Psyche funda

This post contains a lot of gibberish, therefore use your discretion before taking a glance below:

Machan I am hazzar psyched da...I am must have said this many times as my friend and me proceeded towards quark(eat out in iit), so much so that, while returning back to the hostel, he told me that he was also psyched. I asked him why..He said,"Look, we both are apping abroad, that's our first priority, we both need good recos(recommendation letters), and we need to get some good groundwork in our project before approaching the prof for a reco. Then why is it that I am not psyched while you are."
Me: "What about the case where you are psyched but you should not be, then you will be psyched that you are not 'not psyched' ".

The only case we didn't discuss is where you are not psyched before and you should not be psyched, therefore you dont have to be psyched that you are not 'not psyched'.

If we were to quantify the psychedness of an individual through a psyche function, then by neglecting the last case because of its small probability, it can be seen that the psyche function would be continuous throughout with a defined maxima and minima (both of them global).The maxima would be my case, where I am psyched when I should be, and the minima would be my friends case when he is not psyched when he should be psyched.

P.S: If you have come this far and you are psyched then you are somewhere between the minima and maxima of the psyche function.

Running away from running

The last week was really hectic and the last post was about just one of the many incidents which kept me on my feet. After running the 5k race a few weeks back, I developed a knee injury unlike anyother I have ever experienced. Actually I had some pain around the left of the knee cap before the race, despite which I ran the race. I was fine for upto 2 hrs after the race and then the real pain set in. As it is I had great difficulty walking around, I virtually had to hop and I had to remind myself that I wasn't crippled!, now, to climb stairs was even more of a ordeal. The situation stayed the same for 2 days, after which, slowly the pain started subsiding all the while lingering around.

Its been 2 weeks since then. Today I got some respite from my schedule and it also being a weekend, I thought of trying out a run in the stadium. I started out slow,but since I had been away too long ,my feet were raring to go fast, so I pushed the pace soon. It seemed like I was crusising along steadily after 5 rounds and then I was back to reality..the pain hadn't really vaished, it was just dormant, waiting for me to make my move. I should have stopped right then and there, but it seemed there were three other guys from our hostel out there slogging, now I was already fast, it wouldn't be good to slow down..so I pushed the pedal till finish.
When I came back to hostel, stair climbing never seemed so difficult..hell, I think I need a big break from running, atleast till this pain completely subsides, which I am not sure when....

Bad bad day

We all have our share of bad days..But this I consider close to the worst day I have ever had..
I had a self-study mid-sem exam on thursday..Just another quiz, all I had to do was get the required notes and mug through the night(last minute cramming) and I would ensure getting a score around the average of the class.
Now the time was 9:30 pm and I realised that I had to do something about getting the notes. The 'lost' series, which I was watching seemed too intersting to even think about the quiz...Also, the quiz was at 5pm the next day and common, I am in the 5th year..grades don't matter anymore..But still my conscience was hitting me...So I messaged one of my frnds and asked him about it..
Me: machan do you know wht to mug for tomorrow's quiz..it's at 5pm rite?
R: yeah, Other than the text book, I have nothing else with me.
Me: Textbook, what textbook?
R: Oh, don't u have it....there is a shitload to mug man
Me: (psyched)..Do other junta have it? How much do we have to mug from it?
R: I guess so..There are relevant portions from each chapter dude..
Me: Macha..I need to xerox it da..can u give it to me..
R: Ok..but get it soon..come fast..

I hurried to R's hostel, got the book and as I approached the taramani gate, where I normally xerox stuff, ..I thought to myself, worst case scenario, the xerox shop would be closed.Well, it was about to getting closed..I asked the shop guy, why so and he replied that he had had a long day and was closing early due to 'ayudha puja'...But wasn't ayudha puja yesterday? It was but they were taking it easy today...I tried convincing the guy that it was urgent..but in vain.
I returned the book to R and asked him when he was going to sleep so that I could take it from him then. I got the book from R at 2am, man the book was huge...600 pages to browse through...and somehow managed to do some mugging till 5am after which I couldn't hold my sleep and hit the bed...
I woke up with a jolt at 9am..I remembered that I had to xerox the book now and return it to R asap. I hurried to the same shop and he promised me to get it done by 10:30am.
When I arrived at 10:30am , I saw the guy there repairing the xerox machine...Oh hell!!

Me: what happened...have you xeroxed the book?
Shopguy(SG): No, there is some problem with the machine..
Me: Why didn't you tell me before itself?
SG: I didn't know sir.
Me: (reality strikes) Ok how long will it take...This book is my friends', I have to return it asap.
SG: Don't worry sir, half-hour for the machine repair and 10 mins for your book.
Me: What??...Ok do it fast..I am waiting here..

Meanwhile I was getting tensed up, I had to mug, my friend had to mug and nothing seemed to be happening.
Finally, at 11 am the guy starts xeroxing the book and...'shriek'..the machine stops..I ask him, what's happening? The guy says nothing...opens the machine and takes out a crumpled paper..
After xeroxing every 3-4 pages the same thing keeps happening....I get frustrated and tell the SG to stop xeroxing so that I can get it done elsewhere..
As I leave the shop to go to an adjacent xerox shop...the power goes out..Great!! Now what do I do...It's 11:30am, I have a class at 12 noon, which I can't miss due to shortage of attendance..and what about R? One of the guys fagging there nonchalantly, suggested that I go to our own xerox shop inside IIT, 'technographix'..

Me: But won't it be crowded ?
Nonchalant guy: Don't worry machan, pass on an extra buck and your job will be done...

This is my last resort as there is no othe xerox shop within a 5km radius....I hurry to this place and is heavily crowded, so I frantically convince one of the guys that I need this book xeroxed urgently..He asks me to come at noon...I am like wow..That's real fast considering so many pending books to be xeroxed.
I go to technographix at noon on my way to the class and the guy has just started xeroxing...I curse myself..I tell him that I would get back to him at 1pm after the class...
After the class, R asks me for the book..I tell him that I will get it to him soon..Now R is a real cool fellow and he doesn't say anything, but obviously he is as pained as me...He just replies saying get it asap.
I rush to the the xerox shop and the guy has not yet done the spiral binding of the books..I had given up by then and waited till the guy finished spiral binding it. I cycle back to department, and return the book finally to R with a lot of apoligies...R just smiles and says, atleast you got the book xeroxed..
I get to back to hostel, have my lunch and go to my room..I am really tired after whatever happened today..Just no energy to even open the book..I lie down for half-hour..and by now its 2pm..Three more hours..I managed to do what was possible in those three hours...Get a broad idea of what is there for the quiz by quickly browsing through the whole book real quick...
The paper was for 50 marks and fortunately for me 2 of the questions were general which I answered from previous fundaes from courses and for the others, I used my imagination!!

This incident, I think is a lesson in procrastination..Even if I had gone to the tarams xerox at 8:30pm, I wouldn't have had to put myself through the trials and tribulations I went through..It was a series of worst-case scenarios resulting in an effect which was orders of magnitude more than the average case scenario.

Memories of a scenic loaction

If I find my reccuring visits to this heavenly place an ever refreshing experience, that's beacuse of it's unfathomable beauty...

Walking along the beach...far ahead is where the backwaters just fall short of
joining the sea

A little disheveled from a long but enjoyable ride

In the distance..The bridge(ECR road) on the muttukadu lake





The only bird I could spot!




Fishermen at the totally desolated beach

12.5 laps

That was the distance of today's race..
The seminar which started at 3:00 pm and was supposed to get over by 4:30 pm got extended thanks to one of the students presenting on 'Stochastic Linear programming' for a good one hour. I had to rush from the seminar room at 4:50 pm as the race was supposed to start by 5:15 pm. When I reached the stadium at 5:10pm, I got to know that the race was to happen at 6:00 pm(darn!). Anyway, that gave me enough time to warmup. Meanwhile pole-vault was going and many people were attempting it for the first time, which resulted in many getting injured due to lack of technique. I was actually enjoying the time before the start of the race...chatting with a few other participants....This time (unlike last 5k), I managed to water the bushes well before the race, thereby starting the race along with everyone!!
The start saw me in the lead pack...I was 4th..After 3 laps, the third guy gave up and stopped.But at the same time, another guy overtook me and took his place. I wasn't pushing hard, as I wanted to have enough energy to accelerate in the end. The leading guy was by now a good 100m ahead of me. With 6 laps to go, I was 5th and feeling good. Another two laps and I was sort of struggling, but so was the guy ahead(G) of me. My aim in this race was to come 4th no matter what..So when I was failing to cover the gap between G and me, I just kept telling myself to try, try hard...I imagined a rope tied around his waist and I was pulling that rope so that I came closer to him...that helped!!...Now, there were just two laps left..I was 4th and the third guy was far ahead...so my plan was to just maintain the lead to finish.
As the last lap approached, I could hear G's breath nearby..I accelerated and it was very tough as he kept pushing the pace..The last 100m was an allout sprint to finish....I finished 4th and the third guy was from my hostel..Finally!!...Our hostel manages to get some points in athletics!!
My time came out to be 20:05 (previous best - 20:53)...My legs are really shot and I need some good(well deserved??) rest......

5k update

Chennai weather is really suck. I have been observing the past three weeks, the following pattern:
It gets really hot and humid two - three days before it rains and before you finish whining about the hot weather...bam! - Heavy shower for 2 - 3 hrs that makes the track literally useless. Even today, all was fine and dandy till 2pm and then the rain-gods showed their wrath....So the 5k's been postponed to monday or tuesday...good thing in a way as my thighs are still sore from yesterday's race.