Running in the rain......

The first ever bangalore ultramarathon(80 km run) is on Dec 16th.... Started practisin a few days back...... Started slowly increasing the distance im running day by day....... But today was different....... It was drizzlin strongly when i started....... Soon my spectacles got completely crowded by the enormous number of raindrops that were pushing each other to stay on it....... Realized i was better off without the glasses..... Soon, the mighty drizzle turned into a downpour, as has been the case in bangalore for quite a few days...... I continue running further, enjoying the rain hittin my face...... sipping the few drops hiitin my mouth...... I wanted to face the elements raw...... Here i was, running at my normal pace, as if there were no rain at all.......

I felt proud...... I feel good abt not going to dance classes (salsa, waltz, tango etc. which i had enrolled to earlier) and doing running instead...... I can get lost in running..... and especially with perks like raindrops darting at ur face...... Salsa cant give me all this! Especially since i am and will be single, at least for a long while...... I stop regretting my decision of quitting learning dance..... It was fun dancing, but not involving enough...... Why the hell am i thinking so much abt it? Enjoy the rain, dumbo!......

I recollect an older blog post of mine, as im writing this...... The crux of it is still relevant now..... But i prefer a re-rendition accurate to my current situation:

A new horizon appeared, much after i was lost thinking abt the old....
It came so close, that i kissed it.....
I was swept by it.......
I found my reason to run......
I found a direction to run......
But it fell quicker than it rose.......
One quick hit...... and im limping again........
I came close to stopping......

But, i pick up speed and run again......
I run...... Not because i love to......
I run...... because i chose to......
To stop...... im no longer scared to, but i chose not to.....

I run..... reasons unknown....
I run..... reasons i dont wanna know......
I run..... in all directions......
I run..... to reach nowhere.......

The mind no longer seeks the horizon......
Its fast asleep..... Thinking of nothing..... Thinking of no one.....

I run..... seeking no end

I finish my first 2 kms in 12 mins, my average timing on other normal days........... Am happy n proud..... I head back on the same route to NCBS...... The rain darts at me with even more fervour...... the road now has turned into a river....... I enjoy splashing and running through it....... Cars slow down looking at me......... some are curious........... some jealous........ I am enjoying it..... But running in the water is so much slower...... I dont care abt timings now..... Just enjoy dammit!...... second 2 km takes 15 mins...... pretty ok considering running against the current of water!

I run....... only to run

Current mood: Hungry!
Cuurently listening to: Good bye - James blunt

Muthathi to Sangama : A walk with nature (9th sep 07)

Wanted to do something for the weekend..... Srik had sent an invitation for a trek..... Couldnt squeeze in both sat and sun for it...... Labmates and some friends pressed to go on a trek..... Since one of em, was an absolute amateur, decided to do a simple walk down the jeep track from Muthathi to Sangama....... a nice 20 km stroll along the bank of river cauvery.......

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All surprisingly met relatively on time at ksrtc bus stand........ Bus to Kanakpura....... Kanakpura to Halagur.... Halagur to Muthathi......... Walk from Muthathi........ No sight of Manasa's beloved elephant(s) against her hopes......... walked a bit...... stopped at a spot where the water was shallow and under the shade of trees....... chilled there for a long time......... scared the shit outta manasa by sending some eels at her under water(er... those were my legs)........ realised we chilled out for too long...... would compensate for lost time by sacrificing some nice spots planned for later....... the girls had curfew, so had to reach home before late......

walked along enjoying the forest scents........... and views of the hills...... the rich blue of the sky and the pure white clouds which seemed so near........ Me happy clickin away at everything...... the rest started playing some song-humming n guessing-which-song game, on the move....... i stayed out of it as i wasnt suited for such stuff....... i started thinkin as usual...... Why am i doing this?...... I know i wanted to do srik's trek badly, and i could've somehow squeezed the 2 days required for it....... Moreover srik needed the trek too...... We had lunch after passing Galibore at around 2:30.....

Why? Why am i doing this walk instead of the grueling one srik has in store...... I decide on what to do, thinking subconsciously rather than consciously (as per srik's suggestions)...... But i needed to analyze why my subconsciousness chose to do this..... I realize probably, i wanted to do something, being in the lead..... I wanted to prove to myself that i can lead at least somethin all by myself..... take responsibilities...... All these - things i've never done....... Ahhh! cute looking cloud with another cloud behind it....... Hmmm, but why do i need to take lead and be responsible?..... I can easily choose not to be a leader...... i am a researcher...... all i need to worry abt is my science and my life.... why lead anything?......... Then back to the good ol question....... why life or science?........ Hey, those clouds rising behind the hills looks awesome........ Meanwhile, the others are playing some word game...... i decide to join in instead of pondering abt vainly chasing these questions

A long stretch of walking and photography later..... we were gettin close to sangama...... a little fight with Manasa........ continue walking angrily........ Reached sangama by 5:30 pm...... half an hr late than wat was supposed to be our worst case scenario...... The ksrtc bus was only at 6:30..... was surprised that there were no private buses either...... had to wait, staring at all the ppl there gettin drunk and making ruckus(es)...... I realize, the girls wont reach home by curfew time......... I realize i suck as a leader...... Decide that i wont ever lead as i did not live up to my own expectations...... I dint take the most scenic route, in order to save time and yet couldnt get everyone back in time......

Long ride back home...... curfew girls reach home around 10 pm. two hrs above max-deadline...... face music...... But, they later say they enjoyed the trip and would like to do somethin again....... am glad

Current mood: all enthu abt doing the 80k ultramarathon
Currently listening to: Something in the way - Nirvana

My nerd score!

When i was killin time on the net, i came across this site that tells u whether u r a nerd, based on ur (honest) answering of a list of questions. According to them, here's my score, stats and type:





Ok, im not a semi-geek after all. I am a higher order geek than i thought i was! (Or so they make me believe)

Current mood: Thinkin of trekkin somewhere, but most likely cant go
Currently listening to: Vermillion Pt.2 - Slipknot

ncbs (and dbs) entrance exams

I see from StatCounter that there are few ppl coming to my blog, with 'ncbs' as a search string. I presume its all in the entrance exam preparation fever. I do not want them to go back disappointed. Also, i have also been receiving orkut scraps and emails from my juniors and other ppl asking abt the entrances. So, i thought it would be nice to write a post on it and direct everyone here. I am writing this in a FAQ style (more or less because i can directly flick from some of my mails ;)

Note: All these have been written based on my (and my co-interview-mates') experience of the Integrated PhD selection of the 2006 batch (there could have been changes since then). I faced all the rounds, but did not clear the final round interview. I am currently a Junior Research Fellow at NCBS in Prof. VijayRaghavan's lab, working on developmental neuroscience. Exact project: "Organisation and asssembly of the neuronal network required for walking in Drosophila". Sorry if that sounds neither like greek nor latin

Does ncbs have scope for anything apart from biology? (modified version of the question ppl usually ask me: "I thought u r a physics guy. How come u r in a biology place?") ncbs is a bio institute alright, but biology these days has become interdisciplinary (like almost every other subject). There are interesting fields like Biophysics which need math, computation, physics (of course, the name has it) etc. And stuff like cancer research, cell signalling mechanisms, biological nanotechnology etc require chemistry, biotech and physics knowledge. Neuroscience requires physics and computation. Synthetic systems biology requires biotech, and cell biology knowledge. Population genetics and ecology require biotech, genetics, computation, old style botany-zoology and so on.
So, to put it short...... ncbs is looking for all kinds of ppl from different backgrounds - mathematics, theoretical physics, experimental physicis, biotech, botany, zoology, engineering, computers, chemistry, pharmacy etc. For ppl interested in wildlife conservation, there is a separate entrance for MSc in wildlife. It is an amazing course with field trips to amazing forests throughout India. Almost all students of the last batch won awards in international conferences last year)

What are the different stages in the selection process?
1. Entrance test (usually on the first or second sunday of dec)
2. Write-up submission (jan-feb)
3. First round interview(may-june)
4. Final round interview(usually within 1 or 2 days after first round interview)
Note:Until the final interview, the stages are common for both NCBS and DBS, TIFR. The final interview is held such that the DBS and NCBS interviews dont clash. So u can attempt two institutes in one go.

Entrance test: The test paper has four parts carrying 20 marks: 1)General math/aptitude 2)Physics 3)Chemistry 4)Biology. You do not need to be good at ALL the fields. U can easily clear it even if u r rorrible at one field, average at another and reasonably good in other two. (For eg. I was good in general math and Phy, not so good in bio, and horrible in chemistry (i answered only 1 out of 15 questions in chem).
Each part has 10 one mark questions and 5 two-mark questions. All are objective type questions with negative marking(-1/2 and -1 respectively.) (Obviously, the two mark ones are more tricky and hard)

Write-up round: Once u clear the entrance, u will recieve a letter and form from ncbs, which u'll have to fill and send back in about a month or two. Apart from boring details like ur score in exams and other similar crap, there is a section which asks you why u want to join ncbs. This part bears quite some weightage in ur selection. So write it wisely. Dont try to show off too much. Be modest, keep it simple. Dont use too much complicated jargon.
The most important bit they ask u to do is to write a short essay within 300-400 words abt any unanswered question or research topic of ur choice, in biology (It can be stuff thats not done in ncbs too. Or even a whacky field u invent on the spot). U have to describe the question, give some background, and state ur approach to solve it. It can be quite hard to tuck everything in 400 words. Also cite references to strengthen ur points if applicable. Note that u don need to get down to excruciating details. Keep it simple, neat and elegant. Remember that this bit is what carries most importance in this round.
Along with this you will have to get 2 recommendation letters. (General hint: If u have a choice between a renowned person who will give u a below-average reco and a not-renowned person(say, a good lecturer) who's known u for a long while, and will give u a good reco, go for the second option)

First round interview: In the first round interview, students are divided into different batches, who will face different interview panels (probably at random). Each interview panel has three interviewer, usually from different backgrounds. During the interview, they first ask u what is the area which u r comfortable with. This could be Physics, biotech, engg, math.... anything. Make sure that u r really strong in the field that u mention (even if it is not ur favorite). They'll bombard u with questions, and try screwin u up in ur own field of choice. The interviewers will be helpful whenever u r stuck somewhere. Its not whether u answer it that counts, its how u answer it...... ur approach. For anything and everything, keep using the board... write down formulae, draw diagrams to explain, even if they dont prompt u to..... And they'll ask u stuff related to ur write-up, to test ur knowledge in that field. So, it is best if the idea is entirely urs. They can easily figure it out if u r fakin it or if u've flicked it from someone. The results are usually announced on the same day as the interview

Final round interview: You will face a 15 member panel now. This is pretty unnerving initially. With different ppl firing different questions from all sides. Make sure that u say that u dont know something, when u are not strong in that particular field. (I screwed up royallly on this aspect. I said, i was ok with genetics and tried attempting a genetics question thrown at me. I had no clue wat to do. I screwed up). And make sure u keep pushing the questions towards wat u r reallly strong at.

How hard are the entrance and interviews?
I felt the entrance to be simple, moderatrely easy and pretty interesting. There were some simple looking tricky ones, some simple straight forward ones and some difficult looking moderate ones.
The first round was fairly easy for me. So was the final one. But dont get stuck in a field which u r not comfy with. Make sure u r perfect in the field u state to be ur strength.(I also screwed up some phy questions, which i shud've answered).

What should i read to prepare for the exam?
Nothing. Last moment preparation does almost no good in such exams. Just strengthen ur basics in whatever u already know. Its ur overall smartness that will help u clear all rounds, more than just plain knowledge.

What are the different topics people are doing research on at ncbs?
Check out the ncbs website's page on it: http://www.ncbs.res.in/researchncbs/groups.htm

As ppl ask me more, i'll add more here too. And if you have any queries, please drop it in the comments page. I'll answer them as and when i can

Suggestions from others (Thanks to Umesh Mohan): In chemistry, strengthen ur reaction kinetics basics