Life at trichy>>

Hi everyone out there!! Its been really long since I posted my last article...well the reason for this delay is quiet obvious...guys i m back in college...back in trichy!!

Got a new hostel room, far better than the last one...name of my hostel is garnet (its a kind of precious gem...if I go for the literal meaning)...neways its the nomenclature they…the college administration use for the hostels here, probably cos’ the south indian people are too fond of gold jewelleries and stuffs related to it...ya ya including precious stones as well...Name of my last year hostel was jade(again a kind of gem) before that it was agate and coral....for girls its opal...It actually creates lot of confusion in my mind as well, am I studying in some technical college or some gem-jewellery designing school..

So I m back on grill, weather is too hot, with scorching sun right overhead almost throughout the year, just the inverse what I m used to at home. Yesterday met few of the fresh bloods...well I mean juniors and definitely will be meeting another bunch of them in coming days...College as such is still the same, still there are few exceptions which should be given due respect and must be mentioned, My architecture department got some fresh landscaping treatment in the courtyards as well as at the portico, new hospital is coming up almost 80% done, mostly they will be shutting down the old one. New central library cum media center is coming up and will be ready in another few months or so. Well there are always some bad news everytime I return back from my vacations, this time its even worse!! These webmasters(the internet server guys) blocked around 30000 websites and prohibited download feature on web..they made my life miserable...you know what does no-downloading mean - no music, no books, no softwares...they literally limited my resources by 1000%, and i m totally cut-off from the outside world, these guys don't understand a simple thing...WHERE THE HELL I'LL GET NEW HINDI AND ENGLISH MP3 HERE IN DOWN SOUTH CAMPUS?? Coming back to college it’s not that pleasant as it used to be earlier but if you talk about the living standards, definitely that department got a face-lift...garnet rulezzz big time!!

Chao!!

Leaving for college

On 20th I m leaving for the college after a long vacation and when I say long - it was really long...semester break.. So another few days to go!!

I wanted to share these lines with everyone out there, these lines mean a lot to me...I read these about 2 years back during FIFA world cup finals (Italy vs. France) - well that was the day when I left my home to join a college in a place called trichy (tamil nadu), a place I had never heard of, never seen, just knew that it was a good place for technical education and all , thats it!! I was really nervous and sad, and didn't want to display those emotions and sentiments…the mental agony I was going through to mom and dad. First time in my life I was leaving my home and family behind and going to stay in some hostel at NIT campus for long 5 years. These lines helped me cope a little bit.

Leaving For College

My final day with familiarity
My last day at home before
I must
Leave for college

A lonely feeling
Is unshakable as
I realize what I leave
And what I leave it for

All my things to be packed away
Hugs will be shared and
Tears will be shed
When I leave for college

The place I once called home
Will soon only be a place to visit
All my things, all my friends
Are to be left behind

I am so cold as I think
About the uncertain future
That my solo move holds
And I am scared

Scared, lonely, and sad
I will miss everything, everyone
As the world I once knew changes
And I must deal on my own

Excited, I am as well
For all the new things waiting
But right now, the fear
Of the unknown permeates my being

It's hard to look forward
When part of me still
Wants to hold on
To Mom's hand

A security blanket no more
I must grow up instantly
As my parents leave me
And I am scared

Scared, lonely, and sad
I just want to hold onto that
Hand forever
To be protected forever

Change, uncertainty
They scare everyone
But fear must be overcome
So I will go

I know the tears will flow
I am already choked up
I know I will miss them
I know I am afraid

But I must face the fear
Bravely
To grow into someone
They can be proud of

Scared, lonely, and sad
Nervous, afraid, and worried
Excited, anxious, antsy
The time has come

The time to leave the nest
And fly on my own
Even if it means
Falling a few times first

My love for them
My family and friends
Knows no boundaries
Always

I will miss you
But the time has come
So wish me luck
And I'll see you soon..

Guitar : definitely not my cup of tea!!

I have been a music lover since childhood. Over the years I have come across a good many number of musical instruments and loved all of them. But the instrument which fascinated me the most was the Guitar. It has always been my childhood dream someday learn to play a guitar like a rock star. People say learning to play guitar is difficult and easy at the same time. In my last vacation I thought of doing something about it, atleast initiate this learning process...so as a beginner I took an acoustic guitar.

I still remember what it felt like when I was first learning guitar...majorly frustrated, did'nt expect it to go this way. It requires lot of finger strength, stamina and patience..well requires tonnes of it...seriously. Its not that easy as I thought it would be - big time misconception.

You need to practice it daily (5 out of 7 days minimum) for at least an hour. If you want to learn quickly, you must force-feed your brain with guitar. This entails learning how to have a good ear for changes in sound/pitch/intonation, comfortably positioning your body (including leg, back, shoulder and arm positions), strum-hand coordination and technique, etc..etc..Pressing down on the strings harder will be painful, and will make your fingers hurt.

I actually tried my best to fulfill all the requirements but the major reason for my failure was in the practice department, I was unable to fulfil this because of the tight academia. Practice makes perfect isn't just some old wives' tale. Well another reason is bit unusual but pretty true in my case.

I always have had problems with constant breaking guitar strings which makes me go infuriated. They say it is actually attributed to my playing style, simply playing too hard on my guitar strings. Whatever!! Mostly after finishng college I'll again switch back to guitar and try to achieve what I longed for!!

Bhopal lake - its big..really big!!

Bhopal Lake 'n' me>>

Today I thought of showing you a place in Bhopal (India). I often visit this place almost every week or so, whenever I m on semester break.. The bhopal city sprawls over seven hills, like Rome. Well you just can’t compare Bhopal with Rome at all, I m just talking in terms of topography…lol!! There are many lakes and for this reason, bhopal is known as the City of Lakes. Upper Lake is in the center of the city and its so large that you can't see all the way across and, for a moment, you imagine you're at the seashore.

Boating, water sports and kayaking....or simply hanging around are the most common thing that people use to enjoy in this lake. I just include here some images or photos of Bhopal Upper Lake and ya me...hehe.

lake view from promenade
Thats me!!

There is a temple in the center of the lake in just a small island. And you can go up to the temple by boating. When to go there?? Well best time to go there according to me is in the evening when the sun is near the horizon and about to verge. Cold wind of the lake in the evening will take away all the sorrow and tensions off your mind, this thing goes for me I dunno about others. This is a peak time and you will majorly find couples and college youth hanging around in promenade and cafeterias....and ya the fresh water cruises (namely "LakeView Princess") are another center of attraction.

Evening time!! Isn't it captivating!!

In the other side of the lake, there is marine drive and it must be around 4-5 Kilometres long. The road is totally straight and it runs by the side of Upper Lake.

At marine drive, bhopal!!

This Marine Drive is even a better place to hang out with friends in bikes and other open vehicles to feel some fresh air during summer and autumn...ahh this place is definitely a paradise if you are committed or into some kind of relationship, just come here with your dear ones, I bet you will remember time spent here for quiet a long time....

But plz do think twice before coming here if you are a SINGLE DUMB like me, mentally prepare yourself to keep yourself cool, and don't get frustrated chewing peanuts and cashews all alone...lol!!

Cheers:)

Anurag

Relationship between music and architecture!!

NOTE: even true for other professions as well!!

Architecture and music both have movements and feelings.A musician expresses its feelings through music and architect..obviously through his design. Both these people can use what is at thier diposal to bring forth something that could produce deep emotions or nothing at all.hehe....
Rhythm and pitch can invoke soul in music listioners and elevate it altogeher into a new level, the same way visual rhythm of forms and spaces in architecture with pitched elements like colour and texture can elevate soul to boundary-less and timeless ambience of architecture.

Well this is my view, I enjoy music a lot while designing and hope the same goes for many architects and architecture students all around the world...still there always can be exceptions...If there is no music...err....I can't think at all, my brain goes dead and stiff as frozen ice...I think thats the only reason I find it difficult during the design exams - music is not allowed in the exam studios...shit, they should allow it atleast for people like us. Anyways I need to mention, other than architecture its also quiet true to a certain extent for other core professions as well....I think...lol!!

Your personal views on this post are most welcome>>

If you are also addicted to music during work like me, you are most welcome to join arch-muzik group!!

Cheers:)
Anurag

Still pencil is the BEST!!

Well I thought of writing this post because of the few incidents I came across these days. Due to the advent of some 3d modelling and visualisation softwares like 3dsmax, maya and archiCAD people have started to design using these as their primary medium, they have literally forgotten the paper and pencil. Many famous designers around the world still prefer pencil as their primary design medium and later using computer simulations and applications as their secondary medium....People think pencil sketching is a waste of time and much more manual labour, well.....its true to a certain extent still using computers to start a design from a scratch may hamper your creativity to a large extent and restricts your mind and graphic co-ordination. Pencil or pen is a must for graphical thinking... Anyways I found this tool Google SketchUp software quiet an useful tool in the preliminary design stage, when your building's form and concept development are in process. You can use the software to feel the virtual environment and built space....But still pencil to me is the best!!
Cheers:)
Anurag

Unforgettable match!! Nightmare for indian batsman!!

India’s bad record of Final remains the same as before as they lost yet another important final . Eight years ago, , Sanath Jayasuriya scored a magnificent 189 before Sri Lanka’s bowlers sent India tumbling to 54 all out, and a humiliating 245-run defeat.And at Karachi now he is 39 scored a superb century and stunning bowling by Mendis put India to yet another humiliating defeat by 100 runs. Mendis created a history in Asia Cup as he took 6 wickets for 13 runs which was not done before this.

Well I thought sri lanka were good 30 runs short from the psychological target of 300+ and seems to be a cakewalk for India with its famed batting line up. First 8 overs actually went according to my expectation - all srilankan pace bowlers were wacked all around the park by sehwag until this guy mendis came. A new face in one day international cricket with an unorthodox bowling action as far as spin bowling is concerned, flights the ball in the air and the ball literally skids from the track generating that extra pace and trajectory thus beating the batsman in the air. All indian batsmen struggled against him and he provided breakthroughs at regular interval thus striking the spinal cord of india's line-up..majorly, almost paralysing it...Dhoni played a captains knock but all in vain and srilanka clinched the asia cup trophy 4th time, first time outside srilanka..That surely is an achievement and they really deserve a hard party!!

India definitely need to rethink and reconfigure its batting startegies before the coming up srilanka series.

Cheers:)
Anurag

ONE DAY - a batsman's game??

20/20 has started to show its effect on oneday international matches and a very recent example is the asian cup 2008 taking place in pakistan. Scoring 300+ runs in the first innings is becoming a norm, very soon 400+ would be considered to be a DECENT total. A team scoring less than that would be considered a weak team.

I know its a bit of exaggeration but I can see some team to go onto score 500(Again I am not saying this would happen tomorrow, may be it will never happen, but after seeing the way players like Jayasuriya, sehwag, yuvraj and Gambhir are improvising and scoring at such a rapid pace while playing genuine cricketing shots, 500 is definitely a possibility in the coming years.

Yesterday I saw the match between India and Srilanka and was a 300+ game, Srilanka scored a good 308 but as I said before times have changed so is the pace of the game, chasing down 300+ mammoth score 3 to 4 yrs back was supposed to be a tough ask but today..er..308 kinda score is chased down by India with 24 balls spared..
I m looking forward to the final match between India and Srilanka on sunday, god knows wat would be a safe taget on such flat pakistani wickets..maybe 350+ God knows!!

Feel free to express your thoughts.

Cheers:)
Anurag

Zaha hadid started designing shoes!!

Well for those people who are not familiar with zaha hadid, she is a world renowned british-iraqi deconstructivist architect. She is the first female recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, architecture's equivalent of the Nobel Prize. Two days back I got bedazzled when I came to know about zaha hadid’s latest project. It is not a new skyscraper or opera house, but a rather small project.

The british architect teamed up with the brazillian plastic shoe manufacturer melissa to create a new design. The shoes features her signature morphed curves transformed into a ballet slipper like form. The form according to me is very alien in nature, a person fitting in those shoes will definitely be distinct in every characteristic..err....who would like to buy those shoes, maybe those hardcore zaha hadid fans or some fashion test-pilots...deconstructivists!!

Cheers:)
Anurag

A new month = new fun…?

July 1, 2008

A new month calls for some attention! There are several reasons for this, one of which is that it is after all, July. It’s just a great month because after long semester break, finally college is gonna reopen and this is actually where all the fun lies. Will be meeting classmates and friends after so many days...n ya will be there to welcome the freshers jrs... Anyway, 7 (July - month no.) is also a great number. 7 days make a week, 7 colors make a rainbow..etc. It’s a number indicating a fresh start. Hush….

Well, this is it.

You bet…..

Cheers:)
Anurag