At the Work Table

Lately, when I sit at my work table, amidst all of my unfinished businesses, wait, before I continue with this sentence with already lot many commas, let me go back. I used to have deadlines and then there used to be days which I self-declared as rest days or lazy days. They came in numbers of one or two.  Not the same anymore. I don’t know from where the works keep piling up from and maybe that is why I have started living along than to wait and then live. I know there is a lot if you read between those lines but yes, that is where I was understanding life or was trying to. There is another note-able difference. I have been in love with everything I do and that I don’t, I don’t do.

Lately, when I sit at my work table, amidst all of my unfinished businesses, wait, there is something else as well. There are people who inspire me to get there. Some of them, distant and popular, inspire with their work and feels like a heart to heart talk. Some of them, near and dreadful, inspire on how and what not to be. Aren’t we all supposed to uncover life as we age and mature? Aren’t we all supposed to love more and be more compassionate? Aren’t we all supposed to give more smiles (and love) and less of everything else?

Lately, when I sit at my work table, amidst all of my unfinished businesses, I feel, works can wait. Deadlines can wait as well. All the books I have stacked on my table can’t wait. All the articles I want to read can’t wait. All the travel plans I made can’t wait. All that writing can’t wait. All those plans I made with hyper excitement can’t wait. All those people I plan to meet can’t wait. But Wait! These are my work deadlines!

There is light! beyond and ahead!

I pity everything around that hasn’t matured to understand life yet. But I have no advice. We all live in our own terms and conditions. I have known mine and I plan to abide by them. There is so much more to explore. There is so much more to live for. I don’t know how people find time for everything else that does not make them happy. I want to live moments that make sense. I want to be part of moments that are worthy living for. I want to live for everything that adds value. I am damn lucky to be surrounded by right kind of people.

Wait, I no longer have a work table. It’s a table that vibes happiness. Like a festival every day!

– PH

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Padmanabhapuram Palace

Known to be one of the oldest palaces in India, I was awed by its beauty of Kerala style architecture patterns. The palace is 20kms from Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, we were at.  Also known as Kalkulam palace, we were informed that the palace is built majorly in teak wood (including nails). The palace is retained as is since its construction from 1601 CE with maintenance and not influenced by modern culture or technological adaptations. There are people in almost every room who explain the significance of the palace parts.

I have visited forts in north and in south. I could witness the significant difference, upholding cultural values from respective parts. It takes almost two hours for the complete palace visit and if one is intrigued by the designs and patterns would take more. They hold and demonstrate our values and take us back to our roots. I had the most satisfying three and more hours during the visit.

A partial view of 6 acres palace

I was intrigued by the designs. I am sharing two pictures that in no way represent even the tiniest parts of what you witness inside. There is a bed made of 64 medicinal trees which the king used to sleep on. There are hundreds of flower patterns and each different from other. There is a dance studio.  There is foreign visitor’s room, plain and simple with just four walls and windows. There is lot more – everything now in my personal album.

The patterns up-top

I plan to use these as case studies for my course that I am going to teach in the coming semester. Of course, algorithms are derivations from real life.

Nothing Present

If you see through
Close enough
Think through
Deep enough
Then,
Every present
Is nothing but past.

Living the present,
Truly,
Is a challenge.
Per se,
Every moment,
That fleets
That glows
Is a challenge.

Challenge accepted!  

And sometimes, as the present becomes past, while thinking of past, I don’t know what really happens!

Terms and Conditions

There will be a day,
You will laugh at
And live along
In,
The terms and conditions.

There will be a day,
You will laugh at
And start living,
Without,
The terms and conditions.

---

P.S. I have earned my week ahead. I will be back soon. With more stories! Got to live them first!

The Change

We are often asked or encountered with a question or an expression that our mind precisely doesn’t know how to respond to it. I am sure we all have been at both ends at some point and might never realize that we are making the same mistake (can it be labeled that?). Maybe at times, we don’t even know if that would be the correct phrase as we utter the words unconsciously when we say, ‘You have changed a lot.’ Depending on the time and context of usage, the term has good and evil.

The counterpart of it, “you haven’t changed at all,” also does not make sense. And I don’t see and also see that there is nothing in-between.

Do we change?
Yes.

Are we supposed to change as per society’s expectations?
No.

Of course, we all change biologically. And we are ought to change and mature with time. But gossip doesn’t take them well. The complicated dwelling of ‘change’ in terms of time and space in one’s personality is both angel and demon as seen by an individual. We constantly fight about what change is good and what is not. I believe the best takeaway is to accept and progress, as even being neutral on the subject is also debatable.

Well, I have heard the gods saying that ‘change and if you are happy about it, you must keep it’. The Gods cannot be wrong.   

October Carnival 2022

I have been doing monthly resolutions this year and so far has been satisfying.

Do we need to reason for everything we do or feel? Not right!? My inner feelings holler me that this October will be the best of 2022, by far. I guess it’s the festivals and the holidays that make me feel so. Maybe that or maybe not and it’s also good to have positive vibes. Here are my goals for the month.

Writing

Personal Writing:
Plot and sketch the layouts for the novel – Love is Not Everything. This is my prep for NaNoWriMo 2022. I think I have an amazing plot (that I always do and I guess every writer is evidently supposed to feel that). I only want to have the outlines for now and the rest I believe will flow with words.

Research Thesis:
Write 20K more words for the survey thesis. Include and contribute to all chapters and also create new chapters.

Seminar Course Work:
Produce at-least a 100 page literature on how social problem scenarios can be used for problem based learning. This has to be completed before October 6 and presented for approval.,

Indian Relics:
Formulate and advance on the collaborated work with ideas, conflict and at-least 10 pages of work. Area of work is time and space.

White Paper on MSME:
Complete and submit the white paper for the contest. Have more surveys done. Around 7k words with proper design aspects is the aim.

Research Paper Writing:
Okay, this is a long list. I plan to do my best. Some are preparations for November deadline and some are for October itself. ‘WIP’ is a work-in-progress draft and ‘Submission’ is name-wise.

• Submit three camera ready versions for ADSSS (Submission)
• One completed submission to IEEE (Submission)
• Three ready first drafts for IEEE – REU (WIP)
• Two first drafts for MIT (WIP)
• One first draft for JEE (WIP)
• One completed guest editorial for JEE (Submission)
• One SLR paper – initial works (WIP)
• Guest Editorial article for SEE (Submission)

Blog Posts and Shorts:

• Write at least 2 technical blog posts
• Write at least 10 general blog posts
• Write at least 10 poems on Instagram

Others Goals

• Complete reading at least 4 novels, three on writing helps
• All above mentioned writing would need ample reading which I suppose cannot be quantified
• Visit at least 4 new places and travel more
• Be a host and conduct at least 2 workshops
• Makes notes for research methodology course
• Complete two MOOC courses relating to PBL

My end goal is to live more and be more present. I don’t know what that ‘more’ means but I will certainly do my best. We all can have our own definitions. And I know October has a lot of writing and I believe it is for the best.

I already had a fulfilling and productive day 1 and hoping the same for rest of the month.