TATOO!!!

This is the tattoo which I got recently. My first and the last. It's a dove and a heart, technically signifying love and peace. I am not gonna lie to you, it was painful. Took about 30 mins, got it done by this lady in an Orlando tattoo parlor. she was nice and very sweet knowing that it was my first but she (oh my gosh) was emblazoned with sooo many tattoos, it was freaking unbelievable. Got it done the day before my birthday! Many were and still are pretty surprised that I had actually got a tattoo but I really don't see it as a big deal. It was a fun experience and I don't think it makes me a rebel by getting one! I am lucky to have parents who were totally cool with it. Mom was just a little concerned about the safety of the ink and all that but otherwise she was cool. Dad just said your wish. Anna was envious that i got it before him! Boo!

This is the shop's myspace page. pretty cool store.!

http://www.myspace.com/chromelotusorlando

Facebook!!!!

FACEBOOK!!! I am still not sure why I am actually writing a note about facebook! But it's become such an integral part of my life that I need to talk about it! Oh forget the horse shit, I am freakishly addicted to it!! I go on facebook like a zillion times a day! Status updates, likes dislikes, comments, photos, videos etc etc! It is an amazing network which keeps you hooked on for hours altogether. And then I go back and regret all the time I wasted on that. Sigh.. As an experiment, with quals comin up in 15 days, I decided to go off "the social network" until exam time. I surprisingly lasted for 2 days which I actually consider a personal achievement! :)
It's the greatest invention according to me and one that is gonna stay!! 

Doctor of Philosophy!!

I can't believe I am actually doing a PhD!!! Truthfully speaking I was never the nerdy one! I mean I can learn and remember stuff. But was I good in studies? Not really!! Am I ready to take what this is offering me? I am not sure yet!! It's a huge challenge and more than once I have thought of quitting it! I mean what do I lose really? I did get some experience teaching, public speaking blah blah!  Who am I kidding?! I suck at teaching! That's a career which has totally gone down the drain!! That is a different story altogether!! Someday I will talk about that :( But sometimes PhD is kinda cool too. I mean really you get to learn and specialize about something of your own interest! And the PhD comics you get to read and feel the "hey I know what they are talking about" is an added bonus too! ;) This is an awesome website and has some of the coolest comic strips. 

I have a pretty decent advisor Thank the Lord. She is pretty cool and laid back. But the one drawback is that being the only doctorate student kinda sucks sometimes. You end up doing a lot of stuff which has nothing related to your thesis or anything else at all! And me being a teeny weeny bit (:D) of a pushover, it can be a pain sometimes. But at the end I think it's all worth it, when you walk down the aisle and get the doctorate degree, i don't think anything will ever beat it!! 

I would like to end this is with an awesome excerpt I read online! 

All the effort is worth it (believe it or not)

Experience from Ph.D. thesis research is unique. You have learned how to do research. Future research is going to be more interesting because you will know how to do it, so you will have more freedom and fun.

Almost all leaders in research have this experience. You will have confidence in your research ability. You will look at things differently than people who did not go through this process. It is very clear that Ph.D. thesis research is still the best way we know of in developing powerful researchers.

In summary, it is the best investment for becoming a successful researcher

These are some of the articles and blogs that have inspired and got me going through my 2 year course! 

http://www.eecs.harvard.edu/~htk/thesis.htm#10

http://malenel.wordpress.com/

http://youngfemalescientist.blogspot.com/

Cartooning my favorites

Sometime ago when I had a lot of free time in my hand, (that's actually a nice way to put it but actually I was just home doing nothing :D) I started dabbling with a little bit of art. I guess most people wouldn't really call it art just some random drawings but whatever!! I decided to start off with cartoons for the only reason that they are simple to draw. My biggest encouragers (is that even a word? hmmm) were my mom and my brother. Anna actually liked all the pictures on facebook and I was so touched. It really helped me work on more of those. Mom is like super good in all these stuff, she loves decorating etc etc all those girly stuff which I detest and more importantly she is a big PERFECTIONIST! When she actually told me they were good, it felt gooood (that is a google good!! :P)

This was my first drawing. It is of Dora the explorer. 

I was crazy about Shrek!! actually i am still!!Tried drawin him.. sigh dint work out that well. that's the biggest understatement of the year!! it was horrible, just an effort so i am gonna leave it here ;)

Calvin and Hobbes!! No words to explain!!! love the comic!!

Love Noddy and Big Ears by Enid Blyton!! My first favorite childhood author. I can read these books even now!! Timeless!! 

SONIC!!

Pacman!! unforgettable games on the videogame!! 

A recent favorite: FAMILY GUY, Stewie!! Love the unmistakable humor and sarcasm!

This was when AVATAR was released!! A cartoony version of the Na'vi girl! 

This reminds me of a lot of childhood memories!! Playing endless games of Super Mario in an antique video game piece!! :P

Pikachu!! I am not an anime fan, infact I detest it. But I love this character's name and how it looks!!

SNOOPY!! Grew up reading Charlie Brown stories!! Thanks Dad for introducing me to the world of books!!