tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46020788367148187492024-02-06T19:26:53.584-08:00SandboxA blog about all the awesome and awful things that happen around me in this wonderful world. 'nuff said!Aswinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16085053565867227835noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4602078836714818749.post-71264916821127550392014-11-11T17:02:00.000-08:002014-11-12T14:19:32.396-08:00Why Nolan's Interstellar Sucks - 25 Reasons<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Okay, to be honest, it doesn't totally suck. It has great visuals of space (not nearly as stunning as Gravity though), great acting by Matthew McConaughey, good premise and thrilling action sequences of interstellar travel. The movie is not "too complex to be understood by simple minds" or whatever the fans bring up every time someone criticizes this movie. If you know basic high school science, you are good to go. But if you are expecting another Dark Knight/Inception style movie with a lot of depth, you will be disappointed. Also, some people are even calling it the most scientifically accurate movie ever made. What?!! It has too many flaws that I will jot down below.<br />
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Also, I'm NOT a Nolan hater. I'm the exact opposite, a fan. I'm just disappointed with this movie.<br />
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<b><u>SPOILER ALERT</u></b><br />
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<b>Why I didnt like Interstellar:</b><br />
<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Fuck Love. Love is this. Love is that. Can we get a proper sci-fi movie please?</li>
<li>Black brother always gets it. "Nice black guy gets killed later" cliche. Or maybe coincidence. I dunno.</li>
<li>Hero goes inside a black hole and reaches his daughter's bedroom. Please.</li>
<li>Later, he conveniently floats out of the black hole. What?</li>
<li>What are the odds of the survivors finding a human body floating in the space?</li>
<li>Mann has to kill others to survive? Why can't he just admit that he lied and just walk into their spacecraft?</li>
<li>Highly intelligent future humans had to just put a wormhole outside Saturn to help us. No other way to communicate to the three dimensional ancestors? Maybe even a wormhole closer to earth?</li>
<li>Why is the tesseract inside a black hole, which they were anyway not going to enter?! Why did the higher intelligent beings assume that anyone would enter the black hole to find the solution?!</li>
<li>How the hell did he push the books down from the shelf from within the black hole?</li>
<li>Father: "How did you know that I was coming back?" Daughter: "Because, my father gave me his word *sob*" - Cheese.</li>
<li>Scenes copied from the movie Gravity - camera spinning, challenging docking maneuvers, silent space explosions, hero sacrifices his life for the heroine without telling her. Maybe not copied, but in Gravity, all these were done well and naturally.</li>
<li>Adult Murph throwing the paper sheets down the balcony and shouting "eureka", kissing the guy standing next to her - Cliche and cheese galore.</li>
<li>Cooper's daughter actually doesn't talk to her father for 23 years even though she knows he had to leave to save mankind? What a bitch!</li>
<li>"You walked into the best kept secret on Earth... NASA". So, how do they get enough funding to keep making these explorations while people are starving everywhere? </li>
<li>Too much background music and too loud that it drowns the cheesy lines down. That actually could be a positive!</li>
<li>Ms. Brand sacrifices mankind to meet her boyfriend. Cheese? Cliche? I dunno.</li>
<li>Then she delivers the cheesiest lines about love of all time. "Love is a quantifiable physical force, the one thing that we can feel that transcends time and space" bullshit super cheese.</li>
<li>Pacing - Too slow in the beginning, too fast towards the end</li>
<li>Matt Damon, who is an astronaut considered to be "the best among them" in the movie, has no idea that he shouldn't open the door to fucking space until the docking is complete unless he wants to be blown into subatoms? What is he, 5 years old?</li>
<li>Soooo many cringeworthy lines - Brand's love quotes - 2 times?, Old Murph's promise related line, "Can't we just let it go? It didn't hurt anybody"... rage into the good night whatever - 3 times, this one... You can actually feel the cringey feeling growing stronger and stronger inside you.</li>
<li>Cooper, our hero, sends his daughter all the information required to solve the scientific problems related to interstellar travel through morse code and a watch from the inside of a black hole in future. Even if we assume that it is possible somehow and that such a device was created by future humans, couldn't he go back further and talk to some intelligent scientists BEFORE the calamities struck the earth.</li>
<li>Fellow astronaut has to teach the more experienced astronaut Cooper what a worm hole is with a pencil and paper. That scene exists only to inform the audience that they are stupid. This could have been done in a better way, and maybe BEFORE they got into the space shuttle!?</li>
<li>The weird scene in the beginning - "Dont kill us", "Lol, we are NASA", conveniently opens a door revealing a space shuttle. What? How... But... Aarrggh. That was like a bad advertisement on TV.</li>
<li>Tars - "They didnt bring us here to change the past." Conner - "Say that again?". "Side character says something simple and the main character gets a mind shattering idea from it and says 'say that again?'" Cliche.</li>
<li>Wasted Conner's son character. In fact, Conner doesn't give a crap about him. Poor Conner Jr.</li>
</ol>
My friend Mirza's thoughts -<br />
<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Did they just copy paste Saturn V launch video when launching from earth? The rocket even had Saturn V written on it. </li>
<li>They used a big ass rocket to launch from earth (escape earth's gravity), but when leaving from the first planet which had higher gravitational pull (125% that of earth), they were able to fly away like it was no big deal using their puny space craft. </li>
</ol>
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So, it's not confusing cos it's scientific and too complex for my simple brain to understand. It's confusing cos it's stupid in many places.<br />
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They could have just stopped with the Matt Damon fight scene. He kills everyone and tries to get into the ship and accidentally destroying it too (when he desperately tries to force himself into the ship without proper docking). The greed of one man destroyed all hopes for mankind - nice anti-climatic ending. Well, at least better than going into his daughter's bedroom through a black hole... Much better than floating out of the blackhole, getting rescued with little oxygen remaining and waking up in a bright hospital room. Come on... people were laughing at this inside the movie hall.<br />
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<br />
<b>Overheard in the movie theatre:</b><br />
"1000$ for anyone who can write a synopsis of what the fuck just happened"<br />
"I wish I could travel to a parallel universe in which I understood this movie after watching it"<br />
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<b>Links:</b></div>
http://www.vox.com/2014/11/4/7153791/interstellar-review-christopher-nolan-matthew-mcconaughey<br />
http://whatculture.com/film/15-things-wrong-interstellar.php<br />
http://thediurnalrambler.blogspot.com/2014/11/a-negative-review-interstellar-sucks.html<br />
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Aswinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16085053565867227835noreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4602078836714818749.post-13640794281023447852013-05-06T20:36:00.004-07:002013-12-03T22:14:29.793-08:00GRE Diary : Jan 21 2013 : The New Beginning!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Folks, like I said before, I was terribly upset about my previous GRE score. I spent a month cribbing but then I asked myself why I don't give it another shot. I listed the universities that have deadlines in February and March to see if there would be any use in retaking the test. To my surprise, I found out that there are a lot of top ranked universities that have late application deadlines like NYU, Rutgers, OSU, etc. So, I decided to retake GRE and registered for Jan 21 2013.<br />
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For two weeks, I prepared Manhattan GRE Prep Maths books assiduously. I didn't concentrate much on the verbal part, as I scored 115 in TOEFL and I thought that would be enough to show the admission council that my english does not suck. My aim hence, was to secure the perfect score in Quants. I went through all the 6 books, practised with sample tests from ETS and Manhattan GRE. My problem solving skill and speed improved tremendously and along with that my confidence too.<br />
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Jan 13 2013<br />
I received the shock of my life. Received an SMS stating that GRE test has been cancelled all over India.<br />
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Jan 14 2013<br />
Executive from Prometric Helpline confirms that it has been cancelled everywhere except Hyderabad and Gurgaon. They offer to schedule a test in March/April if I'm willing to travel to Hyderabad. I get confused whether I should reschedule to Hyderabad or wait till they fix the issue in Bangalore.<br />
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Jan 15 2013<br />
Received an SMS from Prometric saying the exam will be conducted as per schedule. I felt so relieved to read that and continue to study.<br />
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Jan 17 2013<br />
Received a call saying the exam has been cancelled.<br />
Helpline personnel confirms that the exam is still cancelled. Offers to reschedule to April!<br />
I was not even sure whether my scores will reach in time for meeting the deadlines on Feb 01. Now I completely lost hope that I would even be able to go to the US this year!<br />
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Jan 20 2013<br />
One guy from the helpline offers a seat for Jan 21 in Hyderabad! I told him that I'm still in Bangalore. He asks to call him after reaching Hyderabad and told me that he would book a seat for me the very next day. My joy knew no bounds! Booked a bus to Hyderabad.<br />
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Jan 22 2013<br />
Reached Hyderabad. Booked a hotel room for 3 days.<br />
Received an international call from a foreigner working for ETS who offered to schedule a test on Jan 31 in Bangalore! That wont fly! I'm in Hyderabad already. I want the test day after tomorrow in Hyderabad.<br />
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Jan 23 2013<br />
I freshen up and right at 9 am, called the Prometric Helpline asking them to schedule a test the next day. To my horror, they said they cant! I called them thrice and pleaded to them, explained my situation and how one of them had asked me to come to Hyderabad for the test. They either rudely disconnected my call or asked me to wait for a new test date from the international ETS guys. I got really frustrated and angry and finally, I snapped. I kept calling them one by one until I had spoken to everyone of their helpline team. I threatened that I will sue them for playing with my life and that I have recorded the conversation with their team member who asked me to come to Hyd. They asked me to send them the recorded audio file as they thought I was bluffing. I sent them all the details needed and also sent a copy to their lead. After a lot of heated calls, finally the lead called me and said she will take this on priority and do the best she can and asked me to stop calling as she needs some time to sort things out! I laughed, thanked her and said that's all I wanted to hear. Half hour later, she called me and told me that I can take the test on Jan 25 in Hyderabad itself. Bingo!<br />
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Jan 25 2013<br />
After a lot of preparation, chocolates and Red bull, I gave myself "All the best" wishes and headed to the exam hall. Because of unprecedented traffic, I started losing hope that I would reach there in time. I begged the auto driver to go faster and offered him 50 bucks extra to drop me at the gate. I checked in exactly on time as if right on cue!<br />
While taking the test, I felt that the test is too easy this time. Which could mean two things. Either I am doing extremely well or I sucked so bad that the exam is throwing easy questions at me (GRE is an adaptive test).<br />
Four hours later, I come out with a huge smile on my face. V 158, Q 168 (which is equivalent to the 800 perfect score on old scale), A 4.<br />
<br />
Apr 2013<br />
Received admits from New York University, Ohio State University, Northeastern and Indiana University.<br />
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May 7 2013<br />
Preparing financial documents. Considering to take a loan from Credila, HDFC.<br />
Publishing this blog after such a long delay!<br />
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Edit:<br />Jun 2013<br />Admit from USC (University of Southern California). That's where I'm going. MS in Computer Science, Fall 2013 @ USC :)<br /><br />Dec 2013<br />Completed this blog post while sitting in my room in downtown LA, California. What a year, this was! :)</div>
Aswinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16085053565867227835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4602078836714818749.post-88084305562010482262012-12-20T17:19:00.001-08:002012-12-20T17:47:30.957-08:00Best Apocalypse Jokes! Mayan Apocalypse - 21 12 12<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Here are some hilarious jokes about the Mayan Apocalypse that I found on the internet. Enjoy! :D<br />
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="41525234" href="https://twitter.com/aswinasar" style="color: #999999; text-decoration: initial;"><strong class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" style="color: #333333;">Aswin Rajkumar</strong> <span class="username js-action-profile-name" style="direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; unicode-bidi: embed;"><s style="color: #bbbbbb; text-decoration: initial;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">aswinasar</b></span></a></div>
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Soooo...Today's our last day right? Well, it was a pleasure walking this planet with you guys. Happy <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Apocalypse&src=hash" style="color: #0084b4; text-decoration: initial;"><s style="color: #66b5d2; text-decoration: initial;">#</s><b style="font-weight: normal;"><strong>Apocalypse</strong></b></a> Everyone! :) <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23mayan&src=hash" style="color: #0084b4; text-decoration: initial;"><s style="color: #66b5d2; text-decoration: initial;">#</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">mayan</b></a>#211212</div>
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="90406601" href="https://twitter.com/JasonArnopp" style="color: #999999; text-decoration: initial;"><strong class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" style="color: #333333;">Jason Arnopp</strong> <span class="username js-action-profile-name" style="direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; unicode-bidi: embed;"><s style="color: #bbbbbb; text-decoration: initial;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">JasonArnopp</b></span></a></div>
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Pssst! Can we UK and European folk please stop tweeting at midnight tonight, to freak out the Americans and Canadians? <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23apocalypse&src=hash" style="color: #0084b4; text-decoration: initial;"><s style="color: #66b5d2; text-decoration: initial;">#</s><b style="color: #0084b4; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial;"><strong>apocalypse</strong></b></a></div>
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="250669046" href="https://twitter.com/MHGirlNextDoor" style="color: #999999; text-decoration: initial;"><strong class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" style="color: #333333;">The Girl Next Door</strong> <span class="username js-action-profile-name" style="direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; unicode-bidi: embed;"><s style="color: #bbbbbb; text-decoration: initial;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">MHGirlNextDoor</b></span></a></div>
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Scientific research aside, I'm going out on a limb to say this evening is a great opportunity for a 1-night stand. <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23apocalypse&src=hash" style="color: #0084b4; text-decoration: initial;"><s style="color: #66b5d2; text-decoration: initial;">#</s><b style="color: #0084b4; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial;"><strong>apocalypse</strong></b></a></div>
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="435069718" href="https://twitter.com/rgonzales48" style="color: #999999; text-decoration: initial;"><strong class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" style="color: #333333;">BibleBeltBlackSheep</strong> <span class="username js-action-profile-name" style="direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; unicode-bidi: embed;"><s style="color: #bbbbbb; text-decoration: initial;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">rgonzales48</b></span></a></div>
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Why is everyone having such a bad day? Calm down people, there is always tomorrOHHHHFUUUCCCKK! <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Mayans&src=hash" style="color: #0084b4; text-decoration: initial;"><s style="color: #66b5d2; text-decoration: initial;">#</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">Mayans</b></a> <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Apocalypse&src=hash" style="color: #0084b4; text-decoration: initial;"><s style="color: #66b5d2; text-decoration: initial;">#</s><b style="color: #0084b4; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial;"><strong>Apocalypse</strong></b></a></div>
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="455983859" href="https://twitter.com/ZenKhormin" style="color: #999999; text-decoration: initial;"><strong class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" style="color: #333333;">Benjamin Lawrence</strong> <span class="username js-action-profile-name" style="direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; unicode-bidi: embed;"><s style="color: #bbbbbb; text-decoration: initial;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">ZenKhormin</b></span></a></div>
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Well, for my American friends, it's now 12 hours into the<a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23apocalypse&src=hash" style="color: #0084b4; text-decoration: initial;"><s style="color: #66b5d2; text-decoration: initial;">#</s><b style="font-weight: normal;"><strong>apocalypse</strong></b></a>, temperature is a cool 4000ºC and we're all dead.</div>
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="449455737" href="https://twitter.com/LauraDarnell89" style="color: #999999; text-decoration: initial;"><strong class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" style="color: #333333;">Laura Thacker</strong> <span class="username js-action-profile-name" style="direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; unicode-bidi: embed;"><s style="color: #bbbbbb; text-decoration: initial;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">LauraDarnell89</b></span></a></div>
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The power may go out soon. Signs of the <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23apocalypse&src=hash" style="color: #3b1b94; text-decoration: initial;"><s style="color: #8976be; text-decoration: initial;">#</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">apocalypse</b></a> perhaps? Haha. <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23justkidding&src=hash" style="color: #3b1b94; text-decoration: initial;"><s style="color: #8976be; text-decoration: initial;">#</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">justkidding</b></a> But seriously. The wind is getting crazy out there.</div>
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="41525234" href="https://twitter.com/aswinasar" style="text-decoration: initial;"><strong class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: black;">Aswin Rajkumar</span></strong><span style="color: #999999;"> </span><span class="username js-action-profile-name" style="color: #999999; direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; unicode-bidi: embed;"><s style="color: #bbbbbb; text-decoration: initial;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">aswinasar</b></span></a></div>
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<a class="twitter-atreply pretty-link" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/LauraDarnell89" style="color: #0084b4; text-decoration: initial;"><s style="color: #66b5d2; text-decoration: initial;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">LauraDarnell89</b></a> RUNNNNNNN!!!!!</div>
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="482641131" href="https://twitter.com/nick_kemp2828" style="color: #999999; text-decoration: initial;"><strong class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" style="color: #333333;">Nick Kemp</strong> <span class="username js-action-profile-name" style="direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; unicode-bidi: embed;"><s style="color: #bbbbbb; text-decoration: initial;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">nick_kemp2828</b></span></a></div>
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Might eat all my remaining advent chocolates now just in case<a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23mayans&src=hash" style="color: #0084b4; text-decoration: initial;"><s style="color: #66b5d2; text-decoration: initial;">#</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">mayans</b></a> <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23apocalypse&src=hash" style="color: #0084b4; text-decoration: initial;"><s style="color: #66b5d2; text-decoration: initial;">#</s><b style="color: #0084b4; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial;"><strong>apocalypse</strong></b></a></div>
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="724351098" href="https://twitter.com/theOGcleve" style="color: #999999; text-decoration: initial;"><strong class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" style="color: #333333;">Cleve</strong> <span class="username js-action-profile-name" style="direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; unicode-bidi: embed;"><s style="color: #bbbbbb; text-decoration: initial;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">theOGcleve</b></span></a></div>
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You know the world is ending when I score 5 points in a basketball game. <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23apocalypse&src=hash" style="color: #0084b4; text-decoration: initial;"><s style="color: #66b5d2; text-decoration: initial;">#</s><b style="font-weight: normal;"><strong>apocalypse</strong></b></a>.</div>
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="190072346" href="https://twitter.com/adams112" style="color: #999999; text-decoration: initial;"><strong class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" style="color: #333333;">adams</strong> <span class="username js-action-profile-name" style="direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; unicode-bidi: embed;"><s style="color: #bbbbbb; text-decoration: initial;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">adams112</b></span></a></div>
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the <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23mayans&src=hash" style="color: #0084b4; text-decoration: initial;"><s style="color: #66b5d2; text-decoration: initial;">#</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">mayans</b></a> will have a shit-load of explaining to do on saturday.<a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23apocalypse&src=hash" style="color: #0084b4; text-decoration: initial;"><s style="color: #66b5d2; text-decoration: initial;">#</s><b style="font-weight: normal;"><strong>apocalypse</strong></b></a></div>
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="424571730" href="https://twitter.com/Kevin_Robert13" style="color: #999999; text-decoration: initial;"><strong class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" style="color: #333333;">King KRob</strong> <span class="username js-action-profile-name" style="direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; unicode-bidi: embed;"><s style="color: #bbbbbb; text-decoration: initial;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">Kevin_Robert13</b></span></a></div>
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Taking what could be my last poop ever #2012 <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23apocalypse&src=hash" style="color: #0084b4; text-decoration: initial;"><s style="color: #66b5d2; text-decoration: initial;">#</s><b style="color: #0084b4; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial;"><strong>apocalypse</strong></b></a></div>
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="366730452" href="https://twitter.com/Emily__Nolan" style="color: #999999; text-decoration: initial;"><strong class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" style="color: #333333;">Emily Nolan</strong> <span class="username js-action-profile-name" style="direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; unicode-bidi: embed;"><s style="color: #bbbbbb; text-decoration: initial;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">Emily__Nolan</b></span></a></div>
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Why did I pick one of the worst days out of the year to renew my passport at the post office? <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23apocalypse&src=hash" style="color: #0084b4; text-decoration: initial;"><s style="color: #66b5d2; text-decoration: initial;">#</s><b style="color: #0084b4; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial;"><strong>apocalypse</strong></b></a></div>
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="41525234" href="https://twitter.com/aswinasar" style="color: #999999; text-decoration: initial;"><strong class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" style="color: #333333;">Aswin Rajkumar</strong> <span class="username js-action-profile-name" style="direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; unicode-bidi: embed;"><s style="color: #bbbbbb; text-decoration: initial;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">aswinasar</b></span></a></div>
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<a class="twitter-atreply pretty-link" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/Emily__Nolan" style="color: #0084b4; text-decoration: initial;"><s style="color: #66b5d2; text-decoration: initial;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">Emily__Nolan</b></a> You might need it to fly to heaven! Lol :D<a class="twitter-timeline-link" data-expanded-url="http://goo.gl/hdyWm" dir="ltr" href="http://t.co/r7CE0QeF" style="color: #0084b4; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank" title="http://goo.gl/hdyWm"><span class="invisible" style="font-size: 0px; line-height: 0;">http://</span><span class="js-display-url">goo.gl/hdyWm</span><span class="invisible" style="font-size: 0px; line-height: 0;"></span><span class="tco-ellipsis"><span class="invisible" style="font-size: 0px; line-height: 0;"> </span></span></a></div>
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="73549668" href="https://twitter.com/geehoe" style="color: #999999; text-decoration: initial;"><strong class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" style="color: #333333;">Georgina Lane</strong> <span class="username js-action-profile-name" style="direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; unicode-bidi: embed;"><s style="color: #bbbbbb; text-decoration: initial;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">geehoe</b></span></a></div>
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Found something in my fridge that expires on the 21st of December 2012, it was mayanaise. <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23endoftheworld&src=hash" style="color: #0084b4; text-decoration: initial;"><s style="color: #66b5d2; text-decoration: initial;">#</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">endoftheworld</b></a> <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23apocalypse&src=hash" style="color: #0084b4; text-decoration: initial;"><s style="color: #66b5d2; text-decoration: initial;">#</s><b style="font-weight: normal;"><strong>apocalypse</strong></b></a></div>
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Add your favourite jokes in the comments :)<br />
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Aswinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16085053565867227835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4602078836714818749.post-48884062900491369452012-11-19T00:19:00.002-08:002013-05-06T20:37:37.398-07:00GRE Diary : Nov 19 2012 : The End!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Edit:<br />
This is an old post. I re-took GRE. You can read about it here - <a href="http://ash-sandbox.blogspot.com/2013/05/gre-diary-jan-21-2013-new-beginning.html">http://ash-sandbox.blogspot.com/2013/05/gre-diary-jan-21-2013-new-beginning.html</a><br />
<br />
Well, I'm not sure whether it's the end or a new beginning. I was so upset during the exam that I wanted to cancel the test midway and get the hell out of there. But I stayed persistent and managed to secure a 315 overall. That's like 1300 in the old scale. It's not bad, but 'not bad' is not what I wanted.<br />
<br />
I am sure I got everything correct on my quant section 2, but I couldnt finish section 1 in time. I spent a lot of time inadvertently on a statistics question and therefore had to leave about 3 questions without answering. That brought down my score in quants to 157, which I think is average. Sad thing is, I knew how to answer all of the questions that I left unanswered.<br />
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I'm in a dilemma whether I should go ahead with this result and apply for universities or prepare more and take another test for getting in next Spring. Time to call the counselling guys.<br />
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Probably this is the last entry in the GRE Diary. Next up, TOEFL!<br />
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<a href="http://ash-sandbox.blogspot.in/2012/09/gre-faq-updated-regularly.html" target="_blank">GRE Not-So-FAQ! Updated Regularly.</a></div>
Aswinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16085053565867227835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4602078836714818749.post-39708965695658302852012-11-17T18:50:00.000-08:002012-11-17T18:50:31.945-08:00GRE Diary : Nov 18 2012 : Final Day!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />Reached Chennai.<br />
<br />The test is gonna be conducted at Everonn Systems, Prometric near Numgambakkam. You can either take two buses, find your way to the centre, search for a hotel, etc. Or you can pay 300 Rs to an auto rickshaw guy who'd take you there and show you around. 250 to get there. I paid him 50 Rs extra for helping me find a nice hotel to stay, 2 kms away from the test centre.<br />
<br />By the way, you wont find the centre if you ask around for Prometric Systems or Lister Labs or Romar House. It took me sometime to find the place. Ask for the office of "Vijay TV". It's in the same building. There is a Taj Hotel close by that would serve as a landmark.<br />
<br />
I found a nice hotel, with moderately good rooms. For 1100, you get tiny rooms with dim lighting, bad toilets, etc. I paid 1500 for an AC room, but surprisingly, the AC room I got was bigger, well lit, clean large bathroom, with TV, cupboard, table, chair, etc. And yes, AC too.<br /><br />After a nice light tasty breakfast from a nearby vegetarian hotel, I've settled down into my bermudas.<br /><br />Yesterday, I scored 1370 in the mock test, which is an amazing score considering how little time I spent preparing. Gonna concentrate on vocab and essay today. Maybe a couple of mock tests too. After that, I guess I'd be ready for the big day.<br />
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<a href="http://ash-sandbox.blogspot.in/2012/09/gre-faq-updated-regularly.html" target="_blank">GRE Not So Frequently Asked Questions</a></div>
Aswinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16085053565867227835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4602078836714818749.post-14901635561676722772012-11-15T12:50:00.001-08:002012-11-15T12:51:17.952-08:00GRE Diary : Nov 15 2012 : Two days left!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
It was my birthday yesterday. I didn't get to celebrate cos I was studying Book 6. All maths books are done with. (Yeah!!!)<br />
But to my horror, instead of book 8, I found a duplicate of book 7! This shocked me and drove me insane. Another nail to the coffin?<br />
I have mailed the MGRE Prep support and described the situation, asking for an ebook version of the last book. I dont have much hope that they would do this. What a disaster!<br />
<br />
Update:<br />
They sent me an ebook version!!! Manhattan guys rock! After the exams, I'm definitely gonna post a review on Amazon for them.<br />
<br />
Book 7, Chapter 2.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://ash-sandbox.blogspot.in/2012/09/gre-faq-updated-regularly.html" target="_blank">GRE FAQ and Not So FAQ!</a></div>
Aswinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16085053565867227835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4602078836714818749.post-63849737438979999372012-11-09T19:08:00.001-08:002012-11-09T19:08:45.622-08:00GRE Diary : Nov 10 2012 : One week left!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Passport? Check<br />
Booked bus tickets to Chennai and back? Check<br />
Maths : 5 n half books<br />
Verbal : High frequency words, A, B, V, W, X, Y and Z.<br />
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Afterburner is on full power. Gonna take a mock test tomorrow. Fingers crossed.</div>
Aswinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16085053565867227835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4602078836714818749.post-33929331448272846182012-11-04T00:46:00.001-07:002012-11-04T00:49:13.670-07:00GRE Diary : Nov 04 2012 : Joined Counselling.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Slowly things are getting tortuous.<br />
As of now, I have somewhat covered the Barron's High Frequency GRE words and A, B and C of the full list. 2 math books remaining.<br />
<br />
Joined Princeton Review, Bangalore for GRE counselling. Now have to provide them with the test score so that they can shortlist a few universities for me. Also, I have to draft the documents and get them signed from the university. And I have to shift to a new place in between all this. And prepare for GRE. And TOEFL.<br />
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To aspirants who are reading this, learn from my mistake! Apply for a test date in October by August itself.<br />
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In case of doubts/suggestions, please leave a comment.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://ash-sandbox.blogspot.in/2012/09/gre-faq-updated-regularly.html" target="_blank">GRE FAQ</a><br />
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Aswinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16085053565867227835noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4602078836714818749.post-11436498012507921022012-10-29T10:24:00.000-07:002012-10-29T10:24:17.993-07:00GRE Diary : Oct 29 2012 : 3 Weeks To Go<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Quick Status Update :<br />
Passport has reached home. Yay! (Applied in Malappuram by Tatkal scheme. Costed around 3.5k Rs)<br />Maths - Still stuck in Book 4. I know I know. Losing speed.<br />
English - Finished almost all the A words. B and C are somewhat done. Again, shitty progress.<br />
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BUT, I found a very good tool for learning the words. Check out the GRE Vocab Lists at www.vocabulary.com and practise the challenges. Very nice.<br />
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Thanks to Annapoorni for the link :)</div>
Aswinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16085053565867227835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4602078836714818749.post-18231849341022977842012-10-04T04:47:00.001-07:002012-10-04T04:47:58.214-07:00GRE Diary : Oct 04 2012 : Hard to balance!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
Started Manhattan Prep Book 4 - Number Properties.<br />
Somewhat brushed up Barron's vocabulary words starting with letter "A". That's it. Poor progress as of now. Why?<br />
<br />
I was busy making music! Completed a remix of Youngblood Hawke yesterday. So far I'm at position 15th out of 332 entries. Listen to it below and if you like it, just click the Vote button on the player below. In case that doesnt work, vote for me by going here - <a href="http://www.indabamusic.com/opportunities/youngblood-hawke-we-come-running-remix-contest/submissions/135796">Aswin Rajkumar's Submission in Youngblood Hawke - 'We Come Running' Remix Contest</a><br />
And please leave a comment below if you do vote for me. Cos I wanna thank you too :)<br />
<br />More music? Go to www.asw.in and like the page. Cheers!<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="296" src="http://embed.indabamusic.com/playlist/2/?p=67faca34-0ccc-11e2-ae45-1231391ef9b1" width="400"></iframe><br />
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Alright, I received address proof documents through mail. Gotta go correct the error in the passport ASAP. Maybe tomorrow. Now, back to Number Properties, Chapter 2. </div>
Aswinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16085053565867227835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4602078836714818749.post-22693586252551885282012-09-24T12:33:00.000-07:002012-09-24T12:38:47.267-07:00GRE Diary : Sep 24 2012 : Passport Surname Problem<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I have never really given much thought about the fact that the surname field is blank in my passport. Luckily, I looked up online to see whether this will be a problem when doing Masters in the US. Turns out that it's gonna be a pain in the behind.<br />
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I am planning to apply for "Tatkal" renewal of the passport. Hopefully I would be getting the new corrected passport within a week or two.<br />
<br />
Updated the <a href="http://ash-sandbox.blogspot.com/2012/09/gre-faq-updated-regularly.html" target="_blank">GRE FAQ</a> with this info. </div>
Aswinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16085053565867227835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4602078836714818749.post-48775707784608125662012-09-22T14:59:00.004-07:002013-05-25T21:14:59.079-07:00GRE FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) : Updated Regularly<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Or probably I should have given the title "Not so FAQ" cos these are not the questions you usually see in other GRE FAQs. These are some specific info that would help you on your path to the test day. When I encounter problems, I find solutions and I post them here, to make it easier for others.<br />
<br />
If this post helped you or if you have other questions, please leave a comment. It would be really helpful for me. Thanks.<br />
<br />
<b>1) Can I use the same ETS username/user ID for registering both GRE and TOEFL online?</b><br />
A: No. You need two separate IDs<br />
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<b>2) Can I modify the Score Recipient universities later?</b><br />
A: Yes. For TOEFL, log onto the TOEFL website and goto View Orders>Order No. Click the Modify button corresponding to Score Recipients. For GRE, send an email to gre-info@ets.org with your details.<br />
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<b>3) Public vs Private Universities</b><br />
A: From what I've heard, public universities will have lower course fees, yet there would not be much difference between the two types regarding the quality of education. Some public universities are costly too.<br />
<br />
<b>4) Do I need to write TOEFL if I already have a good GRE score?</b><br />
A: Depends on the university you are applying to. For a lot of them, TOEFL is required. Some do not ask you for the TOEFL score if you were studying in a college where the medium of communication and coursework was english. If you have time, appear for both the exams. I did.<br />
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<b>5) I have a blank surname on my passport. Is this an issue?</b><br />
A : YES. Get it corrected as soon as you can. You should have the new passport in hand before appearing for the GRE test. If you do not have much time left before the test, apply by "tatkal" scheme.<br />
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<b>6) Should I approach educational consultants?</b><br />
A: Depends. I have a rough idea about the procedure through my friends who have already successfully flown to the US. Still, I needed help with shortlisting the universities, preparing documents, etc. So I chose to consult the experts.<br />
Update: My consultant/counsellor at Manyagroup, Princeton Review was incompetent. The only good outcome from joining them is that I got to approach this whole thing in a systematic way and my SOP was polished well by their editor.<br />
But, if I had left everything to them, I would not have gotten admits from the top universities. 4 out of 5 admits I received are from universities that I applied on my own after thorough research online!<br />
For info, help in shortlisting, etc, visit Edulix Forum. <a href="http://www.edulix.com/forum/index.php">http://www.edulix.com/forum/index.php</a><br />
<br />
<b>7) Can I prepare for GRE on my own or should I join a coaching centre?</b><br />
A: I prepared on my own. My experience at Visu Coaching Centre was not good. They dismissed the class after a few days and did not even refund the fees. So, I bought Manhattan GRE book series from Amazon and started preparing by myself. The material is extremely well written but the teachers at the coaching centre were not good enough. I prefer learning this way. You should choose what's best for you.<br />
Update: I scored high in GRE and TOEFL as well. So, it's possible to prepare on your own :)<br />
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<b>8) Do they have locker facilities at the test centre?</b><br />
A: I dont know whether it's the same everywhere, but you could call them up and check. The guys at the test centre where I took the test didnt pick up my calls. So I left everything in the hotel room itself. But they had locker facilities at the centre, big enough to put your bag in.<br />
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<b>9) Where can I find the GRE Registration Number?</b><br />
A: While filling application forms for Northeastern, Cornell, etc you would need to provide your GRE Registration Number. Once you have taken the exam, you can go to the ETS website, view your score report. You can find your Registration Number on the left side of the report.<br />
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<b>10) My GRE score is lower than I expected. I couldn't complete the test/ran out of time. I am confident that I will score better if I retake it. Should I? Or should I just apply with the current score, as I heard GRE is not the only deciding factor.</b><br />
A: Retake. If you have time and can score higher in Quants. I first got 720 for Quants. I didn't get an admit from NCSU or SUNY. I retook the test, got Q800. Got admits from NYU, OSU, USC, NEU and IUB. Definitely not the only factor, but it matters. If you are reading this in January or Feb, retake GRE ASAP.<br />
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<a href="http://ash-sandbox.blogspot.in/search/label/GRE%20Diary" target="_blank">My GRE Diary - Experience Notes</a></div>
Aswinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16085053565867227835noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4602078836714818749.post-85202375827027663512012-09-22T14:51:00.002-07:002012-09-23T01:19:28.915-07:00GRE Diary: September 22 2012 : Registered for GRE & TOEFL<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I received Manhattan Prep GRE Books Series from Amazon on August 02 2012. It's been a month and half since then and I still haven't covered much, sadly.<br />
<br />
Completed reading "Algebra" and "Fractions, Decimals and Percents" books. Two chapters left in Book 3: Geometry. 5 books remaining. Haven't started on the vocabulary yet, except for learning a few words online and from the Magoosh GRE Vocab pdf. As you can see, I'm not in a good position as of now. Or should I say I'm not showing much "alacrity" towards the prep?!<br />
<br />
Today's September 22 2012.<br />
<br />
I checked a couple of Universities for the admission deadlines. I need to have the score and documents ready by December. Also, seats are getting filled up quickly. Already, no test seats are available in Bangalore for November 2012. So, I decided to write the GRE in Chennai on November 19 and TOEFL in Cochin on November 25. Thus, I will be getting a week to prepare for TOEFL. I did not buy the Value Packs or select the Score Recipient universities. Will do all that after checking the websites of different public universities later on.<br />
<br />
Now back to Geometry!<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://ash-sandbox.blogspot.in/2012/09/gre-faq-updated-regularly.html" rel="" target="_blank">Click here for GRE Frequently Asked Questions</a></div>
Aswinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16085053565867227835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4602078836714818749.post-5438000226923892282012-06-13T20:48:00.000-07:002013-02-12T22:48:47.047-08:00Madagascar 3: Julien/Sonya the Bear Love Song<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><b><span style="color: red;">Post Updated!</span></b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
There are two songs that people are looking for! You can find the links to both below.<br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>1) Con Te Partiro by <span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Francesco Sartori, sung by </span>Andrea Bocelli.</b><br />
<br />
This is the song being played when Julien tours Rome with Sonya and gives her the ring he stole! Although the scene is actually funny, the song evoked a strange yet beautiful feeling inside me. It took me back to 1995 when I heard this song for the first time in an audio cassette.<br />
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I have no idea why they wouldnt include this in the OST. This is one of the best songs in the movie, if not THE best! Still it's not in the OST :-/<br />
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Leave comments if I saved you some time :)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tcrfvP11Hbo?fs=1" width="459"></iframe><br />
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<b>2) Watermark by Enya</b><br />
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Here's the second song that they haven't included in the OST. This is the piano music being played when Julien meets Sonya for the first time while they're inside the train. Love at first sight!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/oiFTXckh0zU?fs=1" width="459"></iframe><br />
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<br />
<b>Bonus!</b><br />
<br />
Indian Style! (Gangnam style remake)<br />
Music: Yours truly! ;)<br />
Editing: My Brother<br />
Cinematography: My Father<br />
Art Direction: My Mother<br />
Lol :D<br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Ut-YfA_amQA?list=UUeCZ46xfpqmZZrQbO0iCMmw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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Visit <a href="http://www.asw.in">www.asw.in</a> for more!<br />
</div>Aswinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16085053565867227835noreply@blogger.com16Bangalore, Karnataka, India12.9715987 77.594562712.724026199999999 77.2787057 13.2191712 77.910419699999991tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4602078836714818749.post-79145864313684225052012-04-02T18:20:00.001-07:002012-04-02T18:20:30.666-07:00Bollywood Dubstep, Hindi Dubstep, Indian Dubstep #1<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BcReOvH3m7Y?fs=1" width="480"></iframe>Aswinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16085053565867227835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4602078836714818749.post-60022307858342757752012-01-02T21:38:00.000-08:002012-01-02T22:26:54.968-08:00Two Indian Movies of International StandardWatched two outstanding Bollywood movies of international quality - Don 2 and Delhi Belly (English). Here are my short reviews on both.<br />
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Delhi Belly is an effing laugh-riot from the beginning to the end. Amazing direction, intelligent comedy (doesnt 'try' to make you laugh, u laugh ur a** off naturally), no unncesessary dances in between, and definitely not The Hangover copy. One of my most favourite movies of all time, desi or videsi.<br />
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Don 2 has an intelligent story (not copied, for a change), amazing dance choreography, realistic stunt scenes (even Priyanka kicks butt like Ziyi Zhang), superb acting by everyone, style... no unnecessary songs shot in the Himalayas, no ridiculous high flying wire-action sequences, no ugly jokes... The only thing I didnt like is a forced love scene between ****** and ***** (not gonna spoil the movie for those who havent watched it)<br />
Dont miss em.<br />
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PS: Shah Rukh Khan told us that his movie Ra.ONE was of international quality. It would have been true if he had said so about Don 2. Cos Ra.One was just one big copy cat. <a href="http://ash-sandbox.blogspot.com/2011/11/ra-one-one-big-copy-cat-full-list-of.html">Read more</a><br />
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PPS: Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara review, coming soon to a blog near you :)Aswinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16085053565867227835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4602078836714818749.post-49568295909024862162011-11-26T19:41:00.001-08:002012-07-19T21:00:59.354-07:00Court : Deepak Dev Caught For Plagiarism/Copyright Infringement<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Deepak Dev was caught for plagiarising Canadian singer Loreena McKennitt's two songs - Caravanserai and The Mummer's Dance. <br />
His song "Aaro Nee Aaro" in the movie Urumi is a copy of the below song.<br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4QpRCK1IbiE?fs=1" style="background-color: white;" width="459"></iframe><br />
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But what I liked about the guy is that he did not deny that he was inspired by the song. And he is right that Urumi's "Aaro Nee Aaro" is not a note by note copy of Caravanserai. Currently the court has blocked the movie from releasing in other languages. Further proceedings are going on.<br />
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Hope this would hamper the ever increasing problem of plagiarism in the entertainment field in India - like the new copy by M G Sreekumar! He lifted the tune for Madhavettanennum song in the movie Arabiyum Ottakavum P Madhavan Nairum off Amr Diab's song Rohy Mertahlak. Sangathikal onnum vidaathe copy cheythittundu :P<br />
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MG Sreekumar-inte sangathi eppo pokkumo entho!<br />
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Read more here : <a href="http://www.kottaka.com/blog/2011/11/court-ruling-against-deepak-dev/">http://www.kottaka.com/blog/2011/11/court-ruling-against-deepak-dev/</a></div>Aswinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16085053565867227835noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4602078836714818749.post-83712424632471728962011-11-20T15:48:00.000-08:002011-11-20T15:50:30.960-08:00How NOT to write leave letters!(Click the image below to zoom)
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GEkhud6axgU/TsmRjaNjoNI/AAAAAAAAAaY/eeA-q0J7qcI/s1600/How%2BNOT%2Bto%2Bwrite%2Bleave%2Bletters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GEkhud6axgU/TsmRjaNjoNI/AAAAAAAAAaY/eeA-q0J7qcI/s320/How%2BNOT%2Bto%2Bwrite%2Bleave%2Bletters.jpg" /></a></div>Aswinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16085053565867227835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4602078836714818749.post-43126141015321999132011-11-14T01:41:00.001-08:002012-01-02T21:39:13.817-08:00RA.One : One Big Copy Cat? - FULL LIST of InspirationsFirst of all, I'd like to say that I'm in no way bashing the movie. I just feel the movie has been inspired by a lot of sources like other movies, advertisements, games, etc. It's like a giant new pizza made up of pieces from other pizzas we have already tasted.<br />
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Below is a list of copies (inspirations) that I discovered.<br />
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<ul><li>Ra.One <b>Poster</b> - Inspired (!) by a poster of the 2005 movie, <b>Batman Begins</b>.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://static.ibnlive.com/pix/sitepix/09_2011/batman-srk-sep12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="333" width="500" src="http://static.ibnlive.com/pix/sitepix/09_2011/batman-srk-sep12.jpg" /></a></div>Image : IBN Live<br />
<li>The <b>bike</b> SRK rides - Inspired by the bike model used in the movie <b>Tron</b>.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://entertainment.oneindia.in/img/2011/07/28-ra-one-bike-tron-bike-28071.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="375" width="500" src="http://entertainment.oneindia.in/img/2011/07/28-ra-one-bike-tron-bike-28071.jpg" /></a></div>Image : One India Entertainment<br />
<li>The <b>heart</b> of Ra.One/G.One - Exact copy (I'm not gonna use the word inspired for this one!) of Tony Stark's Arc Reactor from the movie <b>Iron Man</b> (Why??? Why lift it straight from another movie? Why couldnt they atleast think of a different shape and look? :/ )<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://comicbookrants.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/arc-reactor.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="281" width="500" src="http://comicbookrants.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/arc-reactor.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img.coplusk.net/projects/0004/4716/main_170x128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="128" width="170" src="http://img.coplusk.net/projects/0004/4716/main_170x128.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgss_FBQ26x2A09emSpIHyHhgfz4xBH-a8uYRUYm7LOGEhfgZNbNAkmYy23NRYi7lu_DROiFZqhqxYpcmmJomB72bIOUh7I-PMkE2U2c4J45coptpsV52rAymHs2XJegaxsqBgW3t4LQBOl/s400/vlcsnap-44352.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgss_FBQ26x2A09emSpIHyHhgfz4xBH-a8uYRUYm7LOGEhfgZNbNAkmYy23NRYi7lu_DROiFZqhqxYpcmmJomB72bIOUh7I-PMkE2U2c4J45coptpsV52rAymHs2XJegaxsqBgW3t4LQBOl/s400/vlcsnap-44352.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://deskofbrian.com/wp-content/uploads/iron-man-suit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="338" width="450" src="http://deskofbrian.com/wp-content/uploads/iron-man-suit.jpg" /></a></div><li>The scene in which Shah Rukh Khan beats the doctor when he slaps his baby - Inspired by the commercial for <b><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7Jvj-R7pjA">The Argentine Foundation of the Hearing Impaired</a></b>.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe width="459" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/z7Jvj-R7pjA?fs=1" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen=""></iframe></div><li>The scene in which SRK flips around when he hits the wall - Inspired by the scene in which the evil bot T-1000 does the same trick in the movie <b><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxeU1sxXfPI&feature=related">Terminator 2 : The Judgement Day</a></b><br />
<li>Bits and pieces of Ra.One fusing together after he exploded - Yep! Good guess! <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aq5ydeWWr4A&feature=related">T-1000 again.</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe width="459" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Aq5ydeWWr4A?fs=1" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen=""></iframe></div></ul>The song Dildaara is based on Ben E King's <b>'Stand By Me'</b>, but they got permission to use it. Much better than Pritam lifting tunes off Korean tracks and not giving credits! The theme music - I felt parts of it were inspired by the XMen - First Class OST, but I didnt get a second listen. So, dont quote me on this! Then, there are comments online that compare G.One's suit to the ones in Tron. I felt it's more similar to the suits in the game Crysis. But hey, that's being unnecessarily picky. Thankfully, it's not lifted straight from Iron Man too.
I hope I am not being unjust here. There are other bloggers online who are a lot pickier than I am (they rant about Ra.One's coat - Assassin's Creed, throwing cars at each other a la Magneto in X-Men...). I'm being as lenient as I can :). These are just a few thoughts that came to my mind after watching the movie. And, Ra.One is not a shitty movie. It was watchable and the graphics are top notch (although I didnt like the finale fight scene much. Looked too video game-y).
And, to its credit, it accomplished its mission - to blast everyone's brains out with the best visual effects in bollywood history. Shah Rukh says that the movie is his way of showing Hollywood that we too can make movies of their standard using in-house production techniques.
So, why make a list like this? Well, one or two inspired features could be ignored, but I couldnt digest the fact that they abased such an ambitious project into one big copy cat movie. They were smart enough to come with "RA.One" and "G.One". Why couldnt they apply the same genious everywhere else? Why look for inspirations in each and every aspect? Why not make something totally new for a change? That's how we can show Hollywood that we too can make kick ass movies, not by copying their movies and feeding it back to them.
Update: <a href="http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/Bollywood/Give-me-credit-not-cash-Writer-who-sued-RA-One/Article1-760643.aspx">Even the story is stolen... Geez...!</a> (Courtesy : Hindustan Times)<br />
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Aswinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16085053565867227835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4602078836714818749.post-16581667411862556082011-03-04T17:04:00.000-08:002011-11-18T19:39:10.942-08:00Fresh Tyre for Yamaha FZA Nitrogen filled Pirelli Sport Demon ate my four thousand bucks ;)<div><br />
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<a href="http://www.btosports.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000007/Pirelli_SportDemon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="390" src="http://www.btosports.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000007/Pirelli_SportDemon.jpg" /></a></div>
* Pirelli is the fifth largest tyre manufacturer in the world.</div><div>
* Deeper treads than the stock Revz</div><div>
* 140/70 - 17. Taller than the stock one.</div><div>
* Nitrogen filling is supposed to have a lot of advantages as described here -</div><div><a href="http://www.helium.com/items/852639-pros-and-cons-of-inflating-tires-with-nitrogen">http://www.helium.com/items/852639-pros-and-cons-of-inflating-tires-with-nitrogen</a></div><div><br /></div><div>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirelli</div>Aswinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16085053565867227835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4602078836714818749.post-26498559523321919052011-01-28T23:36:00.000-08:002011-01-28T23:38:41.300-08:00Top SpeedEarlier, 119 kmph was the max speed I could get out of my FZ. Today, clocked 124 kmph on my dad's Fazer... yeah, u heard that right... my dad's !!!Aswinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16085053565867227835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4602078836714818749.post-2848247358401817582010-08-21T23:28:00.000-07:002010-08-21T23:30:00.614-07:00Cakewalk A-800 Pro (Roland) Unboxing<a href="http://goo.gl/photos/LppX" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_6U-k_4ot0wc/THDBUc6mHGE/AAAAAAAAASs/Y7xjg9ppoVY/s160-c/A800Pro.jpg" /></a><div><br /></div><div>Unboxing pics of my new A-800 Pro Midi Keyboard Controller.</div><div><br /></div><div>First impressions:</div><div>I really like the feel of the keys. It has the right action that I was looking for. It doesnt feel cheap and plastic-y at all.</div><div>It has a lot of controls including a dedicated transport section, but I'm yet to find a way to use all this with my DAW.</div><div>Got to read the manual! Updates and videos will follow, I guess.</div>Aswinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16085053565867227835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4602078836714818749.post-90176530218370290482010-07-11T14:24:00.001-07:002010-07-11T14:24:07.438-07:00FIFA 2010 Final<div class='posterous_autopost'><span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Aaaannnddd.... Spain scores.<br />Okay fine, I believe now. Paul is God!</span> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://ashmeister.posterous.com/fifa-2010-final">Ash Meister</a> </p> </div>Aswinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16085053565867227835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4602078836714818749.post-28001773706318175292010-07-01T22:17:00.001-07:002011-01-02T01:03:01.784-08:00Dont be serious, be sincere.<div class='posterous_autopost'><p><a href='http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/ashmeister/hGmdV7INzh1aPNaDb4lVkh2DQRbC9h3w2zdaPgmqi4LcORfgLwZSkcqkCp1q/unknownname.jpg'><img src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/ashmeister/Mls5B5unlXsLBLEPgAZ3BTDdPbODtziOrsNxjNZ8wRD7tttJSknJy0K4ccCF/unknownname.jpg.scaled.500.jpg" width="500" height="375"/></a> </p><p></p><p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://ashmeister.posterous.com/dont-be-serious-be-sincere-1">Ash Meister</a> </p> </div>Aswinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16085053565867227835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4602078836714818749.post-23996060224613223572007-12-30T05:37:00.000-08:002007-12-30T08:28:05.106-08:00My New Year Gift!Hai Everyone!<br /><br />Just wanted to give ya a heads up.<br /><br />Here's ma New year Gift and I'm sure U'll like it.<br /><br />Guess what???<br />The OFFICIAL third installment in the "David Blaine Street Magic" series. Yeah!<br /><br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/XHbYTm8U1v8&rel=1"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/XHbYTm8U1v8&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />Added on Dec 27 and it's already crossed 550,444 views!!!<br /><br />If U are among the unlucky souls who havent watched the previous parts, here are the links for them too.<br /><br /><a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=AYxu_MQSTTY">David Blaine Spoof 1</a><br /><br /><a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=Y4nmFME9kRQ">David Blaine Spoof 2</a>Aswinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16085053565867227835noreply@blogger.com0