Appalled, horrified and disgusted

{ March 21, 2008 @ 7:47 pm } · { opinion }
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These are some of the few adjectives that come across my mind when I see the way the Indian media is handling the horrific murder of Scarlett Keeling.

A young 15 year old girl was drugged, raped and left to die on a beach in Goa. I saw an episode of “We the People” on NDTV recently, and the attitude of the people and the media in general really shocked and disgusted me.

The show had a mix of Indians, tourists (from the UK mostly) and Goans to give the show a wide perspective. But what I saw from Indians and Goans was totally cheap and underhanded tactics to evade the controversy. It seems like the media and in general – the Indian public have become more or less defensive of this issue rather than face the situation. Goans especially seemed to take it a little too personally and most of them were singing songs praising Goa. I mean sure Goa is a great place and all – it doesn’t change the fact that an under-aged girl got killed there. So stop making excuses for yourself and take some responsibility. Find the a******s who did this and hang them. (I also personally feel that the punishment for rape should be capital punishment) A certain Mr. Sequiera who was a part of the show was mindlessly defending the police (and Goa) – wish I could post his comments, but his arguments were not worth remembering. I don’t think anybody or anything can defend this terrible incident.

Well its great to see Indians all uniting for a common cause – but here – it was all about ganging up on a mother who lost her child. Most Indians on this show were all about victimizing Fiona MacKeown and brutally criticizing her parenting skills. It was disturbing to see that it was mostly women who were rebuking Fiona and blaming her for her daughter’s death. One would have thought that women would have empathized with another woman who lost her child…… Nevertheless, instead of addressing the real issue at hand, which is the terrible crime committed by Indian men – they were focusing on Fiona, highlighting her parenting skills (which I will agree were at best – mediocre) and holding her responsible for her daughter’s death.

I have to give it to the Indian media for being so thorough and meticulous in their homework. Lets see some of the aspects of this case that news channels and news papers were talking about -

1. Fiona is a bad irresponsible mother – (Okay I agree that’s true – but is it so important that the real culprits seem to be completely sidelined???)

2. Fiona stabbed a sex pest trying to get fresh with a friend – (actually I applaud her for that)

3. Her home in Devon is crap – (This is important to the case because???)

4. She takes drugs – (well she didn’t rape her daughter did she???)

5. Scarlett was sexually active as a minor – (Wake up people – a lot of Indian minors are too – I don’t think it justifies rape and murder)

6. Well it happens in UK as well – (Oh yes – why don’t we all start hacking people with machetes – happened in Rwanda)

And then we have totally incompetent ministers like Ravi Naik – who is unfortunately the Home minister for Goa. The government of Goa not only tried to cover up the tragedy but is also trying to ban Fiona to re enter India. These politicians are using these aggressive tactics only because they realize that their dirty laundry is being aired in public. What do they have to hide? What are they afraid of? Its quite pathetic that we did not have a single leader who could stand up and face the truth – A 15 year old was raped and murdered – IN GOA!!!! It is about time that we face the problems of drug/substance abuse in Goa – but oh wait – that is never going to happen because our respectable political leaders are already knee deep in this business.

Check the link out below for more information.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Goa_doesnt_want_Fiona_to_come_back/articleshow/2875465.cms

Yes I agree that Fiona was a terrible and completely irresponsible mother. She was stupid to leave her daughter with a stranger. But why are we Indians focusing on that?? Are we so ashamed that we cannot face and accept that this crime occurred in OUR LAND? Do we not have the guts to feel sorry that this happened in our country? Do we not have the competence to find and punish the perpetrators of this heinous crime? Why in the world are we focusing on all aspects except for the murder? Why cant we all raise our voices against the men who committed this murder?

India has always been welcoming to foreigners. I also know that most Indians have honour and integrity and would be ashamed as this event has scarred our accepting and hospitable image. However, to see this cowardice and general lack of outraged shown by Indians has saddened me. I would like to see Indians show a little more responsibility – this is our country and it is our job to make it safe and attractive for tourists. We need to set our own standards and not look to other countries as a benchmark. Many Indians live safely and comfortably in the UK, US and Gulf – its about time that we learn the hospitality we so proudly preach.

Easy vs. Difficult

{ February 28, 2008 @ 3:24 pm } · { Notes on Life }
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I came across this real eye opening article in a local magazine and decided to put it up on my blog. It’s one of those things that are supposed to make you realize how empty and hollow your life is =) But I liked the article and am putting it up anyway. It’s a comparison between the easy and the hard things in life. I liked it because it makes you think about the important things in life (for a couple of seconds anyway), and hopefully, if you read it enough, one day – you might actually implement some of the message it is trying to convey. Anyways – I am all for feel good – ‘lets try to improve ourselves’ kind of articles. So read it – and become a better person!!

   

easy

Difficult

Judging the mistakes of others

Recognizing our own mistakes

Talking without thinking

Refraining your tongue

Hurting people who love us

Healing their wounds

Forgiving others

Asking for forgiveness

Setting rules

Following them

Giving advice

Practicing it

Having dreams

Pursuing them

Showing off your victory

Accepting defeat with dignity

Making promises

Keeping them

Saying – “I Love You”

Showing it everyday

Criticizing others

Improving ourselves

Making mistakes

Learning from them

Weeping for lost love

Taking care not to lose it

Thinking about improving

Getting down to doing it

Making promises

Keeping them

Receiving things from people

Giving to people

Making friends

Keeping them

Reading this

Following it

I changed it a little bit (sort of fine tuned it) I later googled this article and found it all over the web. Not really sure who came up with it – but whoever did – I applaud him/her for this extremely will written message. I am not really a changed person – but it does give me something to think about now.

Tips to help you pull an “All Nighter”

{ February 28, 2008 @ 2:48 pm } · { Student Life }
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So, the day before your crucial exam, you realize that your knowledge of the subject is pretty much restricted to the course outline you received on the first day of classes. You deferred both your midterms and with panic, you realize that this final counts for 100% of your grade in this course. In a last ditch attempt to salvage your grade (coupled with the fear of a failing grade ruining your already falling GPA), you decide to pull what we call in university as – “The All – Nighter”.

An important thing you have to remember about all-nighters is that there is no room for panic. Panic leads to distraction causing you to lose focus and in all eventuality – you will fail. You have to control your fears and emotions – and concentrate only on the impossible task ahead – learning fifty chapters in a course where you skipped every class – in one night.

If you decide to go down the All – Nighter route, first of all – congratulations!! Fighting the biological need to sleep is not an easy task. From my own personal experiences – I will try to present to few tips and some good advice to help you keep your resolve to stay up the night before the exam.

  1. The most important thing is to GET OUT OF YOUR ROOM/APARTMENT!! (As you can see – its #1 on my list). Basically, you need to get away from any place which has a bed or a couch. At 3 am in the morning, its very tempting to take a 20 minute ‘nap’ and before you know it- you will be snoozing through your exam.
  2. Chew some gum. Gum keeps your mouth moving and helps you stay awake. Even better is to chew some minty gum. Somehow the refreshing mint flavour made me more alert.
  3. DO NOT lie down and study. You will never stay awake – worse, you will probably drool on your books. Its best to stay up straight, preferably on a small, hard, uncomfortable chair. Large comfy office chairs with armrests are a big NO NO. You will probably find yourself sleeping curled up on the chair.
  4. A highly effective technique I learnt from my Chinese friends in university. Apply some tiger balm under your nose, behind your ears and on your temples. The pungent feeling on your skin will definitely not let you sleep.
  5. Try stimulating beverages like tea, coffee, energy/sports drinks, coke. This list is in increasing order of strength and efficacy and every subsequent drink should only be taken if the previous one fails to keep you up.. Many of my friends recommend red bull. Towards the end of my university life, I had practically become immune to all such drinks. In such cases try milk chocolate.
  6. Study in a brightly lit room. Dim lights have a strangely hypnotic and sleep inducing effect on most people.
  7. Study in a 24/7 library or some engineering lab (engineers generally come up with their brilliant ideas at odd hours of the night). Lots of people around means that you will probably feel self conscious about sleeping in public and more motivated to work. If you are using a computer, you will be less tempted to waste your time watching videos or playing games. You might also find friends to constantly wake you up when you fall asleep. In the end, its just soothing to watch other unfortunate souls like yourself suffer as well.
  8. Stay away from warm cozy areas. If you don’t fall asleep on the spot, you might just find yourself longing for your warm bed back at home.
  9. Stock yourself with lots of food and snacks. Munching on stuff keeps you awake and also replenishes all that energy your brain is using up by cramming a semester worth of information in one night.
  10. Take short 5 minute breaks every 2 hours. Stretch your legs and take a short walk (preferably outside) Winters are the best – nothing like the cold icy blast of wind to wake up your senses.

I don’t really endorse all nighters – and doing it too often can actually ruin your physical and mental health. I believe that one should only pull an all – nighter in the most extreme case. (This of course does not apply to engineering students – for whom all – nighters are a way of life =) In the end, the best way to prepare for any exam is to start studying early!! Happy Cramming!!

30 pieces of silver!!

{ February 9, 2008 @ 4:56 pm } · { Notes on Life }
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When things aren’t really going your way – I guess you become a real sucker for feel good morale boosting anecdotes. At-least – that’s what is happening to me right now. I got this little story in an email at work – and was really impressed with the message it sent out – so here I am sharing it with the world (or the very very very few who actually visit my blog =)

A motivational leader (Lets call him Scott) was giving a speech to a group of people as part of an elaborate leadership workshop. He held out a $100 bill and asked – “who would like to have $100?” At this point, a hundred hands shot up in the air. Scott then crumpled up the $100 bill and asked again – “who would like to have this $100 bill?” Again, a hundred hands shot up in the air. Scott then threw the $100 bill on the floor and repeatedly jumped on it. He then asked again – “who would like to have $100 now?” This time, yet again, a hundred hands shot up in the air. 

Scott then proceeded to give his deep and inspiring insight – “My friends” – he said – “This just goes to show – that no matter how much I crumple or stamp on the 100$ bill – everybody still wants it. The bill didn’t lose its value even when I crushed it and tarnished it.”

In fact, the same theory pretty much applies to life as well. There will be times, people and circumstances which will make you feel like total crap, and you feel down and depressed, but remember what you are worth, because no one can take that away from you. (Also remember to rate yourself pretty high otherwise this entire exercise will be totally pointless =)

As for the title of this post – “30 pieces of silver” – that’s how much Jesus was sold for. (I am not a christian – so I don’t really know the exact details) – but this just proves that even great men have been undervalued. So what I am trying to say is that – it is up to you to set your own standards in life and not let your life be dictated by what others value you to be.

How do you drive your car?

{ February 8, 2008 @ 2:59 pm } · { Notes on Life }
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I am not going through the greatest time of my life at this point. In fact, these days, it seems like everything I touch turns to dust. There are so many road bumps in my path and all I want is to have a smooth journey for once. It’s seriously depressing and mentally exhausting!! At times like these, I like to pluck from my memory, an incident, which I can convolve to construe a neat moral story because sometimes seemingly small unimportant events in your life can have a much deeper meaning. I fondly remember this one particular incident which has really taught me a very valuable lesson in life and it also forms the basis for this post.

During my summer holidays, I was out with a couple of girl friends in Dubai. Within my eclectic mix of friends, I also had a friend who was fabulously wealthy. (Maybe it’s because of the “rich girl = big snob” stereotype, I am very compelled to add that she is also one of the nicest people I have ever met in my life) Moving on… we were getting ready to head back home, me in my mom’s 8 year old Nissan sunny, and my friend in her (lets take a deep breath) - Brand New Silver MERCEDES SLK Convertible. Anyways, as we get into our respective cars, my dear friend looks at me with a sly grin and says – “Wanna race?”

Ordinarily any person in their right mind would realize that this would be a pretty one sided race. I mean how can a beat up 8 year old car compete with a flashy new sports car, especially one that goes from 0 – 60mph in 5 seconds?

But then again – C’est moi!! I consider myself to be a pretty hot driver, and other than my dad, I have yet to meet someone who can drive better than me. (This does not include professional and stunt drivers by the way) And just the word “race” has this strange effect of provoking me and arousing my super competitive spirit.

Needless to say, within minutes, my friend was way ahead of me. However, thanks to a red traffic light and some slick maneuvering on my part, I ended up right next to her and in front of the red lights. The lights turned green, and I hit the accelerator with full force - only to see my car remain completely stationary while my friend zoomed ahead. I quickly switched off the AC (oh and trust me this helps when you want your car to accelerate) and my car slowly surged ahead. I wasn’t out of the race yet, there were still a few more kilometers to go and I was generously cursing my car when the crazy traffic in Dubai unexpectedly came to my aid. Up ahead I saw my friend completely enclosed by non moving cars and realized that this was the time to use my awesome and aggressive car steering techniques to plow my way through the traffic.

In the end, I won the race despite having an older and more inferior car – but that’s not what this story was about. The thing is, recently I have been feeling that life isn’t being fair to me at all. All around me, I see people getting these great opportunities, while for all my hard work throughout the years, I have only faced disappointment and rejection. What this story teaches me is that sometimes life hands you out a really crappy car, but you can still win the race, if you know how to drive it. Furthermore, you can also beat the people with flashy cars. Because when the roads are clogged with traffic, its not the kind of car that you have but the kind of driver that you are – that’s going to help you win the race. Similarly in life - your success will not be determined by the opportunities that you get, but by the way you deal with the disappointments that come your way.

Hope this little anecdote gives you a tiny moral boost your lighten your spirits. Keep checking out my page for more of my motivating speeches. =) Peace out!!

The international student’s guide to start studying in Québec

{ January 31, 2008 @ 9:10 pm } · { Life in Canada }
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Québec is simply the most fabulous and magical province in Canada. It is also the only predominantly french province in Canada. I mean no disrespect for the other provinces, but Québec has truly stolen my heart. The culture, the heritage, the lifestyle, the people – I mean everything is a fantastic mix of North American and European cultures.

I think that Québec is the perfect place to get a wonderful student experience. I spent four years in Montreal for my undergraduate studies – and could not have asked for a better university or city to live in. I dont really know, may be its the french atmosphere, but other than the weather (it can get really really cold), Montreal is the perfect city for an international student. And here is why -

1. Legal drinking age is 18 in Quebec!!!! Thats the lowest in all of North America!!

2. It is home to 4 universities and many colleges/CEGEPs and has a huge student population and an even better nightlife.

3. You get to learn french!! (I personally picked up a little bit of french too and the great thing about this place is – you get to practice it – a lot)

4. Montreal is surprisingly multicultural….. You will be amazed to find all kinds of people here – french (obviously), africans, europeans, americans, latin americans, asians, south asians, arabs – and the cool part is – as a student, you will probably meet them all.

5. It is also a relatively safe city compared to a lot of other North American cities. I have been out alone at 3am in the morning and am still in one piece. Not to mention – a pretty good public transportation system.

6. Montreal also has an excellent collection of restaurants, cafes, bistros and bars offering international cuisines and great student prices.

7. Sure it gets really cold, but there are a lot of fun winter activities like skiing, snowboarding, ice skating and tubing – and I did them all for the first time in Montreal!!

8. It is culturally stimulating!! Whether you want to arouse your aesthetic senses in museums or are more inclined towards performing arts or just want good old fashioned fun and excitement of theme parks - its all there in Montreal. There are also some magnificient churches in Montreal. 

9. Summer is probably the best time to be in montreal. In a span of 3-4 months, you have the Montreal Grand Prix, and festivals like – Just for Laughs, Jazz festival, Francofolies (which is a festival featuring french language performers) and so many street sales.

10. Montreal is also close to most of the Metropolitans on the East Coast – Toronto, New York, Boston, Ottawa, Quebec City. What’s better, it is well connected to all these places with buses running nearly everyday.

Though I list only 10, there are many things about Montreal that make it a truly unique city. I think that most international students are not very inclined to study in Québec because of the french factor. Montreal would be the best place to study if you dont know any french as it is completely bilingual. McGill University (where I graduated from) is also ranked 12th in the world. Dont believe me? Check this link out – http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/hybrid.asp?typeCode=144

So if you plan to study in Québec, it would be good to be aware of the administrative and legal pain that you will have to go through as they dont make particularly easy for international students. I suppose they are justified as a Canadian education is also very cheap compared to universities in the US. 

For most international students, the legal paperwork for studying in Québec is a 2-step process. The first step is to obtain a CAQ (Québec acceptance certificate). It is sort of like getting permission from Québec to study there. The next part is to get a study permit from Canada. Most students will also need to get a temporary visa to be able to enter Canada. I say most because students from the US and some European countries don’t need a visa – just a study permit. Without confusing the reader any more, let me just start with the steps.

Step 1. Getting a CAQ

You will need to send a huge envelope with the following documents enclosed. The documents should be in English or French.

a. Completed CAQ form.

b. 100 CAD non refundable fees.

c. a passport size photograph

d. Aceptance letter from your university

e. A photocopy of your Passport (all pages that contain your personal information)

f. Financial documents to show that you have sufficient funds to pursue your studies. It would work in your favor to show enough funds for 2 years.

Minors (below 18) will need a letter from a guardian – a legal adult residing in Quebec. Most of the time, the dean of the university is happy to oblige – though you need to check this out – I know it happens at McGill. The site below has all the information you would need to obtain a CAQ including the forms (you will have to click a big orange button on the end of the page to get the forms) and also the address to send these documents.

http://www.immigration-quebec.gouv.qc.ca/en/immigrate-settle/students/obtaining-authorizations/certificat-acceptation/index.html

It takes up to 4 weeks for the CAQ to come through. Once you get that – it is then time for the study permit. To apply for a study permit – you need to collect all those documents mentioned above with a few minor changes (replace the CAQ application form with a study permit application, and the fees is now 125 CAD) and submit them to the Canadian Embassy closest to your place. For students from countries which require a visa to enter Canada – be prepared to shell out another 150 CAD. This site below puts together all the information you need rather nicely. It has a neat guide, forms and a document checklist to help you out while filling in the application form.

 http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/student.asp

And now you sit and wait till all your documents come through. You probably will be asked a lot of questions at immigrations when you enter Canada – things like what is your major?, why do you want to study this? etc etc. Word of advice – be really serious and enthusiastic about your major, they dont really want people who pretend to be students and then live in Canada illegally. So here is all the information you need to get all the paperwork done before you enter Quebec. Once you enter – I promise you will have the time to your life. Wish you a successful career and a very Happy Future!!

Blogger de débutant

{ January 19, 2008 @ 4:06 pm } · { Uncategorized }
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I enter this rapidly growing world of blogging as a complete novice. And as I sit down to write my first ever page (which is more like an introduction page really), I am quite confused and surprised as to how hard it is to actually write something meaningful. I mean, what is a blog? What do I write about? Should I write philosophically challenging articles or just rant about my opinions on life?

I am not really the most elegant writer, so, instead of posting psycho babble,  I have decided to write about things that can actually help people. Mostly, it would consist of my personal experiences, which, I believe can help others facing similar situations.

So… what can you expect to see in the coming weeks - at this point, I am working on guidelines and advice for college students and young graduates who have/are/will be facing many of the same issues that I did in college. Having just graduated from college about a couple of months ago, I am not qualified enough to be a counselor, but I have learnt a lot from my seniors and I just want to pass on my wisdom to anyone who wants it. And I also love giving advice!!! In the end, I would just be happy if all my rambling would make a difference in one person’s life. So keep checking this page out for the future. I am looking forward to this new art of blogging!!