Howdy to Myself!
So neither am I sad, upset, happy, etc. nor am I suffering from insomnia. Just happen to be awake at this crazy hour - when I am supposed to be completing my paper on "termination of military alliances". I love alliances to death - but running regression models in Stata and interpreting them is not the most fun thing at 3:30 AM - so I am fiddling around for something fun. I was hearing about some funny blogs today and I realised that I have never written 25 Random things - so nows a good time! And it has been ages that I read someone else's 25 random musings...so it should turn out to be more original. Lets try ...
1. I like the color RED - and Ive always really liked it.
2. Bright colors make me happy. I guess thats true for most people.
3. Nah.... I cant do it. Its not happening.
This tells me one non-random thing about myself. I am not capable of doing random things - life always has to be pre-planned and meaningful and.... aah! I havent really done many spontaneous things lately - I dont know if I can anymore :((
I have this constant feeling that I am running out of time and there is just a lot to be done on this planet and for this planet. There is fun to be had, there are books to be read, music to be heard, dances to be danced, meals to be savoured, sunsets to be enjoyed, evening walks to be taken, gardens to be enjoyed, flowers to be smelt, felt, events to be followed, trips to be taken, new places to be seen, self-improvements to be made, contributions to be made, research papers to be written, services to be done, long late night talks to be had (with roommates, friends, family etc), games to be watched and played, talents to be pursued.... WHY am I sitting here trying to write this blog? To organize my thoughts... there you go - no spontaneity here either!
Tonights not the time... Ill attempt creativity later...:)
Goodnight Y'all!
Aakriti
Monday, March 29, 2010
Sunday, March 07, 2010
Celebration
So its been a while since I visited my own blog. Received the necessary gentle reminder from my roomie last night when she asked me how long had it been since I blogged. Its been a couple of months. My really good excuse to myself is that I was preparing for, writing, and then celebrating the completing of my Phd exams - writtens and orals. A huge ordeal, a terribly nerve -wrecking process, and then lots of celebration. Its been 3 weeks since I passed Comps, and I am still celebrating, which is fine because the semester is rather slow since the big day has passed.
So I don't really know what to write about - since a few topics deserve my attention and thoughts -- so let me start with ending the exams. 12th Feb 2010. A momentous day in my life now. The day I officially became a PhD candidate. I am very proud of this achievement. And very grateful that I was able to accomplish this. I may have made it clear that I am very proud, grateful, happy, excited of having the opportunity to study in a good school like the U of A in the land where dreams come true... Sounds filmy but it is true... I am privileged and I hope I make the best of this opportunity.
So being a Phd candidate.. or an ABD (All but Dissertation) signifies you are 2 steps away from attaining the attribution of being Dr. Aakriti Anilkumar Tandon. I may very well be Dr Aakriti Tandon-Atri by the time I get there, but the emphasis here is on the Doctor part. The sound of that word is going to be music for my ears. The surprising part is I didn't really grow up with this dream. I didn't want to do my Phd in International Relations until my Junior year while doing my BA in Journalism when I was exposed to a few classes in IR... and then there was no looking back. I know what I would love doing my entire life. And then IR/ politics permeates all aspects of life. Plus you have the opportunity to make a real contribution to decisions that affect people. Came across this quote form Paulo Coehlo just now....
"Everybody is a political writer, even if he writes about plants. You cannot avoid being political. The fact that you speak out or that you are silent is a political act -- silence is also political."
The next step is to write a dissertation proposal that I can be proud of. And then to complete the dissertation itself. Another 2 years of splendid research and reading stuff that makes my adrenaline rush. Not a bad deal.
Lets get onto it...
So I don't really know what to write about - since a few topics deserve my attention and thoughts -- so let me start with ending the exams. 12th Feb 2010. A momentous day in my life now. The day I officially became a PhD candidate. I am very proud of this achievement. And very grateful that I was able to accomplish this. I may have made it clear that I am very proud, grateful, happy, excited of having the opportunity to study in a good school like the U of A in the land where dreams come true... Sounds filmy but it is true... I am privileged and I hope I make the best of this opportunity.
So being a Phd candidate.. or an ABD (All but Dissertation) signifies you are 2 steps away from attaining the attribution of being Dr. Aakriti Anilkumar Tandon. I may very well be Dr Aakriti Tandon-Atri by the time I get there, but the emphasis here is on the Doctor part. The sound of that word is going to be music for my ears. The surprising part is I didn't really grow up with this dream. I didn't want to do my Phd in International Relations until my Junior year while doing my BA in Journalism when I was exposed to a few classes in IR... and then there was no looking back. I know what I would love doing my entire life. And then IR/ politics permeates all aspects of life. Plus you have the opportunity to make a real contribution to decisions that affect people. Came across this quote form Paulo Coehlo just now....
"Everybody is a political writer, even if he writes about plants. You cannot avoid being political. The fact that you speak out or that you are silent is a political act -- silence is also political."
The next step is to write a dissertation proposal that I can be proud of. And then to complete the dissertation itself. Another 2 years of splendid research and reading stuff that makes my adrenaline rush. Not a bad deal.
Lets get onto it...
Friday, January 01, 2010
Jan 1, 2010
Aah -- the smell of a new year. During our childhood/ teenage years, a new year brings lots of new aspirations, hope, joy and excitement.
As we grow older, we cease making resolutions for we are afraid of breaking them. From our past experiences we have learnt that not many resolutions will make it past the first few weeks or months of the new year. And then life's routine will catch up with us wanting to do the best that we are capable of doing. However, I feel it is important to make resolutions.
Resolutions signify our inner intentions or at least what we know to be right but are incapable of doing, for whatever reasons we cite. Resolutions symbolize what we really would like to do with our lives, while sometimes they represent what we know our responsibilities ought to be but fall short of fulfilling completely. As a result, our resolutions help us be in touch with the path we know we should be walking on, but are maybe lost from. Its an attempt to do the right thing. So even if you can only follow your resolution for so long and it doesn't become a part of your lifestyle forever, you should attempt it. You should be proud of attempting to do whats right and good for you and not lament over the fact that you couldn't do it forever. Although the latter is the goal we aim to reach.
Plus we learn a lot over the year that just ended.. 2009 in this case. Resolutions are way of putting all this important knowledge to practical use. Of course you can find a lot of advise on what kind of resolutions you should make.. based on the likelihood of you following them.
I make resolutions too. I BELIEVE in them. There are some I follow longer than others, and every once in a while a resolution becomes a part of who you are, thus producing everlasting change. This year Ive decided this modest list below..
1. To speak less, listen and think more. Seems trivial. But its not. Its a calculated effort to say less, and make every word count more. All that I say should be aimed at something, instead of thoughtless words escaping from our mouths for no reason. I am not ruling out engaging in a little bit of harmless gossip every now and then... and having healthy debates and conversations to exercise my mind, but I intend to evaluate the consequences of my words before I put them out there into the universe.
2. Be self dependent and expect less from others, more from myself. Now -- this is way too broad. And most people would argue that such broad resolutions are unlikely to be kept because you cant have a clear game plan for following them... its difficult to follow such an all encompassing commandment. But the plan is this: to work towards expecting less from others, and to depend more on myself. as time passes on. This is not something I can do on Day 1.. but something I hope to start increasing day by day.
3. This one came to me just as I was writing this. I need to consider leaving behind a smaller environmental footprint. While Indians are pretty good about using natural things, living in America has brought its share of BADS in the form of over-reliance on non-organic food and other such products killing the environment. So I intend to be more conscious of the harm I am doing to the nature around me and try to minimize it.
Well, there is always the laundry list of... will not tell lies (tell as few of them as I possibly can), not hurt others (minimize this, and repent for when I end up hurting people), concentrate on working hard in my studies etc etc... :) And last but not the least, close the book on 2009 and every year before it. I need to do some writing on this to close the chapter on demons from a past life that come back to haunt me every once in a while... but until then, heres a sweet goodbye to everything that 2009 gave me and warm anticipation of everything 2010 has in store. Life is short and there is just a lot to be experienced!
A very Happy New Year to all of you.
As we grow older, we cease making resolutions for we are afraid of breaking them. From our past experiences we have learnt that not many resolutions will make it past the first few weeks or months of the new year. And then life's routine will catch up with us wanting to do the best that we are capable of doing. However, I feel it is important to make resolutions.
Resolutions signify our inner intentions or at least what we know to be right but are incapable of doing, for whatever reasons we cite. Resolutions symbolize what we really would like to do with our lives, while sometimes they represent what we know our responsibilities ought to be but fall short of fulfilling completely. As a result, our resolutions help us be in touch with the path we know we should be walking on, but are maybe lost from. Its an attempt to do the right thing. So even if you can only follow your resolution for so long and it doesn't become a part of your lifestyle forever, you should attempt it. You should be proud of attempting to do whats right and good for you and not lament over the fact that you couldn't do it forever. Although the latter is the goal we aim to reach.
Plus we learn a lot over the year that just ended.. 2009 in this case. Resolutions are way of putting all this important knowledge to practical use. Of course you can find a lot of advise on what kind of resolutions you should make.. based on the likelihood of you following them.
I make resolutions too. I BELIEVE in them. There are some I follow longer than others, and every once in a while a resolution becomes a part of who you are, thus producing everlasting change. This year Ive decided this modest list below..
1. To speak less, listen and think more. Seems trivial. But its not. Its a calculated effort to say less, and make every word count more. All that I say should be aimed at something, instead of thoughtless words escaping from our mouths for no reason. I am not ruling out engaging in a little bit of harmless gossip every now and then... and having healthy debates and conversations to exercise my mind, but I intend to evaluate the consequences of my words before I put them out there into the universe.
2. Be self dependent and expect less from others, more from myself. Now -- this is way too broad. And most people would argue that such broad resolutions are unlikely to be kept because you cant have a clear game plan for following them... its difficult to follow such an all encompassing commandment. But the plan is this: to work towards expecting less from others, and to depend more on myself. as time passes on. This is not something I can do on Day 1.. but something I hope to start increasing day by day.
3. This one came to me just as I was writing this. I need to consider leaving behind a smaller environmental footprint. While Indians are pretty good about using natural things, living in America has brought its share of BADS in the form of over-reliance on non-organic food and other such products killing the environment. So I intend to be more conscious of the harm I am doing to the nature around me and try to minimize it.
Well, there is always the laundry list of... will not tell lies (tell as few of them as I possibly can), not hurt others (minimize this, and repent for when I end up hurting people), concentrate on working hard in my studies etc etc... :) And last but not the least, close the book on 2009 and every year before it. I need to do some writing on this to close the chapter on demons from a past life that come back to haunt me every once in a while... but until then, heres a sweet goodbye to everything that 2009 gave me and warm anticipation of everything 2010 has in store. Life is short and there is just a lot to be experienced!
A very Happy New Year to all of you.
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