ughout the year! So I write this one just to recollect my small personal triumphs and failures.1. I kick started 2009 in freezing cold with my best buddies at Manhattan watching the “Ball Drop” among million other people. It was madness to spend the night outdoors with the mercury hovering around -20deg C. But it was a truly amazing experience.
2. I spent the 2008 Christmas Eve on a low note after being fired by my old advisor (The recession ate away our research grants). To say disappointed was being very modest especially after putting in 16 hours a day for the previous 4 months. On the brighter side, he was a great mentor, learned a lot from him and I still look up to him.
3. I got a nice 2009 New Year present – a fully funded assistantship. My crazy ideas will henceforth be funded by the university. My previous advisor and a few of my PhD friends’ generous recommendation helped me out in getting me this financial assistantship. As a part of the assistantship
I was supposed to teach budding engineers on how to use Matlab.4. Teaching a class of 60 students was a great learning experience. It was scary and definitely challenging but it was also fun to teach kids, motivate them, and come up with new ways to explain the concepts. Many years from now, I want to be a teach
er / lecturer, I feel it is the best profession to inspire and motivate children.5. Joined a new research group, got an inspiring and deeply passionate advisor (friend?), opportunity to once a
gain work on solar energy with new friends.6. Washington DC Trip – White House, Independence Day fireworks, Black Bird and the drive to DC.
7. Awesome time at Six Flags with a gentle ‘Kiss’ from Giraffe.
8. New Hampshire Trip – the climb to Mt. Monadnock with Sriram and Kau helping me, pushing me, and in some places lifting me so I can reach the top – drive to Mt. Washington.
9. Listening to U2 concert in a fully packed NY Giants stadium.
10. Me and Brian coming up with a new idea of depositing thin film semiconductors for solar cells. Pitching the idea to Birnie, to mentor and fund the research work.
11. Spending many nights in university to bring the ideas to life and sleeping in the dept lounge.
12. The single biggest disappointment was giving up the ‘Asha’ running training mid way. Someday I would like to attempt that once again.
