Day 2

As I predicted in my last blog, I have gotten used to the humor! :D
Yesterday we went for a cookout at a lake near here. Abt 10 of us ended up playing those kiddy games where you stand in a circle, right palm on top of the person beside you, singing silly rhymes, and trying not to get your hand slapped at the end. We cracked ourselves up. I hadn't laughed that hard in quite a while.
So far the program has been nothing exceptional, except for the fact that I am hanging out with other math geeks! Eversince Budapest, I've developed a taste for math-speak outside of class, and it's great speaking math with the rest of the ppl here.
Tomorrow should be a lot more fun. We are going to go to the lab, and work with the vibrating beam and collect data. Stay tuned for more nerdy details abt this program and my summer in Iowa!
P.S. Check out the group photo @ http://www.ncsu.edu/crsc/ugw05/photo.htm and my team photo @ http://www.ncsu.edu/crsc/ugw05/images/Team4.jpg
P.P.S Don't I have an arrogant smirk on my face!! :D

In Raleigh

I am in Raleigh!! It is so warm here!! Back in Mass the temp had only climed into the low 70s the past 2 days. But here mid to high 80s: no biggy! Enough abt the weather.
The seminar starts today. I've met a few other ppl who are attending it, and will meet the rest in a few mins. It's kinda sad, but the ppl here make me feel old!!!!! They are not quite as mature as I like to think I am. Or maybe it's just the guys. Women in math are a minority, and its reflected in the attendance of the seminar. There are only abt 8-10 of us out of the 25-30 ppl attending. Maybe I'm no longer used to the immature jokes and sense of humor of teenage/early twenties guys. No offense: I enjoy it immensely! But not all the time! Hopefully I will get more used to it as the days go by. So by the time I'm done here on Fri, I should not feel so patronizing when I go to Iowa next week.
hahhahhhhahha. Sorry abt the patronizing tone of this post. And I really think, it's ME not THEM this time :D

When you have too much time on your hands...

1. Read the Onion: http://www.theonion.com/
2. Browse other people's blogs and leave randon comments
3. Finish the novel you started 10 years ago a.k.a Anna Karenina
4. Study for the GREs
5. Change your blog template
6. Read every friend's profile on the facebook
7. Read all your scraps on orkut
8. Read all your friends' testimonials on orkut
9. Google sites which whack Bush and read them
10. Change your blog template again!

The start of something great

Call me wishful, but I have a very strong feeling this summer is going to be the start of something great in my life. No, I haven't met someone. I'm talking about my professional life (such as it is), and consequently my personal life too, for as things stand now, they are one and the same to me.
It is so interesting that eversince o levels, I only know what the next major step in my life is going to be only 3-4 months before it is supposed to happen. The big question in A levels was whether I will come to the US for my undergrad. Got the affirmative in April, when I thought I was supposed to start in Sept. Then came 9/11, and the whole will-I-wont-I visa question. That got settled in Dec and I started at MHC in Jan.
The last 3 and a 1/2 years have been relatively peaceful. Although last summer, the big question was: will I go to grad school after graduating or get a job? I postponed that question when I decided to stay the full 4 years. Since Dec 2004, the big question had been what am I doing this summer? That was answered in March when I got accepted to the REU at Iowa State. I start that in June.
Now the question is, a) what will I do next spring? and b) which grad school will I be going to next fall? Again true to the pattern, I won't know the answer to the questions till only a couple of months before I start. But one thing, is for certain: I will be home next summer, whether I'm going to grad school in the fall or not. I will experience the first khi summer in more than 4 years; eat aam for the first time in 3; and spend more than 4 weeks at a stretch at home in more than 4. June, July and hopefully a large chunk of August 2006 will be spent in karachi, inshallah.
But I guess in the whirlwind that is life (God! what a cliche!!) you only need 1 constant/sure thing, to keep your eye on, so that you don't get dizzy. If there is even a single pinpoint of light in the darkness, you can navigate your way thru the abyss, and come out into the light, even if it is only for a single second.
However this ends, it has been one hell of a journey, and I have enjoyed every single second of it. And you know wat? You ain't seen nothing yet!

Effing Gorjus!!

YUM!!! couldn't resist putting this up, when I came across it!

'05 YEAH!!!

I am very very very very happy for all my friends who graduated yesterday. They all looked so cute in their gowns and hats. The commencement speeches were pretty good too. There was a bad moment when the chosen commencement speaker Nina Totenburg of NPR called us a girls' school. I could hear everyone of the 600+ MHC grads and students present there silently go WHAT!!!??? WE ARE A WOMENS' COLLEGE!!!! I guess she didnt read the memo which explained our pride in being the oldest higher education institution for women.
I don't know how next semester is going to be without my friends here. Granted I know some lower class women, but it won't be the same. Oh well, this day would have come. I would have said goodbye to them yesterday no matter what.
THe good news: I can chose '05 as my "social class" i.e. i can come for reunions and stuff with the class of '05!

Talk abt loyalty!

There are two women on campus from the class of 1930 celebrating their 75th reunion. In a word: amazing. That made me do some arithmatic and realize that I am 2 yrs older than the rest of my class, and that I will be 98 (almost 99) when, or rather IF, I come back for my 75th. Makes me sorta determined to get my PhD in 4 yrs, so that I can "catch up"!
Reunions make me nostalgic and scared. Where the hell will I be in 2, 5, 10, 40 or 75 years?

Come one, come all

This post is to remove any confusion about who is welcome on my blog once and for all: EVERYONE is. That includes my li'l sister's friends, my friends (ofcourse), my friends' freinds, perverts, criminals...Infact the whole damn world!
If you have time to waste, you're more than welcome to waste it here :D
oh and P.S. Me = Aatekah

What do u do...

when people you haven't even met or talked to rub you the wrong way? You just know them from their writing. I've found out that there is something about some people's writing that just turns me off, BIG TIME! Reading what they've written makes me uncomfortable, like I've tasted something ugly. Even though wat the've said is in no way offensive (in most cases; as always there are a few exceptions), but still the impression of the person I leave with is that of a know-it-all, pesky, annoying, too-big-for-his/her-shoes, annoying, did I mention annoying, little shit? I'ts nothing substantial, so I can't even articulate what I found so objectionable. And more often than not, it's just MY problem.
Yes I know I can stop reading their blogs, and in most cases, I've only visited their blog once. But the most ironic thing is, most of these blogs I've ended up on are people my friends read. mmmm....
But then there are some who just leave me breathless.

Dundunadundun!

I am DONE! Even though the extension I got for my Stats class dragged things out a bit, I am finally done! I have to say thou, this feels very anti-climatic. Khair, I am free! Now I have two more weeks at good ol' MHC, working reunions and earning a little extra cash :D Always helps! Then my summer will start and I will go on my grand mid-west american adventure! I think I'm putting in too many exclamation points in this blog! hahahahha

Famous People who have Failed

Albert Einstein failed his first college entrance exam at Zurich Polytechnic.

William Faulkner didn't have enough credits to graduate from high school.

Henry Ford forgot to put a reverse gear in his first car.

Lucille Ball of I love Lucy was once dismissed from drama school for being too quite and shy.

A cartoon by Charles Shultz, creater of Peanuts, was turned down by his high school year book.

mmmm....maybe there's hope for the rest of us, but I won't hold my breath!

Feeling normal again!! :D 

Fish/funny face contest. I won ofcourse! ;) 

It's finals week. Wat do u expect!!?? 

Time of our lives

To all those whom I'll be saying goodbye to in less than two weeks. You all rock!

Another turning point;
a fork stuck in the road.

Time grabs you by the wrist;
directs you where to go.

So make the best of this test
and don't ask why.

It's not a question
but a lesson learned in time.

It's something unpredictable
but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

So take the photographs
and still frames in your mind.

Hang it on a shelf
In good health and good time.

Tattoos of memories
and dead skin on trial.

For what it's worth,
it was worth all the while.

It's something unpredictable
but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

It's something unpredictable
but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

It's something unpredictable
but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

Green Day-Time of your life

Change of scene

With the arrival of spring (finally!!) I decided to give my blog a makeover. It goes without saying that it also gives me a chance to procrastinate. Green ofcourse seemed the obvious choice. The campus is finally fulfilling its promise of beauty: green bushes, flowering trees, and gorgeous weather. I sit on the steps of the amphitheater, with the sun on my back and do my work. Although now that I have to start typing up my paper, I may have to move into the lib. Btw, in case neone was interested, 24/7 lib hrs have started. For the ignorant this means, that the lib opened at 10am Sun May 1st, and will not close again till 5pm May 11th (which also happens to be the last day of finals). Spending atleast one night at the lib is a must every semester. See you soon at 3am some night this week.

Pancakes for brunch

So my new MP3 player is here! Really excititng!! But 6 ppl on campus got caught ripping off music online, so I'm a bit leery of going on one of the P2P networks and downloading. But I still have 200 songs on my computer and cds so its not so bad. And ofcourse I can always get more cds from home! :D
Just 2 more days of classes. Man these 4 months went by fast! It goes without saying ofcourse that I have a ton of work, but I am enjoying myself. Something abt the light at the end of the tunnel, makes it easier to bear the darkness around me.