B(l)og Down

I miss the blogging days, although I like to read others' blogs more than writing mine. Now, every time I think of writing a post, I always get negative thoughts or negative things that happened in my life to my mind. I titled this blog as "Thoughts...", so I guess both positive and negative thoughts fit the bill. But in most cases I fall into the negative thought loop and end up not writing anything at all. 

I started this blog 20 years ago (can't believe two decades went by without achieving anything, but I digress) when it was fashionable to have a blog. It didn't take long to realize how difficult it is to write, to put down your thoughts into neat sentences. I tried hard in the first year, I used to jot down on paper first and then type into the computer, but the dedication quickly fizzled out. :) 

Now, please don't suggest me to use Generative AI tools to write blog posts. I'd rather read words put in sincerely even if there are grammatical mistakes. I'm afraid that a person's identity and tone will be lost. I get that if you feed your old writings to the Gen-AI tool, it will try to mimic the same tone for the text it generates from then on. But I'm not bought on the idea just yet. Maybe in a few years, it will become a normal thing. I wish it will become a norm for people to divulge if they used AI tools to write.

I need to learn to write down positive thoughts and about good things that happen in life. I need to convince myself that writing about nice memories isn't always a show-off or cringe. May be I should go to a blogging workshop? :)

What do you guys think? 

  

  

Bang It!

With long winters here, a major pastime in the weekends is to play indoor games (board, card, trivia, charades, etc.). Out of all the games we played so far, Bang takes the pole position. And I'm sure the fellows in the group will agree with me. Total Paisa Vasool!

If you haven't heard of Bang before, it's a multi-player (4-7 players) card game, wherein the players get a role out of - one Sheriff, two Vices (who work for the Sheriff), one Renegade (who works for the Sheriff until the Outlaws are gone and then targets the Sheriff), and three Outlaws. The players play with their roles hidden and have to guess others' roles based on the play. The game finishes when the Sheriff and their team kills off the Outlaws and the Renegade, or the Sheriff is killed by the Outlaws. There's also a way for the Renegade to win if they can take out the Sheriff after the Outlaws and Vices are gone. I won't go into details of how to play here, you can refer to the instructions and other information, here. 

If I remember correctly, the big bang of Bang happened when the game was introduced to the group by M.S. Ph.D., who was patient enough to explain the rules and tactics multiple times. But, we still have to read the rule-book every now and then to settle the disputes that arise. 

Apart from the fact that the game in itself is enjoyable, I think most of the fun comes from the banter that happens while playing. If you play with at least two players that give endless commentary, the game gets lively (of course, a bit chaotic too at times). There can also be frustration (yeah, different kind of fun) when players choose not to play according to their roles.

Here are some funny lines from the banter that I can recall right now. I'm sure I'm missing plenty others, so please let me know (at least one line of each person in the group) in the comments (or message them to me) and I will add them here. 

Let the Bang universe expand forever! 

[Read these in that person's voice for better effect]

[SRAB]

Nuvvu outlaw-va kaadha?

[PP]

Emochindhi <name>, nannu champithe...

Ennnndhuku <name>...

Aaaagu, rules telusaaaa neeeku!

[VG]

Eraa <name>, bang raa!

[BPC]

Shall I read the Constitution?

Just random...

[AK]

Veyyandi ika, bangu...

Naaku dynamite vodhu!

[SRPR]

Sheriff ni jail lo pettochaa? 

[SuP]

Aaaaagu pandu...

[MS]

Ammaaa, nuvvu jail lo undu...

Some hilarious scenarios during the play:

- As I mentioned before, the players do not disclose their role until they are killed off, so the "acting" or "fooling" talent of the people comes out. I think everyone acts (or at least tries to) in a way, but the best of the bunch are the two shining stars in the group. We call them ANR and NTR. You know who's who :)

- Renegade role is the hardest to play I think. They would have to be super patient and be able to bluff. This is where the "star actors" shine. There were numerous times when ANR and NTR were able to fool people. You should see the expression on others faces at the end of the game. Avaakkayyaraaaa!

- Most players forget that Panic can only go distance of 1 and try to steal a card from the next player even though they have a Mustang card (which increases their distance by 1). The other players will catch it and shout "There's Mustang!!!". Happens in every round.

- Willy the kid is a card that will give the player the ability to shoot continuously. This is a curse most of the times as other players get wary and try to kill off whoever has that power. Again, only a couple of people use it well. You know who.

- According to me, [SRAB] is a top-notch player; plays tactically well. But then, at times, he gets a message from the alternate universe (it feels like that) and he plays crazily and makes everyone super mad. But it sure is entertaining.

 

F1 India Nonresident Tax Return for ND

If you are an F1 student from India with non-resident tax status (usually F1 visa holders are allowed to file as non-resident for first 5 years) and you are filing your North Dakota state tax return, please note the following:

North Dakota does not recognize the tax treaty India has with the US Federal government, so the standard deduction that is allowed in the Federal tax return is NOT allowed for North Dakota state tax return. 

When you fill the North Dakota state tax return, ND-1 form:

- For Federal gross income, fill the total gross income from your federal non-resident tax return (1040NR). 

- For Federal taxable income, subtract the North Dakota state tax that was withheld in your W-2 form from the gross income and enter that amount.

For e.g., if your Federal gross income is $34,500 and the North Dakota state tax withheld in your W-2 is $200, your Federal taxable income will be $34,300.

Info Links:

ND_income-taxation-of-nonresident-aliens-guideline 

Tax Forms Search | North Dakota Office of State Tax Commissioner (nd.gov)

  

Disclaimer: This is NOT legal tax advice. This information is from personal experience and can be outdated.  Please consult a legal tax representative or your university's international office or payroll department. 

Hollow(een)

After a long and tiring day of work, I returned home one evening. I needed a beverage to refresh. As I poured orange juice into a glass, I heard a knock on my door. My brain was saying, "Oh no, who is it now, I'm tired and not in the mood to entertain any guests." I put the juice bottle down and went to the door. 

I open the door and I see a kid (8-10 years old) with an uncertain look. In a low voice, the kid said "Trick or Treat". My slow brain had to take a few seconds to process it. "Is it really Halloween today?" I looked at my phone and it was indeed October 31st. I was not in any mood for tricks (not that I had any tricks in my arsenal). So I asked the kid to wait for a minute and I went in to fetch treats (candy). 

I searched the usual places in my kitchen, only to realize that I did not have any candy at all. What do I do now? I had to improvise. I went and apologized to the kid and asked if an energy bar would be acceptable. Hearing what I said, the smile on the kid's face vanished and a confused and "Really?" expression came out. The kid then, in the same low voice, slowly said yes. I brought a couple of energy bars and dropped in the kid's bag and wished a happy Halloween. The kid stared at me for a few seconds with a blank expression and then walked towards the next home.

Farm Study

You grow up hearing farmers saying to their children, "study well otherwise you will stay in the village and do agriculture". This implies that agriculture doesn't need education and they are mutually exclusive. I can see their view point that getting a college degree will help get you a good paying job and have steady income. But what I don't agree is considering farming a menial job. Sure, unless you are farming a big land, there is not much income. But if a person can earn a basic living and can look after his or her family, isn't that enough?

I think parents should stop considering their kids' basic education as an investment. Basic education will help even if their children end up staying in the village and farming their land.

In recent years, I've been reading about some people who are going back to their villages and starting the farming using the education they received and it makes me happy. Having basic science education helps the farmers take on new technologies and try non-traditional methods in farming.

Global Family

I have never felt too attached to a nationality or a citizenship because it's not in your control. It depends on where you were born and sometimes on your parents' choice. I always believed that we would get to a time when there won't be any nations and citizenships and everyone is an "Earthizen". But I must admit it felt a little weird when my sibling had accepted another country's citizenship. Our relationship won't change and we won't consider each other foreign all of a sudden but it feels odd that we will carry different passports now. It's probably because we all tend to carry some inherent identity. I now know how some people in future generations would feel when their relatives or friends would take a different planetary membership.

Humans will always cross the current frontiers and create new ones. :)