Transport phenomena and life!

today i was reading a blog by one of my seniors, wherein she said ppl belong to differnet co-ordinate systems and they shift their frame of reference so often. (http://do-angels-sleep.blogspot.com/)

after reading it, i just lied down on my bed thinking of it...

i see that there is a dynamic shift in the frame of reference...and the frequency of it is sometimes the order of which we cannot even imagine nor predict!

Suddenly some similarity striked between solving problems in transport phenomena and life....dont think i am a nerd...i am studying for my exams and i think thats why my cerebrum correlated like this now!

well...coming to the similarity...

While we are going wrong in solving the problems what happens most of the time is that...

we tend to overlook certain terms in the NS equations or other standard equations...making robust assumptions...and cling on to certain other terms, tying to solve the equations with those terms...but the answer willbe vice versa! we should have actually neglected the terms that we are cling on to and use the terms we neglected to arrive at the solution!!

In life too, sometimes we do the same. We overlook certain issues which might have to be given utmost attention and cling on, brood, lament, frustrate on issues which have to be overlooked!!

In the problems of transport phenomena we realise that what we do is wrong when we see the solution...but in life???

today we had the NUS-Indian Grad meet!
It ws simply wonderful...though it cud have still been made more lively and eventful...i hope it becomes so in the years to come!
basically it served as a platform to know that there is such a big community of Indians from all over the country doing their grad studies in singapore. The strength of this community is so assuring for the freshers like me!
And morever there were alumni of NUS too who had come for the meet!
That is again reassuring the freshers that jobs are available for the best minds of the world!
Oh...and I should not forget to say about th dinner!It was simply excellent! all the items...no exceptions at all!!! i wish we had a meet frequently atleast for this sake..!!
This is just to say that it is difficult to get good Indian foods in Singapore.
NUS canteens have Indian stalls, but they seem to have adapted some practices from here...and otherwise, some hotels like komala vilas etc...are bit too costly for a student to afford! but nevertheless, if one is a good cook, he can get all that he wants to and cook excellently as he would do in India.

i am waiting for a call from India...a friend promised me to call me this weekend...and i am still waiting...while the weekend for this week is about to end in another 7hrs!
I guess he tried to April fool me!
mm...
But the expectation of a call from an old friend of yours...particularly when you are out of your native land on a 'mission' is really taunting..
Apart from this friend, there are lots others who dont realise that people away from home long for mails/calls from friends and relatives.
It is true that they most of the time do not realise it...and very few cant do it!
In that the friend I am waiting to call, mails me and so he falls into the category who realises the expectations...but doesnt call due to variuos other reasons which I realise and understand :-)

Thermodynamics...I am sure that everyone who stepped into their college will have come across this word..
All the processes in this world are indeed governed by this 'Thermodynamics'.
So must it be interesting to learn thermodynamics for a person who actually doesnt know what people learn in what is called "Advanced Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics" with module code CN5030.
Its all about fugacity, fugacity coefficients, activity, activity coefficients and Gibbs energy. Whichever chatper you turn into, you will certainly find more than a word in the above lists.
If its all about these 5 words wahts difficult...could be a naive question!
how many equations..how many calculations! mm...i wonder how one can expect a student to learn whatever research has been done for over past 100 years in about 4 months of coursework!
Courseworks should be really banned throughout the world!

I am not sure if the professors realise of how a weekend goes for a student!
They keep tests on Mondays..and thats really sickening :(.
I couldnt do anything due to the fear of a test coming up on Monday..nevertheless did i study for it!!
It all seems so greek and latin as i read thru the book...and i hate to waste a sunday without lying lazily on my bed with my music system singing!

எல்லோரும் இப்படி தானோ?

அனைவருக்கும் தன்னை எல்லொரும் புரிந்து கொள்ள வேண்டும் என்று ஆசை...
ஆனால் ஏனோ இவர்கள் மற்றவரை புரிந்து கொள்ள வேண்டும் என்று நினைப்பது இல்லை?

தான் நினைப்பது போன்று தானே மற்றவரும் நினைப்பர்?

ஏனோ நிறைய மக்க்ள் இதனை புரிந்து கொள்வது இல்லை....ப்ரச்சனைகளுக்கு வழி வகுத்து விடுகின்றனர்! :-)

today i had the opportunity to attend a conference on the business of biomedical sciences. many sucessful entreprenurs had come and shared their views. i really feel and understand that there is a lot of oppurtunities for biotech ppl and it is they who dont realise it!

when i joined B.Tech Biotech i joined only with aspiration to do research...idealistic hopes to find solutions to diseases...then as the 4 years went by, i realised what is idealistic and what is practical....
i never had thought about copmpanies...jobs etc..but one thing i wanted to be was to be a leader rather than a follower...and that was what triggered me to attend this conference which was aimed at pulling students into the biomedical industry. but i never thought there were already pioneers in this field!!
from their experiences i learn that things are not that easy as we think...biotech venturing is full of risks! u never know if u will succeed or fail! but still what theseppl claim is that true passion wins! but i am sure they would have undergone such a lot of agony and pain. they have shifted fom one domain to another...and back to the same domain...i mean...from bio to business...and thru business to bio...the passion...and what else cud have kept them going?

one hard fact that i notice is that there are not many entrepreneurs in India and hence Indian students lack that motivation. Students will have to extend their horizons and look into the trends in their neighbouring countries too...though US would be a dream target.

Another thing that i noticed was the the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Dr.Vivian Balakrishnan, who is also incharge of entrepreneurship is a trained optha surgeon! he really understands how it is to do science and how excting it is..at the same time, he strikes a perfect understanding of the economic grounds for a biotech industry..and the mind of a business man...understand these extremes, he has played an instrumental role in bringing these ppl together...and i guess thats the secret of success for Singapore!

I wish Indian students cross borders and tap the potential available....
and ofcurse i am one among them!

HOW FRIENDS BREAK?

Both Friends will think the other is busy and will not contact thinking it may be disturbing. As time passes both will think let the other contact. After that each will think why should I contact first. Here ur love will be converted to Hate. Finally without contact the memory becomes week. They forget each other. One fine Day they will meet n blame one another

I caught this from the net and I felt it was damn true!!

Friendship...

Friendship is a blessing, and a friend is the channel through whom great emotional and spiritual blessings flow. Friends can cheer us when we're sorrowful or depressed. Friends can challenge us when we allow ourselves to get beyond our reasonable boundaries. Friends can motivate us when we're ready to give in, and they can provide for us when life falls apart. They are there when all is well, and we want someone with whom to share life's pleasant and memorable moments. We often just want them around to have a good time, to laugh, to act silly, to enjoy some mutually liked activity. In how many ways have friends enriched our lives and made us feel loved, accepted, respected and cared for? Probably, too many to list, and the list grows daily.

It is safe to say that when God created the world and all the majestic things in it, when he streaked the heavens with radiant color and the earth with grand mountains and awe-inspiring canyons, when he painted the plains with waving grasses and erected noble forests of towering trees, he outdid it all by creating friends.

--Caught from the Net!

நேற்று சீனப் புத்தாண்டு... ஒவ்வொரு வருடத்தையும் ஒரு விலங்கின் பெயரிட்டு வழிபடும் இவர்கள்... இந்த ஆண்டில் நாய்களுக்கு மரியாதை செய்கின்றனர். சீனப் பாரம்பரியம் மிக்க "China Town" சென்றேன்...சீனர்களின் களிப்பைக் காண...ஆனால் நான் கண்டதோர் மாரியம்மன் கோவில்!!
தைப் அமாவாசையை முன்னிட்டு பூஜைகள் நடந்து கொண்டிருந்தது...ஒரு இந்திய கோவிலில் ஆகம விதிகளின் படி எப்படி நடக்குமோ...அப்படியே!!
அங்கு கண்டேன் ஒரு சீனரை...அர்ச்ச்னை தட்டுடன்!! புளங்காகிதம் அடைந்தேன்... வெளி நாட்டில் கோவிலை கண்டு அதிசயித்தென்...பின்னர் அதில் பூஜை நடப்பதை கண்டு மெய் மறந்தேன்... ஒரு சீனரும் அங்கு இருப்பதைக் கண்டு அனைத்தையும் மறந்தேன்! Cross border-terrorism தலை விரித்தாடும் இந்நாளில் "unity in diversity" ஐ கண்டு களிக்கிறேன்...

I am angry with my friend
I told my wrath,
my wrath did end
I am angry with my foe
I told it not,
my wrath did grow
--William Blake.

I am now in Singapore...Life is different from that of in India...or atleast the India I have seen.
People respect others as individuals...and u can always hear people saying a sorry if they had dashed upon u...or a thanks if u have done the smallest help of giving way!! That much is the respect you get!
I dont mean to say that Indians are not so...but atleast most of the Indians are not!
And the vehicles wait for the pedestrians to cross at zebra crossing...and the pedestrian needn't be afraid that a bus will smash him!!
At this I remember my mother...who is always afraid of crossing roads...I can now feel how hard she grabs my hand when there is a bus 100 feet away while crossing a 10 feet road!
Is this all becoz that the government fines individuals who violate these basic laws? Or is it inculcated in the individuals itself? An open question!!

காலத்தால் செய்த உதவி சிறிதெனினும் அது ஞாலத்தால் மானப் பெரிது..

A help might be small...but if done at the time of neccessity, it is bigger than the world!

அன்புள்ள கண் காணா நண்பர்களே...

இன்னும் சிறிது நாட்கள் கழித்து சந்திக்க்றேன்....

இன்னும் 50 நாட்கள்... சிங்கப்பூர் செல்கிறேன்்... எனது பட்ட மேற்படிப்பிற்காக...
சீங்கப்பூர் பல்கலைக்ழகம்....
இந்தியாவின் கல்வித் தரம் குறைந்ததா? இல்லை... நம் நாட்டின் Indian Institute of Science உலகப் புகழ் பெற்ற்து... IISc மட்டும் தான் இருக்கிறதா என்றால் அதுவும் இல்லை... NCBS,CCMB, TIFR,NCL IIT போன்ற பல பல உலகம் போற்றும் கல்விக் க்ளஞ்சியங்கள் நம் நாட்டில் உள்ளன... என்றால் ஏன் நிறைய மாணவர்கள் வெளி நாடு செல்கின்றனர்?? ஏனெனில்... இவ்வுலகம் போட்டி நிறைந்தது... வெளி நாடுகளில் இருக்கும் புதிய தொழில் நுட்பங்கள் அறிந்து கைதேர்ந்து...நம் நாட்டின் வளர்ச்சிக்கு அதனை உபயோகப்படித்தடவே இன்றய இளைய சமுதாயம் வெளி நாடு செல்கிறது...

...சிலர் மற்றவரின் எண்ணங்களை புரிந்து கொள்வதே இல்லை...அவர்களுக்கு எப்போதுமே தன்னைபற்றியே நினைப்பு... தான் என்ற அகம்பாவம் உண்டு... ஆங்கிலதில் இதற்கு இணையான சொல்: high self esteem...தான் சொல்வது மட்டுமே சரி... தன்னை யாரவது கிண்டலடிதாலோ,உதவி செய்யவில்லை என்றாலோ...அவர்கள் கெட்டவர்கள்... மற்றவரின் சூழ்நிலை புரிந்து கொள்ளாதவர்கள்.... ம்ம்... நாம் தான் இவர்களை புரிந்து கொள்ள வேண்டும்...

A relationship with no extortion or distortion

Friendship is a unique relationship. All other relationships are
physiological and friendship alone is psychological. Relationships
destined and dictated by blood are imperative in nature and friendliness
decided and delineated by mind is optional. `Friend', as the word ends
with `end', is be all and end all of all relationships. A friend can
fulfil the role of all other relationships with no extortion or
distortion. A friend is the other half, which we lacked at the time of our
birth.

We can have thousands of acquaintances circumnavigating the periphery of
our being but only a very few can enter into the core of our heart.

Soulmate

Acquaintances laugh with us when we laugh and friends not only cry with us
but also try to expunge our tears. A real soulmate is not for just
exchanging pleasantries but for experiencing harmony. Booze or smoke may
bring people closer. We find easy to vibe with each other with an
addiction and difficult to associate by virtue of intellectual pursuits.
Some gather together for destruction; a few assemble to solve and save.
Association to annihilate cannot be friendship by any means. In all the
fruits, except jack, the rind is more alluring than the pulp. Hence the
idiom, `all that glitters is not gold'. Surface should not be the
criterion for the choice. One should be meticulous in choosing a friend
and be slow in discarding him.

A good companion can be in communion without words, gestures or even
thoughts. The `best communication' is actually `no communication'. A
confidant is not needs answered, as he is the very need itself. Under the
canopy of friendship, both the souls are benefited. But it is just
incidental. Modest persons have more bosom friends than the over
ambitious. Selfish giants use every link for establishing connection power
for their continuous furtherance. Many are close like immigrating birds
and leave the pond as it dries. Only a few are like the plants, which
share both prosperity as well as adversity. Kural compares noble comrades
to limbs that set right the clothes. They are swift in solving the
troubles before they become prominent and unmanageable. No one announces
the audience before correcting the loosened loin robes. Trustworthy pals
help with utmost confidentiality and never reveal the assistance rendered.
They forget the benevolence and never harbour its hangover. Friendship is
not like barter system. No accounts are maintained between friends.
Friendship is not payment in kind but bestowing kindness in leaps and
bounds. Men assembling due to weakness and fear cannot evolve as friends.
They integrate to disintegrate.

Oscar Wilde ascertains, `Between men and women there is no friendship
possible. There is passion, enmity, worship, love, but no friendship'. It
is actually the other way round. Every good relationship commences with a
benign note and culminates with a friendly disposition. An understanding
father, an appreciating mother, an affectionate spouse, an able pedagogue,
a dexterous demagogue and a charismatic master all affable appealing to
the inner most feelings and subconscious insights of our individuality.

Existentialists divide things into `being in themselves' and `being for
themselves'. Friends constitute the third category, `being for comrades'.

Boons

Men are like colours and can be comprehended only in form. Their true
mettle comes out at the time of crisis when they work as a team.
Friendship is born on trust, it lives on love and dies on vanity.
Committed friends are boons. One who remains loyal in all other
relationships acquires excellent friends. His sincerity finds its zenith
in friendship. The very presence of a friend is soothing and soul
kindling. We learn more from friends than from books. Every friend is a
philosopher and guide. They inspire, ignite and incite us into action.

The so-called, `cultured' person will talk ethics when we are in an
imbroglio. He would quote thousand and one reasons for not joining our
hands at the time of calamity.

They list our faults to highlight their own virtues. The rustic will stand
steadfast by our side and guard us against odds. A friend will definitely
point out our follies and foibles way before the event. As Shakespeare
remarked, a friend will bear his friend's infirmities.

Sacrifice is not a term equated with friendship. One who considers friend
as precious will find the objects forsaken as frivolous. No secret, no
envy and no competition exist between friends.

Cannot be mended

A friend may part but never gets separated. They `meet to create memories
and part to preserve them'. It is said that friendship is like pale blue
china; beautiful, delicate and rare. Once broken can be mended. However,
the marking will always be there.

Responsible persons will never allow a small crack to develop into a
crevice and finally erode into a gully and then degraded into a ravine.

As `Almustafa' proclaims, we should not grieve when we part from our
friend, as our love most in him will be clearer in his absence, as the
mountain to the climber is clearer from the plain.

Life-time achievement

Education never ends with syllabus and progress cards. This life is lived
only once, in this form and in this name. Formal education helps in
sharing and celebrating the life with friends.

One can acquire any number of degrees in distance education but they will
not have peers to relate and reciprocate.

One should not get disillusioned with too much competition injected into
his veins by the curriculum and try to earn earnest friends. Friends
cannot be numerous like hair and could only be a few like fingers. One
good friend is a life-time achievement.

V. IRAI ANBU
(Irai Anbu is an IAS officer and he is very well known in Tamil Nadu for his excellent
oratory skills on topics of practical issues.)

Some Quotes which I liked...

A man should never be ashamed to own that he has been in the wrong, which
is but saying... that he is wiser today than yesterday.

Jonathan Swift (1667-1745)

Life is the flower for which love is the honey.

Victor Hugo (1802-1885)

"DIAMOND is just another piece of COAL that did well under PRESSURE."

எத்தனையோ சுகங்கள் இருந்தாலும்....
அன்னையின் மடிக்கு ஈடாகுமோ...
எத்தனையோ உறவுகள் இருந்தாலும்
நட்புறவுக்கு ஈடாகுமோ...

தீபாவளி பண்டிகை...

மனதினின்று அறியாமை எனும் அசுரன் அகன்று ஞானமே வடிவாக இருக்கும் இறைவன் உட்புகுதலே தீபாவளியின் சாராம்சமாக அமைகிறது.