Aug 27, 2011

The Game Of Room Of Requirements

Those who don't know Harry Potter world -

Room of Requirements is a room (duh!) which opens when you ask it what exactly you want it to be. It turns into the room that you require.

It's so much fun to play the game of room of requirements in real life. Next time you get a chance, I recommend this game to you. Let me explain the details:

Recognize something about you that people around you may be deeply interested in knowing. Like, which team do you support in the IPL. (well, use your own fillers please!) Now, let them go round and round and round around that question. Discuss IPL in length with them. Discuss the good and bad about each team. Discuss the controversies. The forms of players. Everything. If you don't give away your favorite team, they'll start making fun of various teams in turn, looking for some reaction from you. Remain calm. Laugh with them. Or defend each team. Whatever. Make them ASK you explicitly, 'which is your favorite team?' only then you tell them.

I know it sounds silly with this example of IPL.

But the game?.. It's fun! It's awesome fun! Imagine a scene where 'favorite IPL team' is replaced by that cool piece of information and 'people' is replaced by the right name that finds the information cool. This game should at least make you smile. Though, in my case, I almost audibly laughed while my sister is sleeping besides me!

Aug 25, 2011

Twisted Wires

It is so easy to study from a book. Yet! So difficult!

I hope I was learning and applying all the "knowledge" I was expected to gain during my college on my day to day work. I do feel happy to work - improving my skills, learning new ones. But those skills are more about technically managing things than applying knowledge.

It would be wonderful if I had different problems to solve in all 10 or so subjects. And that if it was for my enthusiasm to solve those problems that I was learning the subject. Should such problems be real life ones? Or artificial / faked assignments? I have come to realize that just because a problem is real life, and has to be solved, it does not become the right problem for you to solve. You should still do it. Cause, well, it has to be solved. But with the understanding of what it holds AND does not hold for you.

The real life puzzles that satisfy your hunger for your subject are difficult to come knocking the door. What do I do? Go out looking for them? All on my own? Sounds fabulous, but may be (or may not be) impractical at my level. Maybe after I grow lot more as compared to today.. "someday.."

So, what I can do today, is to solve artificial assignments => create artificial assignments => know the subject enough to create potential artificial assignments => read the books.

Oh wait wait... How is this for a real life problem to solve -

Create artificial assignments that would help you to learn more about your chosen subjects because you may not come across potential real life problems at the right time(?) / ever(?).

Now to solve this real life problem; I need to study. There! The situation is now ideal.

P.S. Song of the moment - "Golmaal hai bhai sab golmaal hai"
         Smiley of the moment - :P
         Hashtag of the moment - #facepalm