"PEER PRESSURE"-A thing of Past

How many times have you come across articles on,"teens","Students","freshers"or even adults(political parties,trade unions) for that matter without using the term-"peer pressure".Not many,isn't it.


While talking about kids or teens,ill habits like reluctance towards studies,stress,exam fever,short-temper are attributed to peer pressure.When you talk of adults-drinking,smoking,cheating,eavesdropping,double-crossing.etc are attributed to peer pressure.

But ideally,at least in todays scenario,should there be any peer pressure at all?

Two sides of the coin
Our parents,as students had very few choices when it came to choosing their stream of studies and making a career out of it.Bachelors in science and arts was a safe bet.Engineers,Doctors,Lawyers,Bankers were the esteemed lot.It was considered abysmally wrong if anyone were to try for non-government jobs.

But things have changed now.Irrespective of your stream of study,getting a job is no big deal if you can inculcate the so-called soft skills or at least pretend to be so.The market demand,globally, for young minds is on an all-time high that students have the liberty of choosing b/w taking up job in their dream company or to pursue higher studies.The avenues are wide open.

Why follow the herd??

This being ,the case why do still feel the pressure.The answer is simple.Our society has taught us a lot of quick-fix techniques to escape criticism.Despite a wide pool of career options.Most of us confine ourselves to IT/ITES,Medicine,Banking.etc to name a few.An aspiring athlete,painter or actor would be nipped in the bud ,fearing the taboos of the society.We bury deep our own interests,wishes and just follow the herd in the name of playing it safe.But,with time,when we don't enjoy what we do,somewhere down the line,the chronic underlying dislike or discomfort resurfaces,no matter how much we try to dump it within us.Finally we feel the stress.

"Its no more a question of commanding respect for what you are.Rather,we demand respect when we make career choices based on others(parents,relatives,friends) conviction"

"Its not a question of need that bogs us down.Its all about greed of what others are onto".

"we yearn to earn rather than to abide by or imbibe what we learn".

Somebody coin a new term!!

As of now,I assume that its quite clear that we all misuse the term "peer pressure".So I leave it to the readers to come up with a new term for peer pressure keeping in mind the above discussion

A moviemaker compilation of our Final year Tour

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=166462378398715055&q=Final+year+ECE%282004-08%29students&hl=en

Tuesdays with Morrie-A fabulous book

HOW DID I GET TO KNOW ABOUT THE BOOK??
One Tuesday morning,i was yawning,flipping through the tv channels reluctantly.Eventually i saw Director Vasanth's interview.It was only about to get over when he mentioned about the book he read recently and strongly recommended this book to all he met.Moreover,he quoted Dr.Manmohan Singh,who also contemplated everyone on reading the book.

Since i was vetti to core,got the book from a lending library.To my astonishment i got so engrossed dat i finished the book at a stretch in 6hrs.


GIST OF THE STORY
Plot
Though not a story as such,the author,Mitch Albom has written this book in the way of paying tribute for his late professor(Morrie),a sociologist.During his college days,Mitch shared a great rapport with Morrie.Morrie had opened up Mitch as he felt very comfortable to share everything with his professor.At farewell,Mitch had promised his "coach"(as he used to call him) to keep in touch ..But he never lived up to it.

After 16 yrs......
In the quest to carve a niche for himself,Mitch always swept his thoughts about his professor under his carpet.Sixteen years rolled by until he came to know of the deteriorating health of his professor dying of a disease called ALS.Struck with a sense of guilt,Mitch makes a desperate visit at his professors'.

They were Tuesday people

After sharing pleasantries on their reunion Mitch was overwhelmed by the same humility and fondness with which his coach received him. Mitch felt very bad for not having met his mentor for so long and decided to compensate by meeting him every Tuesday,in the way of replenishing their college time custom.


The 14 Tuesdays
Morrie had two choices-either to get worried of dying or accept things as it is and make the last few days of his life meaningful.He met his friends,students and in fact the whole world through media and made everyone understand what he was going through.He won a million of hearts.

Meanwhile,Morrie met up with Mitch every Tuesday and they would talk on different topics.
This final class is on meaning of life, topics include the world, feeling sorry for yourself, regrets, death, family, emotions, aging, money, love, marriage, culture, forgiveness, and saying goodbye.

Mitch was always conservative when it comes to showing his emotions.His coach always would say that its okay to cry.But Mitch never felt the need for it.On the final Tuesday Morrie got Mitch crying.

Touching lines
Morrie managed to scribe off his experience in the form of short aphorism which has the essence a whole lot of self-improvement books.Also,he passed on his legacy to his most deserved student.

'Don’t cling to things, because everything is impermanent’.

‘Detachment doesn’t mean you don’t let the experience penetrate you. On the contrary, you let it penetrate you fully'.

'When you're confined to the bed,you are dead'.

'Love is something you cherish.If you don't love each other,then perish'.

In his final days Morrie gave as an adult(his philosophies) and took as a child(Morrie deteriorated from the size of a man to a boy suffering from ALS which had no cure)

'Everyday in the morning i mourn for the part of my body that has failed to function,may be shed a few tears and then move on with it'.

'Once I am gone you come to my grave every Tuesday.Then you do the talking and I'll listen to you'.

Morrie & Mitch(original) (Movie)

IMPACT ON ME
I was really moved to tears.I made it a point to visit my grandparents everyday and I'm already doing it.My perspective of life has changed starkly.


Book Review

http://www.cnn.com/books/reviews/9805/06/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuesdays_with_Morrie

NO ROOM FOR STUDIES

WHY A STUDENT FAILS ???It's not the fault of the student if he fails, because the year has ONLY 365' days.Typical academic year for a student:-

1. Sundays-52,Sundays in a year, you know Sundays are for rest.Days left 313.

2. Summer holidays-50 where weather is very hot and difficult to study.Days left 263.

3. 8 hours daily sleep-means 130 days.Days left 141.

4. 1 hour for daily playing-(good for health) means 15 days.Days left 126.

5. 2 hours daily for food & other delicacies(chew properly & eat)-means 30days.Days left 96.

6. 1 hour for talking (man is a social animal)-means 15 days !Days left 81.

7. Exam days per year atleast 35 days.Days left 46.

8. Quarterly, Half yearly and festival (holidays)-40 days.Balance 6 days.

9. For sickness atleast 3 days.Remaining days 3.

10. Movies and functions atleast 2 days.1 day left.

11. That 1 day is your birthday. "How can you study at that day yaar...

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

It's truly unfair to dedicate a single day out of 365 to express our warmth to our mothers.I still can't quite give in to it.For someone who has been so selfless in raising us they deserve much more.Love ur parents as much as u can.Don't wait for an occasion to express ur love.A gentle hug or a kiss will do a world a lot of gud rather than trying to express ur love through materialistic things.

Invest ur time in relations...U ll reap the benefits for generations

DA VINCI CODE vs DASAVATHARAM

Dr.Kamalahasan's recent flick Dasavatharam is undoubtedly the much awaited film of the year.It's gonna be a massive hit because every controversial film of his has turned out to be a box office hit.And Dasavatharam is no exception.From what little info we are able to discern from the trailer & buzz around kollywood.One could make a plausible guess that the film is about make both ends meet-mythology and science & technology.The script,like the the most critically acclaimed Da Vinci Code has created a stir among the Hindu spiritualists and religionists.

Considering the fact that the actor himself has penned the script besides playing different characters,one must marvel this man's intellect.When people boast of dual roles,its beyond a layman's imagination the amount of creativity,knowledge , hard work and commitment that it takes right from conceiving the ideas and bring it out with perfection through getups,modulation etc.Song sequences must be a compromise keeping in mind the expectations of the local audience.

Its always difficult to produce a film that is critically acclaimed as well as a box office hit.But this man having proved his critics wrong time and again,haven't lost his appetite for success and eventualy creates milestones and breaks the myths.Hats off to Dr.Kamalahasan.Advance wishes for the entire Dasavatharam crew

A Tribute to College Life

Jolly gags
youthful brags
Attendance lags
Class time snacks
Empty bags
Junior rags
Id tags
Pastime fags
V'day pangs
Teacher's nags
Foot board hangs
Weekends in gangs
Day has come -it all drags