Trivia

I like to keep up with the times, and as is [[http://unknowngenius.com/blog/cast/me/|so]] fashionable these days, here’s an attempt to write up 100 things about //moi// :-). If you’d rather look at a more concise and structured summary, check the [[http://floatingsun.net/blog/about/|about page]].

**NOTE**: This is a work in progress. Feel free to contribute.

– My first name is **Diwaker**. It means the Sun god in Hindi
– My family name is **Gupta**. Its origins date back to the ancient [[http://www.answers.com/caste|caste]] system. **NOTE**: the caste system was abolished a //long// time back in India, and I am glad that it was. The caste system was //evil//.
– I hate [[http://www.answers.com/hypocrisy|hypocrisy]] and [[http://www.answers.com/violence|violence]].
– I’m a [[http://www.answers.com/geek|geek]] (except the socially inept part!).
– I’m not very much into sports but I love music.
– I wrote my first program in [[wp>Gwbasic|GW-BASIC]].
– My first school was called Kali Badi.
– 9th grade was a shocking eye opener, 10th grade taught me lessons the hard way, 11th and 12th grade were simply rocking!
– I never owned a computer while at IIT Kanpur.
– I was class monitor right from 1st grade through 7th grade.
– I was once badly harassed by custom officials at Delhi IGI airport.
– I really want to go to two places before I die: Egypt, and Space.
– I have a bad memory, so I prefer using tools to keep my life organized: todo lists, calendars, reminders etc.
– I never had a driving license in India, nor am I registered for voting (yet).
– I can never remember any jokes, or song lyrics for that matter.
– I would like to believe in some notion of a God, but I’m currently an [[wp>Agnostic]].
– I am passionate about open source software and have some trouble accepting that //some// Apple products are actually good.
– I absolute **abhor** smoking and tend to have a bias against those who smoke (of course there are exceptions).
– I had never tasted alcohol until my senior year at IIT.
– I promised my dad that I’ll have my first drink with him and I kept it.
– I’m not a big fan of birthday celebrations.
– I like using Oral-B tooth brushes.
– [[wp>King_Solomon's_Mines|King Solomon's Mines]] was the first real novel I ever read.
– Back in middle school I was a big fan of the [[wp>Three_investigators|Three Investigators]]. At that time I had read //all// of their published books (and later I caught some new books from the Hot Wheels series as well). I was so into it that I even tried creating a similar outfit with two friends, complete with magnifying glass and visiting cards and rules of field and operating procedures. Of course, we never had or tried to get a case :-D
– [[wp>Mysterious_Island|The Mysterious Island]], by Jules Verne is probably the only book I’ve read more than once.
– I don’t believe in favorites.
– I love oranges, and I like peeling them without breaking the peel (I usually end up with one long snake like peel piece)
– I really enjoy cooking and am decent at Indian food. I’m hoping to pick up dishes from some other cuisines as well.
– I am quite punctual, and I absolutely detest it when people don’t value my time (and theirs).
– I read a lot of science fiction in high school, including a lot of Arthur C. Clarke and Asimov.