Predictions..Speculations..

                  Computer Architecture on my Mind..I am currently working on my CompArch project..I really find this one really really interesting..It is all about predicting outcomes and increasing the speed..Isn't this human tendency?? I would really like to know my future before it actually comes and off course I want to do everything as fast as I can..The only difference is in the computer architecture course we are talking about microprocessors and here about life!!
                   Lets start with a simple example, I am leaving office..My mind is filled with calculations and prediction for the time I will reach home..Then I start considering parameters like speed limits, traffic, lights, roads etc etc etc and predict the destination time! How on earth am I going to enjoy the drive back home??
Similarly in computer architecture, we study how to increase the speed of computations and how to predict the outcome of operations without actually doing them..
                   I wish the predictions were easy and most importantly accurate!! There are different types of predictors(Now I am back to microprocessors..I wish I was talking about life.:):) ) For people who do not know much about this subject(including myself) lets try and make it simple..Lets stick to only branch predictors..These are the methods for deciding whether a branch will be taken or not..In simple terms it will decide whether I will or will not be doing a certain thing..
                    Lets start with the basic ones, "Static Predictors"..These are pretty dumb..They decide the direction of the branch even before the program starts executing!!These are like our attitudes, some of us start working on a project/goal by deciding they will/wont be able to complete it..We call them pessimists or optimists..
                   Then come the "Dynamic Predictors"..They predict the behavior by taking into account the last prediction of the same branch and all other branches..This is like the example we discussed about leaving office..We predict the time by considering all the situations we had been into..Generally we call them the "practical people"..A person who analyses the situation and then decides his/her course of action without getting emotionally attached to them..
                  There are five more types, but for now these two are good enough!!I hope someday we will achieve 98% efficiency in predicting life..:):). .Just kidding..Hope that doesn't ever happen..Otherwise the word  "surprise" will no longer be in the dictionary!!

Theory of Relativity!!

                    No no no, I am not talking about any one of the two theories(special relativity and general relativity for those of us who are ignorant of his great work) by Albert Einstein..It is my new found understanding about Life, problems, happiness everything!! I wont say that it occurred to me from no-where..It was there..Always there, but I never named it!!
                   So here it is..Everything in this life is relative..Lets start with a very simple example, height..People who have seen me won't(hopefully) say that I am short!!(FYI I am 5'7").. But in my family, my father, mother and my little sister all are taller than me..They all keep teasing me for being short!! They won't even let me talk in some matters just by saying, "ohhh sorry dear , this one is not for short people!!"      :(:(:(

                  Sometimes whenever I feel that I am in midst of very big problem/situation, I simply say to myself..हे ब्रह्मांड..त्यात एवढीशी आपली आकाशगंगा..त्यात एवढीशी आपली सूर्यमाला..त्यात अगदी छोटीशी हि पृथ्वी..त्यात फक्त एक त्रीतीयांश जमीन..त्यात कोट्यावधी लोक आणि पशु-पक्षी, झाडं-झुडूप, देश, युद्ध आणि बरंच काही..त्यात माझा जीव केवढा..आणि मग माझे प्रश्न कसे काय एवढे अवघड आणि प्रचंड मोठे असू शकतील ?? See Relativity helps!! There is a reason Einstein was extra-ordinary..The concept of relativity is way beyond our brains..The second aspect of relativity is comparing your problems with your own problems!! Confusing?? Just take all your problems and then you will know what matters and what not!!
                 Talking about problems..I am fortunate to meet different kind of people in my life..People whose problems range from getting the right shade of nail color to making sure that they say the right words so as to avoid public outrages!! (FYI : Getting the right shade of nail-color can be very difficult)All kinds of people..When you meet people, who are working full time/earning their masters degree/giving back to community/working in the city council/being in fantastic physical condition still very energetic and enthusiastic to talk to you, (I am talking about just one person who does all of this) you know that you can't complain being busy..Relativity helps..It assures that everything is just fine!!
                  Enough of problems now..Someone had rightly said, Life is too short to keep thinking about problems..Well I do not live in any ideal world, so I know there are problems but there are solutions as well..And everyone one of  us would find their own solution..For now lets just remember..
हे ब्रह्मांड..त्यात एवढीशी आपली आकाशगंगा..त्यात एवढीशी आपली सूर्यमाला..त्यात अगदी छोटीशी हि पृथ्वी..त्यात फक्त एक त्रीतीयांश जमीन..त्यात कोट्यावधी लोक आणि पशु-पक्षी, झाडं-झुडूप, देश, युद्ध आणि बरंच काही..त्यात माझा जीव केवढा!!

Titanic Revisited..

                 Yes Titanic it is!! The only differrence is the third dimension that was added to it..I wish I could see all my "all time favorite" movies on big screen..I missed moghul e azam, dev anands lastest release hum dono..I wish one day hum apake hain kaun comes back!! It will be so nice to see my favorites on big screen..I won't say Titanic is my all time favorite, but yes definitely it is one of my favorites!!Lets come back to movie a bit later..
                 Exactly 100 years ago on April 15th 1912, the Atlantic ocean witnessed one of the biggest tragedies in the history of the world. The ship of dreams "RMS Titanic" sank taking more than a thousand and half people to the bottom of the ocean. This was the first and unfortunately the last voyage of this giant ship.Everyone is well aware of the details about the ship as there have been many movies, documentaries, books about it..A lot has been discussed and seen about titanic. There have been debates about whether movies should or shouldn't be made based on tragedies, so lets not get into all those details..
             Back to the movie, I like the movie because the actors have done a wonderful job. The details are beautifully taken, it all looks very real..The description of the ship in the beginning, the characters of Jack and Rose, Rose's family,everything..Rose, a woman stuck in her life, knowing that there is no way out..Jack a free soul helping her find a way out..The proud designer of the ship, the captain..
                 The iceberg visible in Thomas Andrew's eyes, the end of Edward Smith, the captain.. Ruth's pain when she says , We're women, Our choices are never easy..The differences between classes..The statue of liberty in Fabrizio's eyes..the orchestra members, playing till the end..marvelous details..hats off to the director..everything looks so real..You are sinking, not in Atlantic ocean but in your own tears..Most importantly, it is the trust.The trust Rose had in Jack when she steps up that railing, the trust she has in him even when she knows they are sinking now..Her life, she lives for her last promise to Jack, I'll never let go Jack..It was easy for her to die, but she survives, for the promise..She whistles with all the energy she had just for the sake of that promise..She does everything Jack wanted to do..She fulfills his dreams..He is alive only inside her..This movie is really an excellent piece of work..No wonder they won 11 Oscars!! For me it was a wonderful experience, watching it on the big screen..

चिंब मी..

या अवेळी आलेल्या पावसात भिजून चिंब मी
या हिरव्यागार झाडाखाली अशी उभी चिंब मी

ओल्या ओल्या गार वाऱ्यावर झोकून देऊन चिंब मी
हिरव्या हिरव्या पानांची सळसळ आणि चिंब मी

मातीचा हा दरवळणारा सुंगध अनुभवत चिंब मी
वेळेचं भान कधीच  हरवून गेलेली चिंब मी

अजून थोडं भिजावं...पावसात भटकावं...
एकटच फिरावं..विचारांमध्ये रमाव...
हळूच हसावं थोडसं..आपल्याच जगात हरवावं..
चहा-भजी खावीत..जुनी गाणी ऐकावीत..
कोण जाणे हा पाउस..हि वेळ..हा सुगंध ..
आणि हि अशी मी..पुन्हा कधी एकत्र येतील..

An enchanting performance!!

                    Traveler , A journey from Indian classical music to Spanish flamenco!! Enchanting !! मंत्रमुग्ध होणं म्हणजे काय याचा खूप खूप दिवसांनी अनुभव आला..भैरवी पासून झालेली सुरुवात वेगळ्याच उंचीवर पोचलेलं मध्यांतर..आणि परत त्याच उंचीवरून सगळ्या अपेक्षांपेक्षा खूप पलीकडे संपलेला कार्यक्रम...आजची संध्याकाळ खरंच अविस्मरणीय आहे..अजूनही डोक्यात तीच धून आहे..तेच ताल आहेत..बऱ्याच दिवसांनी अशी छान सतार ऐकायला मिळाली..पखवाज , spanish आलाप, ड्रम्स, गिटार आणि मंतरलेली संध्याकाळ...अशा लोकांना बघून कळत कि effortless performance काय असतो ते..उस्ताद उस्मान खा एकदा म्हणाले होते, सतारीसोबत एक नातं जुळायला हवं गायत्री...आज जेव्हा भानावर आले तेव्हा त्याचा अर्थ कळला...अशा कार्यक्रमांचा सगळ्यात मोठा वैशिष्ट्य असं असतं कि अर्थ तुम्ही काढायचा असतो..तुम्हाला त्या रचनेचे नाव सुद्धा माहित नसतं..त्यावर तुम्ही विचार करता..तुमच्या मनातले अर्थ लावता..काही गोष्टी लिहिता येत नाहीत आणि वाचून समजत नाहीत, त्या अनुभवायलाच हव्या..त्यातलीच हि एक..मी अनुष्का शंकरान्बद्दल काय बोलणार किंवा लिहिणार..मी इथे फक्त मला काय वाटला त्यातलं थोडसं लिहिणार आहे..

               एक रचना सादर होत होती..तेव्हाचे माझ्या मनातले काही विचार..

हो..आज..आत्ताच..मनातलं सगळं संचित उधळून मुक्तपणे नाचणारी ती..

एक काळा पडदा..तिच्यावरचा तो spot light..

तिचं बेधुंद होऊन नाचणं बघायला कोणी नाही..

तिच्या घुन्गरूंचा तो आवाज..ऐकायला फक्त तीच..

मनातल्या सगळ्या भावनांचा तो खेळ..

हे आयुष्य माझं आहे..यातला प्रत्येक क्षण..

आता हळूहळू त्यातल्या व्यक्ती, अनुभव बाजूला जात आहेत..

आयुष्यातली ध्येयं..चुका..विजय..पराभव..सगळं सगळं..

भूत आणि भविष्याच्या मध्ये फक्त ती..

तिच्यासाठीच ती..आणि घुंगरू..सतार..

त्या तालासोबत एकरूप झालेली ती..तिचं मन..

आसमंतात भरून राहिलेला तो आवाज..

मनातल्या सगळ्या अव्यक्ताची एक अभिव्यक्ती..

त्या प्रत्येक क्षणातला आनंद..

ती जुगलबंदी..कुणी बघेल..काही म्हणेल..

या सगळ्याच्या पलीकडे असलेली ती..

काळ-वेळ सगळ्याच्या पलीकडे..फक्त स्वतसाठीच आज..

आत्ता..."मी"...तिच्यातला स्वाभिमान..जिद्द..

स्वप्नं..इच्छा..आकांक्षा..

आज सगळं थांबलंय फक्त  तिच्यासाठी..

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हि रचना ऐकली आणि घरी येऊन त्याचं नाव पाहिलं, 

"Dancing in Madness"

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Please do checkout her latest album.The tunes are also available on her official website..