Post JMET (for non-MBA aspirants lemme tell you that this is a competitive exam conducted by the IITs for their PGDM course and only Engineering graduates can apply. Eventhough, it narrows down the number of aspirants, I'm still skeptical of my capabilities both as an Engineer and an MBA-aspirant), where I was allotted into a drawing hall to write the exam, I have been trying to recollect all my memories related to Drawing Hall. Since I have not been into many colleges (colleges where I write exams don't count in here coz who's got the time to explore the college then! ), I really don't know if non-engg colleges have a drawing hall, but we at NSS proudly had 4 big drawing halls(read now onwards as DH). Being Electricals, we normally had our drawing class (it sounds funny, still reminds me of the drawing class at school) at D1 and D2.
The very first competitive exam I wrote was the AIEEE at some engineering college in Cbe itself. It was then that I came to know the existence of DH. I, being a mere 5' 1", had to literally climb to sit on what looked like a KBC hot seat. And there it was a big board, which was mounted horizontally on a four-legged stand. Even when I was having a horrendous time writing the test, I couldn't help wondering what was the actual purpose of such a large board for an Engr. Silly me, I know. Honestly, then I never knew who an engr was except for a civil engineer.
The next encounter was of course the graphics classes of the first year. Must say, carrying that mini-drafter to college was more than a proud moment. The fact that I was the first ever engg student of our colony only added to my pride. Lets push aside the fact that our colony was just old as me with only 2 or 3 buddies who were elder to me. Anyways, thanks to Suresh Sir, who took the fundamentals of graphics with such fine detail that it created a strong basic of drawing amongst all of us. At the first look, Suresh Sir was a true mech, good-looking, the only problem being his height. Most of the girls equalled him. But any thought of mouthlooking him was trashed into the bin when I saw him smoke in the campus.(Btw I really hate guys who smoke, aleast those who smoke in my presence). By the middle of the academic year, we got a new lecturer but his classes weren't as impressive as Suresh Sir's class. Eventhough we first laughed on the fact that our new lecturer was doing M.Tech at IIT and he had arrears on graphics itself, but then as they say, you learn more of a subject when you have arrears of the same. Guess what, that's why I learned nothing through out my 4 years of Engg.
Besides D1-D2 posing only as drawing halls, it was the favourite examination halls of many teachers and many students. The boards are so far placed that there's very little chance for the students to pass the answer sheet without being caught. But somehow many of the boys still managed to pass the sheets and copy while I never managed to do that. The only thing we frigging creatures would do was to write notes on the drawing boards. Sometimes you had to carry razor to clear off some parts of the board because they had been written on by many amaeturs before you. No wonder, we always used to turn up early for the exam at a DH.
DH was also a favorite venue for many celebrations. Christmas celebrations in particular. Well, I don't have any good memories of having a Christmas friend. The first time it was a north-eastern guy, who gave a card and chocolates, fair enough. But the next time, Velli gave me 1 kg rice and some vegetables only because they saw me buying vegetables from a shop and carrying that back home! Well the only reason why I never saw them doing the same is that they were all hostlers and I was a day-sche. But must say, the guys who brought me that rice would really suck at cooking. It was the worst rice I ever tasted so much so that Amma (who is infamous for her non-humorous nature) commented that they would've got the rice directly from FCI. Lol.
(Ok Velli, here is my revenge. The word "Velli" is used by musicians for the awkward sound thats gets out of your throat when you sing improperly. More appropriately, he was named so because it takes a lot of time for things to Click for him. And then he was "doubter" of our class. I still donno how he used to come up with doubts on utterly boring lectures too).
While the lovers of our campus had some favorite places like the Banyan tree near the bus bay and our Sania Mirza tree, D1-D2 was also a very cozy place for them. Many such lovers have been caught red-handed. Well it happens in every college, I guess.
Our college, it was more of a sanctuary. Cows, goats, dogs, puppies were all part of the campus. Sometimes you literally had to give way for them. When you're in a Govt college, all these come as a bonus, you know.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Drawing Hall memories
Friday, December 4, 2009
The CATastrophe And The Coimbatore Visit
Everytime I visit Cbe(Coimbatore), I fall in love with the place again.( My love for Chennai and Tamil, which I never deny, had forced my friends to call me Pandi. But that's ok. ) It's more than just the people and the place. The fm radio that is played in every transport bus. The long wider roads- the buses still charging a minimum charge of Rs.2. The conductor who would take the correct change from Achan's hand and put back the money directly into Achan's pocket when they come to know about my father's illness. Even the ladies get up and give their seat to Achan. The first course of the rice meals, when they pour daal and ghee . The filter coffee. I just can't resist anything that Cbe has to offer.
But this time it was not just any exam. It was CAT. It should have been a good one, considering the fact that I dedicated 3 months completely to its coaching. To the extend that it changed my vocab. Maths became Quants. English became Verbal. Aptitude got split into data sufficiency and data interpretation. But then bigger things happened. I getting a "he" to refer to. The engagement. The late night phone calls. And missing him when he's off sailing. Quite a big reason to flunk it. But not for Achan. He always wants to see me buried in books. At times, I do get buried into books-but those are by Sydney Sheldon, Jeffery Archer :P.
The week was really a busy one. 22nd I had SBI test, then on 29th I had BHEL for which I had gone all the way to Bangalore(details in another post). I came back on 30th morning. The very next day it was CAT. Again I had to get up early. At 4 am. Actually, after all these exams, I have quite got used to getting up early. Rushed to station. Boarded the train and got down at Podanur station at 7. We found that there was only one small hotel opened at that time and I was dying for a breakfast . After having breakfast from there, while we were walking towards the bus-stop, Achan told me that this was the only hotel near the railway station and that Rajagopalan Sir( Sir has always been a mentor of my father), as a child always used to have food from this hotel. He continued this practice even when he became the Sr. DME of the Palakkad Division.
When I had the first glance of Srikrishna College, I thought it was an apartment or something. It looked so neat, even the girls' hostel. At the exam hall, we were inducted by 7.30 (two and a half hours prior to the exam). Even wrist-watch wasn't allowed inside the hall. The wallets were also taken away. And I thought, if you had taken a little more effort on real-time testing of CAT, instead of such gibberish security concerns, we wouldn't have our media celebrating CAT as a catastrophe. Btw, I loved the usage of Catastrophe. And then, inside the hall, we weren't allowed to utter a word. In the next 2 hours, these are the different things I tried
1. read and re-read the instructions (atleast 5 times)
2. played with my pancard
3. sleep. (but then I woke up when I realised that I was about to dream some stupid things)
4. drew flowers, plants and wrote my name in 100 different ways in the scrap booklet
5. (this is my favourite)...wrote hindi songs in Hindi first and then in English
I saw some fellow exammates doing the same.Yawning is a contagious disease. You yawn at a person and the next moment, you see him yawning too. It's so much contagious that even when I'm writing this, I yawned twice. I saw one girl flipping through her passport desperate to find a page that has not been read earlier. Really desperate!
But waiting for such a long duration wasn't helping me. My "tank" was getting filled and peeing had become a matter of urgency. I don't remember myself writing an exam without having the pee tendency. Right after the exam, I would always rush to the loo. I call it the PEE PRESSURE. Then I saw many exammates going to the loo accompanied by the volunteers. Humme tab bhi akele nahi chodoge? Whatever! I too went to the loo. Still it was no different, I again had to go to the loo after the exam. The exam was any day better than the mock CATs. In terms of the content, it was a way lot easier. But then, Verbal was too difficult for me. I have no hopes to clear the cut-offs. Anyways, still there's a sense of satisfaction, of having able to attempt a few questions convincingly.
We then went to the Coimbatore town, had lunch and then went to a market to buy some vegetables. Infact, I have started to think of doing regular visits to Cbe for the same. It just costs Rs 9 by train. And if you could get fresh vegetables, it's worth the money you spend. The next 2 hours I spend listening to Radio City, Suryan FM, Radio Mirchi in the train before it started from the station. And there I'm, back to Pkd. But I'm not going to miss Cbe. Atleast not for the next few weeks. The next two sundays have been booked for, surprise surprise, exams in Cbe itself.
P.S. :- With the high prices of vegetables, my pure veggie stand is at stake. Amma is strongly thinking of buying fish everyday. It was last June that I celebrated my first anniversary of Vegetarianism. Somehow, it makes me feel proud of myself. This is something were I have total control of myself.
Friday, November 20, 2009
My first tag post
Thanx Neha for this tag. I'm obliged. I didn't have any idea what a tag was until I saw your blog. Anyways I liked this and taking this up. The rest of writing 20 things and all would surely take the hell outta me ;). Anyways here it goes.
1. Last drink: tea
2. Last phone call : to my to-be-father-in-law
3. Last text message: Obamamol asking her about the tagging thing
4. Last song you listened to: 'our song' of taylor swift
5. Last time you cried: When I heard a senti song of Rajnikant.
HAVE YOU EVER...
6. Dated someone twice: nope...I've dated only once.
7. Been cheated on?: ofcourse, someone gossiped that I write long answers after copying it.
8. Kissed someone & regretted it?: not really.
9. Lost someone special?: my grandma...on the thiruvonam day :(
10. Been depressed?: I just need a vague reason to get depressed
11. Been drunk and threw up?: I remember passing out after a chocolate milkshake, everything else is a blur
FOUR FAVORITE COLORS...
12. Black
13. Blue
14. Green
15. White
HAVE YOU..
16. Made new friends: I've a big circle
17. Fallen out of love: Never
18. Laughed until you cried: many a times...mostly at hostel
19. Met someone who changed you: no one has changed me but they have contributed to what I'm now
20. Found out who your true friends were?: Yeah and I treasure 'em
21. Found out someone was talking about you: Ofcourse, I'm the talk of the town
22. Kissed anyone on your friend's list: Yeah many...my girlfriends and one boy who's going to be my hubby
23. How many people on your friends list do you know in real life: Everyone!!!
24. How many kids do you want to have: Minimum is two...Max may be many
25. Do you have any pets: Till now no.
26. Do you want to change your name: Nah... I love my name.
27. What did you do for your last birthday: Yeah, I was the one who had to wake up Koratty and asked to celebrate my b'day
28. What time did you wake up today:Too early.. 8 am. Amma was not feeling well and I had to make the breakfast
29. What were you doing at midnight last night: Flipping through a Logical book
30. Name something you CANNOT wait for: My marriage...I still can't believe, it's happening to me
31. Last time you saw your father: Morning 11 am. Thats when he went out.
32. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life: Get a govt job. Achan will be so happy.
33. Most Visited web page: Facebook...farmville to be precise.
WHAT'S YOUR...
34. Name: Still having some Anon issues
35. Nicknames: All my hostelmates call me Communi. And Obamamol calls me The Blogger and My Dear Entertainer
36. Zodiac sign: The Sweet Gemini
37. Male or female or transgender: Female
38. Elementary: Vivekodaya Nursery School
39. School: Kendriya Vidyalaya
40. Colleges: NSS Engg College
41. Hair color: Brown
42. Long or short: Too long, how much I wish to cut it
43. Height: I'm a shorty 5' 1"
44. Do you have a crush on someone?: None right now
45. Ever been in love?: Yeah many times...if I remember correctly my first love was Sachin Tendulkar
46. Piercings?: They pierced my ears even without asking me.
47. Tattoos?: I wanted a butterfly tattoo on my shoulder..but noone appreciates art here.
48. Righty or lefty: Righty
FIRSTS...
49. First surgery: Nah
50. First piercing: When I was just 28 days old
51. First best friend: Dhanya. She got transfered after our 4th grade. Ironically when she came back to our school in 11th, we couldn't even recognise each other.
52. First sport you loved: It has to be cricket. I was always the wicketkeeper in my neighbourhood cricket team.
53. First pet: No pets till now
54. First vacation: To Ooty. Was definitely the best one ever. Still remember we all cousins sitting infront of the Railway Guest House and singing songs from Chemmeen.
55. First concert: Railway Kalamandir. Some Music Troupe. Some new year eve.
56. First crush: Didn't I tell you. Sachin.
RIGHT NOW...
57. Eating: Lays
58. Drinking: Water
59. I'm about to: Go and make tea for myself.
60. Listening to: All about us of t.A.T.u
61. Waiting for: this to finish
YOUR FUTURE...
62. Want kids?: Ofcourse
63. Want to get married?: Can't wait
64. Careers in mind?: Yeah some desk job in a govt. office
WHICH IS BETTER WITH YOUR OPPOSITE SEX...
65. Lips or eyes: Eyes
66. Hugs or kisses: Like both of 'em
67. Shorter or taller: Taller
68. Older or Younger: Older
69. Romantic or spontaneous:Spontaneously romantic!
70. Nice stomach or nice arms: Nice arms
71. Sensitive or loud: Loud
72. Hook-up or relationship: Relationship
73. Trouble maker or hesitant: None
HAVE YOU EVER...??
73. Kissed a stranger: Nah, I'm not that stupid
74. Lost glasses/contacts: Broken 'em... several times
75. Sex on first Date: No baby, Main ek bharatiya naari hoon!!!!(while reading this line, try to sound like Rakhi Sawant)
76. Broken someone's heart: I don't know.
77. Had your own heart broken: Yeah, when I heard SRK is married (in my 4th grade or so) . I even drew a picture of my broken heart with a red pen.
78. Been arrested: Main kya meri poori kaandhaan kabhi police station nahi gaye
79. Turned someone down: Once. I loved myself doing that even though that was the only time I was proposed. I hated him so much.
80. Cried when someone died: My grandma. I told you.
81. Liked a friend that is a boy?: I like all my friends. I love 'em.
DO YOU BELIEVE IN...
82. Yourself: Completely
83. Miracles: Not really.
84. God: God exists in everyone.
85. Love at first sight: No...first times can betray you.
86. Heaven: It's a fantasy
87. Santa Claus: No....No SantaClaus ever got me gifts, so why should I believe?
88. Kiss on the first date?: It feels like heaven..try it ;)
89. Angels: A person has an angel and a devil in him/her...that's what I believe
90. Devils: Answered above.
ANSWER TRUTHFULLY...
91. Is there one person you want to be with right now?: I'm so much missing my friends and my hostel
92. Had more than one boyfriend/girlfriend at one time?: When I never managed to have one BF, how does this question arise
93. Wanted to kill someone ever?: Yeah, my old boss RB, the bus conductor in that green Vignesh bus ... the list goes on.
94. Among your blog mates, whom would you like to kiss?: None
95. Committed a blunder and regretted later?: So many.. Too long to list.
96. Wanted to steal your friend's boyfriend / girlfriend?: Nah, I'm more than satisfied with the current and the permanent one.
ASSOCIATE WITH SOMETHING YOU WEAR...
97. White:Never.. Unless I know there's a peace rally in town
98. Black: My bracelet.. I can't go out without that
99. Red: Not mine.. But Blore used to have a red t-shirt which had street police written on it and we used to tease her as street girl.
100. Pink: One of my first salwar kameez was a pink one.
So that was it.. I wish Obamamol and Jibu take up this tag. And I hope Jibu doesn't mind an english post in his Malayalam blog.
