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!!! ;):)

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

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

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

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!!!!!

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....