Heavy Heavy Fuel

Everytime I listen to this song, I start thinking of Dubai crude, which is heavy oil (geeeek!). With crude oil range bound and natural gas beaten to death, energy prices look quite pretty at this time. Also to mention about the gas traders who were betting on a huge gas rebound are now out of business. Most of them are selling cheap hotdogs in Manhattan and the rest are camping outside Schlumberger office, hoping to get a job because of their "energy market" experience. Looking east, things are not that bad, people are getting job offers, pay hikes and business tours are also back in vogue. Its been an year of pain and endurance for the working class.

To come back to an academic environment after working for three years, is not easy, more so in a PhD program. Its especially very difficult for people who haven't been very studious in their undergrads. Firstly, you have to solve the assignments and submit the solutions on paper. Secondly, you have to adhere to the rigorous methods rather than intuitive solutions. Lastly, when you get the assignments, you have to run after the TA to clarify solutions and get a better grade in the assignment. I'm getting used to it although very slowly. But the eventual realization is that the habit of solving the problems rigorously takes you a long way. It helps you communicate your ideas to a person who is only reading the solution and not interacting with you. It also holds good for a teacher because sometimes students may not follow the intuition but rigorous methods allow them to grasp the meaning of the result.

There are many things in life which PhD teaches. One of them is the art of smelling free food. You can always find grad students shamelessly hogging at conference dinners or colloquim lunches. Somehow, the mere idea of being a research scholar enables a grad student to shed off stupid things like courtesy, self-respect and other superficialities. The only aim in his life is to get free food. I have a conference dinner tonight which will be the start of my career as a free food hunter. Hope it goes well.