VOILA!Life Is A Song!!(Part One)

The very first lab session of my engineering studies ,anything of any practical purpose anyway, was the Data Structures lab.(DS..Data in Structured arrangement..or so I think..)and it blew my fuse ..big time!!..

In the 4 years of engg studies,the 1^st year is spent learning things you want to forget the moment you are done with the exams.So it’s the 2^nd year ,or the 3^rd semester that life begins for the engineer..and my life was to turn the IT way..and all that I knew about IT was the mallu word for it,thanx to seniors who made sure we knew..and how….’vivara saankethika vidhya’..whew!

The theory sessions came first.The (guest)lecturer for D.S was a very tiny lady,much resembling a rabbit in face and demeanour.She sang to us endlessly about ..I don’t know..I never heard a word anyway..most of our ‘teachers’ at the time were scarcely that.They were fresh B.Tech pass-outs who wanted to kill time ..We learned about lovely names like D.S,D.B.M.S,and O.O.P.S..that last one was my favourite..OOPS stood for object oriented programming,and the S just tagged along like an initial. Coming back to data structures ,now it is a wonderful subject. One of the most important bricks that were to constitute the foundation of our IT knowledge .Once the initial confusion got over and I accepted that the teaching medium was indeed English and not French (Greek or Latin)as it had appeared initially ,I realized ,one fine day, that the rabbit and my more intelligent classmates were wading through a specific type of quicksand called, algorithms .of course, I knew algorithms ..they were a method of writing down the problem at hand, breaking it up into sub-tasks until it cannot be divided up any more. at that point,all your teeny –weeny tasks can be done in one go… sort of ,you had now beaten the living daylights out of the problem ,and its no more a problem for you.I knew that’s what algos were about.. and I liked it too ,I mean, it’s a cool idea ,init ?They taught this in standard 8^th ,I think ,along with some other basics like ,BASIC itself. .my cobweb of a memory tells me ,those days basic used to mean, beginners all purpose symbolic instruction code.. or was it symbiotic now….?

So on that day of my first DS enlightenment, came my way the first problem ,with a capital p so it was a Problem. As is common knowledge ,you start learning English words with ‘A for apple’.. if its a new programming language, you start it with the ‘hello world ’ program.. much the same way ,a course in algos always start with the ’add two numbers’ problem.It struck me immediately ,algorithms start with the ‘start’ and end with the ‘stop’..but whatever went in between remained unknown.. .people around me had started writing ,and I resigned to thinking, and thought and thought ..and then, I came up with a stunner !My first algo in college..

START

ADD TWO NUMBERS

STOP

Lol!! And to think it looked perfectly sane at the time.. !!There I sat with my prize winner ..

But that was the beginning of the end of ignorance, total and complete. .the ignorance ,not the dispelling…By the time I started feeling comfortable around anything algo,we were into stacks and queues.Now stacks everyone knows…a neat stack of books arranged one on top of the other.. ha, everyone knew stacks. .so I gave my ear drums a rest!After a few weeks of theory, when we were just ripe enough to start our labs, they introduced us to the ‘internet’ lab.. where we were to do our DS labs.. Now, row upon row of silent and completely blank faces(computer monitors)is enough to scare someone on a first visit ,but being given a comp terminal all to yourself! Did they want us to handle this machine all alone? Nothing like it would just jump out of its pedestal and run away, but one never knew ..and all the comps were loaded with Linux.. not even the omnipresent Windows ,ya that really helped ..now I was a complete martian landed on pluto..life’s a song,enjoy!

The first lab question to be tackled read like this:-

‘Implement stack using arrays’

A stack of arrays ??Now if they had given a pile of books or something, I could have given that a try.. I could have done up a neat stack ..of books…but arrays.. really? Can u reread that question for me?? And my neighbour read it out to me.. no luck ,the ‘arrays’ stubbornly remained arrays. .hell!

Now, I had carried my note book to the lab, something is better than nothing, especially when you went to a lab ,..for the first time..it struck me then, the algo for this problem was done in the theory class…voila!there was an algo for this! Now, you just had to put it into formal/business like tones.. ya,just do it using the programming language..and life suddenly became a song…

All self respecting stacks in the DS world are expected to do two things,in the least..push and pop..no ,not plop..like onto the floor..its pop..The push thing went fine,you know everybody knows push..but the pop thing got me.It was something new ,and all things new were scaring me that day..pop..pop..see,pop is where the topmost thing on your stack is removed from the stack..On real stacks ,tht would have been easy…but on a DS stack…I mean,there wasn’t even a real stack..the stack was only in your imagination..and people wanted to put things in it..and whats more,they wanted to take out things they had(never)put in..talk about going nuts…

Ya so,when you do a pop,the topmost thingie has to go away..but where is ‘away’ inside the comp..the recycle bin..?or does it just jump outside of the comp itself??Noway I could have made it do that.. I mean,I just was not smart enough for that..Maybe,I could print it out..I eyed the old dot matrix printer ,probably the very first one to be acquired by the department..Cuckoos had started singing in my brain,and I forgot all shame and stammered my question to rabbit..’ma’am,when you do a pop,where does the topmost element go?’She looked confused..I explained,’like.. ma’am ,when you do a pop,where does the topmost element go?’She brightened up at that.’just delete it’.wow!of course!why didn’t I think of it before…delete…I know delete,there is even a key on the keyboard for it DEL..wow,that’s soo easy..’thank you ma’am,for dispelling this cloud of confusion that was eating me up’..that would have scared her away..so I kept my thanks to myself..and beamed at her,she beamed back,all was well..nothing to worry..cool..life was a song..

But there was something wrong with DEL,every time I hit it,the letters of my code on the screen disappeared!..Those precious words of my own precious code just evaporated from the screen..AND they were not coming back either..I frantically searched the keyboard for a clue..no,I was a gonner,those lines of code were gone..lost..for eternity..and what was this bloody DEL anyway?..Can’t even delete a silly thing off a stack..to hell with DEL..you will rot in hell..!!

Close to pulling off my hairs now,I decided to ask again..’ma’am,I don’t know how to delete the topmost…’blah blah..’just write the function and call it’…function..ah yes..I knew functions..but writing a function with just the name delete,and nothing else inside it ,and then calling it when I needed to delete,..will that work?How will delete() know what I wanted done..?mind reading??’ma’am…(me totally flustered now)but what to write inside that function??I mean where does the element go when it is deleted..?what happens then??’Now ..she gave me an even bigger smile..I guess finally she was sure I was an ignorant fool and not trying to show off with annoying questions..’just replace the element with zero and update your flag..’; enlightenment!! light!!!....at the end of the tunnel!!thank you …for that piece of wisdom..now I will rest in peace in my grave…thank you..life was a song..again..

Disclimer:

'rabbit' is a term of endearment in the writer's dictionary.

Private Emotion

The weekfull of unending rain was enough to turn the most ardent rain-worshipping pagan to a sceptic.This is not withstanding the fact that it gave me high cold and fever for four long days and nights ,and that too right after my exams got over..so , that more or less ruined my celebrations of graduation to a meek(I don’t know who else will agree to that!) caption in the orkut!!

On the third morning,somewhere between consciousness and unconsciousness,I saw myself sitting in my S7 classroom,attending a lecture ,as I had done maybe a year ago..and something deep inside me was willing me to rise because my semester break was over and S8 had already begun.I woke up then,in cold sweat and gasping..i didn’t know I would miss it so much!I remember I used to see similar dreams just after my 10^th and 12^th class board exams too..

Later on,a friend of mine told me he had seen a similar dream of our s8 class too.i know I can go to my college any day,maybe for one more month or so(after that,I donno which god forsaken place I’ll be in),but still I could go there.But there will be no more of attending classes,listening to my teachers speak,no more or writing stories and commentary sneakily during boring hours,(I won’t say bunking classes ,I was a good student and didn’t indulge myself in such freedoms..),no more of the canteen chaais..why should all good things end?

‘It’s a private emotion,that fills you tonite’-Ricky Martin sings so to me ..

and I’m letting it off on you unsuspecting fellas..

I have no more bright words for now,I’m feeling soo low..

‘……….as the shadow steals the light………’

PS:making up for the slip..(more of a private indulgence..)

watch 'private emotion'

HOLIIIIIII!!!!!!!!

FAREWELL HOLI

It was the day to remember for the rest of our lives…the day we played holi, took photos like crazy and finally parted our ways..the last official working day of our college life.

The morning saw us ,the beauties of s8 IT decked up in sari,like we often did at the slightest of chances,only this time it was different,it was going to be the last of our sari sessions in college.but gorgeous we all were..

‘vasanthamullai pole.. ‘

the guys too wore traditional dresses.
the morning started off slowly with a lecture.then we began our dearest shooting spree..we collected the members of the very first gang that was formed in the college,5 of us and took photos at the s1s2 block,the block..the classroom..were we were baptized as GEC-ians and It-ians.memories ,memories..those things we did ,those words we uttered,and those days when we were just kids fresh out of school and in awe of seniors,enjoying unbound freedom..ho!it all seems to me like yesterday.

Sorry,I am diverting!its that disease called nostalgia!

Come afternoon and we all braced up for the game ….’bura na maano,holi hain!!’there were the initial glitches like when we had just a single and tiny packet of colour ,blue colour,just that.but we started it off in high spirits and in no time there were 59 people standing around literally looking blue,like we all had just plunged into a giant cauldron of blue colour!at one point of time ,we were scraping colour off painted people to paint the relatively bare faces.that’s when somebody rushed out of the class covered in bright yellow..yahoo!more ammunition!!it was a mix of hues afterwards and not much was visible for some time.when slight visibility had returned ,everyone of us were coloured from head to toe,we had all become multicoloured hooligans!when we ran out of our colourful resources,we took photos in shouting,screaming and yelling poses.those pictures were adorable,not one face was recognisable !

Somewhat drained, some of them moved to the taps in front of our classroom to ‘get neat’.2 friends and me got a brainstorm-we took the risk and walked to the taps right in front of the staffroom,there we cleaned ourselves to our hearts content,hung around in the hot sun to dry off and returned all mellow and gay to our den.but we were taken by surprise by our better equipped classmates,and were given royal showers from 2 full bottles of water before we could even say’run’!thus it was that we leaped forth into the ‘Great IT Bath’.the unspoken agenda was to soak everyone and maintain everyone in a ‘dripping’ state.there were the ‘bathed and dripping’ people chasing the ‘not soaking wet yet’ ones with water bottles.but the bottles were in short supply and we had to drag some very reluctant people to the tap ,and give them a proper shower-direct from the tap. .man!was it exhausting!
the exhilarating part in the whole thing is –the initial resistance to the bath,then once half a bottle has been emptied on your back comes the sense of hopelessness and self-surrender -you realize that the battle is lost,so you join in the fray and look for the next target –or chicken,if u like.

There were few of them who took shelter in the corridor in front of our beloved server room,hoping we wouldn’t encroach upon those sacred premises.it was no use though!such fun it is to bathe the more reluctant ones!once we had everyone bathed and ‘dripping’,quite satisfied with the days work,or game,we turned to more glamorous stuff like…our photo/video session again.though twice(not once)we suffered royal ‘thaeppu’ breaking our throats cheering and posing for video to a camera not exactly recording our misdeeds,but we were third time lucky.a dripping (read rocking)class photo too.the afternoon had turned us into hungry lions and we collectively stormed the canteen.5 mins after our entry ,the few EC staff who were the only non-s8IT-ians in the area ,fled..must be evidence enough for the racket. Never once ,in our 4 years here,had our classroom look so filled-up, as did the canteen today evening.there was a round of chair-fight to fill in the entertainment slot.there was also a round table discussion(chalu competition)as we cooled off,or rather dried off.having sufficiently drained our energies for one day,we finally split up..aww,the awful part that one.

In between all the fun and uproar, 1 or 2 broken links that were ,quietly clicked into place,just like that-like magic!and that was the best part.it was the day that reminded me of our initial days in GEC-the fun and the innocence.

Ps(to my classmates):-

We had one hell of a holi mates..lovya all..

Reminiscence of college life

---------------------------------

All will agree with me when I say ,memories are the best part of life. as they come flooding to me tonite,I cant but share a few with you.

In the chronological order:-

Rudest shock of my life----day 1 in college;I actually saw a cow grazing near the principal’s office window!!I had come for my admission;and I didn’t knw if I should run or stay.well,I just did.

Most silent day --- day 2 in college.that’s wen the classes started.(ha ha)

Most friendly eyes--- lemi’s.day3

Scariest person---nalini ma’am.(my knees still go weak tryin to decide whether to smile or just walk on)

Then a lot of self intro’s and hi’s later

When I enjoyed d most---ragging anju on her first day in s1s2.she did d action song 4 ‘twinkle twinkle’.(HA HA HA)

Most memorable evenings---wen prema and I would skip d cllg bus jus 4 d sake of a slow walk till we ran out of things 2 banter abt, n 4 d cold tea n 'vadai'* from LMS canteen.

First time an utter stranger lukd soo familiar----dats secret(wink!)

Most exciting event of cllg—first cllg election v witnessed..wen d KSU pulis still roamed d GEC jungle..i had talked myself hoarse d day bfore..and ofcorse’ INSIGNIA

Sweetest voice of our campus—sandeep bose..i still remember his ‘i’ll b 2 steps behind you’ for valentine’s day’04..our first in d college..

Most Inspiring GEC-ian--- gokul b alex..dearest ex-union chairman.i recall his heated arguments about d rise of communism in soviet union(overheard) ,with a thoroughly dumbfound open-mouthed it-doesn’t-matter-who.

He would talk passionately about literature n exhort to write like mad whenever n on whatever topic possible.n never too busy 2 listen 2 ‘juniors’.

Most useful times spent on campus—d quiz club sessions..jus memories now

Biggest surprise---VGK afterall turned out b not-so-hostile,friendly even(at times)

Lectures I enjoyed d most—balu sir,d great!(though d lab exams wer hell)

Lecturer who constantly got on my nerves—crybabe!you know who.!

Achievement of our class—INSIGNIA

Personal best team effort---‘vainottam’**---viji n i.(v r working overtime these days ..so few days left!!)

On a serious note---THE MIME(spcl thanx 2 rekha.ab jaana ‘tholikkatti’ kis chees ki naam hai)

Silly li’l things----

I lov---

our outpost near d s1s2 classes under d tree(its gone now,it was d best ‘viewpoint’ ever)

cushion chairs of s3(how v fought d day it came)

d steps near s3-s4 classses (second best ‘viewpoint’)

CN lab---100 mbps is simply too good..i cant get over it!!

Special thanx—canteen-thanx 4 d innumerable teas n puffs over d years----I remember too,d innumerable times you were pure torture saying ‘evide onnumilla’.

Cooler!!---d GEC-ians one n only waterhole!!

Combined study sessions @ chitra’s…exam special..

Unforgettable bombshell!! IV –I am speechless here..

Object of affection-----the ‘vishuchedi’(konna tree)on d way 2 d drawing hall.

Last vishu,it made me wait long n hard 4 d first blooms,but once it started blooming ,d tree remained golden for a long time!!

I hope nobody cuts it down in d name of development

Heartbreak---to see our dearest football ground now resemble mars with all its craters!!

I hav purposefully left out d big events-things everybody knw.

Endnote---

How I wish for!!-----a class reunion yrs from now,’classmates’ style!!(n pls don’t anybody think of a murder!lets not spoil d fun,plsss!!)

Ps—now that u hav read my memories,do something in return.post urs too

‘oru paalam ettaal angottum engottum vendey?’***

*south-indian delicacy

**checking people out

***return the favour

WAITING FOR SESSIONALS
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University exams postponed right in the middle of the exam season,project proposal presentation ,and now to top it all..this unnerving wait for the release of the sessional marks.When scraping past the 35-mark line in itself will be achievement for me..something otherwise would be nothing short of disaster.well.lets see..
I was just browsing idly,when i came across this handy chat tool integrated inside your gmail mailbox,hmmm quite usefull!its not easily visible!!somebody their had the brains and goodwill to make an inconspicuous chat client.
WHOAAA..cheersss!The good news just came in,i passed the lakshman rekha-the 35 mark line;i've actually scored 40.wat peace!
ok ,till i hav more idle time and free online access to blosser,its bye from me,manoranjini.XXX