the 3 idiots of hirani

College life is full of joy - laughter, cheers, peers and beers, but there's a little bit of a problem - deadlines! There are deadlines for assignments, reports, viva, quizzes, projects and of course examinations, that require timely attention!

Three students share a common lifestyle at Imperial College of Engineering headed by the perfectionist director Viru Sahashtrabuddhe. Raju is a typical student determined to earn a degree and therefore a living for his financially deprived family. Farhan is a wannabe wildlife photographer turned engineering student. And Ranchhod Das Shamal Das Chachand, aka Rancho, is the one whose passion is engineering - it's just that he dislikes the entire education system. The greatest question is: How do they graduate?

3 Idiots chronicles around the lives of students in a typical Indian engineering college, it's abilities and it's inabilities. The depiction of a fourth student, Chatur Ramalingam, in search of a strange scientist Phunsukh Wangdu, has made the story more sumptuous, hilarious and loving.

3 Idiots is a must watch. Grab very little or no pop corn at all, because you will be fixing yourself entirely to the screen, with no time to eat. All you will need is a comfortable seat.

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modern day zen habits

Over the years, Zen people have developed a deep understanding of human qualities. They meditate along the paths of Buddhism, but sometimes take a side trip. Here are some findings for the trip, and yes, they are for the lighter side of life; via:

• Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow.  Do not walk beside me, either; just #$!@! off and leave me alone.
• It's always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to steal your neighbour's newspaper, that's the time to do it.
• Don't be irreplaceable; if you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted.
• No one is listening until you make a mistake.
• Always remember you're unique, just like everyone else.
• Never test the depth of the water with both feet.
• It is far more impressive when others discover your good qualities without your help.
• If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments.
• Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.
• If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.
• Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat & drink beer all day.
• If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
• The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket.

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who got the blues

Here’s an interesting read from the National Geographic magazine of 2003 June by Joel Achenbach. It includes ponderings about the colour blue, and how humanity has obsession with the colour.

When we finally get around to writing the entire story of civilization, we’ll devote a chapter to the colour blue. Sure, children around the world choose red as their favourite colour. But that’s just a phase, like tearing the crust off the bread. Make no mistake: Blue rules.

For thousands of years humans have found ingenious ways to turn things blue. In the ancient Mediterranean, biblical blue dye came from a hermaphroditic snail with a gland that generates a fluid that becomes blue when exposed to air and light. Another blue dye came from a plant called woad. Its leaves had to be ground and fermented before the pigment emerged. Celts painted their bodies with it (think Mel Gibson in Braveheart). Another plant – known as indigo – produced the colour more effectively. Indigo plantations sprawled across Asia, while woad lost lustre.

Eventually synthetic dyes replaced natural ones. In 1897 the Germans manufactured the first synthetic indigo from coal-tar derivatives. Synthetic dyes triggered an explosion of blue fashions in the 20th century. Policemen switched from black uniforms to blue. The blue blazer replaced the  black suit. And in the 1950’s blue jeans took off, radiating youth and rebellion. Next up: Biotech blue. When Australian toxicologist Elizabeth Gillam was studying bacteria implanted with human DNA, her cultures unexpectedly turned blue. She suspected a mould contamination. But after conferring with Fred Vanderbilt University, Gillam realized she’d stumbled onto something wonderful: The bacteria were producing the indigo molecule was part of their metabolism. “This is a good lesson for student scientists,” says Gillam. “If something looks bizarre, don’t discount it. It might be much more interesting than the result you expected,”

Biotech indigo could be used to create blue plant tissues, including flower petals (imagine a perfectly blue rose). Scientists speculate that the process might even yield blue cotton, which would mean your jeans wouldn’t need any dye. But then how would we ever get that nice faded look?

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consider these while writing

Frank L. Visco quoted, “my several years in the word game have learnt me several rules” Let’s take a look:

AVOID ALLITERATION. ALWAYS. PREPOSITIONS ARE NOT WORDS TO END SENTENCES WITH. AVOID CLICHES LIKE THE PLAGUE. (THEY'RE OLD HAT.) EMPLOY THE VERNACULAR. ESCHEW AMPERSANDS & ABBREVIATIONS, ETC. PARENTHETICAL REMARKS (HOWEVER RELEVANT) ARE UNNECESSARY. IT IS WRONG TO EVER SPLIT AN INFINITIVE. CONTRACTIONS AREN'T NECESSARY. FOREIGN WORDS AND PHRASES ARE NOT APROPOS. ONE SHOULD NEVER GENERALIZE. ELIMINATE QUOTATIONS. AS RALPH WALDO EMERSON ONCE SAID: "I HATE QUOTATIONS. TELL ME WHAT YOU KNOW." COMPARISONS ARE AS BAD AS CLICHES. DON'T BE REDUNDANT; DON'T USE MORE WORDS THAN NECESSARY; IT'S HIGHLY SUPERFLUOUS. PROFANITY SUCKS. BE MORE OR LESS SPECIFIC. UNDERSTATEMENT IS ALWAYS BEST. EXAGGERATION IS A BILLION TIMES WORSE THAN UNDERSTATEMENT. ONE-WORD SENTENCES? ELIMINATE. ANALOGIES IN WRITING ARE LIKE FEATHERS ON A SNAKE. THE PASSIVE VOICE IS TO BE AVOIDED. GO AROUND THE BARN AT HIGH NOON TO AVOID COLLOQUIALISMS. EVEN IF A MIXED METAPHOR SINGS, IT SHOULD BE DERAILED. WHO NEEDS RHETORICAL QUESTIONS?

The rules seem to be pretty handy; but can they really save you from getting black and blue?

Mit einem blauen Auge davonkommen.

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