Friday, December 31, 2010

R.I.P. 2010

When I was standing in the church, savoring the initial few moments of another year, little did i know that, for me, this was going to be the most exciting of all the revolutions that the planet earth did previously. Of all that I have learnt over the last year, the realisation of my quarter life crisis has been the prime.
I am a nostalgia junkie and have a fetish for recording my happenings in one form or the other. Hence I have the obsessive habit of writing memoirs. And hence this post.

2010 was an year which I might probably not easily forget. I am sure all my fellow compscites who had their 3-2 in 2010 will agree. I remember those freezing days of early January when we had one more thing to talk about other than the weather; 3 idiots. “Give me some sunshine” was a phrase which suffered from death-due-to-cliché-isation. It was the coldest winter I ever faced.

Come the end of January and we were all (A7ites) neck deep in the puddle of assignments. The night before the first PLCC(Programming Language and Compiler Construction) assignment submission is highlighted with the brightest color possible in my memory map. An hour before 12PM(submission time), with Prashanth trying hard to make the code closest to a spot from where a miracle might not seem something too much to ask, I was sitting on the floor of his room with my head dug deep between my legs. This was just the start to a semester where after a point of time, I used to feel glad to find myself and my wingies alive when I woke up. In the middle of all this, SRT’s 200 was a breath of fresh air. Watching or rather following a match in a lab was annoyingly unique.

APOGEE 2010 was another thing which has left a strong impact on me. It was probably the fest which I enjoyed the least in my BITSian life. Ironically, it was this fest which taught me things which no B school can teach in a manner so emphatic.  Now when I look back and remember the unmanageable, overflowing crowd for Brainteasers& Wordstock and Bulb, I wonder how popular we ( Informalz (hypothetical long-distance hi-5 guys :P) ) are.

The other highlight of the time on campus was those three days when everyone suited up. There were people who looked beautiful, others who were sheer clumsy, but they were all happy (very happy, sigh). The number of photographs taken in those 3 days must have been a record of some sort (atleast in Pilani :P).
By the time I left campus on 15th May, I had enough of it. The heat, consys, mess food etc was too much to bear. And off I went, first to home then to a vacation in Kerala followed by my half a year hiatus at Bangalore.

When I arrived in Bangalore in July, I was excited. The few initial days, where one tried to find out every little details of their own PS station and their friends', went on well. Pilani rarely crossed my mind. However with august came the realisation of solitude. It was extremely frustrating to find myself away from the entire hustle bustle on campus. August for me meant department (Informalz) recruitment and nothing more. On the contrary I was trying to come to terms with a life which demanded order and its close sister, boredom. I realised that one feels most lonely in a crowded place. All malls look and smell the same. After sleep, traffic eats up your time the most. The cost of a meal is not directly proportional to its taste. Office people crack the poorest joke. Coffee is bliss. DC++ is awesome. Loose Change is as hard to get as in Pilani. And much more.

The final few days of this year in Udaipur have been the best I could have asked. The time at home and the time with my old friends was really refreshing.

2010 is over. I find myself older. I want to thank God for this year. 

Monday, December 20, 2010

Silent Night!

Christmas carols have always allured me into enjoying them like how kids enjoy a candy. I just can’t get enough of them and they always, always bring a smile on my face. With the Christmas season which is ON!!!! (yeah!!!!), I am in for some musical days.
“Silent Night” is one carol which is sung and known by almost the whole English speaking population of this world. The following is a beautiful video along with the song; an adaption by Sixpence None The Richer.





Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace

This song celebrates the wonderful night when Christ was born into this world. A celebration of the birth of a tender little child. A celebration of descend of God as human into this world. The birth from a virgin. A miracle!

Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Saviour is born
Christ, the Saviour is born

When the world recieved its saviour, the nature rejoiced. From the angels to the poor shepherds, there were a selected few who knew that this night was the awesomest night the mankind would ever see.It must have been really exciting for those shepherds, those wise men and for Mary and Joseph.

Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth

The second line of the stanza which hails Jesus as "the Son of God" and "Love's pure light", is the foundation of christian faith. The first phrase gives us hope and the second gives us a peace that passes all understanding.


Fun Facts:
The song was originally written in German(Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht) by an Austrian priest named Joseph Mohr(check this for the german version). For two years this poem was not yet a piece of music. On the eve of christmas in 1818, Father Mohr approached Franz Xaver Gruber to give music to the song he had written. And in one evening, the most sung carol ever, was composed.It was sung for the first time in the christmas mass of 1818 in Nikolaus-Kirche (Church of St. Nicholas) in Oberndorf, Austria.

Video courtesy: youtube.com
Lyrics courtesy: The lyrics are in open domain now, however thanks carols.org.uk for making it available for copy pasting.
Fun Facts courtesy: Wikipedia.com and carols.org.uk
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