Thursday, May 23, 2013

The Calculus of Friendship- Review

I read this book by Steven Strogatz called The Calculus of Friendship-  What a teacher and student learned about life while corresponding about math. It was ~150 pages and kind of expensive. But totally worth it!!
The two days that I spent in reading that book were a pure bliss. I was so immersed. I was amazed at the elegant proofs in it. The way the student and teacher bonded over letters was something which struck me from within. The book also portrays how the teacher was ever enthusiastic to learn from his student. You might come across these proofs elsewhere, I am sure. But the approach was a smooth transition. Their discussions over letters, how they progressed from math to life, will just leave you thinking for quite some time. 
I could not stop thinking about two of my maths teachers. Before I could tell them how grateful I felt to be their students, they passed away. I could not come to terms with it for long time and tried to find peace. I would just spend days cursing myself. I hope they somehow know how I feel about it. 
If you are a person who loves math, enjoys reading, solving problems in an elegant way, this is THE book I would recommend. If you are from a non math background and happen to read it, please let me know your views.
I would like to thank one of my friends, Prasad, for suggesting this one. :) 

Thursday, May 16, 2013

KannadA

Yes, it is Kannada and NOT Kannad!! I have no idea why people conveniently miss the last "a". 

Staying in Bangalore makes me happy because a lot of people speak in Kannada. It feels like home. It for sure is a bliss, as I have been away from home since almost 5 years.I am getting used to understanding Bengaluru Kannada as mine has a "slight" gult influence. My colleagues would definitely frown at the "slight" aspect though.
I felt shy to speak in Kannada with people in insti because I thought the slang was different etc. I have overcome that and it feels so natural now. I am thankful to my friends* for that. I feel like a local to some extent and easily converse with auto guys or shop uncles. Talking of auto uncles, the mere thought of taking an auto was a nightmare in Chennai and life is peaceful here because there is a meter in every auto and it works! =)

*friends= fellow Embracers :) 

Friday, May 3, 2013

Time Management and blah

I thought that I would have loads of time to write blog posts, once the internship starts. I have been proved wrong. Well, not exactly. I do have time, but I don't know how it just flies off!
I have been reading this book, Getting Things Done and I must say, it is great. If you want to get things done by yourself, then this is the book. If  you want to organize all your stuff etc, this would be a good start.
With the added responsibilities in my life, this is helping me.

Now all that apart , I wonder if this is how life would be once you start working in an office.
I have no clue how 4 months have passed already. But I am glad that I have some significant memories to take back. :)
I have been reading Steve Job's book and it just never ends!
Super Freakonomics was awesome! The facts and the way they were presented. Amazing.
The Zahir was a soul healer. The zig zag way? No comments.
That was 3 book reviews in short. :P
Also, here  is a fun event with the Engineering team :D
P.S: This is one thing crossed off my "inbox".