Sir Dr. William Fendley Jr

This man deserves space on this blogspot more than anyone. This entry should have made its way here long back but sadly I have to write posthumous for him.

Sir Dr. William Fendley was Director of OIRA (Office of Insitutional Research and Assessment) at The University of Alabama. And, I would say I was lucky enough to get in touch with him. He was man of great character. So relaxed yet so responsible, so casual yet so punctual, so prodigious yet so down to earth. I was fortunate enough to have worked under him for more than 2 years.

I would be always thankful to him, to have picked me up as graduate assistant, for the reasons I still don't understand. I can still remember my first meeting with him, dressed casually, carrying measly resume, looking for on-campus job, I met him during lunch time at OIRA lunch room. I can still recall that moon shaped face with green eyes and streaks of gray hairs bouncing out of houndstooth hat, peeking at me through those half moon spectacles. At first meeting itself I was fan of his. And I feel out of words to describe his stature.

But I will always regret for not calling him up before his demise. I made courtesy call to Mike and ended up promising him that I will call up Dr. Fendley. I never called him up. And next thing is, I received call from my friend Priya, who now works at same office about how Dr. Fendley is fatally ill and has been hospitalized. I made call at office to inquire about him, but was told that he is in good health now and should return to office in couples of weeks.

But fate had something bad designed for him, and I receive another call from Priya. Even before picking up the call I could sense something bad coming at me. My blood froze and I was all numb. I was not at all ready for the news coming, and I was not sure how to react.

May his soul rest in peace. Amen!

Catching Up With Lost Time

I have been too lazy to write down for a while and number of posts have reduced considerably, not that I used to write everyday but still. So many entries that affected my life and should have made to this blog space are missing. I have made mind that I am going to catch up with lost time.

Okay, enough of complaints and resolutions, on lighter side, I received an email from one of my friend with following picture -



And with a innocent question as to "Why people blog?"

I surely cannot run my wild imaginations for other people's interest toward blogging, but here are some reasons why i do -

1. It was growing fad. Yes I fell for it ;)
2. I believe, I am a good writer. It's easier for me to put my thoughts into writing.
3. It's one of the best way to let your good friends now what you are up to these days. And the way for them to make sure you are not going insane.
4. Sometimes you feel shortage of audience on topics of your interest, this way you can easily reach friends who you know would surely match your interest.
5. I am not glib talker by nature so writing was the only way to show 'world' my rage on those suckers ;) (Punya you top my list).
6. It was in my "Try Out" list.
7. It would feel so great to read all this 5-6 years down the line and laugh at my current state of mind.
   
8. It somehow gives me feeling of accomplishment.
   
9. It may help me stay put with li'l bit of vocab power that I have. Yes, get me on this one.
10. And of course, blogging is fun..

Yes, I don't need Religion, I have got a Blog!

Current Song: Winds of Change by Scorpions
Current Mood: Inquisitive

Down and Under

Got another Sinus Attack today and I am down with it. Hopefully, would be back on track by tomorrow. Sorry, if I missed your calls and IMs.

Nelson Update: Since I wrote the post, no single day has passed without it.

And, yes, stand-ups are good and hilarious, but going too much personal is sick and filthy.

Peace!

The One With Nelson

It is freaking strange and it has been happening almost everyday for sometime now. Working relentlessly or lying cozily, I try to get hold of my sense's for the Time, and all I see is 'Nelson'. Yes, 'Nelson' made infamous by the famed cricket umpire David Shepherd. 'Nelson' - a score of 111 or multiples thereof is considered as an ill omen. I am baffled as to why is it happening on regular basis that I look at the clock and it is Nelson. Is ill fate awaiting for me in near future? Though I am not a believer of numerology and astrology, but when something like this happens, it kind of shakes your beliefs. And probabilistically, chances of seeing a 'Nelson' on non-military clock are 4/86400 on a given day. You can imagine how disturbing it would be to see such a low-probabilistic number everyday. On the other hand, I think I should say my luck is very strong that I can strike such a chance. What if 'Nelson' does not necessarily bring ill-fate? After all who can prove it is really portent?

And yes, poor Gaurav also gets peck at 'Nelson' once in a while...poor guy! or may be who knows..lucky one!