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Sunday, December 18, 2011

8th semester!!!

Half of December is already gone!! Time is a scary thing! Last week this time I was so looking forward to the start of the next semester, but now, I can't help but feel that the holidays were much better and peaceful!! The grass is definitely greener on the other side! Proven time and again! The holidays were good, but not the best.. with everything in my wishlist being fulfilled,(including the re-reading of Harry and co), I have no one but myself to blame for the hols not being the best!! Endless pondering on everything and nothing, left me feeling that I can never be happy again.. I had christened it as THE DEMENTOR EFFECT!! :P

But all that was not for long.. I had a lot to look forward to.. particularly my 21st b'day!! the fact that the beginning of the next term coincided with it was an additional fact!! :):)



The day was as good as I could have ever expected, with a gift from my professor, and the yummiest chocolate truffle cake..:) but my friends had decided that-"You don't just get a choco truffle, you earn it" (bournville isshtyle =D) they had planned a Treasure hunt.. no no.. Cake hunt.. :P I was made to wander over the entire college campus, searching for clues, leading to the cake.. and just when I thought I had completed my quest, and had reached my cake, I had a surprise in store! When I eagerly opened the cake box, I found a BUN inside it! and ANOTHER clue!! Seriously, if I were given a chance to animate the entire situation, I would have given a pair of Devil-horns to each of my friends!! The clue took me back to the place where I had initially started the search!!! :'(



But I guess it was worth the wait!! There they were, standing with the most most most yummy looking choco truffle cake!(vanish Devil-horns, appear Angel-halos) And once the cake was found, it was the usual thing, with everyone eating the cake, and the poor b'day girl getting smeared with chocolate icing all over her face:'( The evening was family time, with us four going out for dinner..:) And I was soon to realise that b'day surprises weren't over yet!! When I reached home, I found a parcel waiting for me, with no clue of who it was from! After higgedly-piggedly tearing the cover off, I found a Cookbook, from my closest buddies!! :):) The day before the b'day was an equally eventful one, with my li'l brother going crazy as he had to collect a lot of couriers addressed to me!!:):)

If my b'day was a cheerful occasion, the days that followed were the exact opposite!! :(Tmrw, I have got my zeroth project review!!! And my brain seems completely void now!! Thinking of a good project title is one thing, but having to modify it-not to satisfy your thirst for innovation, but to silence the prowling vultures is something else!! Going into my zeroth review with an empty mind, and surprisingly, no anxiety or anticipation!! Whatever it is, I have my fingers crossed! It was only last week that college started, but it feels as if a month has already gone by, with all this thinking and re-thinking of project ideas and stuff!! :( who said final semester was fun??!!

P.S. Dear teammies, I know I must be collecting literature for tmrw's review right now.. but I was really going berserk with all the searching that I JUST HAD TO BLOG!! sorry.. will get back to work asap!!

P.P.S. I successfully created a header for my blog! It may not be much, but it describes me - in short.. :):)

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Welcome - Holidays, Welcome - December!!

Yippee!!! Done with the exams...!!! At last!!! :):)I seriously had to keeping telling myself- "c'mon.. only 3 hours till you are free.. attend all the questions.. don't rush out of the hall.. please!!" and when the clock chimed 12.30, I was elated.. never before have I felt this way after completion of a semester examination... perhaps the credit goes to the wonderful paper we wrote today!! :P:P



It is usually said that when you sit down to study,everything in the whole wide world seems more interesting than that which you have to study... Though I have often gone through this phase, it was only yesterday that I appreciated the beauty of my 'bubbles' screensaver!!! I fell completely in love with them.. considering the fact that I had started preparing only yesterday eve, I whiled away half my time staring at them.. My eyes just kept following the bubbles all around the screen.. With pink being my favorite color, I began tracing a pink bubble, and the moment it changed its color, I switched over to the nearest pink one.. And so goes the story of how I prepared for RS & GIS in EM.. :D:D:D


Now that the exams are behind me, I have 15 days all for myself..(before the dreaded results)!!! I am really really looking forward for some 'me' time!!! What with non-stop working on a project, semester practicals and exams, I never really did have a proper break for some 6 months now!! Sheesh!!!

Getting to the fun part- the holidaysss!!! 15 days is perhaps the right number of days to be away from coll.. neither to little.. nor too much.. ;) Just perfect!!
*Have a hoard of movies lined up to watch.. the first one that I am yearning to is Tintin!!! Can't wait for Thursday, when my best friend and me will be heading over to Sathyam Cinemas.. ;)
*Looking forward to indulge in some long pending shopping!! When my mom and me decide to go shop, there is just no stopping us..:P (my wardrobe definitely could do with a make-over!!).
*Am gonna go on a cooking spree!! Long time since I tried something new!!(Not that I didn't cook anytime recently.. I even managed to cook on the eve of a few exams.. :P, but I love shopping for the right ingredients, and trying new dishes.. So, kitchen, here I come.. ;))
*Have to get myself some new novels to read!! Who knows?? I may even decide to re-read the Harry Potter series for the umpteenth time.. :D:D

All this, and the fact that December is my most favorite time of the year, I just can not wait to get started!!!


I maybe a couple of days early, but here goes-

HAPPY DECEMBER people!!!

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

U call it a question paper??!! Well, I call it something else!!!

Seriously!!! U spend two sleepless nights.. and days!!! trying to refer to the internet.. googling about anything and everything given in the syllabus.. 'wiki'ing for those that google couldn't help with.. and all for this??!!!

Today's exam was perhaps the best example of 'how not to write an exam'.. perhaps, i think the better and more apt topic will be- 'how not to set a question paper'. C'mon..!! I do agree that we are final year students.. and that we prefer and like studying by ourselves, searching and learning in the process..( OK.. guess that was too much.. ;)).. but today's questions were perhaps the most senseless and the most meaningless ones.. (I know senseless and meaningless mean the same.. but then, that is how today's paper was!!!) the frustration in the 36 bright minds in the exam hall was evident the minute the question papers were distributed.. and the frustration immediately gave way to laughter!!! With half the time gone in solving a near impossible problem, the remaining time went off in notching a few points here and a few points there for the remaining questions..as I submitted my answer sheet, I was wondering how the very same teacher can come up with new ways of massacring the same students even when we had done nothing to invite that person's wrath!!

The question paper which was given to us was crumpled, to the best of our ability, while a few went a step above and tore the paper into pieces!!! frustration was in the very air, I tell u!!!

Had the person who'd set the question paper been anywhere in the vicinity, we all would definitely have given him a piece of our mind!!! :@

Phew! Wattey day!!

P.S. I began this post with something in mind and guess it turned out into something else altogether!!!Sorry about that!!! ;):)

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

All for a cup of chocolate!!

A post a day keeps boredom at bay!!! :P:P

I've decided to blog as often as possible, if not daily.. :P:P *conditions apply*

My day today began much earlier than I would've wanted it to.. Having promised my mom that I won't sleep for more than 6.30 in the morn *sadness*, be it study holidays or semester holidays, I had no other go, but to keep my word! But guess today was better than the previous ones.. ;) Mom and I had planned to make stuffed veggie parathas for breakfast.. :):) I am a person who enjoys cooking.. ;) Though I usually like to be left alone when I cook, today morn was fun to cook alongside mom.. ;) Breakfast was a success... ;) :)

Despite being an OFF, I had to go to coll.. reason- I had planned to catch up on a few things that were taught in class when I was busy doodling away on my notebook, smsing friends, or the more obvious- sleeping in class. I was very reluctant to drag myself to coll.. :( c'mon.. having to walk all the way to the bus stop, catch a bus, and go to coll can be real annoying!! Cursing myself for not having paid attention in class, I began the long walk to the bus stop. All this initial annoyance lasted only till I stepped into coll.. once I was inside, I was lost in wonder.. at the silence and beauty of the sprawling green campus!! My Alma Mater is really a place of awe.. It provides the most amazing atmosphere for studying, or hanging out with friends, or even sleeping under the many many trees.. :P:P After my friend tried to get a few concepts of OR into my head (which was a real tough job, considering there was the bcci.tv playing on the laptop, and the blockbuster tracks of Rockstar blaring from my mobile.. :D:D), we were joined by a couple of friends.. It is amazing at how fast a rate my brain is able to process when it comes to simple chitchat, in awful contrast to the snail pace when it comes to studying!! :P:D True! Human brain is really complex.. and a girl's brain is just 'complexer'!!! :P :P

The foursome of us then started to roam around college.. Talking about everything and nothing.. ;) :) Our legs readily took us in the direction of one of our most favorite haunts in coll.. the Department of Geology, to the room of my most favoritest professor of all times.. :):) As it was the end of the semester, he was able to spend time with us.. He was telling us about a new coffee kiosk that had been opened recently, and that they had Hot chocolate.. as the word came out of his lips, i gasped- HOT CHOCOLATE??!! And then all of a sudden, in a matter of a few seconds, we were accompanying him to the coffee shop!!! ;) :) That shop sold a variety of hot beverages, with hot chocolate topping the charts, and I had just mentioned that I was yet to have lunch, and he got me noodles over there!! So there we were, in front of the coffee shop.. having hot hot cup noodles.. and the yummiest hot chocolate available in my coll.. Ever!!! In the joy of seeing the steaming hot chocolate, I succeeded in successfully burning my tongue!! ;) ;) but the momentary pain was lost in drinking the wonderful elixir!!! yummy!!! how I love chocolate!! :*:*:*<3<3<3 adding to all this is the fact that the weather was just perfect for it.. but then, no one needs an excuse to have hot chocolate, do they?? .;)

What would've turned out to be an ordinary lunch in the canteen, turned into quite a meal, with all of us talking to our heart's content over the hot cups.. :):)


Chocolate, I love you!!! <3<3

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Ufffffffffffffff!!! What a week!!!- Part II

Due to the surprising lengthiness (maybe, the not-so-surprising lengthiness) of my previous post, I am forced to continue from where I left off.. ;)

Thursday!!
This was one day which I was looking forward to for a long long time!! Nov 10th dawned fresh and clear!! The fact that I had another assessment on that day was completely forgotten. All that I could think about was the award function that evening!! (I believe I had already bragged a lot about winning the second prize and stuff, so am not going into the details.. :P) I chose a new outfit for the day, one that reflected my moods that morn.. :):) I had called my parents over for the event. That evening was truly truly magical! My parents were happy, and so was I! I was happy taking them around the sprawling campus and my favorite haunt, my coll canteen.. ;) The pic we took that evening with my most favorite professor will remain etched in my memory forever!! :):)

Ha! now back to the mundane and boring life of assignments and assessments!! Friday was no different from this routine!! :(:( I was desperately looking forward to the saturday! Perhaps the only 'working' Saturday to which I've looked forward to.. ;)Reason- MY friend and I were taking our bestest friends out for lunch.. :):) This was supposed to be a treat on our behalf to them, for the success of our project!! ;);) And Saturday did arrive.. ;) With a lot of delay being created in the class for collecting the exam hall tickets, we were ravished by the time we placed our orders at the hotel!! Amidst deciding what to order, and reordering so as to try different dishes, lots of pics were taken.. :):)The lunch was a sumptuous affair.. with everyone eating to their heart's content..:) A satisfying grin was on everyone's face! Meaning behind it=the treat was a success!!! :):) That made me extremely happy!! Making your near and dear ones happy is perhaps the best way of being happy yourself!!! :):):)

So, that is how the last working day of my penultimate semester was spent.. I could not think of a more fitting way to have spent the day than with my best buddies!!

As for the entire week, I have just this to say- I am glad you are over!!! :P:P

And for the coming week, I'm gonna put up a brave face and say this- Exams, here I come!!!

Ufffffffffffffff!!! What a week!!!- Part I

Life they say has its fair share of ups and downs. None can disagree. But to have to experience it all in a matter of seven days!!! That is experiencing life in the super-fast mode!! And that is how the final week of my penultimate semester in college life was!! GOSH! Looking back, it makes me realize how little time we had to even breathe freely!! Am glad I'm done with it!

Beginning with Tuesday, (luckily, we had an off on Monday.. ;))the entire week was one helluva ride to the finish line! It saw us all multitasking- writing, drawing, reading, chatting, playing, and much much more.. ;)Tuesday seemed to be smirking at me when I finally woke up that day! I had an assignment to submit, a practical examination, and two assessments!!

As always, there was me thinking- 'cha! what happened to the three days of holidays??!!', 'I could've done this earlier!', 'I should've studied!!' But then, there was nothing left to do but hurry up with the first chore at hand- ASSIGNMENT!! Strangely, only when I sit down to write, everything seems to be missing! That morning, with the clock striking 7, I couldn't find my pen, or my pencil, or my scale!! I cursed myself for not keeping my things safe, and had to borrow stuff from my bro. The irritating part here is not losing ur pen or pencil, but to have to borrow it from an annoying younger bro, who doesn't fail to make the most of that moment by asking you to 'handle the pen with care'!!! x(. So finish I did! The assignment was good enough to be submitted. Just about enough.. :P The next 'debacle' of the day was my practical exam!! With the teacher suffering from MPD, I was left guessing which one of her personalities I'd have to encounter that day. Strangely, I didn't have to hold any conversation that day with her, and the practicals were way better than how I'd feared them to be.. ;) The lunch hour saw 6 ppl eating from 2 boxes, and 'studying' for the assessment that followed.. ;) Being a general subject, thankfully, the paper tested our creativity rather than our retaining capacity. With one assessment behind me, I opted to skip the next one.. :P Now that I'm done with the 'downs', this was the 'up' of tuesday.. We celebrated one of my friends' b'day at the OAT.. The b'day was an awesome affair with its usual share of chocolatey cakes, bright candles, colorful gifts, and memorable pics.. ;)

Compared to Tuesday, Wednesday can definitely be tagged as a 'normal' one.. ;) We had one practical exam on that day, and with the teacher being a sweet and soft-spoken person, we didn't have anyone breathing down our necks and were allowed to finish our task in a better manner than was expected!! :)

Thursday!!!
The most magical day ever!!!

P.S. The post has got too lengthy!! The remainder of my 'week' 'll be continued in the next post!! :P:P

Thursday, November 3, 2011

No pain, No gain!! Indeed!!!

Phew!!! Guess this is the first time I am actually heaving a sign of relief in almost a year!! It all started almost a year back, with my friend and me coming across a circular inviting project proposals. Never did we know that to get your work recognized, you have to strive so much in life! The first task that was entrusted on our shoulders was getting past the first screening committee. The person who had to organize this was also the one who had handled the ever famous 'Communication Skills Lab' for us. That particular subject was one which everyone in my class was the least bothered. We never did what we were asked to.. ;) not because we underestimated the importance of communication skills, but because the teacher was such a personality!! Now this person, due to our lack of interest in her class, resorted to the beaten track of taking revenge!! She was not at all interested in organizing the review for us! And I decided to ask her about it. When I called her, and reminded her that she had to conduct the review for four teams from our class, her response was- "when you people are so uninterested in communication skills, how is it possible that you can come up with ideas innovative enough to be submitted as a project proposal? I refuse to conduct a review for you. You can go and complain to any higher authority you want". All of us were dumbstruck. To not make it to the next level is something different.. But not even being given the opportunity to present your idea is something else altogether!! But all of us persevered and managed in setting up the first review!! The review was a normal one, with questions being asked at a rate that is too fast for the human mind to process.. :P:P

When the results of the first review were out, my teammate and I were thrilled to make it to the next level. Along with us was another group of three.. :):) I was thankful that days of toiling to meet up people regarding the project didn't go in vain!!

If I were to think that the first review was a hurdle, I was proved to be wrong!! The days that followed were even more excruciating!!! Obtaining data was not an easy task. We had to roam offices not just in Chennai, but in Dharmapuri and Dindigul as well!!

Am not gonna brood any more..Cause, the entire project 'review-selection' process is now a thing of the past!! We had two more reviews in between, and my teammate and me made it to the final 28 out of 130+!!! And our review was on the 13th of Oct..! So happy were we after finishing our review that we wanted to scream at the top of our voices!! We never gave a single second's thought to the final results. Guess when you are least worried about something, the wheels of fortune turn in your direction!!! Our hard-work and perseverance of more than a year finally paid off!! The results were announced yesterday, and we won the SECOND PLACE!!!What more can one want??!!




All I want to say is this- to all those who stood behind us when we were down and hurt; upset and in tears- parents, mentors and friends alike- thanks for being there. Your support was paramount in making us reach such heights. Love you all!! <3<3

Time for some relaxation now!!!

Until the final year project at least!!

Peace, they say, is short lived!!! :P

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Be a Rebel!!!!


Every once in a while, something spurs the youth of our country to start a revolution. I may not be justified in talking about a rebellion on the eve of Gandhiji's Birthday.. but then, it is never the wrong time to do the right thing!!!

One such rebellion was recently creating waves in Chennai.. the students of the 'brother' institution of my college have raised many heads to look upon them..(well, mentioning the name of that institution always generates awe, but this time, they were looked upon from a different perspective.. who thought engineering students could be such rebels??!!!) I do not know much about the reason behind that uprising.. I am here, just to predict that something much similar to that is gonna happen in my college, and particularly in my department!!!

Wherever we go, whichever staff we meet, "within the department" (I believe those who read it understand the meaning behind the "within the department"!!!), all they have for is appalling words of discouragement.. I do not remember being such indifferent to a teacher ever in my life!! Usually, there will be a couple of rebellious students in a class.. but when the entire class is rebellious, the fault lies elsewhere.. definitely not on the part of the student.. The only heartening thing about this attitude in us is that, it has brought the entire class closer.. every single person in the class is willing to set aside his/her differences and voice his opinion for the betterment of the entire department.. Of course, we, being in our final year, will not be able to enjoy the fruits of the probable struggle, but our juniors will definitely honour our attempt!! ;);)And in the event of us passing out and going our different ways, who knows, the juniors may even take up the struggle onto their shoulders!!!

Do Gandhian principles have value even today?? U may answer in the affirmative, citing the example of Anna Hazare.. but then, not everyone is born with that amount of patience!!!

Sound like a true revolutionary, ain't I?? KHALBALI!!!!!

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

The Next Step..!!!

Time has moved on fast.. and is proving to proceed even faster.. Seems like it was only yesterday that I was preparing for my placements, but it is actually more than a week!!! and now, I am an ASSOCIATE SOFTWARE ENGINEER, for ACCENTURE!!! Neither can I believe my own eyes when I type those words, nor can I when I tell them out loud to those who ask me!!!

27-08-2011..Went to face the interview with a lot of apprehensions!! and emerged out of it with even greater ones... I was busy devising ways to keep myself busy the next day- it being a Sunday, and I was rudely brought back to reality by a phone call asking me to be in college within the next 30 mins!!! None can escape reality for long!!! Thinking back, the entire process of getting to college in time seems like a blur to me.. and when I did, it was to meet faces which seemed to mirror my own!! anxiety was very much evident on every face I met. They say patience is a virtue.. I realized that day how very little of that virtue I possess!!! Though we were at the placement cell of our college by 12.30, we were made to wait... and wait... and wait!! It was well after 2 in the afternoon when the results were announced!! Not a soul moved from their places during that long long wait... And when the time finally came, it was dreadfully scary... names were called out... heads rose up in expectancy.. a few stayed high, a few drooped.. as more and more names were called out, there was a sense of trepidation in me.. I was reminiscent of the sorting ceremony in Harry Potter (pardon me for bringing Harry Potter into this too).. What if the my name was not called up for sorting?? What if I were called, only to be rejected by the Sorting Hat that I was called out by mistake!! All sorts of thoughts went through my mind.. My friends beside me went through the same emotions.. I remember how tight i was holding one of my friends' hands!!! All departments were called.. not a single mention was made of Geo Informatics... Fear was mounting within all of us.. Name after name was read... a few pages were turned... still- no sign of Geo Informatics... was no one selected?? where did we go wrong??!!! there was just no stopping the thought machine!!!


Finally!!! There... Geo Informatics!! First came the name of one of my close friends... and I rejoiced... but definitely not completely.. I am actually ashamed that I wasn't entirely rejoicing with her... but then, I am human!!! my name was yet to be called..!!! My grip on my friend's hands grew stronger... And then, her name was called!!! I was utterly scared... Felt vulnerable.. ( like how Harry felt when Ron was sorted into Gryffindor!!).. :(:( But next followed my name!!! was flabbergasted beyond words!!! I hugged my friend, who was still gripping my hand, both of us happy that we had made it!!! But, the wait was not yet over... a few more friends from my department were still awaiting their results.. so, with crossed fingers, and bated breath, we waited for a few more mins... and finally, the results were out.. we were perhaps the only department to go berserk over the results!! all of us started talking.. na shouting at the top of our voices!!! Almost all of us made it.. one close friend was on the wrong side of Lady luck that day, and had to go back disappointed..:(:(:( but one thing is certain... greater avenues await him... All the very best for that!!!

Here is me... moving on to the next step in the ladder of life.. What does it have in store for me?? Only time can tell....

Monday, July 18, 2011

Fitting Finale...


I intend to make this post as lengthy as possible.. the only kind of tribute I can pay to Harry Potter, and JKR..

Its been just a little over 2 hours since I walked out of Sathyam and handed over the 3D glasses, with tears in my eyes, after witnessing the end of an epic saga, which has been captivating readers, young and old alike, for more than a decade now.. Four years back, when the final book in the most successful franchise ever, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, came out, I was one of the first to have laid my hands on the book.. I had pre-booked for it a month back.. Now, I am reliving a kinda deja vu.. When I finished reading the epilogue of the book, I was met with a sense of loss. And with the final movie out, that sense is a bit more pronounced. I practically grew up with Harry Potter.

Though the first book made it to the shelves in 1997, I laid my hands on a copy of Philosopher's Stone, only in 2001, when I was eleven. And perhaps, that was indeed the right and best time to have read the book, cause Harry too was 11..;) And since then, there was just no looking back!!! I was real quick in completing the first four books in 2 years.. not much to boast about now, but it was something real great back then. At that time, to be entering your teens and having completed the first 4 books of Harry Potter was something to brag about.. and to this day, I am proud of it.. :):) And among the various memorable things of my first year as a teen was the anticipation I had for the fifth book of the series to release!! :P .. though the books in the middle came at different intervals, somehow, when book 7 hit the market, I was 17, so was Harry. People may laugh at me when I say this.. but I find a way of being able to connect easily with Harry and his friends.. (I don't mean the fantasy part, I mean the emotional part).. When I feel down, I pick up one of the seven books to read.. When I am ecstatic, I do the same.. Harry has become part of my life, whether I want it or not.

The movies which came at fairly regular intervals, were a treat to watch.. There used to be so much discussion on whether the director was justified in editing this part, deleting that, including this, etc etc.. The debate never stopped!! Some say the movies are better, others say the books have a touch of originality. Whether the movies or the books, the true winner is the entire series!!!

When you tell the outside world that you are a POTTER-MANIAC, you'll definitely make a few eyebrows shot up.. People stare at you to check if they heard you right... that, being in your final year of college, you still tell out that you read Harry Potter.. Well, to all those who mock the Potter fans out there, no matter whether I am 20, or 80, I will proclaim loudly to the world that I love Harry Potter, and that even now, I would give all my time just to sit and read the series all over again.

When I finished the 7th book for the first time, I was upset. Upset that I will not have another of the books to read.. But, I was consoled by the fact that I can atleast revisit the sense of acceptance and belonging through the movies. But, now that the final movie is out, I am completely lost. A void feeling runs through me. Maybe I am not the only feeling so.. But sure as hell, I will miss Harry, Hogwarts, Hagrid.. everyone!!! The final movie, HP-7-part 2, is definitely an awesome one.. I never had a single regret during the 2 hour span of the movie!! When the end credits rolled out at the theatre today, I refused to leave the hall.. my friends and myself were the last to exit, well after the credits were done...well after the enchanting and bewitching music died down... :(:(

According to me, there are two kinds of people in this world.. one that reads Harry Potter, and one that doesn't.. And I take it as a source of pride to say that I belong to the first category!!

Love you Harry Potter.. You'll live on forever!!!

Sunday, July 3, 2011

SIVAKASI!!!!


This was one trip that was in the planning stage for more than a year!! Of course, better late, than never!!!

So it was that we planned to head for Sivakasi from Dindigul.. We were to go to Virudhunagar and then catch a bus to Sivakasi.. and the bus journeys were forgettable ones..;) We reached the place at around 7 in the eve.. and from the minute we arrived at one of our best friend's place, there was never a dull moment!!! We immediately felt at home at her place!! Here is a 'small' account on the fun we had..;)

Day 1:
Since we arrived only at 7 that eve, we stayed at home and did nothing but talk our heads off!! We were to sleep upstairs in a spacious room all by ourselves and once we settled, all that we did was to talk like we'd never talked before!!! If not for the fact that we had been travelling for most of the day, we'd not have slept as early as at 12 that night..;);)

Day 2:
As against the usual roosters cawing at dawn, it was peacocks that did the job in Sivakasi!! One can know it is 6am from their morning cries!!! The city is crowded with our national birds!!! But despite their wake up call, we never woke up a minute before 10!! A lazy breakfast, followed by a lazier bath, made our morning session. We then paid a visit to my friend's school. That evening, we paid a visit to the Bhadrakaali Amman temple over there. After the temple, we headed for having ice creams!!! We didn't sleep till 5 a.m. that day!!!

Day 3:
Having slept only at 5, we were even more lazy that day!!! That eve, we went to watch Avan- Ivan at BIG cinemas. The movie was a forgettable one... but we had a good time together, munching pop corns and drinking pepsi.. we were joined by my friend's sister and her mom.. it was a family outing.. :):) My friend's mom was shocked when we screamed our lungs out during Suriya's guest performance in the movie(the lone good part in the film!!!)

Day 4:
A quite sunday.. Much of the time went off exploring the streets of Sivakasi. My friends would be able to give a better description of the day..;) That night, we went to dine at BELL Hotel, a 3 star restaurant.. Our hosts made sure we were completely full!!! Another bite, and we would have burst!!! So full of food were we!! I had to sacrifice the jelly-ice cream combo cause of this.. :(:(

Day 5:
The day was reserved for eating Chaat!!! We headed for Malgudi Mittai.. I love the name of the place..:):) Over chaat, we discussed to get some souvenir from sivakasi. The brightest idea we could come up with was to get a kurta each..:):) Thats how we ended up getting the same design-same pattern kurta for the three of us from a store over there..:):):) The night went off playing cards..:):)

Day 6:
We were to return back home that night. Most of the day went off in packing our stuff.. The most memorable event that day was our train journey back to Chennai, when the 3 of us sat on the top berth, chatting, smsing mutual friends, pulling each others legs- even after the lights were off!!!;);)

Day 7:
We came to our respective homes!!!

Hope I did justice highlighting the important happenings of our stay at Sivakasi.. This post is dedicated to Subha, Shruthi, Aunty and Uncle.. Never did I think Sivakasi could be so much fun. I'll cherish the time I spent with you guys forever!!!

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Field trip!!!!



OMG!!! Am now a final year student!!! Seems only yesterday that I stepped into college!! And here I am..awaiting the opening of my 7th semester of college life..!!!

The last summer vacation as a student is finally at its end.. And fittingly, this was one of my best summers.. the first place still goes to last summer I spent in Trichy..;)The long-overdue field visits in connection with our project finally came into effect this month.. With a lot of doubts and confusions in mind, my friend and I set forth to Dharmapuri on the 19th of June.. The bus travel was definitely an unforgetful one, barring the forgettable Singampuli movie that was screened.. We both had an amazing time chatting late into the night.. girly gossip of course..;) We reached Dharmapuri at 5 the next morn.. and gosh!!! we never thought it would be so cold over there!! I ended up sneezing the entire morn!!! The people at whose place we stayed were very sweet to us.. we felt so much at home.. even better was the fact that they had two kids at their place..!!! and I enjoyed playing with them. The field visit was a success. The officials we met were so warm and helpful.. the staff of IRS definitely need to learn from them. Going from a place where data is denied to their own students (IRS), it definitely was a shocking surprise when we were offered that amount of help!!! Hats off to them!!! Dharmapuri, particularly Pennagaram is a scenic place.. my only regret is that I could not go to Hogenagal, despite it being just half an hour from there.. :( We started back to Chennai the same night.. and oh boy!!! only on that night did I understand the true meaning of the saying- Appearances are deceptive!! The SETC bus, being the only one available to take us back home seemed to be an 'ultra deluxe' bus only from the outside!!! I had a horrible encounter with bed bugs that night.. :(:( I woke up next morning to bites on my arms and legs..:(:(

The very night,21st June, we started for Dindigul, the other place we had to visit as part of our field visit.. and this time, we were clever enough to book tickets in an AC bus.. and we were also lucky enough to watch Singam movie!! Being Suriya fans, it definitely was a treat..:):) We were to stay at a senior's place at Dindigul.. a place called Pattiverampatti..(hope i got the spelling right!!) and the place was an entire world of its own!!! and the hospitality that we were bestowed- complete awesomeness!! we had an entire room, with an awesome dressing room and bathroom, and with our own tv!!! it was completely furnished like a hotel room!!! We were able to enjoy such luxury all thanks to one person!!! We even had a car to take us around!! ;)

Of my visit to Dindigul, the most interesting one would have been to GANDHIGRAM UNIVERSITY!! I was gaping with open mouth at the entire stretch of the pristine campus!! And true to Gandhian ideologies, the men there were dressed in Khadi!!! It really is relieving to know that Gandhian values are still being practised and taught. Awestruck was I when I saw a banner reading "Department of Gandhian thought and Peace science"!!! The sculptures in front of many departments were intriguing and kept one guessing as to what they meant..:):) The next day afternoon, we departed for Sivakasi.. We were at a loss of words to thank our hosts for being so kind on us and treating us as their own family..:):)

And now, SIVAKASI...
No.. I'd need an entire post for that!!!

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Fun in the Sun... and Rain...!!!



WARNING: This is gonna be one helluva long post!!!
People with little or no patience are requested to kindly skip reading!!!


Well, I'm back to chennai now... came back yesterday night... this was perhaps the shortest trip of mine to trichy.. :(

So, what inspired me to write this blog?? It was the trip that I had mentioned in the previous post. My friends were planning this for quite sometime.. but things fell into place only now, and we carried out the plan with perfect execution... :):) Of course, when you actually hear about the trip, you won't think it to be something as great as my bragging seems to indicate..:P

This is it- my friends and I had been wanting to go some place that was a day's journey from trichy and come back home the very same night. Since the closest place to home is Madurai, we decided to head for ATHISAYAM theme park in Madurai..:):) And till the eve before the trip, all of us were filled with apprehension and anxiety!!! Why does one have to be anxious about going to Madurai for a day, will be the first thought that comes to anyone's mind. The main thing that all of us were jittery about were that we were going there by car!!!Well, the fact that Anandh is an amazing driver is well known and accepted... but then, to err is human... so, all of us had our fingers crossed... Also, I had something extra to fear about!!! I was going on the trip without my parents' knowledge!!! ;)

So, start we did.. on 1st morn, at 7.30 from Trichy.. I can never forget how much I laughed seeing Hari's attire that day!!! Well, Anandh too was in his casuals.. but Hari, his casuals and his hairstyle are one rare combo!!! And only that morn did I know that, Mani, one of our friends from Coimbatore was also coming directly to Madurai... It was assured that we were in for a gala time!!! It was a comfortable fit in the car.. Anandh and Hari were in the front, and Srinath, Srinithya and myself were at the rear... We had so much fun... none of us slept a wink during our ride.. en route, we stopped to take pics... The photographers in Anandh and Hari, came up with some funny poses for everyone to give... Hari even came loaded with a tripod stand for his camera!!! :D:D

There were a lotta funny incidents throughout.. to quote a few, at the toll plaza, Anandh forgot his car's number and had to get down to check it... and also, none of us knew how exactly to reach the park... It seems the previous night, the guys had been doing some research on the shortest and optimum route (network analysis in real-life!!!) to take using GOOGLE MAPS!!! And during our journey too, we never stopped to ask for directions... all we did was use the moblie!!! ;)TECHNOLOGY PUT TO USE..:):)

And we reached the park at 10.30, and since the time we went in, there was simply no telling how much fun we had!!! The guys were keen on getting us completely wet... Though we girls preferred to sit by the pool, they dragged us in, pushed us from behind and made sure we weren't idle!!! :D Anandh, a pro swimmer was busy taking lessons for the other 3... and Hari and Mani, who can never be without pulling each others legs, whether on land, or in water, were the centre of attraction!!! Whatever they did- pull the float-mats, or dunk each other in water, a few kids tried immitating..:):)

And to add to all this, the weather was awesome that day!!! It started raining and it was so damn chilly that one had to get inside the pool to stay warm- courtesy: the absorption-radiation of the concrete basements..:) Having ice creams when it rains is always a great feeling... and we did that too..:):) We decided to make our money's worth and went a lot of times on a few rides.:) The 'Family raft', 'Dry raft' and ' Aqua bowl doubles' were some of the rides we frequented. The 'Wave Pool' was good too... Whatever ride it was, whether it was the thrilling ones or just lazying around in the shallow pools, we had a great time out there!!!

We went there when the park opened in the morn, and didn't leave until it was after 5 in the eve. And we had to head upto the city of Madurai to drop Mani off, for him to board a bus back home... and it was 6 in the eve when we were back on track to trichy.. The ride back was even more fun with an awesome weather.. we made stops again to take a few snaps..:):) It is always fun to join together and make fun of someone.. and though it usually is Hari who gets caught, this time it was Srinath's turn!!! Solid 3 hours of teasing him!!! The poor guy would've strangled us if given a chance..!! :D


And so it was that our trip to Adhisayam and back home, was safe and sound!!! Thanks to Anandh for his calm, careful and assuring driving skills..:):) We started at 7.30 in the morn and came back when the clock struck 9...:)

A day out with friends is always fun... none can deny that... I'm really glad that I went on this trip... Thanks to the guys for planning the trip, and thanks to srinithya for convincing me to come...:):) Love you all!!!:):):)

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Home away form Home...


I had signed off in my last post saying I will pen down my thoughts only after my visit to Trichy... well, surprisingly, I'm writing before that itself..:):)

It is the third day of my visit to my hometown... and the first two days were really packed with memorable and fun-filled moments... I arrived on Sunday afternoon, and I have been occupied since then!!! The first visit I made was to my aunt's place... this year, I had a little niece in addition to my 8-year old nephew waiting for my arrival!!! And OMG!!!! she is such an angel!!! Time really flies by when u are in her company!!! She is just a year old, and has a charm about her that can mesmerize even the most hard-hearted of people... And true to her name, she recognizes music of all sorts and dances to it too!!! A wonderful sight to watch... one will never get bored!!!

Other than my cute niece and my naughty nephew, I had a wonderful time the past two evenings with very special person..:):)Time, somehow seems to fly whenever we get to meet!!!:(:( How I wish I were able to freeze those moments!!!:(:(...sighssss... Well, right now, I am writing this post from my best friend's place... Had a great time with her Grandad too:):) I'll be staying over at her place for the night, or maybe, a couple of nights..:):)We have been talking our heads off since today eve!!! A lotta gossip to catch up to!!! ;) We have planned a trip with a few of our very close buddies for tomorrow... hopefully everything goes according to our plan..:):) Keeping my fingers crossed now..:):) I can never help but feel a sense of satisfaction whenever I'm in Trichy..

Simply put, Trichy is a HOME AWAY FROM HOME!!! :):):)

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Summer Siesta...


The world cup got over in all its splendour, and now CSK is making waves in the 4th edition of IPL and I'm yet to write a good blog!!! God... have I been busy?? well, a man is never too busy if he sets his mind to do something... a few other things which had higher priorities prevented me from blogging..!! :P A few responsibilities, like taking part in deciding the ruler of ur state for instance... (cast my first vote!!!) and a few headaches, which were keen on testing my patience, more than my knowledge(psst- am referring to my exams) kept me away.. but now am back..;)

So, what do I blog about?? The summer is here... and so are the long-awaited holidays..The semester that just ended was a damn hectic one(what with saturdays being working days, one never had time for oneself)..I'm having my holidays now.. and I'm enjoying it as much as I can.. enjoying the time I have in a leisurely way.. I spend time with my mom, go online... the routine normal kinda relaxation anyone can have.. but then, peace is short-lived.. one week into the holidays, and I am back in college.. working for a project.. and it demands a lotta work.. my teammate and I have been roaming all over the city in connection with it..!! And what is even more frightening is that we'll be having our first review in less than a week from now..!!!brrr... gives me the creeps just to think of all the sombre faces that'll question us on that day!!

Let me move on to greener pastures.. the one thing that I have been looking forward to all summer is my trip to Trichy!!! And this time, as against the usual tradition of staying over at my aunt's place, I'll be tarrying over at one of my bestest friends place..:):) Its been a year since I last saw some of my friends back there.. can't wait for the 29th of this month when I'll be leaving for Trichy..:)) And know what?? this will be the last summer I visit Trichy as a student.. next I do it, I'll be a B.E. graduate!! YIKES.. that is scary!!!!

Hope to blog about my experiences in Trichy soon... buhbye till then..:):)

Sunday, April 3, 2011

CHAK DE INDIA!!! DE DIYA GHUMAKE!!!!!



WOW!!!! What a match!!! 2nd August 2011 will be etched in the minds of the entire nation for generations to come!!! The dreams and hopes and aspirations of a country with a population of 1.2 billion were finally fulfilled!!! I may not be a diehard fan of the game as many in the nation are.. but I am never the less a true patriot of the game.. I did have my doubts though.. not just on one occasion, but on many!!! Right from the word go, I kept biting my nails! The match, from the very beginning was a thriller.. what with the coin being tossed twice??!!! I was also thinking if I am to watch the match or not, fearing the worst to happen, in case I did..;) The Indians were amazing on the field... the bowling was amazing.. though why Sreesanth was chosen still remains a mystery..( was he by any chance considered to be a lucky charm??) I am not going to do any ball-by-ball analysis of the match.. anyone who wishes to witness such an analysis can tune into NDTV, TIMES NOW, CNN IBN and the lot... don’t bother yourself with tuning on to the TAMIL “NEWS” CHANNELS.. all you’ll ever get to see will be the supposedly high octane political drama with each channel trying to show the party they support in the lime light, while shunning the others to the backdrop!! Yesterday night I was truly shocked!!these so called news channels didn’t mention a word about the world cup victory until they highlighted their political party’s election campaigning!!! :o

I’m not gonna talk more on that now!!!

Unity is strength.. this was proved yet again by TEAM INDIA yesterday. Every player performed his job.. both individually, and as a team!! Right from the first ball bowled till the last run scored, the Indians displayed grit and grace. The fielding was stupendous. But after Mahela Jayawardene settled down, I was highly anxious!! There were moments when I swore for every single that the Lankans took!!! ;) and at the end of the Lankan innings, my mind was in a complete turmoil!! Was 275 a chaseable target? Will our batsmen deliver?? And when the opening swashbuckling duo of Sachin and Sehwag walked in, I cheered along with the entire Wankhede stadium. And then, it was as if lighting had struck me!!! Viru was out off the 2nd ball!!! I watched till the wicket of the master blaster fell.. then I could take it no more. I switched off the tv..:( as guests had come home, we had to somehow kill the anticipation building within ourselves, and we decided to rush off to Ascendas. And there!! Wow!! What an atmosphere?? The entire food court was filled with people of all ages sitting glued to the single tv that was over there!! Gautham and Virat were playing sensible cricket!! For every single scored off the bat, there was a cheer, and for every ball that was a fielded, there was an even louder boo!!:):) and when Virat got out, the entire crowd erupted into a frenzy of emotions!!! I was left pondering over my doubts again!!! And then walked in Dhoni!! The epitome of calmness!! Many wondered why he had done so.. he was not in the best of form during the entire tournament, and many were doubtful if he would deliver. And Dhoni proved why he is called CAPTAIN COOL, yet again. What a knock that was!! A true captain’s knock!! After Gautham departed, Yuvi came and joined his captain. And what a way to finish off things!!! Winning runs hit by the captain!!! That too, not a single or a four, but a magnificent SIX!!!! Dhoni, tune zaroor ghumake hi diya!!!INDIA WON THE WORLD CUP!!!!

And it definitely was worth the wait.. 28 years seemed nothing before the tears of joy that ran freely from the eyes of our heroes (and from mine too). The way the younger players carried Sachin on their shoulders was a true display of the love and adoration the entire team has for the Little Master!!! And Virat was truly justified in saying- he has been carrying the burden of the entire nation for 21 years now.. its time that we carried him!! So so so very true!! And the way Man-of-the-Match, Captain Cool, Mahendra Singh Dhoni spoke during the presentations was truly commendable. In all, it was a true team effort. Kudos to our entire team for chasing a respectable target and bringing the CUP THAT COUNTS back to us.

C’mon INDIA, kar lo dhuniya mutthi mein!!!!

Monday, January 3, 2011

2010- A myriad of emotions..


Well, my last blog created quite a stir.. never knew that what I had written would end up in a controversy.. I didn't actually reveal the Da Vinci code..but certain people definitely felt so!!! A lot happened ever since then.. the most important being my 20th birthday!! the best ever b'day I've had so far..(well, I know I said the same about my last b'day..;) but this was truly special!!!) Hmmm..the day wasn't as perfect as I would've wanted it to be.. The beginning of the day after the few initial minutes didn't exactly be to my liking.. but as it was my first b'day to be celebrated in coll, it trully was a bolt outta the blue!!! The day was filled with so much fun!!and the best part was when my wonderful friends took me to the OAT for my 'cake-cutting' act!! As was with all the other b'days of my friends, I had no great expectations about it cause I knew (atleast I thought I knew) what was gonna happen..so, it came as a surprise when I was blindfolded!! even then, I was quite unsure of what was happening.. and finally, when I was allowed to open my eyes, I had the most wonderful surprise of my life..My buddies could not have been more thoughtful!!! First I saw my b'day cake, with the words "HAPPY BIRTHDAY MS. SMILEY", and when I raised my head to thank them, I had a pleasant shock!!! Sitting in front of the cake was a very very very important person of my life!!! I was dumbstruck for a few seconds!! Imagine--me being at a loss for words!!that definitely is a wonder!! I recovered quickly though..;)the gifts that i received that day were damn sweet!! after the party, I had one of my most memorable dinners... ever!! 14-12-2010-u'll stay in my mind forever!!!

The days that followed weren't exactly something I'd like to remember.. except for one occasion, I'd prefer forgetting the remainder of the days in that week..a sorta bad dream they were.. now coming to that one occasion, on 17th, I'd called my buddies home for lunch..it was actually a much-procrastinated affair..after a lot of scheduling and re-scheduling, it was finally decided.. but still, not all of them could make it..:( I had cooked for them all that day..:)can really take pride in blowing my own trumpet that I'm not that bad at cooking..;)my friends loved what I'd cooked..(or atleast they told me so;))..

The remainder of December went away in a jiffy..with a myriad of emotions...there was the usual fun and enjoyment with friends and family..but, there was another side to it..lots of tears..lots of arguments..lots of fights..guilty moments at the words spoken...pain, anger, frustration, and above all-fear..!!

Hmmm...2010 was a myriad of emotions..I expected it to end on a sad note..but it was otherwise!! Just as it had come with a bang, 2010 departed with all its pomp and splendour, on a much happier note...:):):)

And 2011 dawned..fresh and full of promise... with lots of dreams, aspirations and hopes.. hope the year ahead brings joy, success and prosperity to everybody!!!

Happy New Year everyone!!!

P.S.:This post is dedicated to the one person I hurt the most during 2010...I'm really sorry for having done so.. I seriously didn't mean to..