My Dream Jobs!

Well, time for another post! No more news since the last post unless you consider the IIMs considering going back to the pencil-and-paper CAT - which, by the way, is really great news for many of us because of the sub-standard quality of the online CAT among other technical issues. Also, these holidays are literally killing me. I have no work to do (you might say: study. But then, we don't even know the schedule for the remaining 5 papers I have to take, so, just chill! :)). I'd like to take this opportunity to instigate the people in whose hands lie the strings for Telangana to please take a decision fast and make us happy by letting us have the exams. It certainly would be great to have them behind me rather than the other way round. Well, they rightly say - 'An idle mind is a devil's workshop.' and that is exactly what has been happening with everyone of us (I'm sure.). Well, this kind of thinking has led to this post. It is yet another list. A list of my dream jobs. Well, there are many inspirations behind each of the choices which I'm sure I'm gonna mention with each item.

Well, everyone needs to have a list akin to this. When we were kids, there was no end to this kind of surmising and excitement. Each time I saw any super-hero movie or read some graphic novel, I'd imagine myself in the place of the protagonist (the term "hero" is very much sexist, you see...) and sometimes even the antagonist (likewise...)(no pun intended.). Well, now that I've grown up (at least a little bit), I happen to know the limitations of such people. This is a list which could have been possible in a near enough parallel universes. Fine, here goes.

• Writer/Thinker/Philosopher/Experimenter: Well, this is something I like to be and somehow, am to some extent. The idea that, I can simply write and do nothing else is so enticing :). Just imagine, just sitting at home thinking and trying to find words and trying to describe life. It'd be like a dream come true for me (literally). Having all the free time in the world and actually getting paid for it. Who wouldn't want it? (just a rhetorical question, I know a lot of people who wouldn't want it...). Inspirations: Sir Isaac Newton, Edison, Tesla, Mark Twain and many others. Thing is, there is a kind of stigma regarding this in the society. Also, practically, to do this kind of thing,you'd have to be rich or at the very least, care free, so, not much of a possibility of this in this universe (unless I win some kind of game show giving out a billion Dollars... :P).
• Bounty hunter: Well, a giant step away from the previous one. Somehow, the idea of catching the bad guys and being paid for it, without being in the limits of the law as an employee, should be fun. And never forget the incredible amounts of pay-offs you might get from the bad side (*wicked smile*). Major inspiration: Clint Eastwood as The man with no name in The Dollars Trilogy (if it doesn't ring a bell, try A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.). Major setbacks with this: it is not legal in India, it is in the US, though. Also, I don't practically see myself beating up bad guys - not my cup of tea. :)
• Adventurer: Well, an ubiquitous choice. Everyone wants to be an adventurer. Reasons? The thrill, the fame, the girls (who'm I kidding?). Well, the adventure in itself is a calling and someday, I wish I can do it! (not much of a chance there either, you don't adventure in an Electronics lab... :P) Inspirations: Indiana Jones (I revere him), Ben Gates in National Treasure and National Treasure: Book of Secrets, Professor Lidenbrock of The Journey to the Center of the Earth (not the recent movie, which was really bad, I'm referring to the original book by Jules Verne.).
• Mathematician: It is not about doing math. It is about loving math. I love it, but doing it while loving it is something else (yes pun intended ;)). Anyway, playing with numbers is one of my passions and I'd certainly love to make it my profession. Pretty good chance of doing this here - if I choose math as my major for my Masters or Doctoral. Inspirations: Ian Malcolm (Jurassic Park), Harry Adams (Sphere).

As you might've noticed, Crichton plays an important role in many of my career choices :). Well, there are many more, but I don't seem to have them coming to me so easily. I'll settle for these options, though. I'd like to know what you want to be. Try and be as creative possible ;).

Adios!!

P.S.: No Post-Script this time :P. In case you don't care about all this, skip this post :).

All the right reasons

It's been quite some time since my last post and it's not even like I'm busy with exams or anything. I've been asked as to why I'm not writing more, and hope to comply by that request (yes, it's true, some people like my blog... :P and thank you people...). There was this website I stumbled upon - http://www.wordle.net/. And ran my blog for a word cloud and well, the result was obvious. "Anyways" is apparently my most used word and somehow, I'm surprised, mostly because the word itself is so redundant ;). Anyway, here's the word cloud for your perusal (yeah, like you even care... :P):

There goes. Before moving on to the crux of the post, let me tell you something else. It is just a stop-gap between what happened between the last post and this one. Well, I wrote my CAT (and please don't ask me how it went, I have pretty much no idea myself; for all I know, I screwed it big time...). And, yeah, due this friggin' Telangana issues, I have completed only one of my 6 exams and it is very boring to sit at home with no idea about the schedule of exams and whether my degree will reach me in time (for what? :P). Anyway, if you ask my views about Telangana, I'm undecided and rest assured, it is not the reason for this post - I'm not as cruel as the TV channels to drone about the issue here too, I'm not affiliated to any TV channel, see...


Fine (I'm trying to avoid the A-word (see above :)) from now on, it is pretty unsettling for me that, I use it so much... :P), the same old question - what is this post about (I'm assuming you can't guess because I haven't titled the post yet :P). Reason. Just humor me and try to define the word; to yourself that is. It is undoubtedly a simple enough word to know (sorry if I sounded condescending...). A reason is something you use to defend your actions or stand (I'm sure the definition is pretty close to the money...). I'm 20 now, and it would be pretty fair if I say I've had my share of watching the world around me and everywhere I go, I find people using reasons for, literally, everything. Don't get me wrong here, I'm all for using your reasons. Science is all about reasons and I have nothing acrimonious about using reasons. Using reasons is one thing, using the right ones is altogether another. In fact, having reasons is important; having the right ones is much more so. Call me old-school or whatever you like, but I believe having the right reason to do something is more important than doing it. I read in some book something about "Ends justify the means.". Well, I beg to disagree as I'm sure, would many of us. Well, let me elucidate. I've heard people saying - "Let us study well." I'll have you know that I'm all for it. But the reason you study should not be to get marks or to impress someone (I happen to know a few people of this kind... :P), or whatever else. The reason to study, in my view, should be to gain knowledge, period. Leaving all that, if you use your wrong reasons, you end up hating the things you do, and sometimes even yourself.


Another example - "Why did you take up Engineering?" (which, incidentally, is the most common question we face in interviews or sometimes even rhetorically, especially by our peers...). I've heard virtually all the answers there can be; ranging from "My parents...", "My brother...", "My teacher..." to "I had no other option.", "Software Job.". Well, no wonder our Engineers today are probably the some of the most incompetent among all the other countries. There are, of course, some people who answer with beautiful reasons - "I love making things.", "I want to make the world a better place." et. al. Well, these people, I tell you, are the real engineers. 


Let me spread out a little. I've been talking about esoterica which we can understand very well. But, I've been thinking about this (it's probably the only useful thing I'm doing in this break.. ;)) and have found that, it is applicable to everything in life. I have seen people who build their paths around money and power and I have seen very few people building their paths around their passions. The latter usually have the right reasons to do anything. There is never a dearth of people with the wrong reasons -  marrying for money, studying just to board the bandwagon (doing things just because others are doing them too..). All the wrong reasons. All they end up being is pretentious pricks whom everyone hate because they are never them. Life (philosopher me again... ;)) simply boils down to having the right reasons to do the right things and sometimes even the wrong things. 


Well, I have a lot more to say about many things and I have this teensy bit of a feeling that, the post ended in a non-sequitur. Nevertheless, I hope I keep writing regularly, at least during these T-holidays.


P.S.: If you like my blog, it is highly possible that you'll like the writings of JRR Tolkien. I re-visited The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit and found some creepy similarities. Go ahead and enjoy his works.