Caltech

Get Lost Once in a While

Wake up.  Work.  Eat.  Socialize.  Sleep.  Repeat.

It's a rut, really.  An enormously long, demarcated path that we follow either out of habit or out of convention.  It suits us, fulfills our basic needs, and keeps us occupied.  The socializing breaks up the monotony enough that we accept what we do on a daily basis.  We don't notice ourselves digging deeper into the rut.

Oftentimes, you might see people with this hollow, burned out look in their face.  Not necessarily in Caltech, but anywhere in public, though there are unfortunately a few Techers who get that way their senior year.  They've accepted the rut so completely, so thoroughly, that they don't even see any other path to what they want than through the rut.

Wake up.  Work.  Eat.  Socialize.  Sleep.  Repeat.

Job.

Career.

Life.

Retire.

"All can be obtained by going along this predestined path, no deviations are necessary, final goal is all that matters, I'll enjoy life later, I don't have to have fun now, let's just get by for now."
 

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I hope that sounded as depressing to you as it does to me.

Sure it feels as though there's a set path to getting what you want out of college, and sure sometimes you have to be working just to "get by," but that's no reason to get stuck in the rut, to do the same thing over and over again and just accept it.  Break up the monotony a little and enjoy the change, it'll make handling everything else a lot easier.

Next time you're on the way to class, take the long way around, maybe through some places you haven't been to before.  Next time you head into your local hometown, go get lost in the streets and see what you can find on your way back (preferably during safer hours, like at noon).  Next time you feel some stress, take some time to just go to a park, or to a roof, or anywhere out in your car and just stargaze for a bit.  Let it all out.

And hey, it doesn't even have to be little things, either, it can be learning new things even.  Try new activities once in a while, too.  A harmonica, a ukulele, or a guitar can be bought on Amazon for less than a hundred dollars.  Why not learn a new instrument?  Recipes are easy to find online for bunches of dishes, why not get on that cooking skill?  There's always places around town for swimming classes, dance classes, martial arts, visual arts, and a plethora of other things.  Why not try something new?

I'm not saying there isn't a rut; I'm just saying that the rut isn't the only place you can or should be.  There are boatloads of paths through life, and college specifically, that lead to the goals you want to achieve.  Might as well pick the fun ones.

Adios,

Srinivasa Aditya "Contemplative" Bhattaru

Infinity minus infinity is.... zero?

Hey Guys! So a couple days ago, a friend of ours, my roommate and I were sitting in our room and somehow the concept of inifity came up. Being students of science, we had to explore an idea. My roommate doesn't really believe in the concept of different sizes of inifinity, at least from an application in the real world stand point, which makes sense since he thinks about things more practically than theoretically. 

So the point of the discussion was focussed on one key question... if my roommate gave our friend infinite toothpaste and then he took away infinite toothpaste from my friend shortly after, does he necessarily now have no toothpaste at all? From the perspective of my friend (who will now be named "Juan" since I don't want to keep typing "my friend") and I, that situation doesn't imply zero toothpaste since we were thinking about the relative sizes of infinity. If he gave Juan infinite toothpaste at the size of the real numbers and then took away infinite toothpaste at the size of the natural numbers then Juan would still have infinite toothpaste.

My roommate's argument was that from a practical standpoint if I give someone an infinite amount of something and then take away an infinite amount, then they're left with zero. 

Which do you agree with?

 

Also, this weekend was the annual Indian Students Association's (OASIS) show which included various performances and a fashion show featuring yours truly. Muneeb was co-MC with a grad student named Parul. Here are some pictures!

 

Alright that's all for now. 

See you guys soon,

Brad

Ow.

Right...so...hi.  Hope you're all doing well, taking care of classes and so on.  Sorry about not getting posts out last week, I've been...debilitated.  With around 5-6 stitches.  And possibly a mild concussion.

So the topic today is, as always, relevant: injury support here at Caltech.  Trust me, at some point, you're going to need it.

As an example, let's look at my injury.  Without going into details, I got hurt off campus, by Hollywood Blvd. to be precise.  As such, I had to go to urgent care at around 3 in the morning to get all patched up; I didn't necessarily have Caltech's network to help me initially, but it certainly helped me get better.

First off, we have our first line of defense, so to speak:  Health Advocates.  Basically, these are student EMTs, trained over a year so they can be first responders whenever any particular house needs help.  You'll be notified of who those people are when you get into your house, and it's a good idea to keep track of them.  They have materials to take care of any minor issues and can keep you stable for major issues until someone even more qualified comes over.  In my case, Health Ads were the ones who drove me to urgent care, as well as helping me change my bandages over the last week.  If you want to, starting sophomore year you can start to train to be a health ad (do it, it's cool).

Second, we have the actual center, Caltech Health Center.  Basically, it functions as a small hospital for you.  They don't have the functionality of real hospitals, I'm afraid, but hey, if you need medications, a diagnosis for some sickness, or even just a doctor's note for a professor, the Health Center is a nice go-to place.

Finally, we have other small niches for other ailments you might have.  Got something muscular-related that's bothering you?  Talk to the Athletic trainer.  He deals with athletics-related injuries all the time, like sprained ankles and pulled muscles all the time, so you can trust whatever diagnosis and therapy he gives you.  Need some over the counter medications?  Check out the C-Store, they have a good selection on those.

Honestly, the best advice to be given though is just don't get hurt, it's not fun.  Caltech's tough, and you don't need to make it tougher by getting hurt.  You can totally get help for your ailments, but they still make work hard and free time even more limited.

Plus they make you sleepy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Concussions suck.

So yeah, just wanted to give a quick spiel after my little debacle.  I've been giving a fair amount of informational blog posts recently, since you guys are coming here.  I might start interspersing some more thoughtful, general posts soon.  I should be on track from here on out, but we'll see.

 

Ciao,

Srinivasa Aditya "Accident Prone" Bhattaru

Grande Mocha Espresso Macchiato What Is This I Don't Even --

So, midterms are over, been through a few straight hours of class, and I did not get too much sleep last night (refer to previous post).  I'm going to try and get through this without any coffee.

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Ah, to heck with it, lemme grab a cup.  We'll make it the blog post, why not.

    So turns out, there is more than one person who hated coffee pre-college, never drank it before, and yet now decide to add it on to their daily necessities along with food, water, shelter, and basic sanitation. 

    I'm not the hugest fan of coffee, really.  I didn't see the point of lining up in Starbucks for some drink that didn't actually taste that good.  Recently, though, I've started to have it on occasion, with college definitely encouraging me to drink it more, mainly because its just so available.  There are 4 places on campus where you can get coffee and coffee accessories (memes!), at various times of the day; I think I'll take a quick glance at each one through this post, might even grab something.

Open Kitchen

Don't.  Its not good coffee.  I mean, you'll get by if you really, really need it and don't want to pay extra, but you're better off with, like, orange juice.

C-Store

    Huh, didn't do a post about this place yet, I'll get on that at some point.  So the C-store does not actually sell coffee in the traditional sense (hot, brown, bitter), but they sell something called illy issimo.  Basically, its a coffee drink: an iced coffee with a fair amount of sugar and creamer.  Tasty.  Ish.

Red Door Cafe

    Here is the more traditional outlet for you guys, our local coffee place.  To be frank...not bad, actually.  They can get you a cup of coffee, make you your lattes and your cappuccino and whatever else you want (within reason).  For lunch too, they sell some basic pastries and pizza slices, and plus they have a fair set of other options for beverages.  Its nice, comfy, not a bad place at all to go have some coffee...what's really interesting, though, is what this place becomes at night.

Student Coffeehouse

So, the story goes that students began to run the coffeehouse at night for students, and it became such a popular idea that Caltech Dining decide to make it an official part of the system.  So, on every school night from 10 PM to 2 AM (Sunday through Thursday), the coffeehouse is open, with a different selection than Red Door.  Some of Red Door's pastries plus their alternate beverage options are gone, replaced by some things available only at Coffeehouse, such as nachos, fries, jalapeno poppers, and so on, all at insane prices.  I mean, if you drink coffee at the times when Chouse is open, you've probably given up on sleep, but the food is pretty excellent.

 

Ok, I got myself a mocha; we're all set.  I swear, at some point I'll plan out some existential fugue on life, instead of posts about food and sleep.  For now, I'm just going to down some caffeine infused nectar.  Not the best thing in the world to drink everyday, but on occasion, if it can keep me up for the rest of the day, hey, I'll get in line along with everyone else.

Cheers,

Srinivasa Aditya "Trente or bust" Bhattaru

The Caltech Nuances

Question from a prefrosh: What do you do for fun? How can Caltech be such a happy place?

Boring answer: I engage myself in various activities around campus, from music groups to house events. I also make sure I sleep well and 

Not boring answer: As an admissions blogger, I have gotten myself into appreciating subtle nuances from everyday life or from my past. Every single one of the quotations of the day (yes, I am generally grammatically incorrect) is from listening to everything around me and appreciating the humor. Also, I take pictures to capture whatever is going on around me (as you can see from my blogs), and I really appreciate the ~500 photos I take per term.

First, I accredit my appreciation of Caltech around me to my friends (both Averites and non-Averites). They make situations easier to overcome, from collaboration on homework to the laughs we share. They even tell me to take pictures for the blogs and offer corny quotations to consider (though some are not appropriate for the internet).

One of our late-night study groups/problem set crunching for physics in the SAC (notice my thermos of coffee). From left to right: Ryan, Kevin, Daniel, Michael, Chiraag, and the turned chair that belongs to Carla.

A late night run to Chouse after working on physics. Guess what movie is on the screen? Clue: “None shall pass.” Sometimes at Chouse we get physics epiphanies (caffeine? I think so).

What we do between lunch and biology: make works of modern art.

At Chandler’s Cheese Night, someone decided to wear the Chinese flag. It may be offensive (I am sorry if it is), but that person has guts.

Carla modeling for the camera at CDS’s Western Barbecue Dinner.

Second, I thank my house-mates for giving me a support group and quasi-family at Caltech. When I fell sick at the end of last quarter, my neighbor Grace kept me company in my room when my roommate was not there. I am thankful for their presence every time I see them in the halls or around campus. I can’t say that my support group/quasi-family is higher or lower than my friends (though there is a lot of overlap between the groups); they are just on another dimension.

Another physics study group (only I am not in the practical track of physics). How many Averites can you get in a double? There are more behind the door.

Our supportive food rep wearing a Cheese Hat during Cheese Night.

Everyone, including the RAs, signing cards for custodian appreciation day.

Third, I appreciate the professors having a sense of humor when they teach and trying to connect to the students with their material.

How our physics professor makes breakfast in the morning: using inductance to fry an egg.

Now where did that ring go?

There are some notable saying from classes and strange occurrences. During PS12 today, Dean Kiewiet said, “You know what the best thing about being the US president? To become the ex-president of the United States.” Also, I found it fascinating that an advisor on one of my high school science fair projects was actually my Bi1 professor’s first postdoctoral scholar, as my professor and I were discussing during an ombudsmen meeting at the Athenaeum about bacteria using different heavy metals in respiration.

Finally, I appreciate the cultures/nuances of other houses. I can’t give specifics because it would be a Rotation Violation, but pictures can be interpreted in multiple ways.

I saw this in front of Lloyd at the beginning of term.

Alley 7 at Dabney: Sometimes I join in their hallway study groups.

Mark becoming the Amazing Spiderman by climbing onto Dabney’s walls.

More Dabney antics...Housing Night (formerly referred to as Gangsta/Mafia Night but was deemed offensive), where all the houses lose some sort of furniture to the Darbs. We lost our cushions but not the ping-pong table (which George was so smart on keeping in his small single).

The van of belongings.

Avery umbrellas and more.

The next day, after Blacker Interhouse, Grace, Winnie, and I got all the furniture back to Avery. We had to steal someone’s cart, though.

I notice that it’s the nuances that make a school a great place to be. If someone is cranky about a school they attend, they probably haven’t stopped to smell the roses and appreciate the little things that make the school really awesome. Reflecting back on 5/6 of my freshman year, I remember my fearful self when my parents abandoned me to go to the parent orientation. It started with a simple Fibonacci amoeba game, and it blossomed from there.

Quote of the day: From one of our physics professors, Sunil Golwala. “Now to answer an everyday question: What size of magnet do you need for the LHC (Large Hadron Collider)? It’s not just something you do in your garage.”