Sunday, April 29, 2007
Of ballet, birth rates and vaginas.
Perakath, now now, don't get too excited. I read the book the vagina monologues finally two days back. And my hesitation to elaborate on the points in the book in a public blog, makes me wonder how truly "free" I am in that respect. I could discuss it with say my close girl-friends. It's one of those chicken soup for the soul type of books, narrating stories of women, and some of the thoughts of the women about their V's is indeed an eye opener. Only in the spirit in which the book in written, it is worth a read. I am now onto another book I kept putting off reading, 1984. I've given TVM to my chinese classmate. I eagerly await her reaction. I'm quite fond of her. She's just as dreamy* as me.
Of Birthrates, the paper today noted that in Britan, 1 in three graduate women choose not to/ or like J Anniston keep putting it off, until they are too old to give birth to children. It said that France and Australia are handing out generous benefits to women to make them give birth to children. Singapore is literally on a do or die crusade to prop up the birth rate in the country. In my so I believe libertarian world, is this justified? Is enticing people with money to give birth to children, which they otherwise wouldn't have had, against a persons right to excercise his freedom? Or is it, just one of the fundamental principles of economics at work: people respond to incentives and does not in any way infringe on anybody's right to free thought?
I think its the latter. The choice to have or not of have children is still there, except you will not get that $5000 bonus. But the choice is still there.
I actually don't think there is much of a debate in this matter, but sometimes, the less the Government interferes in people's lives, it is thought that the better off the society is. But that probably does not apply in cases like this where there are no distortions of any sort. You have a child, you get that transfer. You are not making anyone worse off.
On a similar note, sometime back Amartya Sen wrote an article in FT on how banning smoking in public places is not infringing on a libertarians right to smoke. He gave two reasons, the first one is the obvious passive smoking one, and the other I forgot. But it was a good argument..
Finally, ballet. I realized after attending ballet class today that being thin makes a difference to how nice you look while dancing. I really looked a little out of place there with all the poles around you, and me with my weight-trained(I usually prefer sporty) calves and thighs. But I didn't mind. I was going for the experience and it was a wonderful experience. You just feel so graceful. But it's not at all easy. I know tomorrow when I get up(if I do), I'll be limping my way to school.
Things to accomplish list: Ballet and Gymnastics done. Now left on the agenda is advanture sports, travelling and working as a bartender/waitress at a nice cafe/bar(preferable crazy elephant..they had an ad sometime back, but I don't have the time:(...)
Perakath, now now, don't get too excited. I read the book the vagina monologues finally two days back. And my hesitation to elaborate on the points in the book in a public blog, makes me wonder how truly "free" I am in that respect. I could discuss it with say my close girl-friends. It's one of those chicken soup for the soul type of books, narrating stories of women, and some of the thoughts of the women about their V's is indeed an eye opener. Only in the spirit in which the book in written, it is worth a read. I am now onto another book I kept putting off reading, 1984. I've given TVM to my chinese classmate. I eagerly await her reaction. I'm quite fond of her. She's just as dreamy* as me.
Of Birthrates, the paper today noted that in Britan, 1 in three graduate women choose not to/ or like J Anniston keep putting it off, until they are too old to give birth to children. It said that France and Australia are handing out generous benefits to women to make them give birth to children. Singapore is literally on a do or die crusade to prop up the birth rate in the country. In my so I believe libertarian world, is this justified? Is enticing people with money to give birth to children, which they otherwise wouldn't have had, against a persons right to excercise his freedom? Or is it, just one of the fundamental principles of economics at work: people respond to incentives and does not in any way infringe on anybody's right to free thought?
I think its the latter. The choice to have or not of have children is still there, except you will not get that $5000 bonus. But the choice is still there.
I actually don't think there is much of a debate in this matter, but sometimes, the less the Government interferes in people's lives, it is thought that the better off the society is. But that probably does not apply in cases like this where there are no distortions of any sort. You have a child, you get that transfer. You are not making anyone worse off.
On a similar note, sometime back Amartya Sen wrote an article in FT on how banning smoking in public places is not infringing on a libertarians right to smoke. He gave two reasons, the first one is the obvious passive smoking one, and the other I forgot. But it was a good argument..
Finally, ballet. I realized after attending ballet class today that being thin makes a difference to how nice you look while dancing. I really looked a little out of place there with all the poles around you, and me with my weight-trained(I usually prefer sporty) calves and thighs. But I didn't mind. I was going for the experience and it was a wonderful experience. You just feel so graceful. But it's not at all easy. I know tomorrow when I get up(if I do), I'll be limping my way to school.
Things to accomplish list: Ballet and Gymnastics done. Now left on the agenda is advanture sports, travelling and working as a bartender/waitress at a nice cafe/bar(preferable crazy elephant..they had an ad sometime back, but I don't have the time:(...)
Labels: Update
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
I was reading a post on GM's blog on whether Levitt was ruining economics, and felt glad that there were many out there who share this concern, including M himself.
I have not been a big fan of empirical work. Primarily because it's not trustable.
Essentially, you already have an idea of what result you want to achieve. You then carefully work at it. Econometrics is a dicey subject. As far as theoretical econometrics goes, I find it far too challenging for someone with my poor math grounding.
Hence when I was choosing my thesis topic, I could go for a tough topic. I was working on a Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium Model, for Canada. DSGE models are used in most of the first world Central Banks. But beyond computer simulations, come it matrices of magnitude 30 by 30, convergence conditions etc, etc. At the point when I realized that the amount of math was slowly diluting any economic intuition I might gain, I thought maybe I must research a topic that I can understand and contribute to.
Peter Phillips told us in class, that research can be done two ways. You could sit in your room, with your legs on top of your desks and think of other ways of looking at a concept:-think out of the box, or like Mr Levitt, you can sit at your desk and run regressions day and night. It's a choice we had to make.
But M says that eventually papers with ideas get cited more often and hence, there will always be an incentive in the intellectual community to gain the respect of other academics and not popular fame. Hence all is not bad. Mr Levitt has indeed gotten more people interested in applied economics, however the beauty of economics goes far beyond regressions..
I have not been a big fan of empirical work. Primarily because it's not trustable.
Essentially, you already have an idea of what result you want to achieve. You then carefully work at it. Econometrics is a dicey subject. As far as theoretical econometrics goes, I find it far too challenging for someone with my poor math grounding.
Hence when I was choosing my thesis topic, I could go for a tough topic. I was working on a Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium Model, for Canada. DSGE models are used in most of the first world Central Banks. But beyond computer simulations, come it matrices of magnitude 30 by 30, convergence conditions etc, etc. At the point when I realized that the amount of math was slowly diluting any economic intuition I might gain, I thought maybe I must research a topic that I can understand and contribute to.
Peter Phillips told us in class, that research can be done two ways. You could sit in your room, with your legs on top of your desks and think of other ways of looking at a concept:-think out of the box, or like Mr Levitt, you can sit at your desk and run regressions day and night. It's a choice we had to make.
But M says that eventually papers with ideas get cited more often and hence, there will always be an incentive in the intellectual community to gain the respect of other academics and not popular fame. Hence all is not bad. Mr Levitt has indeed gotten more people interested in applied economics, however the beauty of economics goes far beyond regressions..
Labels: Economics
Sunday, April 22, 2007
I am obsessed with reading the news these days. Even the crappy Straits Times, I know inside out. Anyway I came across an interesting article that I presume is making a very popular round in web-o-sphere- on the reaction among the 'Whites' to the V Tech Shootings. If I see a picture of that Cho chap one more time, I think I will puke. The stress now should go beyond Cho's upbringing and Cho's essays and Cho's way of dressing and Cho's reserved behavior at teh age of 8 to eliminating ways of making those freakin' Guns easily available. But nobody wants to talk about that.
This articles prepares all Asians abroad for the sudden interest this event will be likely to engender, in the working of their psyche, and it also provides some of the more probable results.
I've taken this from:
http://nomorequo.blogspot.com/2007/04/how-media-coverage-of-virginia-tech.html
What May Come: Asian Americans and the Virginia Tech Shootings
Tamara K. Nopper
April 17, 2007
Like many, I was glued to the television news yesterday, keeping updated about the horrific shootings at Virginia Tech University. I was trying to deal with my own disgust and sadness, especially since my professional life as a graduate student and college instructor is tied to universities. And then the other shoe dropped. I found out from a friend that the news channel she was watching had reported the shooter as Asian. It has now been reported, after much confusion, that the shooter is Cho Seung-Hui, a South Korean immigrant and Virginia Tech student.
As an Asian American woman, I am keenly aware that Asians are about to become a popular media topic if not the victims of physical backlash. Rarely have we gotten as much attention in the past fifteen years, except, perhaps, during the 1992 Los Angeles Riots. Since then Asians are seldom seen in the media except when one of us wins a golfing match, Woody Allen has sex, or Angelina Jolie adopts a kid.
I am not looking forward to the onslaught of media attention. If history truly does have clues about what will come, there may be several different ways we as Asian Americans will be talked about.
One, we will watch white media pundits and perhaps even sociologists explain what they understand as an "Asian" way of being. They will talk about how Asian males presumably have fragile "egos" and therefore are culturally prone to engage in kamikaze style violence. These statements will be embedded with racist tropes about Japanese military fighters during WWII or the Viet Cong—the crazy, calculating, and hidden Asian man who will fight to the death over presumably nothing.
In the process, the white media might actually ask Asian Americans our perspectives for a change. We will probably be expected to apologize in some way for the behavior of another Asian—something whites never have to collectively do when one of theirs engages in (mass) violence, which is often. And then some of us might succumb to the Orientalist logic of the media by eagerly promoting Asian Americans as real Americans and therefore unlike Asians overseas who presumably engage in culturally reprehensible behavior. In other words, if we get to talk at all, Asian Americans will be expected to interpret, explain, and distance themselves from other Asians just to get airtime.
Or perhaps the media will take the color-blind approach instead of a strictly eugenic one. The media might try to whitewash the situation and treat Cho as just another alienated middle-class suburban kid. In some ways this is already happening—hence the constant referrals to the proximity of the shootings to the 8th anniversary of the Columbine killings. The media will repeat over and over words from a letter that Cho left behind speaking of "rich kids," and "deceitful charlatans." They will ask what's going on in middle-class communities that encourage this type of violence. In the process they may never talk about the dirty little secret about middle-class assimilation: for non-whites, it does not always prevent racial alienation, rage, or depression. This may be surprising given that we are bombarded with constant images suggesting that racial harmony will exist once we are all middle-class. But for many of us who have achieved middle-class life, even if we may not openly admit it, alienation does not stop if you are not white.
But the white media, being as tricky as it is, may probably talk about Cho in ways that reflect a combination of both traditional eugenic and colorblind approaches. They will emphasize Cho's ethnicity and economic background by wondering what would set off a hard-working, quiet, South Korean immigrant from a middle-class dry-cleaner-owning family. They will wonder why Cho would commit such acts of violence, which we expect from Middle Easterners and Muslims and those crazy Asians from overseas, but not from hard-working South Korean immigrants. They will promote Cho as "the model minority" who suddenly, for no reason, went crazy. Whereas eugenic approaches depicting Asians as crazy kamikazes or Viet Cong mercenaries emphasize Asian violence, the eugenic aspect of the model minority myth suggests that there is something about Asian Americans that makes them less prone to expressions of anger, rage, violence, or criminality. Indeed, we are not even seen as having legitimate reasons to have anger, let alone rage, hence the need to figure out what made this "quiet" student "snap."
Given that the model minority myth is a white racist invention that elevates Asians over minority groups, Cho will be dissected as an anomaly among South Koreans who "are not prone" to violence—unlike Blacks who are racistly viewed as inherently violent or South Asians, Middle Easterners and Muslims who are viewed as potential terrorists. He will be talked about as acting "out of character" from the other "good South Koreans" who come here and quietly and dutifully work towards the American dream. Operating behind the scenes of course is a diplomatic relationship between the US and South Korea forged through bombs and military zones during the Korean War and expressed through the new free trade agreement negotiations between the countries. Indeed, even as South Korean diplomats express concern about racial backlash against Asians, they are quick to disown Cho in order to maintain the image of the respectable South Korean.
Whatever happens, Cho will become whoever the white media wants him to be and for whatever political platform it and legislators want to push. In the process, Asian Americans will, like other non-whites, be picked apart, dissected, and theorized by whites. As such, this is no different than any other day for Asian Americans. Only this time an Asian face will be on every television screen, internet search engine, and newspaper.
[Tamara K. Nopper is an educator, writer, and activist living in Philadelphia. She is currently finishing her PhD program in sociology at Temple University and is a volunteer with the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors, an anti-war and counter-military recruitment organization (www.objector.org). She can be reached at tnopper@yahoo.com.]
This articles prepares all Asians abroad for the sudden interest this event will be likely to engender, in the working of their psyche, and it also provides some of the more probable results.
I've taken this from:
http://nomorequo.blogspot.com/2007/04/how-media-coverage-of-virginia-tech.html
What May Come: Asian Americans and the Virginia Tech Shootings
Tamara K. Nopper
April 17, 2007
Like many, I was glued to the television news yesterday, keeping updated about the horrific shootings at Virginia Tech University. I was trying to deal with my own disgust and sadness, especially since my professional life as a graduate student and college instructor is tied to universities. And then the other shoe dropped. I found out from a friend that the news channel she was watching had reported the shooter as Asian. It has now been reported, after much confusion, that the shooter is Cho Seung-Hui, a South Korean immigrant and Virginia Tech student.
As an Asian American woman, I am keenly aware that Asians are about to become a popular media topic if not the victims of physical backlash. Rarely have we gotten as much attention in the past fifteen years, except, perhaps, during the 1992 Los Angeles Riots. Since then Asians are seldom seen in the media except when one of us wins a golfing match, Woody Allen has sex, or Angelina Jolie adopts a kid.
I am not looking forward to the onslaught of media attention. If history truly does have clues about what will come, there may be several different ways we as Asian Americans will be talked about.
One, we will watch white media pundits and perhaps even sociologists explain what they understand as an "Asian" way of being. They will talk about how Asian males presumably have fragile "egos" and therefore are culturally prone to engage in kamikaze style violence. These statements will be embedded with racist tropes about Japanese military fighters during WWII or the Viet Cong—the crazy, calculating, and hidden Asian man who will fight to the death over presumably nothing.
In the process, the white media might actually ask Asian Americans our perspectives for a change. We will probably be expected to apologize in some way for the behavior of another Asian—something whites never have to collectively do when one of theirs engages in (mass) violence, which is often. And then some of us might succumb to the Orientalist logic of the media by eagerly promoting Asian Americans as real Americans and therefore unlike Asians overseas who presumably engage in culturally reprehensible behavior. In other words, if we get to talk at all, Asian Americans will be expected to interpret, explain, and distance themselves from other Asians just to get airtime.
Or perhaps the media will take the color-blind approach instead of a strictly eugenic one. The media might try to whitewash the situation and treat Cho as just another alienated middle-class suburban kid. In some ways this is already happening—hence the constant referrals to the proximity of the shootings to the 8th anniversary of the Columbine killings. The media will repeat over and over words from a letter that Cho left behind speaking of "rich kids," and "deceitful charlatans." They will ask what's going on in middle-class communities that encourage this type of violence. In the process they may never talk about the dirty little secret about middle-class assimilation: for non-whites, it does not always prevent racial alienation, rage, or depression. This may be surprising given that we are bombarded with constant images suggesting that racial harmony will exist once we are all middle-class. But for many of us who have achieved middle-class life, even if we may not openly admit it, alienation does not stop if you are not white.
But the white media, being as tricky as it is, may probably talk about Cho in ways that reflect a combination of both traditional eugenic and colorblind approaches. They will emphasize Cho's ethnicity and economic background by wondering what would set off a hard-working, quiet, South Korean immigrant from a middle-class dry-cleaner-owning family. They will wonder why Cho would commit such acts of violence, which we expect from Middle Easterners and Muslims and those crazy Asians from overseas, but not from hard-working South Korean immigrants. They will promote Cho as "the model minority" who suddenly, for no reason, went crazy. Whereas eugenic approaches depicting Asians as crazy kamikazes or Viet Cong mercenaries emphasize Asian violence, the eugenic aspect of the model minority myth suggests that there is something about Asian Americans that makes them less prone to expressions of anger, rage, violence, or criminality. Indeed, we are not even seen as having legitimate reasons to have anger, let alone rage, hence the need to figure out what made this "quiet" student "snap."
Given that the model minority myth is a white racist invention that elevates Asians over minority groups, Cho will be dissected as an anomaly among South Koreans who "are not prone" to violence—unlike Blacks who are racistly viewed as inherently violent or South Asians, Middle Easterners and Muslims who are viewed as potential terrorists. He will be talked about as acting "out of character" from the other "good South Koreans" who come here and quietly and dutifully work towards the American dream. Operating behind the scenes of course is a diplomatic relationship between the US and South Korea forged through bombs and military zones during the Korean War and expressed through the new free trade agreement negotiations between the countries. Indeed, even as South Korean diplomats express concern about racial backlash against Asians, they are quick to disown Cho in order to maintain the image of the respectable South Korean.
Whatever happens, Cho will become whoever the white media wants him to be and for whatever political platform it and legislators want to push. In the process, Asian Americans will, like other non-whites, be picked apart, dissected, and theorized by whites. As such, this is no different than any other day for Asian Americans. Only this time an Asian face will be on every television screen, internet search engine, and newspaper.
[Tamara K. Nopper is an educator, writer, and activist living in Philadelphia. She is currently finishing her PhD program in sociology at Temple University and is a volunteer with the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors, an anti-war and counter-military recruitment organization (www.objector.org). She can be reached at tnopper@yahoo.com.]
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
For certain is death for the born
And certain is birth for the dead;
Therefore over the inevitable
Thou shouldst not grieve.
The Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2
But it's not that easy. We are human after all...
I lost a close friend today. She was my age. It's hard to believe and it's hard to let go. But thats life..
As Isaac Asimov says: "Life is Pleasant. Death is Peaceful. It's the transition that is unpleasant"
May your soul rest in peace.
And certain is birth for the dead;
Therefore over the inevitable
Thou shouldst not grieve.
The Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2
But it's not that easy. We are human after all...
I lost a close friend today. She was my age. It's hard to believe and it's hard to let go. But thats life..
As Isaac Asimov says: "Life is Pleasant. Death is Peaceful. It's the transition that is unpleasant"
May your soul rest in peace.
Going Beyond Economics...
The picture in everybody's head and the word on everyone's lips...Cho Seung-Hui-the Virginia Killer.
Events like these question your beliefs on how the world should work. Must one always support somebody because he has his economic fundamentals right?
I am no American, but I follow American Politics very carefully. Primarily because one can somehow be a little optimistic about the future. Whether SP or BSP gets power next in the next UP elections, will it make ANY difference? I follow whatever there is to follow in the Chinese, Japanese, Taiwanese, Hongkong and Singaporean Politics too..because its always moving forward. Anyway my point is, at some point you realize the free market really does not do much by itself. Because humans are not 1 dimensional people who only care for profits. Humans are sinners who kill, who waste, who are greedy. Have we finally reached a stage, when the world needs to stop the burgeoning of sub prime lending, stop private equity mania, stop the manyfold leveraging of Hedge funds, stop the billion dollar bonuses to GS executives..for 1 minute, and see what we have made of ourselves.
I read an article some time back, where Barack Obama said he supported Trade Unions. My teachings and beliefs tell me trade unions hamper the forward march of the market, and are Bad. But its not that Obama does not understand economic fundamentals, but its because there are needs of people that go beyond maximizing the owners profit..
Therefore I still hope and pray that he wins the next US elections. Because before I shade my dead weight loss of economic efficiency on paper, the world needs Gun control laws, The world today does not require pointless wars, The world today needs to be saved from fractionalization and eventual dismembering, the world today needs a World Leader. For now I'll let my economics take a back seat and pray for change and pray for the 33 dead in the Virginia Tech Shooting.
The picture in everybody's head and the word on everyone's lips...Cho Seung-Hui-the Virginia Killer.
Events like these question your beliefs on how the world should work. Must one always support somebody because he has his economic fundamentals right?
I am no American, but I follow American Politics very carefully. Primarily because one can somehow be a little optimistic about the future. Whether SP or BSP gets power next in the next UP elections, will it make ANY difference? I follow whatever there is to follow in the Chinese, Japanese, Taiwanese, Hongkong and Singaporean Politics too..because its always moving forward. Anyway my point is, at some point you realize the free market really does not do much by itself. Because humans are not 1 dimensional people who only care for profits. Humans are sinners who kill, who waste, who are greedy. Have we finally reached a stage, when the world needs to stop the burgeoning of sub prime lending, stop private equity mania, stop the manyfold leveraging of Hedge funds, stop the billion dollar bonuses to GS executives..for 1 minute, and see what we have made of ourselves.
I read an article some time back, where Barack Obama said he supported Trade Unions. My teachings and beliefs tell me trade unions hamper the forward march of the market, and are Bad. But its not that Obama does not understand economic fundamentals, but its because there are needs of people that go beyond maximizing the owners profit..
Therefore I still hope and pray that he wins the next US elections. Because before I shade my dead weight loss of economic efficiency on paper, the world needs Gun control laws, The world today does not require pointless wars, The world today needs to be saved from fractionalization and eventual dismembering, the world today needs a World Leader. For now I'll let my economics take a back seat and pray for change and pray for the 33 dead in the Virginia Tech Shooting.
Labels: Economics
Friday, April 13, 2007
5 facts about me(that you might not know):
1. I am dreadfully scared of transvestites
2. I don't care much for special effects in movies.
3. I have too many clothes that are black or white or black and white
4. I have NEVER finished a cappucino/latte/decaf in a coffee shop. I take 3 sips and leave the rest. The only coffee's I can finish are the nescafe ones from the machine, the darshini's in Blore, my mother's and the Uni coffee shop. I guess because the cup size is very small.
5. My brother finished all my C++ programs in school and yet I scored more than him in the 12th boards. I believe our system of schooling and examination creates conformism and creative shutdown of the worst sort.
1. I am dreadfully scared of transvestites
2. I don't care much for special effects in movies.
3. I have too many clothes that are black or white or black and white
4. I have NEVER finished a cappucino/latte/decaf in a coffee shop. I take 3 sips and leave the rest. The only coffee's I can finish are the nescafe ones from the machine, the darshini's in Blore, my mother's and the Uni coffee shop. I guess because the cup size is very small.
5. My brother finished all my C++ programs in school and yet I scored more than him in the 12th boards. I believe our system of schooling and examination creates conformism and creative shutdown of the worst sort.
Labels: Me
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
This is Workstation 9. Where I have spent most of time in Singapore.
Nice and Messy:)
Get it while you can...Janis Joplin
Don't you just love that song.
Here's a a little update on the things I learnt in the last few days.
Sunshine has got pretty bad bad reviews.
Conan O'brien is from Harvard and dated Lisa Kudrow.
Singapore's Government owned match making company SDU closed to let free market forces take over. This is the ultimate test of market efficiency. Lets see if the number of singles go down.
The 27 club has more than 3 members.
International trade models are getting really really complicated.
BJP won the MCD(?) elections in Delhi.
NDTV predicts Mayawati will win the UP elections.
The rupee appreciated by 9%
The UK daily spot rate against the dollar has a loooooooooooooooong memory. But the monthly one does not.
Two 15 year old Indian boys drowned in the sea on the east coast of Singapore.
The Straits times headlines get more and more ridiculous each passing sunday. TOI is no comparison. This Sunday it said "1 man, 10 wives, 36 children, 3 HTB flats...Find out how they live!!"
Good Friday is not a day to rejoice.
Between Good Friday and Easter, the jews celebrate the 'passing over'
Polygamy is practiced in the Old Testament. Shwetha's says..there weren't many women around.
I could go on..Happy belated easter everyone.
Just 5 days to freedom....from this term!
Labels: Update
Friday, April 06, 2007
I watched the namesake yesterday.
It was a very heartwarming movie. I have never lived outside India (Singapore hardly counts-there's no freedom here what so ever-except freedom from crime, traffic jams and leering , which I am very very grateful for) and have been brought up in a fairly conservative way: the Indian Middle class values like importance of immediate family, Value of education, respect for elders etc. and Although I have not much clue about the Gods and Goddesses of the Hindu religion(I know we worship goddess Malashi- an incarnation of Vishnu or Vishnu's wife..sorry), I do have a clue of my culture and I am very proud of it. So as far as identifying with the movie went, I couldn't. But it still made me almost cry many times..I give thumbs up to the movie. The Indian couples sitting in the theatre seemed very moved and I could hear a lot of sniffing..
Feeling proud of my roots, I have made another decision. I have decided that, if time permits, I'll make a long trip along the konkan coast before I start working this year. My friends in NIT Suratkal, know so much more about my 'land' than me, that sometimes when they describe the places they saw and I haven't heard of, I get fairly depressed.
I remember when I went back for the december hols this time, I went for a couple of social outings. It's such a pleasure to meet other Konkani's and talk to them in our language(although I do find myself fumbling for words off and on). My cousins are in the same city as me and I always regret not having taken them out or met up with them more often. And now my cousin's going to hyderabad to work, I have more regrets that I won't get to meet her!
Another of my cousin is getting married in December. She is only 22, but she's happy. I hope I get to go for her wedding. I like konkani weddings because they are so simple. My father only took one rupee from my mother's family, and that too because it was custom to give some money. I admire my father so much:)
Anyway, I have another plan now in addition to the delhi plan in addition to the Bangalore(I'm miss it terribly-4 months now that I haven't seen my parents and Anjana) plan. Lets see how things go..
chini-yen comment illa..yake? heggiddiya?
I love Kannada too..although all my NPS friends say I suck at it!
It was a very heartwarming movie. I have never lived outside India (Singapore hardly counts-there's no freedom here what so ever-except freedom from crime, traffic jams and leering , which I am very very grateful for) and have been brought up in a fairly conservative way: the Indian Middle class values like importance of immediate family, Value of education, respect for elders etc. and Although I have not much clue about the Gods and Goddesses of the Hindu religion(I know we worship goddess Malashi- an incarnation of Vishnu or Vishnu's wife..sorry), I do have a clue of my culture and I am very proud of it. So as far as identifying with the movie went, I couldn't. But it still made me almost cry many times..I give thumbs up to the movie. The Indian couples sitting in the theatre seemed very moved and I could hear a lot of sniffing..
Feeling proud of my roots, I have made another decision. I have decided that, if time permits, I'll make a long trip along the konkan coast before I start working this year. My friends in NIT Suratkal, know so much more about my 'land' than me, that sometimes when they describe the places they saw and I haven't heard of, I get fairly depressed.
I remember when I went back for the december hols this time, I went for a couple of social outings. It's such a pleasure to meet other Konkani's and talk to them in our language(although I do find myself fumbling for words off and on). My cousins are in the same city as me and I always regret not having taken them out or met up with them more often. And now my cousin's going to hyderabad to work, I have more regrets that I won't get to meet her!
Another of my cousin is getting married in December. She is only 22, but she's happy. I hope I get to go for her wedding. I like konkani weddings because they are so simple. My father only took one rupee from my mother's family, and that too because it was custom to give some money. I admire my father so much:)
Anyway, I have another plan now in addition to the delhi plan in addition to the Bangalore(I'm miss it terribly-4 months now that I haven't seen my parents and Anjana) plan. Lets see how things go..
chini-yen comment illa..yake? heggiddiya?
I love Kannada too..although all my NPS friends say I suck at it!
Labels: homesick
Monday, April 02, 2007
By far the worst day of the term.
I cannot get anything done.
My brain has stopped working.
I will use this opportunity to update my blog about my friends.
I got some perspective on life yesterday thanks to Sailo, Mathew, Thomas & the always hungry Maity.
I was so depressed yesterday I felt like calling all my friends..but sadly my (international call) balance gave way. So I made my peace with a local call. My roommate's in switzerland and I miss her.
Nidhi's phone seems to have broken down. That's sad. I haven't spoken to her in almost a year. I hoped to hear her cheerful voice yesterday..
Anjana you are next on my list. Thomas told me about the message you sent him. I cannot wait to visit blore now;) Just let this horrid term get done!
Puneet has disappeared again, her blog is also dead these days.. and Swati is in the thick of her exams. She's become the D School Placement head. I am so proud of her.
Liz is waiting for her LSE schol and Kavita is probably doing well in delhi.
S J is permanently busy. She and Anthony, both. And she got the UNICEF internship.
Jatti's very happy with his job. I'm glad! I think my cousin and he are gonna be in the same office.
Aby has discovered something he should have long ago. But better late than never.
Sam's got a girlfriend and Gupta I've not heard from.
Chini's hopefully making some more money from stock trading.
My classmates here work too hard.
About it. I guess.
I cannot get anything done.
My brain has stopped working.
I will use this opportunity to update my blog about my friends.
I got some perspective on life yesterday thanks to Sailo, Mathew, Thomas & the always hungry Maity.
I was so depressed yesterday I felt like calling all my friends..but sadly my (international call) balance gave way. So I made my peace with a local call. My roommate's in switzerland and I miss her.
Nidhi's phone seems to have broken down. That's sad. I haven't spoken to her in almost a year. I hoped to hear her cheerful voice yesterday..
Anjana you are next on my list. Thomas told me about the message you sent him. I cannot wait to visit blore now;) Just let this horrid term get done!
Puneet has disappeared again, her blog is also dead these days.. and Swati is in the thick of her exams. She's become the D School Placement head. I am so proud of her.
Liz is waiting for her LSE schol and Kavita is probably doing well in delhi.
S J is permanently busy. She and Anthony, both. And she got the UNICEF internship.
Jatti's very happy with his job. I'm glad! I think my cousin and he are gonna be in the same office.
Aby has discovered something he should have long ago. But better late than never.
Sam's got a girlfriend and Gupta I've not heard from.
Chini's hopefully making some more money from stock trading.
My classmates here work too hard.
About it. I guess.
Labels: Update
