The second time around

Its been almost a month since my second year of engineering started. You'd think that it would be easier since it is the second year. Boy, was I wrong!

There are around 140 students in my branch in college. And out of those 140, I probably knew just 40 of them. Most of those 40 students belonged to my class of first year. But this year I'm in a class where most of the students are new to me. So, the awkwardness that everyone faced in the first few months of college is back!

One would assume making friends with new people would be easier now. But, it isn't that easy. I'm talking about people who have already made a bunch of good friends. The cliques have been formed! So its a completely different situation now. To make new friends, you have to be willing to wander beyond your group, which isn't easy for everyone. I mean, why would anyone abandon their comfort zone.

We've all finished a year of engineering. So its quite self explanatory as to why the students of my class would already be divided into cliques. But the worst affect is the lack of unity in the classroom. Inside jokes and bursts of laughter do not go without inviting glares by the the other groups.

It'll take time before some amount of merging takes place. But till then, all I can do is, rely on the familiar faces of comfort. After all, they're facing the same difficulty that I am.

Don't fear the reaper!

Today evening, I was stuck in a bit of a dark place. I mean literally. At around 1900 IST my residential area lost power. Usually in such cases the UPS always kicked in. But that didn't happen this time. Once the power returned, all the phases of our house were working except for the lighting phase because of a blown fuse. The problem could be resolved only after my father arrived from work. As a result I had to spend two hours of quality time with my dear friend Darkness (Guess my mum is a bit jealous of darkness now).

The Reaper - Namita Anil Kumar

Darkness! Well it wasn't entirely dark. A few candles spread their halo in certain corners of the house. The fact that we had candles in my house was slightly surprising considering the fact that it is the 21st century. The darkness didn't seem to bother my dog. So, she spent time in her favorite spot, that is, next to a window on the top of a staircase, which overlooked the plot of land behind my house. Having absolutely nothing great to do, I spent an hour with beside her, just stroking her fur. As I sat there caressing her, I hummed a song. The song I was humming was "Don't fear the reaper" be Blue oyster cult.

Till this date, whenever I told someone that I liked Blue oyster cult, I received either one of these reactions: "Blue oyster who???" or "Weirdo!" Both of the reactions end up with the same result that is my frustration. I find it unbelievable that certain people haven't heard of them and that certain others find their music to be queer. They are my favorite American psychedelic rock band. Their songs like "Burnin' for you", "Astronomy", "Black blade" are some of their best! But, while talking about their best "The reaper" undeniably tops the list.

"The reaper" was a part of their album "Agents of fortune". It was written by their lead guitarist Buck Dharma. Well, if you have heard the song then it'll be pretty obvious as to why I was humming that song. For those who haven't heard it, its the opening riff. Its a very clean sound. The entire song is centered around that riff.

The lyrics of the song are fairly simple, but they convey a lot. It talks about the inevitability of death and how its stupid to fear it. Dharma wrote about how elements of nature keep changing without fear and how its necessary to learn from such free spirits. We will all die someday. But, we shouldn't live in the fear of that day.

The song tells us about how certain things are eternal, particularly love. Dharma made a reference to the love shared by Romeo and Juliet. Unfortunately that verse led to many misunderstanding the song to be about suicidal pacts. But that is false. Dharma was talking about undying love that is shared by two people. I do not share the exact idea. But I do believe certain things are eternal. To be able to leave behind a legacy is equivalent to a life beyond death.

The brilliant opening riff and the lyrics did make this song great. But there was another small detail which just elevated the song. It was the addition of a cowbell! I know it sounds crazy. But the sound of the cowbell just completed the song.

That accounts for an hour of the "Dark times". And I spent the second hour writing this post. As I sat there in the glow of my laptop screen, trying to slow my mind and collect my thoughts, I kept thinking of what an exquisite song the "The reaper" is. The reason why I consider this song to be one of the greatest rock songs ever sung, is because of its simplicity. It is comprised of easy and straightforward elements. That is true rock music!

Every little thing!

There is a Beatles song "Every little thing". It talks about all the little sweet things a girl does for the one she loves. It goes "Every little thing she does, she does for me". Cheesy...right? But it gets you thinking. Every little thing that happens in our day to day life has some significance.

A week ago I had one of those bad days. I travel from college to home via bus. That evening, I missed 3 buses. Well it might not makes sense to you. But in my world a missed bus is equivalent to a delay of 20 minutes. 20 minutes of waiting at the bus stop, which is no where near comfortable. I was angry. And finally when I did get a bus, it was a immensely crowded. That just made me even more furious. After the painstaking journey, I got down at my bus stop and walked towards home. As I walked home, I was still frustrated and my fury hadn't shrunk. But something captured my attention! They were two sparrows. I must explain that sparrows are an endangered species in Bangalore. So, to come across sparrows is a very rare, yet pleasant event. At sight of those perfect little birds, my rage dissipated. Poof! Such a simple event had a huge impact on me!

My experience that day, made me realise how the smallest things can effect, if you allow it to. This things could be good. For instance a gentle smile from a friend, a sincere compliment, or even a clear blue sky can make you feel pretty darn good. I always find a chuckle made by a friend at my joke, pretty comforting, even if the chuckle was just out of pity.

Bad stuff happens. Sometimes things so minor like a smirk, an item out of place of in my case a missed bus, can irritate you. The cause of your annoyance could be even someone rather than a thing. Don't try denying it. Everyone has at least one person they come across who just know the exact word to utter in order to tick you off. These are horrific stuff, but they are unavoidable. They make you feel like 'ignorance is a bliss'.

In a day you come across so many events. They could be absolutely terrible of just the opposite. Unfortunately the mind remembers the horrible events far more better than the good ones. But, you should realise that it is YOUR mind. Don't ponder over the bad stuff. Move on! Focus on the good things! Acknowledge every tiny thing that pleases you. It could be anything from the sight of luscious green grass to the smell of an old book or the taste of a really good coffee. Look at such stuff! By doing so, you might just feel "The world isn't bad after all". 

Good ways to spend your holidays!

Well if you are a student like moi, then you are not new to spending boring afternoons during your vacation with absolutely nothing to do. Well say good bye to lazy days, because I know how to make the best of your holidays!

I am an engineering student. So I enjoy a generous three months of vacation provided by my college between academic years. How did I enjoy those months? Most of my friends spent their holidays eating and sleeping. But there is a huge problem with this "colorful" plan of their's, that is, the regret that follows the vacations. Having noticed that defect in that plan at the start, I tried making most of all my days.

My father is an Engineer. So, I did a sort of internship at his office for a month. I learnt a lot over that month. I would say it was a month spent more than well. If you are a student, I suggest you take up a learning course. It could be anything. A new language, calligraphy, writing, drawing. Or you could take up a dance or music class. Anything that pleases your mind. I have friends who joined aerobics classes, swimming classes and gyms to trim up. And boy, did it work(for most of them)!

I started this blog during my holidays. It has helped me. I spent a lot of my free time thinking of what to write, of what inspires me. This blog has helped me organise my thoughts more efficiently. If you are interested in writing, a blog is a great way to pass time. Even if you are just a person who has a lot to say but not many to say it to, a blog is the right way to go. Writing is a great way of utilizing time. If you enjoy stories, then write one!

During my vacation I started looking into digital art. My previous post is a good example of digital art. Its very tedious work. But the end result makes you feel it was worth it. Art is time consuming. Heck any type of work is time consuming. But if you dig it (like The Beatles say), then you won't notice the clock tick by.

Indulge your creative side. I redid my mum's garden during my vacation. Now looking at the garden, I feel good about the work I did. I've written about my landscaping project on this blog:
http://anything-can-be-something.blogspot.in/2012/08/landscaping-part-i.html
http://anything-can-be-something.blogspot.in/2012/08/landscaping-part-ii.html
You too can take up any activity like that. Off the top of my head, I always wanted to create a short movie of my own. Get a video camera, or rent it if you don't own one! Capture things that inspire you!

If you aren't interested in any of the above, take a vacation from vacation. Go out! It could be with friends or family. I spent a week in Mysore and another in pune during those 3 months. You can't complain when you are on a vacation away from home.

There are so many other ways you can spend your vacation. You can take up volunteer work. I have a friend who started teaching at a government school to junior highschool students. But whatever you do, you have to keep up with it. Trust me, you'll want to give up in the middle. But don't! Like I said, Perseverance is a feisty thing! And once classes start again, believe me, you'll feel really good when you notice that you used your holidays well. Happy vacations!

My first try at digital art!

I've always been interested in art. I sketch certain things when I get a chance. But before I continue I must say I am an amateur! I recently downloaded a sketchbook app on my macbook. I thought I'd try converting one of my sketches into digital art. The art I picked was a sketch I had done of jaguar E-type. So this is how much I've progressed:

My initial sketch

The outline created using sketchbook app

After addition of colour

I'll still keep working on it. I created the final picture by using many layers. I used different layers to lay down my initial sketch, the outline, the base colour, the aluminium work(Grey), the reflections. By merging all the layers, I got the final image. I was pretty pleased with the result since it was my first time.

You can also use paint.net, pinta or adobe photoshop to create your own artwork. Hope you guys give it a shot. Happy drawing!

A Moment

By Namita Anil Kumar

A couple of days ago I was on stumble upon and I came across a website that hosted innovative videos. One of the videos were truly inspiring. The video was about what signifies a moment. Well, it got me thinking. What signifies a moment?

I am not talking about moment - an interval of time. I want to know what makes a person tell "That was a special moment in my life!"

According to the dictionary a moment is - "A particular period of importance, influence, or significance in a series of events or developments" (http://www.thefreedictionary.com)

That doesn't even begin to describe a moment! So lets get down to it. According to me, a description of a moment varies from person to person. Just like how I said that definition of 'Win' differs from person to person. To understand the meaning of a moment, I thought it would be best to consider some examples:

The first thing that comes to my mind is my dog. I would consider the first time she came home as a great moment. She was just a pup. She was excited, scared. She missed her mum. That night, she fell asleep on my lap. Just looking back at that moment, brings a smile upon my face.

I guess for parents, the first time they laid eyes on their kid would qualify to a beautiful moment. For them, almost every point of time they made progress with their kid is a spectacular moment. The first word, the first step, the first shot, the first day of school are all significant moments.

A moment needn't be a happy one. It could be painful. It could the first you fell down off your bicycle; The first time someone broke your heart; The first time someone yelled at you or the other way around;  The time you lost a loved one; Or it could just be a horrible nightmare. It might have been terrible, but it is something you look back upon. It isn't easily forgotten.

A moment could even be a silly one like the first candy; the first time you saw a clown; the time you made a fool out of yourself. It might be the most stupid moment. But it is some thing to laugh about after the moment passed.

A moment could be one of anxiety. The first time you had perform on stage; A time when you had to stand up against wrong doing; If you are able to overcome your fear and accomplish the task at hand, you end up creating a proud moment.

A moment could be very brief, even just a second. It could a period when you received a compliment. It could be a giggle. It could also be the first time you used a foul word. You might not remember those moments now. But at that time, it made you think.

A moment could be sad, scary, happy or angry. There are many sorts of moments. The above mentioned instances were just a few that ran through my mind as I watched that video I mentioned in the beginning. I have provided the link to the video. So, I ask you, to take a moment to look at it.
http://vimeo.com/8189067

There are so many moments in our lives. Some we remember, and some we don't. I guess, a moment is a period which has an impact on us. Finally, we are the ones who create them. So go out! Create some beautiful moments!

The SIMPLE bicycle pump

There are so many items we use in our daily lives. But, do we know how these items work? It will amaze you when you learn how much of thought is gone in to making these important, yet simple articles. In this post I wanted to look at the working of a simple bicycle pump.

Here is the layout of a bicycle pump: 

PARTS

Created by Namita Anil Kumar

It consists of 7 basic parts:

1. Body - The outside of the pump.
2. Compression Chamber - The area where the air is stored and undergoes compression.
3. Hose - Connects the compression chamber to the tyre valve.
4. Piston - Compresses the air.
5. Inlet Valve - A one way valve valve that allows air to flow into the compression chamber.
6. Outlet Valve - A one way valve that allows the air from the compression chamber to flow through the hose.
7. Handle

MECHANISM

The functions of each part will be evident by looking at the mechanism of the pump.

• Consider a pump with its piston is at the lowest position. At this position the space with in the body above the piston is filled with air from outside the body. At this point both the valves are closed. The hose is attached to the tyre valve. In the first step, the user pulls the handle up. When the hose is connected to the tyre the air present in the tyre occupies the the space in the hose. But the air in the hose doesn't enter the compression chamber due to the outlet valve.

• Piston rises & Air enters: 

When the user puls the handle upwards the piston rises. When the piston rises the inlet valve opens and the air from the area on top of the piston is pushed into the compression chamber. The air flows through the inlet valve. The inlet valve does not allow the air to flow back out of the compression chamber. During this process the outlet valve remains closed.

• Piston lowers: 

When the user pushes the handle downwards the piston lowers. When the piston lowers the air in the compression chamber gets compressed. During this process the inlet valve is closed. And the outlet valve is remains closed till a particular extent. While the piston is lowered fresh air is sucked into the area above the piston from outside the body of the pump.

• Outlet valve opens & Tyre inflates:

When the piston is lowered the pressure of the air in compression chamber increases due to compression. When the pressure of the air in the chamber exceeds the pressure of the air in the hose (ai that was previously present in the tyre), the outlet valve opens. Then the compressed air enters through the outlet valve and the hose, into the tyre. 

Then the process repeats itself. On further pulling and pushing of the handle the tyre finally inflates.

This is the working of a basic bicycle pump. Certain pumps can be fitted with a pressure gauge.

Pumps vary upon the types of valves that are used. None the less the working principle is the same as mentioned above i.e. they all open when the pressure exceeds a particular level.

*all the images have been created by myself, Namita Anil Kumar.

So now that you know how a pump works, I hope you acknowledge its technology the next time you use your pump (assuming you ride a bicycle). Happy riding!