I, Me, Myself

Trip to CoMo

Lot of things to talk about that happened in the recent past, especially on my trip to Mizzou to attend my graduation ceremony. The flight journey till Chicago was good with the company of a Mexican girl. We both had a great time together talking about each others' cultures, religions, traditions, countries and what not! A little about her - She was very friendly, from Mexico, is an International Business Student at some university in North Carolina. She was going to Mexico on a holiday and shez gonna come back to the US to work at Orlando for Disney. So, we talked through out our journey and we became good friends. We had lunch together at Mc D's and then took a pic of us together and bid farewell to each other. It was really a memorable journey.

OK, so from St. Louis, where I met Varun (nice to see him after quite a few months), who came to pick me up at the airport, we drove to CoMo in the night. There I was - Back to CoMo for two golden days with Friends, Friends and Friends... whom I missed badly after I moved from CoMo.

The Graduation Day! (12/19/08 - Friday) We all went together walking till the venue as a typical Desi gang! Dressed ourselves up for the graduation. The ceremony started, and after the speeches came our turn to Walk. I don't know why but I went completely blank on the stage. My sub-conscious mind was making me smile and thank, which I did even before the presenters said congratulations! :D After it all got over, we had a very long photo-session in various group formations. But, I forgot to get some solo pictures of mine. However, we got some really good group pics.

After-night party!!! Had a blast! Most of us were high, but we didn't dance as we used to do before. We got cool Mizzou mugs as graduation gifts on which everyone, who was present at the party, signed.

The next day - were just lazying around till we decided to go to the movie, Slumdog Millionaire, which was a spur of the moment choice. The movie was good only in parts. After that, had a good dinner. We got the food ordered from Taj and was delicious.

That's all and the next day, back again to VA! On the whole, it was a really fun and memorable trip to my CoMo!

Woohoo! Got a Job, finally!!

Actually, I got the offer for Jr. Developer position with Symplicity(Company's name) earlier this week, but accepted it only today after careful consideration.

Rejection Reply!

I was disappointed looking at job rejections coming my way! However, I wanted to reply to one such rejection letter appreciating their efforts in the hiring process. I was searching for a good template for that, and while doing that, I found an interesting template, rather I'd say funny, which eased my mind instantly. LOL. Here it goes!

Dear [Interviewer's Name]:

Thank you for your letter of [Date of Interview].

After careful consideration, I regret to inform you that I am unable to accept your refusal to offer me employment with your firm. This year I have had been particularly fortunate in receiving an unusually large number of rejection letters.

With such a varied and promising field of candidates, it is impossible for me to accept all refusals.

Despite [Firm's Name]'s outstanding qualifications and previous experience in rejecting applicants, I find that your rejection does not meet with my needs at this time.

Therefore, I will initiate employment with your firm immediately following graduation. I look forward to seeing you then.

Best of luck in rejecting future candidates.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

Favourite Quotes

No activity since long time! An idea flashed in my mind - why don't I keep a log of quotes that impressed me or inspired me! Ya, this post is going to be for that. I would just add to this post whenever I find a new quote.

1. After the game, the King and the pawn go in the same box - Albert Einstein
2. If you don't like something, try to change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude!
3. Do not fear going forward slowly; fear only to stand still.

p.s. last updated: 11/17/08

What's up?

It's been a while since I've made my last post. So, what's new on my side? Done with Master's! Moved to Herndon, VA to join in a consultancy. Missing friends and the place as well, Columbia, MO!! Getting bored! Struggling to start learning JAVA! That's all. :(

Big Questions!!

Can we trust at least one person in the world? Can we trust our own self??

Do we act or behave or talk sensibly when we are drunk, or do we just get carried away by the mood?

[Edited] I posted this when I was high!! :P

Charity, My Friend!

"We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But if that drop was not in the ocean, I think the ocean would be less because of that missing drop. I do not agree with the big way of doing things."

I absolutely believe in this saying and I don't think I have to elaborate. Just try to help when you find some one in need in whatever way you can. True charity is the desire to be useful to others without any thought of recompense, irrespective of how much you do! Believe me, it gives you immense satisfaction!

Here’s a Quick Way to STOP Negative Thoughts

“What we focus on, we empower and enlarge. Good multiplies when focused upon. Negativity multiplies when focused upon. The choice is ours: Which do we want more of?”

I found this article at ririanproject.com and found very helpful and interesting! I know its more philosophical but still it's worth a read... Here it goes...

Are you carrying around some junk? You know, those hurtful and disastrous things that you may have been told by someone during the course of your life. It was supposed to be taken with a grain of salt or simply ignored but most of the times we take that criticism and wear it like a hat of shame! Negative thinking can make all sorts of things incredibly difficult. It is like a leak in your confidence bucket — constantly drip-drip-dripping away your confidence and self esteem.

Negative thinking can be useful to help assess the possible pitfalls in a potential plan of action, but you need to be able to turn it on and off at will. Otherwise, negative thoughts will sabotage your self belief, your confidence and your achievements. Here are some effects of negative thinking:

Sleeping problems
It can become very difficult to get to sleep, because you feel worse at night. There are a number of reasons why. While you’re trying to drop off to sleep, there’s nothing to distract you from the worries that may have been lurking in the background during the day.

Sapping your self-confidence
The more problems you think you have, the less able you may feel to cope with them, and this can increase your sense of helplessness. This reduces your confidence, making you more vulnerable to your fears.

Unhelpful strategies
Under this kind of pressure, it may become very difficult for you to concentrate and carry on with everyday life, so that your problems tend to build up. It’s emotionally draining to feel anxious all the time. It may feel as though your whole life is being taken over by it.

Negative thoughts are not reserved for just a few people or situations. Everyone is plagued by negative thoughts at one time or another. However, once you begin thinking about what you’re “thinking about”, you’ve already taken the first step to controlling negative thoughts.

Research shows that people who receive positive distractions for just eight minutes show a remarkable change in their moods and in breaking the cycle of repetitive thought. So, next time you catch yourself repeating the same negative thoughts over and over in your mind, use the STOP acronym:

1. S - Say the word STOP!

Interrupt your internal destructive thoughts. Tell yourself firmly to “STOP” over thinking. Be strict, and don’t let them intrude on your thoughts. It also might be helpful to visualize a box to place all your negative thoughts in, which you may open at a later date or time.

2. T - TAKE a break!

Take a deep breath. Then, take a break. Go for a walk or a hike, read a great book, listen to your favorite music. Do something to take your attention away from over thinking, and if possible, change the environment.

Also try some relaxation exercises, they often focus on replacing negative thoughts with positive ones. This could involve imagining yourself in a new setting, such as a beach, a designer home or a garden. You could visualize your worries as physical objects that can be discarded, such as stones or rocks you could heave into the distance.

Sometimes, doing a relaxation exercise makes people feel quite uncomfortable. You might feel that it’s not working, or that you’re doing it wrong. It’s best to take the attitude that you’re just giving it a go, and that these negative thoughts are normal. Surprisingly, learning to relax takes practice.

3. O - Focus on the OUTCOME!

Focus on the OUTCOME of your goals. Affirm why you are committed to your goals. The way we feel and what we experience in our body comes from what we focus our attention upon during a given moment. And at any moment, we are “deleting” most of what is going on around us. That is, to feel bad, we have to delete (not focus on, not think about) everything that’s great in our life. And vice versa. For us to feel good, we have to delete the things we could feel bad about.

4. P - PRAISE yourself!

PRAISE and acknowledge yourself for the progress you are making. Remember, you’re looking for progress, not perfection! Give yourself a reward every time you’re successful with overcoming negative thoughts. And remember small changes make a big difference.

By recognizing that you do have negative thoughts you’ve taken the first step. Now, start playing Devil’s Advocate and challenge yourself to find the positive. Turn your thoughts around and your moods will follow suit.

And remember, you are what you think!

So many ideas... So many ideas...

I always want to try something new, something innovative, something different, something that will give edge to my career... But, eventually I tend to forget them. So, I will use this post to update every time I get an idea to do something so that I will know what I wanted to do and what I may not be doing...

Note: This is not the order of preference... just adding to the list whenever a new idea strikes.

• To take SCJP exam.


• To build an Orkut Application to allow building playlists on youtube, kind of adding additional functionality to already existing video applications.


• To build a web portal allowing users to customize content, this may be already there, but want to give it a try with some of my own ideas.


• To use Google Apps for the time being as the first step towards the above goal.


• To build a Desktop Application using Adobe Flex Builder and AIR.


• To learn Guitar :D


• To design a creative, aesthetic UI for an online music streaming application, something like pandora, musicovery, and also allowing listeners to rate the song, and providing more customization options.


• Firefox add-on to search music directly!
  

Why am I so sensitive?

I am very sensitive. I am so sensitive that unconsciously I absorb the moods and thoughts of the people around me. I will be easily drained emotionally by the needs or problems of others (even the people I don't know). Is this because I am a "True" piscean or because I am too sensible, which is also one of my traits? May be, both! :)

One of the many [;-)] good things about me...

I used the word 'many' 'coz if I don't use that, it looks like there are more bad things about me than the good ones... ;-) Anyways, that good thing about which I wanted to write here is that I am self-dependent. I mostly try to avoid asking for others' help. I agree that it's almost impossible to move on in life without taking others' help but what I want to say is I try to do anything possible to the best of my abilities.

As usual, like frills attached to an offer, this attitude of mine has got a negative effect which is disliking it when people ask me for help for silly things, which I feel they could do by themselves. Nevertheless, I never show it outside, it's just my inner feeling and I will still offer my help! But again, giving this a thought, as many other things in life, this can also be subjective in nature. What I am trying to say is though the help I am asked seems to be an easy task to me, might not be really a feasible thing for them.

Finally, I conclude it here with this note - It is a good nature to try to do things to the best of one's own, and at the same time, helping others without any qualms!

Stop lying, Stupid!

I am talking about some of my own friends, whom I trust very much! I found them lying often and being dishonest! What makes one lie so often?

I know it is completely subjective theory here. But, I always believe, "Be truthful as much as you can and you will come out as a winner!" As far as I know, when someone acts dishonest towards another, there will be some guilty feeling lingering in the mind, but if you act honest and be truthful, you will be set free from that unwanted burden on your heart! Of course, as for every theorem, this has also got its own limitations. When you think if the truth results in nothing other than hurting one's feelings, it is wise to lie. But, except in these kind of limited circumstances, it is always good to be truthful and honest! So, I advise people who lie often to at least try avoiding that dangerous vice!

The best procrastinator award goes to...

Me! Yes, I am the best procrastinator as far as I know! I know it's not good, but it has become my wont that I postpone things to the verge of the deadline, if one exits! I am trying to avoid that vice!

I am...

I am a good beginner at various things... But, I don't know why I can't get things wrapped up pretty well. Somewhere, I lose that zeal which I'd have in the beginning...

I get things done but not all that well I think I would do! At the end, I will be self-satisfied to be so Indian that I get things done JUST-IN-TIME!

About the blog!

I think a lot!
I dream a lot!
I imagine a lot!
I....

I also tend to forget a lot!
So, I felt like starting a blog to jot all these down whenever I have something going in my mind!

Its just about my world!