Let’s call the point of reference the origin, O. I know, how very imaginative of me So O has one. Let’s call the new point A (it was the erstwhile O). Now A is 3 miles south of O. Let’s think of another point B, 12 miles south-east of O. A has one and was sorry to lose the position of the original origin B doesn’t have one for now, but had one in the recent past. So that accounts for three.

Now let’s envisage another origin, in an another frame of reference which we’ll call O’. Here’s where Google fails me, it seems to be unable to calculate the distance OO’, but let me assure you that O’ still on this planet and so much further south and east of O that we need to change the units! Or south and west would do too – such is the oddity of this world

Back to our new O’, let’s think of another point 2000 km south and call it C. (ahh, what a coincidence.) C carried a toothbrush for several long years when eventually it (C) had to give it (the toothbrush) up. Happy news but definitely surprising(not to me, considering how much I schemed *evil grin*) is that a few months ago, a new post was created barely 0.5 km away (please note the change in units).

Let’s think of two closely located points north-west of C, much more north than west, 1000 km away. Both of them combined can be called D. And I forgot to tell you about O’. It was the sole owner of the toothbrush (note the use of thes) even before any frames of reference were invented. And although one post was used more than others, there were (there still are) several close posts, all within a radius of 50 km. Also if O’ was mighty upset when it’s sole ownership was usurped on a new post creation in C, it was literally boiling with rage when our new origin (then O but now A) came into picture! Actually I am in two minds about which should be should O and which one A, but that’s a whole different story

So back to our new (or old – depends on who you ask) frame of reference, the post-sentinels keep moving their base. For example, current post-sentinel in C moved there from O, similarly other post-sentinels from O have fled elsewhere while still maintaining their old posts at O. Ohh, how they multi-post…errrr…task. On a similar note, post-sentinels at D (and you thought there was only one, how naive) have had their bases elsewhere but their posts move with them and that’s the entire point!

I hope that covers all the posts. A few important comments though. O’ is under the delusion that it’s a whole new earth and the only one too. There are no real current toothbrushes in O”s frame of reference, some posts carry memories while others still hope to get a real one one soon. In the ideal situation and hence impossible, both origins and their frames of reference would eventually merge!

For people who survived the co-ordinate geometry class, does it make sense? Loads of economical folks would advise me to just get a traveling kit, but I think I like wasting on toothbrushes! On a similar note, loads of sensible people advise me to choose a frame of reference and just stick with it, but sorry to disappoint you folks, toothbrushes – both real and imaginary ones are glued to their post-sentinels and hence it’s breaking for them – heart and otherwise – to move at all.

PS: this post is triggered by two tooth-brushy comments -

Leave it here only, no?

Yours is behind the mirror, you do remember, right?

Ahh, there you go, I spent over 50 words to justify that I am not too late to do the New Year stuff, yet.

So, HAPPY NEW YEAR and I resolve to do blah, blah and blah this year. I’ll (try to) be a better person, work hard – notice hard, not harder , get good grades…oops almost forgot that I am done with school. Yay to that. Done with education for this lifetime at least! Ya, ya I’ve supposedly heard that education is a life-time responsibility to self, ya, ya, ya I was just talking about the school-going kind and how can I forget the annoying Mr.Exams, bye-bye to you!

And now, I have totally lost track! Quoting from Pride and Prejudice,

“My ideas flow so rapidly that I have not time to express them—by which means my letters sometimes convey no ideas at all to my correspondents.”  (blog-posts and readers)

That reminds me, did I mention that I read P&P again over the break and have made a smaller document containing all my favorite parts. I plan to do that with all the books I read, at least the favorite ones. I am torn between the two scenarios -

1. The joy of reading all my favorite parts without the intervening not-so-interesting words, paras and pages

2. The fear of biasing myself even more

Now where exactly were we? See, I already told you I can’t keep track. Better stop now, till tomorrow then. YES tomorrow

“Because it wasn’t an illusion…it was a charade. And why live a farce that gives you simple satisfaction, when you can have a reality that gives you joy? Why dwell in contentment only to never truly live at all?”

~Not mine

“A set is a well-defined collection of objects. Although the collection itself needs to be well-defined, the word set itself is difficult to define”

Now, let me try to be geeky and humorous at the same time by replacing a few words above. Don’t worry, although you need to a have sense of humor to appreciate this, you don’t have to be a geek to figure this out

“A love(grammatically correct version would be, an instance of love, but whatever) is a well-defined direction of emotions towards a certain someone. Although that certain someone needs to be well-defined, the word love itself is difficult to define”

OKAY, enough background, just wanted to post the following definition of love. Call me soppy, if you will, call me crazy about HP, if you wish, but this is the best definition I have come across, yet (let me fall in love and I’ll redefine it for you! )

When I say I’ve only ever loved one person, I meant just that. I don’t speak of the affection I felt for my mother or a close friend. I speak of being able to read another’s mood by the intonation of his voice. I speak of knowing the exact hue of his eyes when touched by sunlight. I speak of mentally cataloging everything that has ever made him smile in hopes that one day I might be able to add my own name to that list. I speak of the euphoria caused by the way he says my name and the utter devastation when he looks the other way. I speak of knowing that I’ll never be good enough, but always hoping that I might deserve him one day.

That is love.

Anything less is worthless.

PS: has been taken from a HP fan-fiction site. Harry Potter for the uninitiated.

PPS: A geek is who I am, I remember this discussion once where I was arguing against how all conversations w/ fellow engineers/geeks/scientists turn towards science or scientific analysis of life-like situations, too late to realize my own victimization.

Time: Close to midnight during the dead week

Need to: Get back to study

Status: Single, and NOT ready to mingle

Enough, to the point now!!

Well, a classmate of mine visited a few weeks back, and guess what, he’s getting married next week! Another friend, from school again, got engaged. Not to mention, most of my peers in grad school are in the  soon-to-be-engaged, engaged or already married categories. Nothing bad there, just a shifting demographic amongst the people I know. And what does that make me feel?

Lonely? HELL, NO!!!  Out of place? Yes, a bit, but above all, OLD!

It feels weird, I feel old not because I feel old myself, but only when I realize my age is the same as other people’s, whom I would have considered old, only a few years back!

Did anyone get what I am trying to say? Does it resonate with anyone else?

PS: In case you were wondering, the fourth dimension is time, and I feel like sprinting down the negative axis.

PPS: I am planning to update regularly now.

Then, there’s another huge group who says they write to be in touch in with their fans. Read celebrity blogs. In the Indian scenario, Big B has a blog, so does Aamir Khan and of all people/politicians Mr.Advani. This is getting nowhere. Go read this why do you write

Shall return to this!

“Michael R Liebowitz of Columbia University suggests that the mysterious experience of oneness that the lovers often feel is probably caused by an increased production of the neuro- transmitter serotonin.The yearning for each other in lovers comes from the gush of natural narcotics— endorphins and enkephalins — which the brain produces when they are together.Even gestures such as gazing, nuzzling and the exchange of sweet nothings between lovers can stimulate the brain to pump out natural drugs. No wonder people in love feel a sense of power and eternity.”

Going back to the views presented in the movie, which proclaims that God has made us in pairs and spread us around. It’s upto us to find our yet-to-meet partners. Is that really true? Then what about people who have multiple relationships through their lives, divorcees or polygamists. So the movie says, that the already-decided partners are our “true loves” which is “the one”, only one If that’s true, I am yet to meet mine.

Flipping back to the chemical view of love, for “the one” is it some kind of lock-and-key mechanism, which hardly follows Michaelis-Menten kinetics(courtesy the biochemistry course I am TAing ). For the many others, which are sadly, “not the ones”, it might be an induced mechanism, which might be not as well, something like trying to open a lock using a master key or worse still a hairpin.

Before I digress further into chemistry, let’s explore another facet of love. The soul mate kind. Do soul mates really exist or is like the best possible fit. More like shopping, aint it, sometimes you immediately see the dress you know you’d buy and many other times, it’s like I need a dress, and I’ll buy whichever looks the best or the “least bad”(is that even a phrase )

Last but not the least, the time-line of love, the love-at-first-sight vs the longer variety. To quote another movie, “Kabhi kabhi ek hi mulaqat kaafi hoti hai, par kabhi kabhi kayi mulaqatein lag jaati hai”. More like music, there are some tracks who instantaneously fall in love with (Ahh, the overuse of the word “love”) , there are others who hate at first and all-of-a-sudden find yourself humming. Rather, like the acquired taste for cheese and/or wine.

Enough said, the movies deserve another post.

PS: For people who don’t speak hindi, email me for translations.

Let’s start with love and then work and family and doctor and finally the farm. Stanford is known as “The Farm” too, though I see no other animals than the homo sapiens variety.