Back to School

After 6 months of internship at National Semiconductor Corporation I am back to school to finish my MS Thesis. Its been a week since I am back. I loved my life as an intern. I certainly miss all the amenities and facilities that I had at my place during my internship :( Well I think I can't do anything about it untill I get a full time job. So pray to GOD that I get a job as soon as possible.

Google Got POP Access

Now what's next ? After starting of with 1 GB mailbox, adding all the features of almost ad-free mail box, GOOGLE has added POP access to its email service. So now no need to open your browsers to check GMail. You can use an email client to check gmail.
Nows what's next from GMail ?

HAPPY DIWALI and a PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR

Wishing you and your family a very HAPPY DIWALI and a prosperous New Year.

Diwali is symbolic of:
The Victory of Good over Evil,
The Victory of Light over Darkness,
The Victory of Truth over Falsehood.

May this Diwali Light up your life and the light of the diyas shine on you with all the Good things and the Truth that man can succeed only through his virtues. Let it herald a year of prosperity, peace and compassion and like the many hues of the Rangoli may you're family and your upcoming year be filled with the colours of Joy, Love, Happiness and good health.

Again Wishing you and your family a very HAPPY DIWALI and a prosperous New Year.

How crazy is this ?

A 25 year old from Georgia commits suicide at WTC site in NYC. This suicide is believed to have been driven by George Bush's relection as the President (although this is not officially confirmed as yet). How crazy is this ? I think what is significant here is the place of the incident .. What do you people think ?????
Read it here...

Bush 286 - Kerry 252.

George Bush has managed to beat John Kerry to get a second term as president of the USA. Read all about the elections here.

George Bush v/s John Kerry - How Close can it get ??

The Race for American President is getting closer and now it is as close as it can get. Everybody predicting it to be a closer than ever affair and lots of lawyers coming into picture, even expecting a tie. Well we will see what happens on the D-Day 2nd Nov. ALL THE BEST to BOTH candidates.

Yes the CURSE is reversed

BOSTON RED SOX have reversed the so called curse and have won the world series of baseball after a span of 86 years. CONGRATS SOX.

The biggest choke... What a comeback !! ...Is the CURSE reversed ..???

"The ghosts are banished forever, the curses broken, the magic lost to the night. The biggest collapse in the history of baseball -- call it a choke if you will, because the tabloids certainly will -- is now complete"

This is what SI.com's John Donovan had to say after Boston Red Sox defeated New York Yankees in the Major League baseball's ALCS. Read the full article here

This series victory for Red Sox coming after they trailing 3-0 in best of 7 series is the first in history of American baseball. What's more important is that looking at the kind of form and momentum this team has got they have a great chance of winning the world series after a span of 86 years. Lets wait and watch what happens.

Lets hope our Indian cricket team also makes such a comeback in the test series with Australia and wins the next two test matches to win the series. Or else its going to be Australia winning a series against India in India after a span of 35 years. Lets pray that does not happen. ALL THE BEST to team India. Jeetna Hai Today.

What a TV ?? Would would (not) want it ??

Read it all here :

MSN Messenger 7.0 (Beta)

This is cool. I decided to give this Beta version of MSN Messenger 7.0 a try. It seems to be cool with all these cool features like nudges, winks, the ability to log in in different modes etc... I would reccomend everybody to give it a shot.

Is this YOU, YOU ??

This is a message from our President of India Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam:

Read it and decide where do you stand. Is the you in the message you ?

""I was in Hyderabad giving this lecture, when a 14 year old girl asked me for my autograph. I asked her what her goal in life is. She replied: I want to live in a developed India. For her, you and I will have to build this developed India. You must proclaim. India is not an under-developed nation; it is a highly developed nation.

Do you have 10 minutes?

Allow me to come back with a vengeance.

Got 10 minutes for your country? If yes, then read; otherwise, choice is yours.

YOU say that our government is inefficient.

YOU say that our laws are too old.

YOU say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage.

YOU say that the phones don't work; the railways are a joke, The airline is the worst in the world, mails never reach their destination.

YOU say that our country has been fed to the dogs and is the absolute pits.

YOU say, say and say. What do YOU do about it?

Take a person on his way to Singapore. Give him a name...YOURS. Give him a face...YOURS.
YOU walk out of the airport and you are at your International best. - In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or eat in the stores.

YOU are as proud of their Underground Links as they are.

You pay $5(approx. Rs.60) to drive through Orchard Road(equivalent of Mahim Causeway or Pedder Road) between 5 PM and 8 PM.

YOU comeback to the parking lot to punch your parking ticket if you have over-stayed, identity. In Singapore you don't say anything, DO YOU?

YOU wouldn't dare to eat in public during Ramadan,in Dubai.

YOU would not dare to go out without your head covered in Jeddah.
YOU would not dare to buy an employee of the telephone exchange in London at 10 pounds(Rs.650) a month to, "see to it that my STD and ISD calls are billed to someone else.

"YOU would not dare to speed beyond 55 mph (88 km/h) in Washington and then tell the traffic cop, "Jaanta hai main kaun hoon (Do you know who I am?). I am so and so's son. YOU wouldn't chuck an empty coconut shell anywhere other than the garbage pail on the beaches in Australia and New Zealand.

Why don't YOU spit Paan on the streets of Tokyo?

Why don't YOU use examination jockeys or buy fake certificates in Boston????? We are still talking of the same you.
YOU can respect and conform to a foreign system in other countries but cannot in your own. You throw papers and cigarettes on the road the moment you touch the Indian ground. If you can be an involved and appreciative citizen in an alien country, why cannot you be the same here in India?

Once in an interview, the famous Ex-municipal Commissioner of Bombay, Mr.Tinaikar, had a point to make. "Rich people's dogs are walked on the streets to leave their affluent droppings all over the place," he said. "And then the same people turn around to criticize and blame the authorities for inefficiency and dirty pavements. What do they expect the officers to do? Go down with a broom every time their dog feels the pressure in his bowels?

In America every dog owner has to clean up after his pet has done the job. Same in Japan. Will the Indian citizen do that here?" He's right. We go to the polls to choose a government and after that forfeit all responsibility. We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do everything for us whilst our contribution is totally negative. We expect the government to clean up but we are not going to stop chucking garbage all over the place nor are we going to stop to pickup a stray piece of paper and throw it in the bin. We expect the railways to provide clean bathrooms but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms.

We want Indian Airlines and Air India to provide the best of food and toiletries but we are not going to stop pilfering at the least opportunity. This applies even to the staff that is known not to pass on the service to the public. When it comes to burning social issues like those related to women, dowry,girl child and others, we make loud drawing room protestations and continue to do the reverse at home. Our excuse? "It's the whole system which has to change, how will it matter if I alone forego my son's rights to a dowry.

" So who's going to change the system? What does a system consist of? Very conveniently for us it consists of our neighbours, other households, other cities, other communities and The government. But definitely not me and YOU.When it comes to us actually making a positive contribution to the system we lock ourselves along with our families into a safe cocoon and look into the distance at countries far away and wait for a Mr. Clean to come along & work miracles for us with a majestic sweep of his hand or we leave the country and run away.

Like lazy cowards hounded by our fears we run to America to bask in their glory and praise their system. - When New York becomes insecure we run to England.When England experiences unemployment, we take the next flight out to the Gulf. - When the Gulf is war struck, we demand to be rescued and brought home by the Indian government. Everybody is out to abuse and rape the country. Nobody thinks of feeding the system. Our conscience is mortgaged to money.

Dear Indians, the article is highly thought inductive, calls for a great deal of introspection and pricks one's conscience too?.. I am echoing J.F. Kennedy's words to his fellow American to relate to Indians?. "ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE INDIA WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES ARE TODAY" Let's do what India needs from us.""

Thank You, Dr. Abdul Kalaam --

1200 Mile Road Trip

This weekend being long weekend ( 3 holidays) it was time for a long road trip. I travelled around 1200 Miles in 3 days.

Haverhill, MA to Syracuse, NY : 350 Miles
Syracuse, NY to 1000 islands : 90 Miles
Syracuse, NY to Rochester, NY : 90 Miles

and back....

Misc : 100 Miles

Thats makes it the longest road trip of my life so far. It was fun and I had a great time. Looking forward for another chance to hit the road again.
But that will be later. Right know I am dead tired and its time to hit the bed.

Live A Life That Matters

Ready or not, someday it will all come to an end.
There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days.
All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.
Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.
It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally disappear.
So, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans, and to-do lists will expire.
The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.
It won't matter where you came from, or on what side of the tracks you lived, at the end.
It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant
Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.

So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built; not what you got, but what you gave.
What will matter is not your success, but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.
What will matter is not your competence, but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone.
What will matter is not your memories, but the memories that live in those who loved you.
What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.

Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident.
It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice.

Choose to live a life that matters.

HAPPY FRIENDSHIP WEEK

Happy Friendship Week ..

Deep friendship... is like a rainbow, when perfect amount of Happiness and tears are mixed. the result is a colorful bridge between two hearts!!!

This is the time to remember all old and new, bad and good, young or old friends . Just recall the past wonderful days and good time passed with all the friends and there impact that they have left on u.

Back home.....

I am back from Rochester. I drove for the first time on an expressway on this trip. Its a real experience driving at speeds of 65/70 mph. Ohh man its fun. I guess I now have the confidence to drive anywhere in the country. Anyways I am dead tired now and also I have to get back to work in the morning. So m going to sleep. Good Night everybody.

Mini RIT ReUnion Part - 2

I am leaving for Rochester tommorrow for the weekend. This is going to be the part 2 of our reunion. This will be the time to meet all of my friends. More about it later.

Mini RIT ReUnion Part - 1

Thats what it is going to be over the weekend. With few of my friends from RIT coming to Boston to its going to be a great time. We plan to go around Boston for the nest two days and see the fireworks display on the night of 4th July. Also this is the part 1 of our reunion because part - 2 will be a weekend after the next when I will go to Rochester to meet all my friends who will be leaving RIT to go on to their repsective jobs.

TOOOOOOOOOO Much Email Space

Now with all the email service providers going on with increasing their mail box sizes I have got a huge amount of mail boxes which I am sure that I will never run short off.
Yahoo : 100 MB (3 accounts)
Gmail : 1 GB (4 more invitations)
Rediff : 1 GB
Hotmail : 250 MB (Coming soon).

So tell me what to do.

GMAIL invitations

Does any body want a Gmail account ? I have got some invitations to be given out. So if you want one leave me ur contact info in the comments section and I will get back to you. Hope to hear from some......

From New Hampshire

Hi all, I haven't written for a while now and a lot has changed in since I last wrote. I have moved to Massachusetts (thats where I am staying during my internship), its been a week into my internship and some other good news is that my roomie and friend in RIT, Aakash also got an internship at Florida and has gone there. the internship is going on good and people there are all great. All are masters in their fields. So I hope to learn something from them.
Ok thats it for now. Bye all.

OFF to New Hampshire

Over the coming weekend I will be leaving for New hampshire for my internship. This week might be the last week when we all of my friends here at RIT are together, because by the time I will be back from the internship atleast 3 of my friends would have left for their jobs to different places and it will be difficult to meet all of them together at the same time. Getting a bit nostalgic.. huh..... Well its all a part of life.
More later.

GRADUATION PICS

Here are a few pics form the Graduation ceremony. More later

GRADUATION

I am unofficially a graduate now. Officially I will be graduating sometime around October/November. The Graduation ceremony was great. All the students in their black gowns and cap and the standing ovation that all the students got, all this was fantastic. It was a great feeling walking upto the stage and getting your diploma. Overall it was a nice day. Pics coming soon......

CONVOCATION and COMMENCEMENT

Graduation and Commencement are believed to be a great occasion here in US of A. It is considered to be a matter of great pride to be graduating from college. The Family get togethers, the parties, the accolades etc... are to be seen to be believed. I miss my Family a lot today.
This coming weekend is the Commencement 2004 here at RIT. The Convocation ceremony on Friday will recognize all the Graduating Students and the College Commencement ceremonies on Friday and Saturday will recognize the students individually. It is a matter of great pride to be wearing the Black gown and cap and walking upto the stage to get your diploma.
More details .. later.. as it happens...

Some GOOD News

There is a good news from my side. I have managed to get an internship for 3 months over the summer at National Semiconductor Corporation based in Santa Clara, CA. I will posted at their East Coast Labs at Salem, New Hampshire. I am all excited about this new venture and hope that this internship turns out to be great. Plus this gives me a chance to make some money also (winking). I will be starting on 7th June upto the end of Summer. More details later.

SURPRISE and SHOCK

Surprise Surprise Surprise !!!!! and Shocked. I am really surprised and shocked at the drubbing that Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee lead NDA (National Democratic Alliance = BJP + Allies) Indias ruling party received at the hands of the Sonia Gandhi lead Congress in the National Elections in the country. With congress set to form a new government pretty soon and in all probablity with Sonia Gandhi as the Prime Minister stage looks all set for India to have a first foriegn born Prime Minister in its history of democracy. I personally have no problems with anybody as prime minister and any party forming the government, I just hope that the new government continues the reforms that the outgoing NDA government has started and which has lead to INDIA shining in all the areas.

What is THIS ??

There are articles coming in Economic Times about the conditions of Indian Families in US who are under the tremendous burden of work that they find it difficult to adjust between the Family and work. What do you say about this ? Is this the beginning ?
Read all here :
Article 1
Article 2
Article 3

I got GMAIL

Good News Guys and Gals. I now have a GMAIL account. So now I am one of those previlaged few to have a GMAIL account because as of now Google is giving GMAIL account only to specific people. It is not yet available for public. So now no more tension of managing mail box quota. I have few invitations to be given out so if you want a GMAIL account then feel free to leave your contact info in the comments section and I might get back to you.

Mail me at: ashishvora@gmail.com

US Federal Government : ARE THEY READING THIS ??

This report at CNN.com raises concerns about the US colleges losing out on International Students coming to US due to VISA norms. So if US federal Government is reading this article then do something about it. Read the article here

Yahoo Messenger 6.0 (BETA Version)

Yahoo has come up with a Beta version of its Yahoo Messenger Service. This is a really improved version over its previous version. This has all the features that you have in MSN Messenger 6.1 like attaching your photos to ur messages and others. The best part is its stealth settings by which you can specify whether you want to be invisible to a particular person in your friends list. So from now on you can make ur self invisible to person whom you don't want to talk to. HAPPY chatting !!!!!

Why wait for Gmail ? Try SpyMac

SPYMAC has started the internet's first 1 GB free email service. Unlike Google mail (Gmail) which is not yet available publicly, Spymac has already made the service public. Plus it provides all the features like POP3 support, web space etc.. So don't wait, go ahead and get yourself an account here. Check all this here.

1 GB Mail Box (Hoax or Reality)

With the News of Google launching its own Email service called GMail it seems that competition between the email providers (Yahoo, MSN, Hotmail etc..) will be hotting up. But with this announcement coming on the 31st March, just one day before All fools day (1st April) it is difficult to say whether it is true or just a prank played by somebody. Read more about this developing story here...
Source 1 (Google)
Source 2 (Yahoo)
Source 3 (News.com)

Who Earns more ? (MP or a MBA)

Find it out ..... here.

The IIMs Debate (What are IIMs all about ?)

There has been a huge controversy going on regarding the fee cut imposed by the Government of India for the admissions to the prestigious IIMs (Indian Institute of Management). There are people supporting this step as well as people opposing this. So what do you think about this step taken by the Government. Was it right for the Government to interfere in the management of these institutes who are believed to be producing the best managers in the country ? Can these institutes be made autonomous ? Decide for yourself after reading this article......... here
For a more complete coverage of this ongoing controversy read here.......................

CRICKET CRAZY .....

Time for more India Pak cricket. After the nail bitting, riveting one day series its time for 3 gruelling Test Matches. India having won the one day series 3-2 they start as favourites. Lets c who hold can hold on to their nerves and get thru. If INDIA wins which I sincerely hope I am sure there would be unbelieveable celebrations in the nation. I am dying to watch this I don't think will be able to. So plan to follow the scores on some websites. ALL THE BEST INDIA. Go INDIA Go. Jeet Lo Dil (and ofcourse the matches also).

This is Life

Ah, great it is to believe the dream
as we stand in youth by the starry stream;
But a greater thing is to fight life through
and say at the end,
The dream is true!
                           -Erwin Markham-

My New CELL Phone ( 585 - 503 - 6025 )

I now own a cool Motorola V300 cell phone from t mobile. This is a real cool phone with all the latest features like a high resolution color screen, a camera, support for MP3 ringtones etc... So now you can call me on 585-503-6025.

3D ICs : The new revolution in chip design industry.

Looking for new ways to make small and fast chips, think in the third dimension. Yes that is what is the latest news in the IC design industry. Read it all here.....

START of New Quarter (Trimester)

Today is the first day of the new trimester here at RIT. After a week's break its time to go back to school and get busy with studies. For me its time to work on thesis and achieve the goal as quickly as possible.

SUN in a JAR !!!!! Unlimited Energy

Nuclear Fusion in a JAR. Check this out ... here.
A new proposed way to obtain unlimited energy using nuclear fusion without any radioactive materials.

BEWARE !!!!!!!!! A New Virus

Check this out ! A New Virus at Large. Read it ...... here.

This SAYS IT ALL

This summarizes the things I miss about my city LOVELY BARODA :

woh rumzum ki panipuri,woh ellorapark ki chat.
woh dairyden ka ice -cream ,wah usmein thi kuch bat.
woh ambesedar ki mithai, woh south corner ka dhonsa.
woh FNF ki paubhaji, woh payal ka samosa.
woh rikshow ki safar, woh sursagar ki hava.
woh dach roses ke kante aur kamatibaug ka sama.
woh december ki zara si sardi,woh barish ke mahine.
woh garmiyon ki chuttiya ,jab chute the pasine.
woh holi ki masti , woh arki aur united ways ke garbe.
woh diwali ke patankhe,aur ganpati ke shor sharabe.
woh utarayan ki patang ,aur woh akabari ka dora.
woh aajawa ka garden aur nimeta ka water park.
woh R.C.DUTT road ka mahol, woh fatehgunj ki lahere.
woh dubte suraj ka nazara, wah uske kya kehne.
woh muffins ka puff ,woh mahakali ki sev usal.
woh bachapan ki yaadein ,woh cricket ka khel.
woh school ki life, aur college ki zindagi.
woh sindhrot ka rasta, aur woh science canteen ka nasta.
woh sardar baug ki zadiya,jaha hote the mel.
woh rajshri ka samosa, aur woh national plaza mein shopping.
woh HOME SCIENCE ka nazara ,aur concard ki building.
woh convent ki ladkiyan, aur home science ki beauty.
woh 25th ki christmas aur woh 31 ki last night.
woh apsara cinema ke queue, woh black ki pink tickete.
woh polo club ka medan, jaha chalta hai cricket.
itani chize kehne ke bad aur kitna karu mein aabad.
yeh shehar hai mera apana jiska nam hai BARODA.

Looks like I am getting a bit too nostalgic about my city. May be because it was after such a long time that I had gone back home. But I still LOVE my INDIA.

Back to School

I am back in Rochester. Now its back to the life I was living before 2 months. Time to get back to study and get restarted with my Master's THESIS.

Back to USA

I am back in the US after my trip back home. It has been a fantastic trip with having met everybody and enjoyed a great. Plus got to celebrate my 23rd birthday with my family. More later.

EAST OR WEST INDIA is THE BEST.

What a change !!!!! This placed has improved unbelievably. All the things are modernised and everything has turned great. All the places are still the same but the overall life has risen to a much higher level. I simply love this place of mine.

Leaving the US

Finally the time has come. Today I am flying back home for 5 weeks and will be back in US in mid Feb. Can't wait anymore to meet my parents and friends. INDIA here I COME........Hurrah.