Monday, March 29, 2010

Good Morning My "Project Students"....A Flash Back....


Oh Well....I came early back home...had a niiiiiiiiiiice sleep.....got up a few minutes ago to make a Farewell gift for Hemant's class teacher who is leaving his school and Bangalore tomorrow. 

Wanted Hemant to understand the "joy of giving"....so told him...even if his classmates are not getting any present for Mam, you get, on behalf of the class...NOT as your individual gift....make everyone sign...

So hand-making a few stuff....Want Hemant to experience the pleasure to see a person smile at receiving an unexpected gift! 

Well, in the process...remembered you people....my "Project Students"....so writing this email....JUst writing whateer comes to my mind....Guess its gonna be a long email...and as usual...am not gonna scroll up at the end and read....so it retains its spontaineity. OKies? :-) 

****** Sun Tech Days UPDATE *****

Some of you know this...I was invited by Sun Microsystems(now Oracle) to give a one hour session on my Research work at this years Tech Days held in Hyderabad. My presentation was on March 25th. 

Here is the link for the Picasa Album, my student(Varun) has put up: 


From that URL onwards Iam there. I look like a ghost with red-eyes, which my student hasnt removed from the photos :-D

My family had also come with me. The pictures towards the end show my husband Hari, son Hemant and Indira my mother. 

***** A FUNNY EXPERIENCE ******

A funny experience was...To figure out how and where to load my PPT, I went to the back of the room where I was to present. There was a high table there, behind which the technicians who controlled the mike and organised stuff were sitting.  A 'Gora Phirangi' (from some foreign country) had just finished his presentation at 5.00 pm and mine was supposed to start at 5.10pm. I was wearing a Speaker Badge, but the table behind which they were sitting was high, so they could see only my face, I think. 

I told them, I wanted to load the PPT. I think they heard, "I wanted the PPT of the earlier speaker"(the foreigner). They told me, "No Maam, we are busy, the new session is about to start...the next speaker will come any moment!" :-D 

I couldn't control laughing when I showed them my badge and said --" Iam the next speaker". :-) Felt a bit bad, that maybe I didnot look dignified enough to appear as a speaker?? Others were wearing business suits, you see. Even the ladies, who were part of the organizing staff / speakers wore either saree or a suit. 

**** Sadly...LAST SUN TECH DAYS ...:-( *****

Anyways....Oracle allowed only two students to go to Hyderabad and demonstrate our project. Unlike last year, where they allowed 7 students. But that was a loooong time ago....another era...when there was a company called Sun Microsystems....which promoted Open Source....encouraged student and therefore University participation.....

Oracle has sadly, scrapped the entire Student Campus Ambassador Program! So, looks like this is the LAST Sun Tech Days we will ever participate with a demo. In that sense, I guess I was lucky to get invited to speak and so were my students to demo! 

**** Remembering you people *****

Anyways...the two students who were allowed to go are the two guys with specs seen in the photos. The thinner one(Chandan) is the student with whom I started my entire research journey with, someone I can NEVER forget, my whole life! 

As Project Partners, we have had fights...misunderstandings...(Shishir is the first person I remember here!! An exceptional student with a high IQ and a good heart, but pathetic at expressing himself the right way
...:-D )

Followed by 3A+N, from whose memory I wish I could remove THAT ugly outburst this semester! Two of the BEST presenters and budding analysts, I have seen so young---Ashwath and Aniket. A "balanced" team with the Techy guys Ashwin and Naren

Then people like Varun, Hari, Siddiq...who have been at the receiving end of thrashing for an ever-extended Bridge Project. Oh God! That I guess, is the ONLY project in my entire career which I have not managed to deploy satisfactorily! 

Rak,Sak,Vik: The ONLY students who as a team have till date given on time and almost perfectly any project deliverables asked without having to remind them! Let this "goodness" streak continue for them outside MSRIT gates! 

Suhas(who NEVER ever says "NO" to any work given. Amazing guy....wonder how he manages to gel with multiple types of people....)
Avinash(My! how he has changed from always in the "shadow" of someone to Mr.Confident)
The present 8th Sem, the BEST example of this is Hariharan, who has managed to come out and stand on his own! 
Akhil(Oh My God! Lazzzziness Personified...has trouble STARTING to use the grey matter given in abundance)
Kavya(diplomacy personified, Ms.Organized/Ms.Multi-tasker, ULTRA-Loyal to her friends) 
Sanjay(Quiet and hardworking)
Priyanka(Ms.Injured Knee with a HUGE smile)

2008 -- 1 Student
2009 -- 7 students 
2010 -- 10 students

These are the 18 people I would proudly call "My project Students" during my Research Phase of life! Whom I will always remember fondly....whom I cannot forget....come what may! Have attached the PPT I presented at Tech Days. The last slide, I have credited to all of you...have a look! :-) 

Hope to wind-up my "Research Based Projects" with this present VTU 8th Sem. 

Aiyooo....that sounds like a "full stop"....Actually no...I cannot imagine going on teaching Computer Networks for the rest of my life! :-D 

So will always offer new courses...can afford to under autonomy....

But it will be different...those projects wont be "tied to my research". 

Even if they fail / is delayed...the pressure will be less on me....as it will be "just another project" NOT linked to research....

Hopefully I can open up to new ideas....not "married" to web services....You get what Iam saying, na? 

So VTU batches ends an era / phase in my academic life....

Just felt like recording my thoughts....

Will keep this email in my mail-box, under a folder called 'Senti' in Personal Section....

Have similar emails here in Yahoo when I  left multiple companies.....

Basically a record of a journey to unwind / look back with nostalgia when I want to....

Maybe I should have blogged?? 

Oh well....realised it late....so copied and pasted the email and added colours! 

"Ashte"....

:-D

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