Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits

Here I am again with another stereotypical post.This is being written when I am in world's most boring place also known as RCI in a city called Hyderabad.On one fine morning I was woken up by my dad who was annoyed by my extended sleeping hours during the summer holidays.According to him it was high time that I did something purposeful during the holidays.He wanted me to do a project which was related to my godly subject i.e. Electronics.He was already vexed by my ideas for the holidays like learning guitar,linux.So here I am in GAETEC (Gallium Arsenide Enabling Technology Centre),Hyderabad to pursue a project on MMICs(Monothic Microwave Integrated circuits).The name itself scares the hell out of me,but then I came to a conclusion that nothing could be done about it.The first day at work just involved gaining knowledge about what was being done in this facility.The office,the labs looked like some sci-fi movie;the people wearing suits like those of astronauts, working with intricate instruments and most importantly chit-chatting about something that sounded like alien invasion.I had seen nothing like this before,the thought that I had to work here for a month itself scared me.

The next step was choosing a project for myself,there was not much of a choice though and my guide said "We will design a 3-bit Phase Shifter",and I thought "Hooha, nice name,will be fancy among friends".As I had no idea about the subject,I was given a 300 pages book and was told to complete in a day.For this I prayed "Oh God,Please make me a small wonder" but no help came.I followed my thumb rule which said "Read the book like a novel and leave the rest to the guide" and completed the book in one day.To my luck the guide believed in me and didn't cross-question.
Finally I started the second step and the most crucial one,designing of the circuit.This involved a software known as Microwave Office.Things got similar with time and with the great help of my guide i progressed a lot in it.But it was all like something that was boring and stuff that people had already done.I was just playing with some numbers,graphs and equations to make the figures look better.

But it was not the project that bugged me entirely,some part of it can be contributed to where I stay,The Guest House.Though I lived with my dad;there was no living creature to be seen for kilometers of area,seemed like Rama's ashram during his Vana vaasa.I could resort to only the idiot box or the internet for entertainment which I couldn't stand for more than an hour.Then I resorted to the best time pass that is dozing off.Sometimes people would visit the guest house to meet my father and I was obviously introduced in such meetings.These meetings were also boring talks related to the office and more importantly a compound known as GaAs(known as the most useful compound for the electronics or in general the semiconductor industry).

I don't know how much more of this project I can stand but great people say that this gives a golden glow to your resume and job opportunities(Yawnn!!!).