Rainbow

I enjoyed a very huge scenic rainbow which covered the entire north-east and south-west mountains of Hsinchu city. I enjoyed this view from the balcony of my dormitory. These days my dormitory has become perfect heaven to observe most celestial wonders. This is one good example. Every morning I could see Jupiter and Mercury in the morning  followed by Vibrant Sun rise and the warmth of the moon every night. I love my dormitory for the scenic views it offers to me all the time. I couldn't capture the whole rainbow with Hemanth's camera. Only part of the vast rainbow is shown. Enjoy this rainbow by singing a rainbow fairy with me.

Rainbow Fairies                  

Two little clouds, one summer.s day,

Went  flying through the sky;

They went so fast they bumped their heads,

And both began to cry.

Old Father Sun looked out and said:

.Oh, never mind, my dears,

I.ll send my little fairy folk

To dry your falling tears..

One fairy came in violet,

And one wore indigo;

In blue, green, yellow, orange, red,

They made a pretty row.

They wiped the cloud-tears all away,

And then from out the sky,

Upon a line the sunbeams made,

They hung their gowns to dry.

                                                             - L. M. Hadley

July 14 Weekend

After many days I stepped out of Hsinchu for spending a real weekend. I went to Wulai waterfall and visited Taipei 101 observatory. Wuali is a very good place to visit. There are many interesting things to watch there. Unfortunately we couldn't see everything because we started little late. Going there during Cherry blossom season may be a right time. We can enjoy hot springs, waterfalls, watch cherry blossoms and do trekking as well. I wish I can be there again next spring. Here are some pics of my trip.

At Xindian stationwaiting for 849 bus and discussing the map of Wulai

She was the one who stood just before me in 849 bus (sorry for the snap!)

I couldn't believe my friend Chandu who just stood beside me could capture this!

Wuali water fall

Hemanth drinking water from the fall

Landscape of Wulai

Me receiving my fortune (Unfortunately it is in Chinese) Translation from my junior revealed me that I received a very bad fortune from that leaflet.  The chances of succeeding in the work I am doing are quite low. So he asked me to just sleep and not to do anything! :-p

Cool Pal chatting with her bf may be @ City hall

Inside 101

Hemanth got his pic animated inside 101

Raghu and his family@ 101

Pics credit: Chandu & Hemanth (names represented in alphabetical order)

Summer Camp

I enjoyed participating in the summer camp and conference organized by our lab. I want to share glimpse of the events through pics.

Our registration desk at conference

My senior presenting his work

Day1 Lunch

During lab tour

Gathering to begin poster session

Dinner Buffet

Big guys in front of my poster. I wonder what they are talking 

Closing gathering

Hemanth with his poster which gave him best poster award

Summer camp begins

Relaxing for a while before dinner

Our russian post doc. relaxing with his family

Dinner Buffet

I disturbed their casual chat

Professors having casual chat with beer

Poster session 

Students relaxing by having beer and friendly chat with professor

Late night party in my room

Me with professors

Scenic view

Closing pic

walking down hill

My Midsummer Madness

A few weeks earlier(around midsummer day I guess) I couldn't get along with sleep, so I got up from my bed and went for a stroll in the balcony of my dormitory which faces Eastern horizon. The time was around 4:15am. I saw two bright stars in the eastern sky just above the horizon. At first I thought they are some flights based on the brightness but they are not moving. I asked google to give me information about sky on that particular day. Then I came to know what I watched were Mercury and Venus. I was pretty excited to know that and I gazed at them for a long time. FYI, Mercury is the brighter than Jupiter(of course nothing strange).  Then I got this madness and kept reading about sky watching and spotting planets and stars with naked eye. At one point of time I felt like purchasing a telescope itself to trace them. But after a while I felt like I need some experience and technique to gaze skies first before investing huge amount on  a telescope. From then I started to watch skies whenever possible with the assistance of online sky charts.

If any one of you are interested in spotting Venus and Jupiter for yourself you guys can just wakeup at around 4:15am and just look towards horizon. You can spot them this July fluently. I bet you enjoy gazing at them. I can say this is a best way to wake up early and start your day with a positive energy. Have an energetic day friends!

Before Dawn, ENE Sky

Pic Courtesy: SKy& Telescope
Url:http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/ataglance

Vaana Vaana!

Please Hear What I Am not Saying

  After a long time I felt like sharing something and preserving it for me for future reading. It might be because of my genuine liking towards poetry! :) I found this poem when I was reading a high school psychology teaching aids blog. The moment I read it I liked it. The whole poem may not be apt for anyone or for me but at least there will be situations in everyone lives where people wore masks and pretend for what so ever reason. Anyway forget it and enjoy reading the poem if you love poetry else excuse me. :)

Please Hear What I Am Not Saying

an adaptation by Dr. David Wiesner original by Charles C. Finn

Don't be fooled by me.

Don't be fooled by this mask that I wear. 
For I wear a thousand masks and none of them are really me.
Masks that I'm too afraid to take off, fearing that you'll get to know me.

Pretending is an art that is second nature to me.

I'm pretending that I am in command and that I need no one.
That I'm cool and that my surface is so smooth and I cannot be shaken by anything.
I act as if I am in control, but please don't for one moment be fooled by my surface, that's only my mask.

Beneath this mask lies no smugness, no complacence.

Beneath this mask dwells the real me in confusion, loneliness, and fear.

But I don't dare tell you that.

I don't dare tell you that this is my mask.

I'm frightened by all the possibilities of my weaknesses being exposed.

I think about it all the time. Will I look like a fool?

That's why I work frantically to create this mask to hide behind in my relationship with people.
This nonchalant, sophisticated facade helps me pretend and shields me from the glance that knows me.
But such a glance is precisely my only salvation.
It's my only salvation if, however, the glance is followed by acceptance and love.
It's the only thing that can liberate me from myself, from my own self-built prison...from the barriers that I have so painstakingly created.
It is only that glance that will assure me of what I cannot assure in myself and, that is, that I am really worth something.

But I don't tell you this. I don't dare to. I'm afraid to. I'm afraid that your glance will not be followed by acceptance and love.

I'm afraid that you'll think less of me...that you'll laugh and that your laugh would kill me.

I'm afraid that deep-down I am nothing.

That I'm just no good and soon you're going to find out and you'll no longer love me...that you'll reject me.

So I play my game. My desperate, pretending game with the facades of assurance from without and that of a trembling little child from within.

And my life becomes a front.

And I idly chatter to you in suave tones about anything that really means nothing.

And yet I can never tell about the crying inside of me...of my greatest hurts...of my deepest fears...my concerns.

I can't tell you that because I am afraid.

So please listen carefully not to what I am saying, but to what I am not saying.
To what I'd like to be able to say. And for what my very own survival I need to say.

I dislike this hiding...honestly.

I dislike this phony, superficial game I'm playing.
I really would like to be genuine and spontaneous and me.
But you've got to help me.
You've got to hold out your hand.

You've got to hold out your hand even when it appears to you that it's the last thing I want from you, because I am going to share a secret with you about myself;

the moment I act like I need you the least is the moment I need you the most.

The moment I act like I need you the least is the moment I need you the most.

Don't be fooled by this mask.

When you see anger in this mask, don't be fooled for one second...that's not anger, that's hurt.

The mask of anger is easier to show than the mask of hurt.

And if we make the error of looking at people's masks only tosee anger on their face, we may end up in a confrontation only because we missed the point.

You have the power to wipe away this blank stare of the "breathing dead" beneath this mask.

It will not be easy for you.

Long felt hurts make my masks endure.
The nearer you approach me the harder I may strike back.
Irrationally, I fight against the very thing that I cry out for - my identity.

You may wonder who I am.

You shouldn't.

Don't be fooled by the face I wear.

I am someone you know very well.
I am every man and woman and child.

I am you.

courtesy: 

http://teachinghighschoolpsychology.blogspot.com/2012/02/please-hear-what-i-am-not-saying.html