Friday, February 21, 2014

Barcamp 2014

So Barcamp is happening again.. and this is the first one of 2014!!

So what is Barcamp?


It is a platform for people to connect with each other, speak about what they like, present their ideas openly. It's much like a conference except that there is no pre-planned agenda and hence it is called an 'unconference'. You can walk away freely from any session and walk into any ongoing session. The event is usually from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and from 10 a.m. onwards, one can book a time slot for their session on the white board put up there.  Other than in classrooms, people are free to take sessions in corridors and even on the staircase!!


Hear what happens at Barcamp Mumbai:



Barcamp, for me, is a huge gathering of really smart people exchanging really smart ideas! I long for Barcamp to happen so I can meet people and hear them talk about awesome things. There is always so much to learn at Barcamp and you take away from it what you want to take - yes I literally mean that - people take away Facebook DPs & fix up dates all the time :D Jokes apart, over the years, Barcamp has acquired such a dimension that other than sharing ideas & connecting with people, people have also co-founded companies, started work at awesome places and helped each other professionally. And yes, we've even had awesome homemade cupcakes & chocolates! :)


Some pictures from the previous Barcamp:


https://www.facebook.com/abhishek.gupta/media_set?set=a.10151765001642819.1073741837.510477818&type=1


https://www.facebook.com/akshay.vijayakar/media_set?set=a.10151893578926291.1073741845.635556290&type=3


This time, Barcamp is happening on the 23rd of February (Sunday) at NMIMS Mukesh Patel School of Technology, Management & Engineering, Vile Parle.



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You may even register on the website if you want to: http://barcampmumbai.herokuapp.com/So, be there!

Or in Rashi's words, "Be there or be square (or round or whatever shape, I don't discriminate)"!!




Friday, February 14, 2014

On love.

Two nights ago, I happened to muse (or rant) over love, marriage & relationships.. co-incidentally around Valentine's day. I don't generally post anything out of my diary but since this para was about love, I thought I'll put it up :)



Happy Valentine's Day :)

Monday, February 3, 2014

Not on Facebook? Did not happen.

Lately, I have started writing in my diary again.

And I realised that I have to update it so much, it seemed like an effort. Which made me think- why the need to document every part of my life? Why can't I just go on writing the things on my mind and what matter to me *right now*?

It reminded me of an article I had read a few months ago in The Eye. In this age where we document every aspect of our life or 'instagram' it, who's to say something really happened unless it's out there somewhere? If it isn't documented, did it really happen?

We keep updating our Twitter, our Facebook with tons of stories about our lives. The other day, a friend had a baby, a photo of who she put on Facebook and everyone went like- "When was she pregnant? How did we not come to know? Was she really pregnant?". If it's not on Facebook, it didn't happen. That is how it is today. (Facebook completes a decade this month by the way and you might want to read the comments on this one: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/31/as-facebook-turns-10-how-has-it-transformed-your-life/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0)

Maybe that's why I feel the need to put everything down somewhere.

But that is just draining at times. Maybe there are moments I don't want to remember or moments I'd rather just remember in memory or moments that are so deeply felt by me that putting them anywhere won't give out the true essence of how I felt i.e. in a way that I felt it myself.

Perhaps we can only fully live our life once we stop braking to document it.