It was
a Historic Event as described by almost all big names in the media. I
personally feel it to be an event of colossal significance. The image below shows the Atlantis Shuttle entering the
earth’s atmosphere, as photographed by the crew of the International Space Station. It looks like any other
meteor trying to break through.
Atlantis landed at Kennedy Space Centre one minute behind schedule
at 5.57am. I am sure that must have been
a matter of enormous anxiety for the NASA scientists :-) . It was almost a two week
mission to get the Atlantis to land back. This 30 year old shuttle program has
been the pride of NASA for a very long time now.
I still
remember the interest I had in being an astronaut when I was a kid. The
following were the logical equations I came up with
Astronaut
= Space
Space =
No gravity
No
gravity = Fly
Fly =
Super-Man
And NO I
wasn’t deluded back then, just over-imaginative, thanks to Cartoon Network. But
as time started to go by and sense started piercing my “imaginative” brain, I started
feeling the effects of gravity getting stronger, holding me firmly to base. But
now, thanks to names like Space Adventures and SpaceX, an exotic vacation to the moon or
a week’s stay at the international space station could be a future possibility.
So if you want to travel outside the planet Earth, if you want to be free from
the holds of gravity, then start earning lots and lots of money, because a trip
may cost you at least something around $20 million.
In todays “virtual world” it’s the most elementary need of any human to stay connected to other. Unlike olden days, connections now-a-days don’t happen face to face, rather they are more on the internet via several platforms available, Facebook, My Space, Orkut to name a few. However the elusiveness and ingredient of real-world are missing here.
Now Google comes up with the GOOGLE+. Google+ intends to demolish Picasa and Blogger and embed them under the brand name of Google. Picasa was acquired in 2004 and Blogger, which was co-founded by Evan Williams of Twitter, was acquired in 2003, which is also one of the top 10 visited websites in the world. Only time would tell what GOOGLE+ is capable of. We can only hope it enhances the richness of real-life sharing.
To end off with, here's a youtube link to " The Google+ project: A quick look"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwnJ5Bl4kLI
Exams are crucial
part of academic life. Something none of us can escape- we can run from it, but
sooner or later, it’s going to bump into us. It is the worst nightmare for many
students-many here signifies almost all.
What if your room
mate brings in one of these just before your exams?
In one word, you’re
Finished. Personally I was stuck with a dilemma, should I play this or should I
just study a bit? Trust me half of your valuable time before exams is washed
off deciding whether or not you have the time to get your hands on the new gizmo.
But then, what are friends for, even that was taken care of by bringing in many
of my favourite games. You’re done-books gone-game on. And here’s
the funny part- no one can ever keep track of time once you are sitting in
front one of these.
But on a more serious note, I have been with video
games all my life, but those weren't so addictive. However, that’s not the case
with today’s gaming world. Today’s gaming consoles are highly popular with
children and students. Often, they are attractive even to working adults. The
immense popularity of the PlayStation 3 tells it all, and even after several
years of being launched, it has shown zero signs of slowing down. Many of us
remember a childhood filled with running through the woods, climbing trees, and
trying to swing high enough to touch the clouds. And even though we happily
embrace the amazing things technology allows us to do, we also hope the
children (and adults!) of today remember to step outside and dig into the
goodness of the earth.
Well,...it's nearly over. Hard to believe it was 4 years ago that i spun that globe around, threw a dart at it and found out i'd be coming to Bristol (that is pretty much what my decision process was like). What's truly amazing is my friend circle has not changed much since my first year....since my first week actually! My closest friends are those i met during the international student orientation week in september 2007.
It has been an amazing time. I've managed to get through university without a single resit (i value my summers greatly...would not want to cut them short to redo an exam), or any other sort of embarassment. In fact, i liked my time here so much,....i'm coming back to do a Masters degree!!!! (<-------insert sarcasm here).
On a serious note, besides the amazingly unpredictable weather (you can get all 4 seasons in a single day sometimes), I've quite enjoyed my time here. I am coming back in September, after graduation, for a Masters degree in International Management. I know conventional wisdom says not to get an Msc from the same university you get your BA from....but conventional wisdom is overrated. After doing loads of research, i settled on coming back to UWE. London's too expensive (tuition, cost of living), and our rival university did not have my course, are ranked lower than UWE in Business, and were way more expensive. Easy choice really.
Its the last week of exams, so they'll be more fun posts to come next week. I might consider doing this in throughout my Masters degree too...if they let me.
It was the biggest match for anyone coming from the two cricket crazy nations, India and Pakistan. It was not just another World Cup match, it was a match made in heavens, something millions of people all around the world had been waiting for years now to witness. If one thinks of how someone like me being so far off from home, can witness the thrill of such an event, well think again. All around core 24 was the beautiful gathering of UWE students, beaming with excitement and thrill, and the occasion itself was not less, it being the Cricket World Cup semi-final being played between the two strong teams of the world, India and Pakistan. It was a very well organized event, with the flags of both the countries being displayed on either side of the screen, sufficient seating capacity, people colouring their faces with flags of the respective countries they represented/ supported, and above all a calm and healthy atmosphere prevailing where it appeared that concern was not as to who would be the winner but it was concerning the feelings of brotherhood and enjoyment.
The students of both the countries were relishing the support and applaud rendered to both the teams. Every moment conveyed nostalgic experiences where everyone respecting the delicate feelings of others. It was a real show of audience team spirit. Finally the winner group was congratulated and dispersed were the students more enriched with the memorable events treasured.
