Mercator Blog

Just wondering ... it seems that blogging is not popular amongst the current residents of Mercator College. So why not discontinue this blog?

It's almost been a month since I last saw Mercator. On a clammy morning I left, it was less than a month ago, though it feels ages have gone by.

Few things though haven't changed. This blog is as dead as it was back then, as dead as it has been since its inception. Why, I ask you all? Isn't there any in Mercator who would be willing to share his/her thoughts with us all, and with those outside the bubble? Maybe not.  All human wisdom though is summed up in two words - wait and hope and I shall try to do the same. Wait in the hope that a worthy blogger shall feel inclined to say something on this blog.

As for me, Zurich ain't bad. Taking a seilbahn (cable car) to get home each day is exciting enough in itself. And as for ETH - damn it is big. Though why there are so few girls here, I don't know! :P The University of Zurich seems to attract all the girls somehow. I will have to solve this mystery soon, for my  own good. :D

And Zurich, it is indeed a nice city. Nay it is beautiful, all hilly as I like it. It could be a little cheaper though. Oh, and a lot of people seem to speak English here. Just today I was in the mall wondering out aloud where to find garlic bread when a girl behind me told where exactly to find them. Not bad! And as for the Swiss German, I will have to wait for a reincarnation to understand them. :) Seriously speaking, it would be nice to understand what they are saying.

And in another news, someone I know recently spend a couple of months in the jungles of Namibia. How he managed to survive the ferocious lions and the venemous snakes, I do not know. He tells me he is safe and sound, but I will wait for my assessment till I meet him.

As for Mercator, I sure miss the college office. I probably spent more time there than in my room over the two last years - and definitely more that I spent in my lectures. :P Here's hoping that it remains as refreshing a place as it has always has been.

Tired of the Mercator website not matching up to the "lofty" standards set by our red and green cousins (the yellow ones have also done fairly well) I decided to revamp the Mercator Website. Actually, redo it from scratch. So for those of you who are somehow not aware of this, here is the website:
http://www.mercator-college.org

And here are some testimonials which make me feel rather happy :)

It looks MUCH better now with the more opaque menus! Great!
-Ivan M, former webmaster and the man responsible for the great content

congratulations to the new website, it looks great!
-Mandy, former college master and honorary member, Mercator

sweet! Great job!
- Warren, webmaster Jacobs University

Amazing work ... but loads too slow ... love the gallery and colours ...
- Ivan St., another in a long line of amazing webmasters at Mercator

Rahul!!! I've just checked the new website! Amazing work! I just love the new gallery and the little weather box. The colours as well... My only critique is that it's somewhat slower to render, but I guess this should go to the flash developers and not to you...

Simply marvellous! Now all you need is someone to fill it with (new) content and maintain it *consistently* (I know you guys in the office love the word ;-)).

Anyway! A lot of greetings from hot summer Munich and the even hotter, summerier office in which I have to spend around 4 more melting hours... I have to plan another visit to Bremen some time soon, I miss you all :)

Servus!

Ivan

Hi again,

this time from the Cherry Street - or, as the name of the street where my new flat is goes in original, Kirschstrasse. What a romantic name, don't you think. And as irony goes, you would probably find it amusing that on a street with such a name, which brings (associations with early movies/memories of childhood days long gone/sweet aroma of an onstarting summer), there is exactly one cherry tree. And at least ten warehouses of different sorts, which inevitably means sometimes quite persistent roar of heavy trucks. Man, do I like irony. But more on this - later.

I have actually taken the time to check when my last post on this blog was - not counting Rahul's copy of my "suggestion box" note, it was good 4 months back... How fast time flies never stops to amaze me. But looking back, recounting memories, experiences, and events, it didn't actually pass so unremarkably. I deduced my student loan with almost 1000 Euros. I have a new place to live. I have written, tested and released probably hundreds if not thousands lines of Java code. It is quite possible that I met and just passed by at least 10 women who could have been The Love Of My Life (tm). The world discovered its new fashionable hysteria - the swine flu. My beloved Manchester United lost a Champions League final. Real Madrid killed all that was left pure and clean in football. Scientists discovered a way to create almost perfect, almost eternal artificial human hamstrings. Hell, a whole new batch of Jacobs University graduates spilled into the big world of opportunities, which lurks After. You should have seen me, grinning wide, happy and proud and satisfied, while watching, at my workplace, on the stream broadcast, all those people, whom I knew, many of whom still close friends, passing by President Treusch, receiving their diplomas... Completely inexplicable why I did it, but I guess I was right that it is really not that easy, if not impossible, to tear this place (Jacobs U.) out of your system. Oh, and by the way, Niky (Hi, Niky!), I'm quite impressed how perfectly you pronounced the names of the Mercator graduates! Simply great!

So before I get really boring, I'm quickly reaching my point. Which is, basically, to give out some signals of my ongoing existence and to check on yours. Hi guys! I miss you! You know what, lately I've been thinking that even though the Mercator College Office is probably not the best job in the world in terms of pay or working hours (late night office cleaning, anyone? :D), or of some of the duties present (I still remember spending a weekend trying to introduce some "order" in the chaos that were the B and C basements, only for Sammy to actually get lost in my new "order" :)), it could well turn out to be the best job I'll ever have in terms of actual satisfaction and fulfillment... Just the feeling that you're doing something which is rudimentary nice, which is appreciated and actually, really makes people feel good - not, as it is with most jobs out in the world, simply hacking the day away, making money, taking part in a social system which is built around money and greed... I loved it.

Ah, anyway - I would not be getting that anti-uthopical just yet :) Have fun, you guys, you all who are reading this blog, and I'll try to write again soon! From the pivot of what I am trying to mould in a new home for myself - the Cherry Street...

Photograph by: Rajendra Thakurathi

The free chicken wings emails hit my mail box last Tuesday. I was instinctively drawn to Mercator Common room for them. I was happy to see only a small bunch of crowd waiting for the program to begin. It would mean more chicken wings for me.

A small video on the golden rule was shown to initiate the event. The speakers then went on to present Buddhist, Christian, literary and the Psychological perspective on the golden rule of living. Buddhist perceived the world as extension of oneself. They believed the golden rule of life was treating others as we treat ourselves. The Christian perspective had other mystical interpretation of the golden rule. This perspective believed in treating other people with love and care even if they are harsh and cruel to us. The literary perspective argued for the romantic version of the golden rule. The literature professor argued on the nineteenth century romantic portrayal of love. So for him the romantic love was the golden rule for life. The psychological perspective focused on the need of an individual to survive. And in order to survive best, the psychological perspective argued, the individuals have to maintain harmony and love between themselves. This process of coexisting was the golden rule of living for this perspective.

The discussion took me by complete surprise. I had nothing but chicken wings and Cola in my mind before I entered for the room. But the intellectual depth of the discussion slowly caught my attention. I slowly began to understand the intriguing perspectives of the golden rules.

Humans are simple by nature. They want to be loved and cared for. They want to live peacefully and want to ensure their future generations also have the same privileges. The social norms and sanctions evolve in such a process. The society is then governed by the fundamental understanding or golden rules. Each and every society has a unique understanding of this golden rule. But it’s very much striking, how similar they are and what they actually aim for. Each and every perspectives aim for love and compassion between the human beings. The minimal understanding required for another human being is also reflected in each and every of them. This understanding of the golden rule I obtained from the program was really worthwhile.

The chicken wings after the program did taste good. The Cola was also superb.

Just as I was taking the last bite of the wings a thought crossed my mind, “What would these chickens in our plate say about our love, compassion and the golden rule?” Another thought crossed my mind, “We are nothing but double standard hypocrites pretending to care.” A sad smile flashed across my face.

Tilak KC

To say goodbye ...

One month left here and then we would all be off - to different corners of the world. Well, at least, all the final year students. The others stay. University's still here, not going anywhere, so where would they disappear?
If someone asks me how the three years have been, I wouldn't be able to say much. It is quite difficult to explain. In many aspects, it has been quite a unique experience. The charm of seeing so many different people around you might wear off after the first year, but the freshness does not. And trust me, it is only when you are away from this place (Internships, holidays, etc.) do you realize that you like it and miss it. More than the academics (way more), I will carry with me the memories of the wonderful people that I have met here.
Not to make the post soppy, I would try to list some unexpected experiences that I have had, or some nice "sound bytes/bloopers".

"You are going to use a water scale to make sure that small picture is straight on the wall" - me to Alex (facility student). Reaction -> raucous laughter.
I never thought that I would be cooking, I was quite confident in Aramark. Forget cooking, I now even experiment with the stuff that Aramark come up with. Frying salad and cooking rice with it - one of my successful experiments.
The reaction that I always get when people see me eating watermelon with salt - I think it tastes wonderfully well.

OK, time to get back to my guided research. One of the main reasons of writing this post was our esteemed webmaster and friend, Ango. He was experiencing some bugs in the Mercator Website while fetching the latest feed contents from the blog and he wanted me to write something so that he could test. If he figures it out, well and good for all us. Otherwise, be prepared to endure some more posts from me.

Cheers
Rahul