Back To School

You can kind of put me into the list of children that don't enjoy school completely. What I mean is, I don't fancy going to school much. I love to meet my friends and teachers, but the 'study' part of school does not catch me much. Not always, actually. I do love my English, Maths and Science periods. But Hindi and Social Studies periods are kind of boring for me. I actually don't know why.

After another five days, I'll be back at school. Hmm.. I am happy, but not completely. The main problem is waking up early! I just can't sleep to my full during school days! Scientists say a teenager should get eight hours of proper sleep. Eight hours!!! Are you kidding! That's not enough for me. For the lazy Adityan, ten hours is the minimum. For that, i'll have to sleep early, about at eight. But I don't feel sleepy at that time! क्या कर सकता हूँ? I don't know if this is a problem for all my age, but I do believe that for some, yes.

Then comes the amount of homework and stuff to study. Although our school gives less homework compared to my old school, I still find it a lot. And after finishing that, I don't feel like studying! Sometimes, even if I feel like studying, I only touch Science, English and Social Studies. At that time, Maths doesn't seem to interesting and Hindi.... like it has been always... the subject I don't like. I find it tough.

But still, I love my school and appreciate all it has done for me. I'm totally ready for school now. And i'll try to spend the last few days happily.

The Last Lecture

A lot of professors give talks titled 'The Last Lecture'. Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, audiences can't help but mull the same question- "What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy?
When RANDY PAUSCH (actually Randolph), a computer science professor ai Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn't have to imagine it as his last....
Randy Pausch had been diagnosed with a terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave- 'Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams'- wasn't about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles (what Randy calls BRICK WALLS'), of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment ('because time is all you have.... and you may find one day that you have less time than you think'). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to beleive. It was about living.

I went through this book of Mr Pausch, called 'The Last Lecture'. It was interesting and useful. Some parts... well... what you may call emotional, and when mom was reading the book, we had to keep clean towels beside her all the time. I'm not the kind of guy who will cry, but at such parts, big lumps come into my throat. Well, mom says it's a book worth reading. I've read only a teeny bit of it. I'm looking forward to read it.
Actually one can go to 'http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo' to watch 'The Last Lecture' and I suggest you should.
Good news is, this great man is still alive, but his days are still being counted. I can't imagine how one must feel when he/she knows that death is before them. Ughh... Poor fellow, isn't he. But the thing is, in his lecture, he doesn't at all feel as if he's sad about it. That needs a lot of.... i don't know the right word.
I do wish he could live a lot longer, but it is all in God's hands.

Computer Games

"You are now in high scholl, class 8, this year iand the next few years are very important for you now. Now you should stop playihg computer games. Is that OK?"
"NO!!!!"
"I know you like them a lot. I'm not asking you to stop playing immediately. Take your time, but you should stop some day."
"No, No, NO!!!"
"Listen, you should not be making such a fuss. Computer games are useless, thy're only going to spoil you more and more."
"But, still mom..."
"No excuses son. You are a big boy now. You have grown out of the age of playing these games."
"Mom! But they're fun! I really need to play them! Please!!! Next year onwards, I may not be able to touch the computer at all! Please let me have one last year with it. I'm not asking you to give it to me everyday! Just... maybe once in 3 days or so!"
"I'm ready to give you computer everyday, IF you use it in a good way, like going to good websites or to email your friends, and of course, to do your blog. Just, don't play games with it. Computer wasn't made for games, son. Computers have brought a change in the world. The computer is a great machine, if you use it in the way you should be using it in."
"Mom, please.... can't I play even a little?"
"Of Course, but you should give away with it in this year. You cannot afford to waste time playing computer games in the world now. In this world, if you want comforts when you grow up, you have to work, work hard. Otherwise you wont reach anywhere inlife."
"All right..............."

It happens with me. I actually argue with mom about computer games. She doesn't like it when I play it, but I can't stay without it. I don't know why. There is nothing more fun than to stare at your screen with your fingers wildly tapping at keyboard buttons to make you Ferrarri 300 Spider get past your oponents car. When you play, you're not aware of anything else going around, nothing. You're mind is totally into the game, you're immersed in it. Why? Why does that happen?
Computer games were made for pure pleasure, as a pastime. People wwere happy with this new discovery in the world of computers, children even more. And till today, children have been crazy about them, more amoung boys though. This is because most games are of what you call, a 'boyish' theme. Racing with cars, shooting the heads off aliens, kicking and doing slams on fellow wrestlers, and sometimes sports. 90% of computer games have such themes and few have totally 'girlish' themes.
Later on, NITENDO, a leading game making company, came up with and idea to make games more fun and portable. They designed the GAMEBOY. Gameboy and Gameboy Advanced was and still is highly popular. A small portable gameboy can be charged. After gameboy came more breakthroughs like the SONY PLAYSTATION and the XBOX.
Many people, parents consider games useless and avoid buying their kids these. But still, markets all aroung the world sell these in monsterous amounts. Even in my own class, maybe about 5 children may be having a PLAYSTATION or an XBOX.
Another big problem is the violence in numerous games. Games like WWE RAW and MORTAL KOMBAT have violent fighting scenes, which affects a childs brain. The child starts to immitate the actions done by the 'virtual themselves' (i hope you understood what I meant by this). This is the main reason, this generation kids do acts of violence and say gaalis which is foul language.
Sometimes, it's not the violence. Some children, although they may not play such games, start loving it so much, they may relate games and life together. "I can't live without games!"
Computer games have mystified the minds of small children. Many kids have to be forced to play out of the house. Even I have reluctance to go out and play.
What to do?
I want to and maybe will, stop playing games. Even though I won't like doing it, I will, because I know it's good for me. And maybe, later on, when I'm big, I settle down witha good job and a good house, I may think about playing again.

Is Vegetarianism Logical?

It was June 1st 2008. It was raining heavily and Dad was enjoying the drive back home. My little bro was comfortably sleeping in the front seat and I was there at the back unable to deal with my headache. I was looking outside. Rain. I don't get to see it in Delhi a lot. All I was wishing at that moment was to get out of the car and get wet. But of course, I could not do that.
Afte a while, the rain stopped. Yeah.. so what? At that moment I saw one modified Ford Fiesta. Cool! I kept staring at it. Then my EYE caught three bulls, tied together. Why were they being left there, where is their owner. That's when I saw another bull run past our car and a man running after it with a stick. Was the bull scared of something? Why was it running away? It wasn't hard to find out the reason. Beef. Cow-Bull meat, widely eaten in Kerala. I looked back at the other bulls. Did they have the same fate?

Actually I had a wish to be a vegetarian long before this incident. But at that time is was for no reason. This time, i had a pity for those bulls. The thought of finally becoming a strict vegetarian came into my mind. I said it out to my dad. He smiled. Then he asked me why I wanted to do so. I said I don't like animals being killed just for humans. He smiled again.
"I'm proud you are taking such a decision. Do what you think you should. But I want you to argue about why should one be a veg. I'll talk against it."
I did not stand a chance against him. "There was once a scientist, who was a strict vegetarian. He hated doing the slightest harm to an animal. This was before the microscope was invented. It later was made and this particular scientist bought one for a high price. He was excited of having such a new instument. He wanted to make discoveries. And he did. Once, while studying a steel peice under the microscope, a leaf from the tree outside flew into the house through the window and somehow, landed on his pallette, on top of the stell peice. He was surprised to see the number of moving 'creatures' on the leaf. What were they? Were they cells? Can it be? Living cells? He noticed after some time that the cells started to die. He ran into his kitchen and brought a carrot piece and studied it under the microscope.More living cells. Does this really mean that plants are also living. That explains why plants grow from small plant to big trees! But then he realized something. Although he was a strict vegetarian, he was killing. HE was killing the plants to eat it.
He comes out with his discovery but adds, 'Any person who is an actual strict vegetarian, will have to starve to death.' "
What dad was saying was right. But....
"You say that it feels bad when killing an animal. All right, you kill a hen, you have cut off it's throat. But, how can you know if the top of a carrot is it's head. You cut it off. It's the same as cutting a hens throat. Man is incapable of seeing or feeling the life inside a plant. Science may prove that a plant does not have a hand or a face. But that is according to what WE see. It may not be a reality. Trees may be having eyes with which they are looking at us all the time? How can we know?"
"It is man's incapability that he can't feel a plant."
"Man was actually made a vegetarian. Man's intestined are like that of a cows. But we still eat meat, but do you eat it cooked or raw? There lies the point. Man cooks food not only to make it tasty, but also to make it digestable. Man's actual canine, is not his teeth, but his brain."
I gave up. But dad continued, "Don't change your mind just because i told you all this. Stay a vegetarian. But try to defend your point well with logical points."
And yes, It's been only a week, since I turned a vegetarian and I'm doing good. I have not touched non-veg. Once I was offered even prawns. PRAWNS! MY FAV! I did not eat it. I had to stck to vegetarianism.

I still feel, being a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian does not make a difference. But in the world, Vegetarianism has always been encouraged. So I ask you people : IS VEGETARIANISM LOGICAL? Please answer my poll and leave comments about it.