how much can google do??

Google is perhaps the search engine that people most frequently use......they use it to search for information. and what did I use it for??? to track my good old 10th standard english teacher! yeah she was one of my favs in school......and left school when I was in 12th std.........post that I lost track of her......and a year ago I suddenly decided to google her name and see what comes up....just one click and I was taken to the faculty page of SP jain institute of management and there she was!...I had found her....got in touch with her and its been an amazing one year of being in touch with her!....got her onto orkut as well!!....

well google is indeed a great search engine!!

adopt a child

Everytime I see a couple running to an infertiltiy clinic and spending lakhs of rupees just to have a baby, I wonder why they dont think of adoption. there are so many homeless children, who are waiting to be given a home and to be loved. why cant each of us bring one home instead of producing our own progeny! so what is the baby doesnt look like u! the baby grows in your heart not your womb- thats the only difference. I definitely want to adopt a baby soon- and all those of you who wish to do so- log into www.adoptionindia.nic.in for further details.

compassionate indeed!

I am a dog lover too and I think CUPA is doing a wonderful job. thanks popsie for letting me know about it. would love to volunteer for such stuff. Mongrels are definitely a stronger breed. they can fight for themselves. and dogs of any kind are loyal beyond belief!......need we say thathttp://www.chitchatqueen.blogspot.com/

property on the moon!

BUY YOUR PROPERTY ON THE MOON


At a time, when property prices are at an all time high, there are a few people who have made other choices. Some chose to live in rented homes, some decide they will wait for a better time to buy property. But I met one gentleman who has done something totally different. He bought property on the moon! Ever heard of that? Yes, that’s the latest in the field of property marketing. Buying plots on the moon and even acquiring citizenship of the moon is the in thing now.

21 year old Yasser Rehmaan, a youngster who is mainly into property dealing and stocks trading, decided he wanted to do something different for his 21st bday – the 6th of April 2007! A total net buff, he came across a site selling plots on the moon one day as he was surfing the net. But how was he so sure he is dealing with the right person and was actually buying property on the moon? “ the risk factor is always there, but it cost me just around $48, which is equivalent to about Rs 2000 in Indian currency and it is no big deal spending that much!” Yasser bought the plot not knowing whether he would even receive a receipt for the same. But he has been sent a certificate of citizenship, a picture of the moon , telling him where his plot is and a lot more. He has also been given mining rights- 5kms below the height of average terrain ( BHAT). His certificates are from Newyork. His plot is in the lake of dreams area which according to him is a prime property and will fetch him a good fortune 50 years down the line!

Property prices on the earth, might be sky high, but you can buy your share on the moon at a very reasonable price. So log onto www.fullmoonatlas.com and make your choice.

an affair to remember.......my mama and mami!!

An Affair to Remember

By Vernon Fernandez (’04 EEE) & Sandip Gangakhedkar (’05 EEE)
In the year 1960, a young Brij Bhushan entered the gates of the Birla Engineering College, to study for his Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering. His batch was the first of the newly conceived five year course. His batch also achieved another first when they graduated in December 1964, the first batch of the newly formed Birla Institute of Technology.
Mrs. Champa Bhushan finished her Bachelor’s Degree in Electronics and Communications at the Jadhavpur University of Calcutta. Her brother, who was teaching at Pilani at the time, convinced her to do her Masters at BITS, instead of IIT Kharagpur which was her first choice. She joined BITS in 1964 to do her Master’s in Electronics and Communication. For Mr. Bhushan, fate played an important role here…
Mr. Bhushan returned in 1965 after being offered a teaching position by Prof I J Nagrath, the then HOD of the Electrical Department. While he taught here, he was also working on his Master’s degree. Mrs. Champa Bhushan also taught here, from 1966 to 1969. They met while teaching, and the rest, as they say, is history. Mr. and Mrs. Bhushan hold the distinction of being the first couple in Pilani, as they were married here… (The reception was catered for by Volga). After their marriage, they headed to the United State of America for higher studies. After working in Bell Labs and Bell Northern Research, they moved to Washington DC in 1980.
In 1986, Mr. Bhushan was asked by his employer at that time, GTE Telnet to start and head a consultancy division. Feeling that, if he could do it for their company, he could as well do it on his own, he started the Reston Consultancy Group. In 1993, Mrs. Bhushan joined the company as well. Today it is a thriving business, well known in the networking sector.

In 2006, Mr. and Mrs. Bhushan returned to BITS, as guest lecturers for one semester. We spoke to them about their life, their work and BITS.
Can you tell us a little about your life at BITS?
Mr. Bhushan: We never had any festivals like Oasis in our day, but the level of participation in sports was much higher. We used to participate at the state level in Inter-collegiate events. I captained the Badminton team in my third and fourth year. At that time, the NCC was also more active among students. I reached the rank of Sergeant in the NCC, which is the highest rank a student cadet can achieve. C’Not, which even at that day housed old favorites like Annapoorna and Volga was also frequented a lot.
What was it like to start your own company?
Mr. Bhushan: It was a bit scary at first, but I knew I could do it. Since she (points to Mrs. Bhushan) was working at the time, I knew we wouldn’t starve. It feels better to be my own boss.
Why did you decide to come back?
Mr. Bhushan: Prof. L K Maheshwari, had extended an open invite to all the alumni, asking them to come back and share some of their experiences. We met him once or twice in the past few years when he visited the States. In fact, this is like a sabbatical for us. We felt that we had to give back something to the Institute.
How do you feel about coming back?
Mrs. Bhushan: I was a bit apprehensive at first, but he convinced me. We made a trip down here last year to check out what we might need. The institute was very helpful, from receiving us at Delhi to taking care of our every need.
Mr. Bhushan: I usually plan for every contingency, leaving nothing to chance. I had even bought a set of condiments from Delhi, not sure if we could get the same in Pilani. On the first day we arrived, we found that the Institute had taken great pains to cater to every single need we might have. They even went to the extent of ensuring we had a tea-strainer. With the new facilities like Akshay, we have no trouble getting everything we need.
You’ve come back to teaching as a profession after more than three decades in the industry. What are the biggest differences?
Mr. Bhushan: Teaching is a profession that requires a lot of dedication. The lack of monetary recompense is a huge deterrent for people wishing to become teachers. However, if you are sure that this is what you want to do, I say go for it. In the industry, though such a large number of people are well paid, only a very small percentage of them are happy. The teaching profession has a much larger percentage of people who are happy and satisfied. You can see it in Pilani. Once you’ve taught for five to ten years, you can stay a teacher forever. There is a barrier between the industry and teaching in India, which will reduce gradually as more and more Research and development work in universities occurs.
Now that you are teaching at BITS again, do you find the attitudes of students have changed?
Mr. Bhushan: Well, the students are definitely a lot more disciplined and eager to learn. In our time, the teacher would be tested to see if they could control the class. I guess this focus comes from the amount of competition these days.
Seeing as you’ve studied both in the United States and India, what do you find different in the style of teaching?
Mrs. Bhushan: The textbooks, course materials and course structure are usually all the same, but the universities in America lay a lot more emphasis on hands on experience. They teach you to think critically, while here, students are taught to learn critically. I’ll give you an example from my class here at BITS… the students were given a problem for an open book test, that was exactly the same as the problem in the text-book. Only a few values were changed. However, most of the class the problem copied directly out of the text, and thus lost marks. The skills to think rationally are not imparted.
Mr. Bhuhan: The Indian way of teaching is different. You can’t change one institution. You need to steer the entire education system. I believe it’ll happen slowly in the coming years. In any case, Indian students do well over there, learning the skills needed really fast.
Mrs. Bhushan: There’s another difference. In the western countries, students are very curious. They question everything; from their teachers to the textbook. They are encouraged to do so. For some Indian students, the textbooks are Gospel truth, even the misprinted ones.
The inevitable question: How do you think BITS compares to the IITs?
\Mrs. Bhushan: The IITs and their alumni are much better organized. Among BITSians, the Alumni network is more social than business oriented. The IITs also have much better PR, which comes from their organization. Otherwise, there isn’t any difference in the students.
Mr. Bhushan: Most of the Indian engineers working in my company were IITians, and they would rib me about being a BITSian. I said, ‘you may be from IIT, but at the end of the day, your paycheck carries a BITSian’s signature’. I also feel that in the coming years, with the quota system and other factors, the quality of students entering the IITs will reduce. At this time, BITS should capitalize by widening the dragnet and getting an even better quality of students. At least BITS has not spawned an ancillary industry which prepares people for our entrance exam. We should maintain the quality, perhaps by a constantly changing exam pattern.
What advice do you have for the students of today?
Mr. Bhushan: One of the first things I would like to tell them is not to be content with only one degree. There are only about 35 PhDs in computer science in India every year, while the jobs requiring PhDs are almost a hundred. You might take four to five more years to get your higher degree, but you’ll make up the money in the next five years because of the difference in the pay scales. Never think you can come back to studies after joining the industry… it just doesn’t happen. So decide now which higher degree you wish to pursue, and do it.
If studying for a higher degree, should students prefer going for an MS or an MBA?
Mrs. Bhushan: The choice completely depends upon the student. Based on his or her skills, abilities and interests, the student must make the choice. You might not be mature enough to make it just now, but the world is too competitive to wait for you. There is a need for proper career counseling and career advice.
Mr. Bhushan: The student should decide which stream they’re heading into by the end of the third year. Once you’ve made your decision, you ought to stick with it. And yes, career counseling could really help at this time.
In your opinion, are there any downsides to studying in Pilani?
Mrs. Bhushan: Pilani is an excellent place, but the students lead a very sheltered life here. They aren’t exposed to the outside world. The students have no experience with bureaucracy before they start their jobs.
Mr. Bhushan: The Practice school training does help, but the students are still very sheltered. However, they will soon learn what they need to in the school of hard knocks.

hitler

thats the hitler to whom my blog is dedicated!........my kitten......he died when he was 9 months old.........miss u hitler boy!

changing times

CHANGING TIMES


Today, the world is going through a drastic change. Both husband and wife go to work. Today, the responsibility of bringing up the child is not just with the mother, but also with the father. Earlier the father’s duty was to earn money for the house and the mother’s duty was to look after the child, today the scenario is totally different. With women’s education growing by leaps and bounds, and the increasing expenses, even the lady at home goes to work. Both husband and wife are equally well educated and at equally high posts. So, even at home they have equal responsibility of bringing up the children. Today, in no way is the husband at a position higher than the wife. If the husband is a president of the company then the wife is also a senior manager in another company. If the husband has to travel a lot on work then the wife is also out all day long working. In such situations both husband and wife have equal responsibilities of taking care of the children. If they both are working, then they consider having a child as a big responsibility. Today the number of couples who don’t want children is fast increasing. And in live in relationships there is no question of children.

In such families, if a daughter is born, then her upbringing is completely in the hands of both the parents. The mother naturally knows how to bring up the child, but today even the father should know how to take care of the child. Now the question arises “ how will the father learn to take care of his daughter?” will he be her natural tender self, or will he bring her up in a tough way because he is a man. In the recent times this is a growing challenge for men.

Today there are several books available in the market, which help the father prepare himself for this new responsibility. In such a situation, the daughter learns things naturally from the father. The father cannot take the mother’s place, but he can easily inculcate good values in his daughter. Over a period of time, the father influences the daughter. The daughter notices that the father’s decision is the final decision in every matter. She naturally learns to take her own decisions. She does not depend on others for her small needs. She is not afraid of anything and is bold like boys. Children seem to notice everything that the father does. If the father talks rudely then the daughter also learns to talk that way. In such cases, the father has to be very careful. He is a role model for this daughter. Her father from a very young age itself influences the daughter. Until the age of 5, the father is a hero for his daughter. Her daddy is the best and can do anything in this world. Nobody in this world is like her dad. Between the age of 5 and 10 she likes her dad but finds him very strict. As she attains maturity, she begins to distance herself from her dad. Here she needs her mother more than anybody else. With the physical and emotional changes that she is undergoing she finds her dad like a jailer. She does not like restrictions and the father tries to impose restrictions on her. The daughter begins to look at her father’s disciplinary nature as sternness and she begins to oppose him. She enjoys arguing with him. Dad is now Hitler for her in her late teens. She does not like talking to him. But with growing age she understands the need for a father and begins to like her dad once again. While choosing her hero, she looks for a reflection of dad in him. She begins to compare her hero and her dad and once again she becomes very close to her dad. She has a very emotional relationship with her dad. Her daddy once again becomes her hero.

call the old man

CALL THE OLD MAN!

We live in a posh building in a centrally located area in Chennai. Our building consists of just eight flats. One morning somebody rang our doorbell. As I opened the door I found a gentleman standing at the door. He said, “ One old man lives here. I would like to meet him.”
I said “ but there is no old man who lives here.
“ No no. He lives here only. I saw him go into this flat yesterday only.”

Just then the watchman interrupted and said “ I think he is asking for your father.”
“ Uncle you were asking for some old man that’s why I said that no old man lives here.”
“ The watchman says that the old man lives here only.”

Baba heard our conversation and came out. As soon as he saw the gentleman he said, “ Please come in Mr. Bhushan, why are you standing outside.”

I felt ashamed and said “ uncle I am sorry. My baba lives in this house and not any old man.”

I justified my statement by saying “ I never think my baba is old. He is just my baba.”

Uncle heard my statement and said “ that is the love of daughters. They never find their parents growing old.”

my father when I was

MY FATHER WHEN I WAS…....


4 years old : my daddy can do anything
5 years old : my daddy knows a whole lot
6 years old : my dad is smarter than your dad
8 years old : my dad doesn’t know exactly everything
10 years old: In the olden days when my dad grew up, things were sure
different
12 years old: oh, well naturally , father doesn’t know anything about that. He is too old to remember his childhood.

14 years old : don’t pay any attention to my father. He is so old fashioned!

21 years old : him? My lord, he’s hopelessly out of date.

25 years old : dad knows a little bit about it, but then he should because he has been around so long.

30 years old : Maybe we should ask dad what he thinks. After all, he’s had a lot of experience

35 years old : I’m not doing a single thing until I talk to dad.

40 years old : I wonder how dad would have handled it. He was so wise and had a world of experience.

50 years old : I’d give anything if dad were here now so I could talk this over with him. Too bad I didn’t appreciate how smart he was. I could have learned a lot from him.

ANN LANDERS
TAKEN FROM “ CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL”

my hero then........and now