One Thing to Another

Whew, that was a tough couple of months and, without doubt, several more grueling ones are on their way. Keeping this post short (kind of, remember: I type really really fast) for sheer lack of time ought to suggest something, I suppose.

I just spent the last two months working on a project at IIT Madras. As much as the project was interesting work, I had neither accommodation, nor food taken care of, so such things were of more concern than writing the cleanest bits of code. I used to stay with my cousin around forty-five minutes away on foot, and there was no other mode of transportation possible along that route short of an auto-rickshaw, which I certainly did not wish to pay for. In truth, I didn’t mind the distance as much as the heavy tan I used to get walking it, which, I suspect, will hamper me in several of my endeavours in the near future. But my cousin and his roommates were probably the people to stay with.

The IITM campus was quite nice, what with all the trees, and the deer and the sleek buildings. I wasn’t too impressed with their labs, though. Running age-old software on the latest and greatest hardware didn’t strike me as the way to go. The project kept me busy for the most part, when you’re writing a framework, you generally like to have most of the things figured out before you start, not your most basic assumptions and understanding of requirements pulled right out from under you when you’re half way through. The worst part is how, when all the dust settles, it’s the user interface tools that get all the attention, when the framework churns away under it, doing all the useful work.

Attended a lecture on iWires, and a workshop by nVidia on CUDA while I was there. iWires was a rather interesting concept; and the nVidia CUDA workshop and the subsequent dinner were rather fine. It’s amazing, the kinds of things people are trying to do. I just hope all of this development doesn’t run away without me.

Got to see Angels and Demons at one of Chennai’s multiplexes. To be fair, I did not like it. No, not the movie, just the multiplex. Not only did I have to pay around three times what I would have back where I’m from, the hall and the screen were small, there was no balcony, and the food and drinks cost twice as much by way of taxes. Imagine a 40 Rupee 600ml Pepsi bottle, brr! I did enjoy the gaming arcade they had, though. For some reason, people find it hard to believe I’m something of a gamer till they mess with me. If you’re thinking along those lines, you’re welcome to try. What makes matters worse is I got to see the same movie later for 30 bucks at IITM’s Open Air Theater, with a much larger screen, great seats and a couple of bread-omelets.

People used to exchange slippers for apparently no reason. Mine went to Mc Donald’s once without me. I must admit, it’s a little depressing when one’s footwear gets ahead of one in life.

Managed to throw in a trip to Pondicherry too. The beach, the beer, the babes, all packed into one 18 hour day. But I’m not really sure whether all the R & R didn’t leave me extra tired for the next day.

In the end, a couple of thousand lines of code, a great deal of presenting, defending and debating, and a hundred pages of documentation later, I’m back home again, for a couple of weeks of absolute doing-nothingness before the next ordeal begins.

It’s one of those times when you’re on top of something and you still feel like a kid. Somehow, after having worked my way up the ranks through the last couple of years, I still feel as young and unworn, and also as inexperienced, as the tiny second year coder I started off as. I wonder if my predecessors had felt the same way, they looked a lot more mature, if anything.

That apart, placements seem like something of a concern now, as does a dreadful subject called Product Design & Development, God help me pass in that one! It’d suck to get an arrear after six semesters of scraping through without much effort.

Next year’s ACM ICPC (read my previous post, if you haven’t already) looms, as registrations start next week. I’m hoping to get a serious team to compete with this time around. When it’s your last shot at something, there’s no holding back, and I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t feel bad whatever happens in the end, as long as you know you tried.

As they say, let’s wait and see. Or probably crouch, observe and pounce.

- Rugged Rat