Did you say holidays?

The holidays have begun! 

After quite a normal seeming semester, it is that time of the year where one is expected to relax, to throw all cares to the wind, to cling to one's bed as if to a soul mate - basically, it is the "no work no worries, screw grades and studies" period! 

While the adventurous youth ventures out into the unknown, on trips to far off places (the occasional international jaunt) and the lazy bears get to hibernation, I have decided to lay low and hone my skills. "Really!" you exclaim!  "These are the holidays mate. Quit studies now at the very least and just chill." 

To be honest, the part where you 'chill' is good for a day or two or even a week, then boredom sets in and yes that is where the irritation begins and don't I loathe it. So, after a few days of residing on the lazy extremum, my mind has forced the body to take an account of all the promises it held before the holidays began.

That itself is another thing. The human mind is the most amazingly lazy and yet active being. Lying on a couch with droopy eyes, I had planned the tasks  for my winter vacation - "I would do this, do that blah blah blah..." I could picture myself working diligently, producing results and climbing upward on the learning curve. It seemed practical and realizable - two hours for this, an hour for that, a short break in between, an hour in the evening and then off to bed by midnight! 

Now, each and every project and task as such is divided into phases. This one is too. Also , it would be rude to begin something without a proper christening , so let us give it an appropriate name - "An educational winter" or"Holidays 2012: Tasks galore". Maybe call it  "W.I.N.T.E.R. = Work Intentions of Noob on Technically Enhancing his Resources." (Note : If you don't know what a Noob is, I do not think you have had any happy times with your machine.). I think I'll go with the third. So, we have a name and now to the phases of the project :

Phase 1: Planning

Successfully achieved. Will be carried out in two parts, first part will be devoted to Visual C# and the second to MATLAB. No hindrances whatsoever faced so far. High gains expected at the end of project.

Aims:

1. Study Visual C#

2. Study MATLAB

3. Learn to work on MSP430

4. Preparation for a Competitive Exam

5. Brush up knowledge on Machines (all electrical engineers will get this point easily)

Expected Results:

1. Ability to make decent GUIs

2. Considerable command over the language

3. Thorough

4. Just a teeny-weeny topic from the sea of proposed syllabus.

5. Brushed up knowledge on Machines

Phase 2: Resource Collection

In progress. No particular difficulties faced so far. 

1. Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate - Installed

2. MATLAB - in possession of setup, install pending

3. MSP EXP430F5529 experimenter's board and ez430-RF2500 Development tool in possession and   CCS installed.

4. Books stored in computer memory.

5. 80 NPTEL lectures downloaded and stored

Phase 3: Execution

Preliminary results:

Subject working way out of schedule. Haphazard sleeping pattern and nonchalance compounding situation. Some progress has been made though.

In the last few days I have had varied sleeping patterns. One day I sleep all night, get up early and work, the next day I stay awake through the dark hours and sleep in the morning. Forget W.I.N.T.E.R. my B.I.O.L.O.G.Y. is messed up. 

I will not usher in my modest self by saying that the progress is bad. It isn't. Here are examples on stuff I managed to make using the Microsoft tutorials on the Visual Studio :

A maze using the visual studio (quite ugly, I know!)

The first program 

Of course, these are mere renditions of the tutorials, but then again it was fun making it on my own. This along with the video course they offer has put me in a position to make something of my own now. (It is exciting for me, as so far I have never developed anything outside the DOS window (Windows Console) )

On the other hand, the NPTEL lectures have been the most uninviting pieces of video ever shot! My first two lectures were enough to make me avoid the rest till now and so the notebook has been lying still for a couple of days. 

Machines - the most interesting, yet the most despised subject in Electrical Engineering! (Grrrrr....)

The rest stay untouched for the time being and seeing my schedule I doubt i'll touching them soon. Future propositions too make my goals seem bleak in the present. Well, if I have to make them happen, I have to get working.

So long!

Happy Holidays! 

(Do not work, be lazy!)