He drew cash from the nearby ATM to recharge for his overdue mobile balance. But the ache and the task list bombarded at the same time. Unaware of the task in hand, he boarded the city bus to reach his college, only to realize for the purpose of drawing cash later! Ignoring the stupidity, he continued.

Keerthan was a bit smarter this time, getting down at stops of proximity for there was lunch time approaching for the office people. He hurried into the office with a pre-planned mind to yell at the staff for their irregularities and irresponsibilities. But it turned quite the opposite, he being polite in his queries and a reply sounding professional. Convinced with their reply, he then went to the Computer Centre, took a PC and began his list work.

Whenever you work online, you are bound to have a chat and the same happened to Keerthan with his friends. And then came the pleasant change!

The girl was a tall, brunette coloured, well-figured beauty who wore a sleeveless flowery top with black shorts having glasses that looked like she had borrowed them from her granny- big and oval-shaped which anybody else would have just ignored her for the design of it. But not Keerthan. He sat there dumbstruck looking into her face, deeply and affectionately, unaware of the lone drawback that she encompassed. She was conversing with her friend about the climate change because the weather grew suddenly hot and the conditioning was not enough. The light conversation was a music to our Keerthan when she was laughing in between. He could feel the care in that, her voice being soft and low as a feather. But, all of a sudden, his friend pinged him up to come over for lunch and there crushed his dream.

When he left the room, he gave quite a stare - of a silent one, glancing stealthily and wanted to ask her for a date. But she was busy ignoring him as her conversation raised her voice giving a sign. And when the door closed behind him, there came the look from the girl of searching him outright and feeling the disappointment!

Poor Keerthan. He should have turned around.

Money matters!

How many of you have the problem of enquiring about the fees payable and the cost of living in Singapore? Well, today is the day of answers, realizations and queries based on personal experience.

When that precious letter of offer from an university lands into the hands of a prospective candidate, then s/he begins to think about the funding of the course as a result. Most of the present economies have become clever enough to lay off scholarships and it now lies in the hands of the student to fund his own studies by various available means like loans and personal wealth.

Though I wont be describing the means in detail, this post is intended for people willing to study in Singapore. Emphasis is on an Engineering Masters in National University of Singapore, a leading global university in Asia. This could be applicable to everyone else, so keep reading! Highlight was to bring out the negligence and carelessness, one candidate can do by spending out too much on his own pocket without looking out.

To begin with, Singapore's Ministry of Education (MoE) offers a 40% subsidy of the semester fees of the candidate.  Link can be found here. A highly recommended one to pick this up. Of course, clauses attach, like the mandatory 3 year Service Obligation Bond where people have to serve in Singapore for a minimum period of 3 years upon graduation. Guarantees are not given to candidates about job prospects and thus, it is the sole responsibility of the student to look out. Various job centres, college career centre exist for job openings. Building up contacts also helps as references matter hugely.

With the remaining 60% being unaffordable to the candidate after the subsidy, the university offers a Tuition Fee Loan Scheme which offering up to 90% of the MoE's subsidized fees. Link can be found here. This shall be treated similar to an Educational loan back in India. The period of repayment here is a whopping 20 years! Make sure you have a guarantor while submitting forms to the Bank and that the signatures of both people (you and the guarantor) have to be made in front of the bank officer. The loan amount, once sanctioned, goes to the university directly and this loan account shall be clubbed with you SB A/C in Singapore. Make sure the SB A/C and the loan A/C are in the same Bank!

Thus, you would be getting 40% + 36% (90% of 40% of Tuition Fee Scheme) i.e., 76% of the tuition fees from Singaporean authorities! And so, you have to pay only 24% of the tuition fees (semester/total) on your own. This is usually seen by either working part-time or by taking a regular student loan back in India.

Another suggestion is to put up in the university dormitories rather than suffering the nuisance of private apartments. Have an extended sense of your personal expenses, meaning to plan for extra money in case of adversities. Cutting short will cost you dearly on your personal life and health. A personal monthly expense of $500-600 and a rent of $550-$600 is absolutely necessary to live a decent life as a student in Singapore as per current situation (2011/12). Oh, for the laptop needs, as it is a must, better buy it in Singapore. Its cheaper and better keeping in mind that most of the people studying, eventually apply for jobs here.

And never make the mistake of ignoring fee subsidies wherever applicable. Contact your department and your university thoroughly before planning on financials. Singapore is very flexible in money payment so it is alright to transfer money using parents' help after you've landed here.