So enjoy what you do or do what you enjoy

Enjoy the tempest in life
       like the first monsoon rain
Enjoy another's laughter but also
       shed a tear for another's pain
             
Take time to smell the flowers
      and to enjoy the gentle showers
Take time to see the clouds
      and to observe the crowds

How long will you stare at the monitor
          Solve Something
How long will you stare at the mirror
          Reflect on Something

How long will you run
          Compile Something
How long will you cry
      Debug Something

Imagine Something
    Build Something
        Share Something
and not to forget be a part of Something

So enjoy what you do or do what you enjoy

Fourth year as a teacher and at times I have to pinch myself to check that is it for real.

Every time I enter a classroom, I am not sure what goes thru the minds of the students but I definitely feel a sense of wow. What I teach and who I teach does make a difference in the wow factor ... but it is wow all right

Sometimes a non interested classroom challenges and motivates me to do better. On the other hand a talented class who are too lazy to do their homework fills me with dispair.

When I tell students that guys you have potential not everybody believe me. I can clearly see the potential bubbling inside them, most of them change in the 3 years for the better, but the rate of change depends on person to person. The power of incremental learning we all know .... but why o why dont we put it to action !!

As a teacher I try in the following areas

• Thinking
• Self Belief
• Appreciate Fundamental Concepts
• Wow for the Subject at Hand
• Public Speaking
• Expressing
• Reading
• Comprehension
• Leadership
• Coding Skill
• Database Engine
• Beauty of C in Unix
• Underlying Design of OOPS
• Wonder of MS Excel
• Telling Stories

Christ University and Computer Science Department has provided me with lot of freedom to innovate, to give creative assignments, changes in teaching pedagogy, Leadership Workshop, Think First Workshop, Using Theatre in Class, changes in Lab pattern, Seminar Pattern, Exam Pattern, Coding Competition, College Fest, Corporate Connect, Special Lectures etc

I have got opportunity to teach B.Sc, BCA, M.Sc, MCA, BBA, BBM, MPhil and Law. Most importantly I get a chance to stay connected with industry by teaching M.S Computer Science on weekends (for working professionals from all major IT Companies)

For some all of this may seem as work but for me this is fun. Those who know me before know that I was happy even as a DBA, Software Engineer, C Developer, IT Manager, Onsite Manager, Senior Consultant, Culture and Competency Manager.

So enjoy what you do or do what you enjoy

1089

I was reading this great book on Maths. 1089 and all that by David Acheson

Just 167 pages of a book the size of the palm of my hand

Some questions the author raised had me thinking
1. Why is Negatives times Negative = Positive ? What is the proof ? What is the application ?
2. What is the best way to place three circles fully inside a triangle, such that the circles occupy maximum area. We need to vary the radius of circles to maximize the area. Each circle can have different radius
3. How much area is required to turn a stick of length 'd', by 180 degrees. Assume you have to move in 2 dimensions (Hint it is less than area of circle)
4. Prove Pythagoras Theorem square(a) + square(b) =square(c)
5. Why is pi connected to the series 1 -1/3 +1/5 - 1/7 + 1/9 ..... . After all pi is related to area of circle, so what is connection !!
6. What exactly are complex numbers. If they are imaginary why do we need it here in the real world
7. Did you know the i (complex number) e (natural log base) and pi are related by Euler Formula !!
8. If there are 4 cities and we want to connect them with roads. Assume the cities are in four corners of a square. What is the best way to connect them with minimum road laying cost. (Hint: Answers is not Minimum Spanning Tree and neither is it 2 diagonals !!)
9. Why is the book called 1089

Read if if you get a chance, it is available in Christ Library

Neuron Data Structure

Published in Infobahn : Volume 15, 2nd Edition, 2012

Time and again we programmers get stumped by simple problems. The efficiency of the application is not governed by the kind of hardware, operating system or the features of programming language but our choice of data structure and the way we organise our processes.

I remember the data structure which was used to generate timetable for train trips in a project I worked in London. It took me a long time to understand and appreciate the design made by the original developers. We had train routes, which had certain trains taking trips. Trip consisted of timing points, which in turn consisted of Site and Location. Location consisted of Site and Path.

In my current research project I was confronted with a specific problem as to how to design a data structure for a genetic algorithm which involved evolving images. I am currently on the seventh version of the Data Structure and am sure more modification will be needed enroute.

Lets us discuss in detail a thought exercise I had put across to students in an Advanced Data Structure Class for MCA students.

How to design a data structure for a Neuron which has to pass data from the palm of a hand to the human brain?

There are many scenarios I could envisage

Hand sensing severe pain to a mosquito bite. Hand feels cold, warmth and pressure. We can sense different things using our sense of touch. On the other extreme our hands “feel” numb too !!

What all information should we need to pass if were to design a node of such a data structure which will pass an information capsule to the brain

• Touch will require
• · Heat / Cold / Temperature (do we need three variables or one)
• · Pressure
• · Texture (Is this a struct in itself with lot of attributes, or a result of our brains very complicated AI algorithm)
• · Pain
• · Rupture (Is this different from pressure)
• · Tickling Sensation

If we were defining a C Struct for the same we may use integer data type to scale each of these parameters examples

Temperature: Can be an integer data type which stores level of heat or cold

Texture: A whole range of texture will need to be taught to the brain and use integers to classify them and another integer to range their distribution

Numbness: The absence of feeling. If nothing happens is there need to communicate!! That too from every location of the hand. Imagine the number of hits the brain would be receiving saying no problem, no problem, no problem ..........

Additionally we will need the following metadata

· We will either need time stamp or should we stick to instant messaging only

· Exact location (example: Right Hand , Third Finger, Middle Part, Front Side, 0.5 centimetre front left). How the brain comes to know the exact point a bee stung us is pretty amazing. Does the brain use some sophisticated co ordinate system?

The brains ability to make intelligent guesses is quiet over whelming. If we roll the following items in between our finger tips like mustard seed, red kidney beans or even a sugar crystal, can we not sense them?

Sense the texture by patting a coir mat, velvet cloth, metal grater, a boiled egg, curtain cover, child hand, dog’s fur and even a cow’s nose. Dip and feel if it is petrol, sugar syrup or water. Feel and make our way through a dark room. We can size up or weigh an object. Feel rain, breeze and hail. There is a lot learning which happens as a child grows and explores the world around. But to draw a parallel we cannot even teach a “bubble sort program” to grow up to be a Quick Sort leave alone an Operating System.

So I am sure the reader can appreciate the complexity of the data structure which is required to convey all this information to the control centre in the brain.

Corollary Exercise: In this article we discussed the data structure from Hand to Brain now Design a data structure for information flow from Brain to Hand?

Followership 4 @ Christ University

Leadership Workshop for M.Sc/MCA Students
Conducted by Jibrael Jos
Date : 14 - Nov -2011
Participants : 16 students


Agenda

• Followership
• Self Belief
• IPS
• Leadership Traits
• Building from Scratch
  
  Conducted some different kind of activities to make participants realize the importance of team work, planning and time management
  
  The enthusiasm of the participants was very heartening. Two foreign students added a different flavor to the workshop, bringing in their insights. A very talented bunch of student, they had a task to build a 3 feet long bridge using thermocol plates, glasses, straws, rubber band, glue , paint, thread etc. Time Limit was 30 minutes. Both the teams did a wonderful job.

The workshop included Theater Based Games, Verbal, Numerical and Analytical Puzzles and activity based games. The idea is that different leaders emerge for different areas. Some students are creative, some are more disciplined, some have good speaking skills, some can act and some can dance. Students get a chance to both lead and follow.

Let there be light!!! Part 1

Reading the recent Geo Magazine I came to know that in one night an estimated billion insects die in Germany alone. Reason!! , Street Lights. These insects get confused and dance around these lights mesmerized. Many thoughts raced through my mind

• How did they estimate the number
• How fast do these insects multiply
• Why do they go towards the light in the first place
• I wish the mosquitoes did that, but I doubt if even one died that night, they are too smart

How can you do an estimate in a street light near you:

• Estimate number of dead bodies in an hour multiple by number of hours in the night into approximate number of Street Lights in Bangalore
• Barricade the area of predators, weight 10 dead insects, next day morning round the lot and weigh the total and estimate number for one light one night
• Take sample count in 10 cities, 10 towns, 10 villages, 10 highways spots (to get the idea of variance of insects according to demography)
• Or may be better, just switch of the street light and take a wild guess like 1 billion

The other questions I leave it as an exercise for you all.

These poor insects gets confused thinking of the light as moon in the night sky, all those who have worked late night shifts and fallen in love would agree what a mess it does to our internal bio clocks.

Some Solutions

1. The street lights can they be switched of in the night. Sensors should activate the lights when they detect human motion.
2. Can we invent some special light type which is less intense and does not attract insects
3. Can we install 2-3 additional moons in the orbit, it will save a lot of power and simply reflect sunlight

Conclusion
Human History is full of inventions, followed by mess ups , followed by further new inventions, followed by further mess ups
Let me not think too much, I’ll just Switch of the Lights like my dad used to say, when I am not using them

My Sabatical from Work

By Alfons Madoc, (my sister)
We all need to retreat, realign and refresh at times .... here is how my sister did it . An excellent example of how Goal Setting can do wonders !!!

Introduction

Long working hours, unending piles of work, children and homework neglected, food taste unsatisfactory………nothing seemed to be in perfect scenario. This incompleteness was causing a vague sense of burnout. I needed to stop my world from spinning for a moment. Then think what I wished to do. Maybe a break from work for a month or so. After many deliberations and discussions at work I got the desired ‘sabbatical’ sanctioned. No phone calls, no mails. This is unlike the regular leaves which make you still responsible for all the work entrusted in your care.

What to Do

I’m an A type personality. Have to be always doing something. I cannot be still for long without any activity. So I had to list the things that I intended to do during this time. Here it goes:

1. Travel/trip

2. Read Books

3. See Movies

4. Cooking

5. Ron/Bon

6. Housekeeping

7. St Stephen’s Hospital

8. Learn something new

9. Collage of pics

10. Discipline for Happiness

Travel

My sabbatical began with a triangular trip to Bangalore, Mysore and Ooty. Bangalore to meet my dear Manoj, Philo, Alex and family. Met all three and chatted up. The kids had a fantastic time with cousins. The delicious food at Manoj, the beautiful home of Alex intact with a lot of gizmos, the homeliness and liveliness at Philo’s, all were very memorable.

Ooty was a long pending desire. Even as I was in school and we used to make our trips to Kerala, this was one hill station, I felt we must go. After a lot of deliberations by Madhu with Manoj and Alex we finalized our trip. The toy train on which Shahrukh danced to Chaiya Chaiya, the tea plantations, the tea and Chocolate factory, Lambs Rock, Dolphins peak, boating and shopping and some good food and our trip was done! What added to the delight was the journey through the forest where we could see many a deer in their natural habitat and also many a shooting spots for the typical song sequences of Bolllywood!

Mysore had 2 must sees. One of course the palace and the other one being the Mysore Zoo. You name the animal and it is there in the zoo. Healthy and active. After seeing the Delhi Zoo about 3-4 times, the Mysore Zoo was really a treat especially for Ronnie and Bonnie. I enjoyed it too.

The flight to and fro was also a fascination in itself for Ronnie and a joy for Bonnie.

Books

What to read? Coming from a family of Book Worms I cannot let my reading habit die just because of lack of time. I had to read all the so called “Best Books”. So I asked a few close family and friends and got a list ready:

1. War and Peace

2. Les Miserables

3. Who moved my Cheese

4. Sunset Club

5. Be All You Can Be

6. Outlier

7. 7 Habits

8. The Secret

9. Prisoner At Birth

10. Atlas Shrugged

11. Pelican Brief

12. Night Train to Lisbon

13. Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish

14. Kite Runner

15. Fruits of Earth

16. Prophet

17. Of mice and men

18. Winter of Discontent

19. Bhagwat Gita

20. The Holy Bible

I stopped asking after getting 20 suggestions for Best Books. The above choices include suggestions from Monchetan, Lincy, Anna, Manoj and Litty. Of them, 8, I read. 3, I had read earlier. That still leaves 9 books for me to read.

Movies

Last year saw me emerging as a movie fan. Only English or World movies, though. In pursuance of my interest I also got a list ready of ‘Must See’ movies. Well, I must add that suggestions in this arena was not very forthcoming, anyway……..I got a list……

1. War and Peace

2. Les Miseables

3. Anna Karenina

4. Gone with the Wind

5. Life is Beautiful

6. Roman Holiday

7. Benhur

8. Amistad

9. Heidi

10. Tempest

11. Shakespeare in Love

12. The Queen

13. Kings Speech

14. Invictus

15. Pearl Harbor

16. Kung Fu Panda

17. Transformers

18. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2

The first 3 are books! Now you know what my inspiration is. Yes, I liked the books so much that I was tempted to see the movie as well. War and Peace is Awesome! Well, the last 3 was added by my kids! Leaving 3, I managed to see the rest!! Yes, I’m getting to be a movie buff.

Ron Bon

Summer vacations for kids are these days loaded with holiday homework. And it is near impossible for kid to do it all on their own. Thus, a lot of time was spent with Ronnie and Bonnie searching for pictures of shapes, pictures with a certain sound, places and faces. And projects on Silk, mathematicians……yes, interesting too. Getting Ronnie to speak and understand English was one main target as well. The Bangalore trip was the beginning of learning to speak English. Well it was good to have spent so much time at home with them. Lucky we, who had our Mom at home when we returned from school! I guess I assuaged a little bit of my guilt of not spending adequate time with them with this break.

Cooking

Rising complaints of the maid not cooking well…..I knew it was time to Rise to the occasion. Thanks to the inspiration from Manoj, I bought a few cook books and got started. It’s amazing how a little bit of inspiration and some perspiration in the kitchen can lead to such satisfactory smiles from hubby and kids. By the way, lack of frown on Madhu’s face is to be taken as a smile. And asking for a second helping is actually a sign of a lip smacking delicious meal!! It is fun cooking! Hope my enthusiasm lasts!

Housekeeping

Clean home is a must and a beautiful home is a desire! Somehow with 3 boys at home cleaning is one continuous task! I wanted it clean and tidy inside out, from attic, to bed boxes to cupboards and everything else.

Got a little bonsai from Bangalore, a bamboo shoot to decorate, tidied and spruced up the potted plants. 2 garden stools (read balcony), a shoe rack, some bed and table linen and a touch here and there was all my purse strings allowed for the moment! My greatest joy was the multiplying of one Champa to 4 Champas by cutting their branches and planting the branches in new pots. All 4 are growing well! There is a lot of joy in creation. Imaging how joyful our Lord must have been when he created it all!!

Collage

There was a time when I was always taking pictures. At every occasion, any time, any day. Now, I enjoy seeing them again and again. Guess, I’m getting old! What better way than to make a collage and put it on the wall. After cutting and putting together more than 125 pics, spending hours selecting and pasting them, my collage was ready. Framed with Madhu’s assistance in a neat manner it was soon put up on the dining room wall. It captures many events from my wedding till date which spans about 12 years! As the ad goes……12 years in one sheet, Priceless!

St Stephens Hospital

10 years spent at this institution is unforgettable. It is the place where Ronnie, Bonnie were born and the place I was working during this time. It is the place that gave me an opportunity to shift to my desired stream of work – HR. That was 4 years back. Today, thanks to the same I have made a decent place in Corporate Healthcare in the field of my choice. I wished to go back and meet all the people there and see how life has changed the place. It did not come as a surprise that nothing had changed. All the staff was as caring as before, with all the time in the world. It was a good feeling. I returned with a lot of volumes of the hospital newsletter, a brochure, 2 caps and a memory to last for some time to come. A thought did occur to me was to retire from this institution perhaps! To close where I began…….

Pranic Healing

This came unplanned. One call from one of my doctors at Fortis whether I wished to learn Pranic Healing and be a healer had me all ears! Yes, the thought of being able to heal had definitely a very good ring to it. What greater joy than to alleviate suffering and pain. That too without the gruel of 5 years of MBBS!! With 18 years in healthcare, this sounded just about right! So I entered into the basic course and then the advanced course. Now, I’m a Pranic Healer. I have learnt the stuff and have books to refer to. Now, I need loads and loads of practice to get to the heart of it. This too like medicine is an art and has to be practiced well to be perfected. It does not cost any money to heal and neither does it cause harm. It only requires time. To start with small aches and pains and when the doctor gives up hope then this is definitely worth trying. I have a ready person to try it on. Ronnie. And maybe teach too! Well, if (or shall I say once) mastered it could be my retirement pastime!

Discipline for Happiness

Frivolous mind, as mine is, tends to forget many things. So, I naturally became fond of checklists. Also, I realized that what causes stress very often is unfinished tasks. Both at work and at home. Well, at office I tend to be on my toes, and that has borne fruit and happiness. So, I decided to do the same at home. What evolved next was a Daily, Weekly and Monthly Checklist of To Dos. Some checks and balances on my finances, expenses and savings. Then got Bonnie and Ronnie to do the Check and Audit respectively of all Mom’s tasks! Well, print out taken, it has also found a place on the Notice Board. Now, I’m geared up to go back to work and take life headlong!

Ravi Nagar

This was unlisted in my to dos. Yet, this break saw me take 3 trips down memory lane. One with Mummy, one with Litty and Mom and the third with Monchetan. Cleared some debris, sorted some stuff and books and felt good! Well, we seem to be struggling to put together one tiny home and here Papa and Mummy have put together such a big home and that too with one person working and ten children. We must be having the best parents ever!

Conclusion

Life is one big journey and half the journey has already Gone with the Wind. No point shrugging life as envisioned in Atlas Shrugged. Sometimes life is like Tempest and sometimes like a Roman Holiday, but most often Life seems to be like Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace, like seasons it keeps changing and keeps going on and on and gets us back again and again to where we started making a Full Circle. We must BE All We Can Be and be connected till the Sunset years of our life. Life is Beautiful!

Rejoice and be Glad! That is what HE said!

PS: I wrote this for the sheer joy of writing. By sharing this with all of you, I'm sharing a bit of myself.

Enjoy!

IF : by Rudyard Kipling

Context : My All Time Favorite English Poem by Rudyard Kipling
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!