When Destiny Sends Its Helpers

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Keep running. The right people find you on the way. At different stages of life, you’re confronted with different challenges. And each time you cross a hurdle, you feel that familiar sense of accomplishment. It’s tempting to attribute that success to your own skill, tenacity, and willpower — to pat yourself on the back and feel proud of how you handled it. But when you zoom out and look at the moments where you somehow managed to trump the odds, a quieter realization sets in: It’s never just you. There is always an unseen army that shows up at the right time. It was 2005. I had decided to pursue my Master’s in the US. I picked a few schools in the Midwest where the expenses were manageable, and that’s how the University of Missouri–Rolla entered the picture. But funding was still a massive question mark. I hadn’t secured any assistantship, and we didn’t have the means to pay out of pocket. We went from bank to bank, hoping for an education loan. Each manager aske...
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Weathering Heights!

When I was in India, I used to wonder why the Europeans and Americans get so excited when they see the yellow metal shining in the sky. What's the fuss all about! It used to be mind boggling to see them attach so much of importance to the Sun God. But it didn't take me long to figure out. First in Stuttgart and now in Rolla. I still remember the day I landed in Stuttgart. The whole land mass was covered by the white moss that could throw anybody into depression. The pall of gloom would transform to something really miserable. That's when I realised the significance of the Germans' statement. It is a great feeling to feel the sun penetrating your skin and giving that soothing touch. It is a different matter that summers in India are pretty difficult times, but that waft of sunlight does certainly takes away your depression. That's how I felt last week when Rolla was dipping to sub-zero temperatures. The weather here is as fickle as a wife (Sidhuism! Adjust Madi!).

Morning: 6-7 degrees Celsius, Fantastic weather, bright and sunny, and absolutely no need of a jacket
Afternoon: Gloomy, and a slight dip in temperature on the way from lab to home
Afternoon return: Can't come back to the lab without a jacket. Hell! it's getting cold!
Night: You need a jacket, woollen cap, gloves and what not and by the time I reach home, it starts snowing and its freezing!

No wonder Bangalore is unbeatable!

Comments

  1. AnonymousFebruary 24, 2006 at 8:04 PM

    I bet! Colorado is better though - It snows during winter but the sun is out all 365 days in a year!!! The snow gets melted away in a jiffy and its not unusual to see a couple inches of snow the first day and everything cleared away the next day!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMarch 1, 2006 at 1:34 AM

    cool blogging man.. like ur style...

    ReplyDelete

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