Random thoughts

Little wisps are they, darting across my brain,

Blurry images recalled with flashes of joy, grief and pain.

Its funny the way they work, without reason or rhyme

Some staying sharp, others slipping away with the sands of time.

With blank stares, indistinctive replies I mumble,

To recent acquaintances, while for their names I fumble.

But in great detail I’ll remember to the very end,

The sparkly-eyed grin of a kindergarten friend.

My need for detailed verbal maps, get plenty of nerves frayed,

When in this city, for nearly twenty years I have stayed.

But, I know like the back of my own hand,

Twisty little lanes, shortcuts and secret nooks of golden sand.

Newton-Raphson’s method, formulae, the definition of an applet,

Learnt an hour ago, in I flash will I forget.

Lullabies, silly songs out of my mum’s imagination,

And every nursery rhyme, I still sing with each inflection.

Childish pranks, giggle sessions, fights of the silly kind,

Are etched in permanent ink- crystal clear in my mind.

Rum things are memories, very rum indeed,

They make you smile, they make your heart bleed.

heh heh.. wrote this aaaaages (a year and a half) ago, and realised its still pretty relevant :p

to diet or not to diet…. That is the crucial question for all of us with slightly portly figures.(..only slightly portly, mind you!! ) True, working out is a more effective way of shedding those extra pounds, but some ppl (e.g., yours truly) are too lazy for anything more strenuous than a walk to the canteen and back :p :):). So, the only alternative left is the array of supposedly effective diets. After much thought and consideration.. as well as a week of binging and constant snacking, my mum and I finally decided to give the “GM diet” a shot.

For all those not in the know, GM stands for “General Motors”. The diet was initially developed for GM employees, but its reputation has now spread world-wide. The diet is for 7 days, and the gist of it is as follows:

Day 1- only fruits

Day 2-only vegetables (does NOT include crispy fried potatoes!)

Day 3- fruits and veggies

Day 4- bananas and milk!!

Day 5- 1 cup rice + 6 tomatoes!

Day 6- 1 cup rice+veggies

Day 7-1 cup rice+veggies+fruit juice

Bizarre isn’t it??!! I almost gave up when I saw day 4’s menu… but I happened to glance at myself in the mirror, and that strengthened my resolve! We decided to start on a lazy Sunday, and sent my dad to go stock up on fruits on sat night. He went reluctantly, mumbling something bout “these batty women..!!! “. ( btw, confession- the only fruits I ever eat are apples! )… so Sunday morning.. ½ an apple for breakfast, before rushin off somewhere. I come back home at lunchtime to find a satiated mother, having eaten a papaya, a chikku, and a custard apple!! …lol.. for lunch, I had.. big surprise.. an apple.. now getting thoroughly fed up of the fruit, I somehow choked it down thinking about all the clothes I could fit into in a week!!... the rest of the afternoon was spent staring wistfully at a bottle of pickle, while my mum darted longing looks at my dad wolfing down biryani!! .. finally at 5, we said enough is enough, and ate haldiram’s ‘khatta meeta’ and biryani to our hearts’ contents.. assuaging our conscience, saying that after all, 1^st day etc etc…

The next day was a lot better…. A stick of carrot for breakfast, salad for lunch, and baked potato for dinner.. we felt much better ( though a tad empty in our middles).and then, day 3- baked potatoes for lunch… which became very soggy potatoes by the time I ate them :(:( meanwhile, my mum was sending me grinny msgs bout how she went out and had a proper “shaapaad”, complete with 2 bowls of paayasam!! Sigh. So, by the time I got back, I was super hungry, and madder than a nest of hornets!!..., so, I broke the diet again- 1 bowl of strawberry muesli!!.. yummy!! :):):)…. And then, we realised, day 4 was bananas an milk, and there weren’t any bananas at home… my mum , thinking day 4 was supposed to be tomatoes and rice, happily made lip-smacking tomato rice, swimming in ghee!!… so, we dint have too much of a choice.. to hell with the diet!!... I’m perfectly happy with my size… so what if I can never wear size ‘xs’…. At least I can eat what I want, whenever I want… I’m fed up of rabbit food… seriously, I’ll probly die if I have only bananas and milk for an entire day… for all those who’ve actually completed this diet…. Kudos!!.. you must have amazing self control!!...as for me, all I want is the simple things in life… like a good meal… and a full stomach… and chocolates!! :) …. Ok.. I gottago… my strawberry and chocolate milkshake beckons!! … :) :) :)

One of the very few and far between bright spots of our otherwise gloomy college lives is right around the corner- symposia. The very obvious lack of any sort of culturals makes us long for this event more eagerly than a greedy kid waits for Christmas! As usual though, we were a bundle of nail-biting nerves, wondering what new and wonderful rules the management was going to throw in our faces this year. A couple of days ago, we were summoned to the ‘symposium meeting’ to find out just that. Seated haphazardly around the table in our shocking green conference room, we eyed each other warily, and waited for the axe to fall. As it turns out, it wasn’t as bad as we expected. A quick look at the positives and negatives of the decisions made, .. starting with the good news:

1. They dint try and call off the whole thing- which knowing them, is a fairly big deal!
2. They’ve actually decided to increase our budget (gasp), as this year happens to be our wonderful college’s silver jubilee year. (the actual incremented amount I shall mention in the ugly side! )
3. There is no actual cut off on the number of outside participants allowed into the college (Last year, it was officially limited to 40!)
4. We’re allowed FOUR whole inter college events. If you’re wondering why that’s a big deal, we were only allowed ONE last year.
5. They very sweetly discussed and planned out minute details of the budget with us, right down to mementos for the chief guests and stationery for participants. And we very sweetly, did not bother to note down a word they said!
6. err.. ok that’s about it.. unless u count the fact that we missed class cause of the meeting!

Ok, so now the downside. Due to space constraints, I shall only mention the WORST things, and ignore petty annoyances. Here goes:

1. We have barely any time at all. Only a couple of weeks, to get events done, posters ready, send out invites, print banners, design website and select papers!! Plus, they’re pretty miserly about letting us off class.
2. The final budget proposed at the meeting –I’m so ashamed to say it, sigh- a sickening pittance- 15 grand. And now, they’ve very kindly increased it to 18, with an “yes I know, we are generous aren’t we” air. How we’ll manage with this is beyond me.
3. No sponsors. Period.
4. No posters or banners or any other “fancy decoration works” to be displayed on campus. Only one measley thing inside the hall.
5. No non-techie events at all, the most we can have is a semi-technical quiz, for which we have to reduce and restrict participants.
6. We have to force feed the participants our canteen food, by giving them lunch tokens. I ask you, where is the money for it?? And why would you want to give them dyspepsia??
7. And most embarrassing of all, we have to make sure that even participants follow the dress code, which means anyone wearing a tee or a “pants full of big big packets” (guys and girls!) and if they do stroll in, we have to bodily throw them out!

But other than that, I’m pretty sure we’ll end up having loads of fun organising it. So gung ho for Interrupt ’09! J

Carefully, the yellowing paper I folded and bent,

While he watched eagerly, with mounting excitement

From the deep recesses of memory, instructions I dug,

Till finally for my efforts, I was rewarded with a hug.

Holding it aloft, he let out a triumphant yell

& ran into the open, where a torrent of rain fell.

Down our little lane, with speed increasing evermore,

Flowed water into a swirling pond, right at our front door.

To this he sped, sans umbrella or rain coat

& like a grim sea captain, set sail his boat.

How well a bit of paper can keep him enthralled..

Watching him, rainy days long-forgotten I recalled.

Boat races, water fights, loud squeals of joy,

Damp clothes, drenched hair & a salvaged bedraggled toy.

Buried incidents, all those long years of fun…

I can see them all clearly, when I look at my son.

I look down at the hands folded across my lap,

Once smooth and firm, fettered by age’s fatal trap.

This house-like me, has known happier days,

Now my sole companion, beside my mottled medicine case.

My branches and buds, across the world are spread,

But on occasions like today, they convene round my bed.

Around they crowd- family spanning four generations,

With laden hands, hearts brimming with love and patience.

Joy is unbounded as they gossip, laugh and play

In the midst of it all, I’m far far away.

With many hugs, copious tears and a heavy heart,

I watch as one by one, they inevitably depart.

Their echoes fade away into a silence so deep

As I seek momentary refuge in a drugged sleep.

The end of our sojourn at this college is finally in sight. Now we have one amazing year ahead of us.. a year where we can rightfully claim the top spot in the college ecosystem, and have a great time lording it over the rest of the populace. Most of the juniors are now below our notice, as we set our sights higher and aim at ragging the Profs instead. Barely a week into the New Year, and already teachers shudder and offer long and silent prayers before entering our class. Our reputation preceded us, which resulted in one of the new and enthu people coming up to us and saying- I’ve heard your class is very indisciplined, but I’m sure you’ll be very good in my class- she said this with a beaming smile and looked around for positive reactions… half the class dint even realize she was talking- they were busy with their own conversations, a quarter were eating biscuits and/or biryani, while the rest were snorting gleefully at her ridiculous optimism. Another prof very sweetly told us that she wanted our suggestions, and collected a motley of torn, scruffy bits of paper from us. Poor thing, most suggestions were of the form ‘free hour everyday’ or ‘only ten mins of class per week’. I wonder how long it’ll be before our class manages to break through her composure.

The other extreme- the super strict and ‘I’ll mark you absent and make your parents meet the hod”-type of teacher seems to be faring just as badly with our lot. Every single day, nearly 50 of the 59 students in class bunk the last 2 hours.. every single day.. Naturally, the teachers notice- most however know what a pointless exercise it is to try and rein in final years, and end up having a well deserved break at the end of the day. College authorities however, don’t seem to have this happy turn of mind, and send around a couple of ppl to check on final year attendance- oh boy, do they know us!- the upshot, Hod got dragged into the fray, and told each of the offenders to write an apology letter…. And what do my angelic classmates do??- in spite of my dark hints and ominous predictions, they carelessly dismiss the letter, and bunk yet again!!. oh well, if you cant beat ‘em, join ‘em !!

All in all, a great time for the entire lot of us. Camaraderie is at its peak, knowing its our last year together, we’ve put aside all our differences, and are doin our best to give back to the college what its given us for three years – HELL !!! We come to college with a nonchalant air, not giving two hoots about records and notebooks, our primary purpose being to gossip and have loads of fun. More and more people are trying out new looks, this being their last chance to make an impression. Wardrobes are spruced up, accessories are bigger and better than ever, coiffures are more elaborate, and make up is making a huge comeback. During breaks, in the restrooms and even during class, girls apply layers of shiny gloss, glittering mascara, lustrous lip sticks, and oodles of lotion. Guys meanwhile are spending ages with their gazes locked onto mirrors or any reflecting surface, painstakingly smoothing down individual hairs. Confidence levels are at an all time high, as we strut around like the whole campus belongs to us. Well, it kinda does, for this one year. So lets make the most of it! J

Have you noticed how the silliest of things can have a person in splits, while more genuinely funny incidents are greeted by an expression most resembling a stuffed fish? What tickles each person’s funny bone remains one of the world’s greatest unsolved mysteries. The medium of the joke can also shift its position in the humour scale, or at least affect the responses. I for one tend to laugh out loud a lot more during conversations, even for the stupidest of PJs. In print though, even the funniest of cartoons like Calvin, and the undoubted master of wit Wodehouse himself, only manages to elicit a small smile and an occasional ‘heh’ for the outrageously hilarious bits. Its not that I think they’re not amusing- far from it really. While reading, or even watching a funny movie, I’m roaring with laughter inside my head, while wearing a silly smile on my otherwise impassive face. If I happen to discuss either with someone else though, I end up laughing till my sides ache. It’s a rum thing. There are others though, like my mum, who goes into fits of unstoppable giggles every time she reads and re-reads a Wodehouse. She then insists on regaling us with an excerpt, lavishly interspersed with sudden outbursts of red faced laughs, while tears stream down her face.

Then there are those who laugh for no perceivable reason at all, usually attributed to some remembrance of an old joke, a distant association with a humorous incident, or strains of insanity! The probability of this occurring increases tenfold when you’re with a friend who’s as silly (or more so) as you are. Of late, my hysterical friend and I have been spending a considerable portion of our waking hours laughing maniacally like a couple of kooky hyenas. This is fine if we happen to be at home, or some random place where nobody knows us. We just happened to pick the worst possible place for a fit of giggles- a quiet lab in IIT madras, chock-full of geniuses and prodigies, serious iitians, and brilliant interns – all of whom have mammoth brains and eccentric characteristics. The latter is usually the cause of our frequent outbursts, which draws every bespectacled eye to us, while we try to make ourselves invisible. After a disapproving frown and a glare, they return their attentions to their algorithms and security proofs, while we rush outside so we can laugh unrestrainedly. During lunch again, my friend randomly begins laughing hysterically for absolutely no reason at all, her laugh being very infectious, I join her, while our other friends look on perplexedly wondering what they’d done to trigger such an outburst, .. and delicately edging themselves and their plates as far away from us as possible. The worst ever episode of our laugh-a-thon occurred a couple of days back, while returning to the lab after lunch. We were in high spirits, and got into the elevator along with four strangers. One of them was a weird looking female, who once began making the funniest of faces at a guy- who was pointedly ignoring her. I studiously kept my head down, as my lips curved into an involuntary smile. From behind me, I heard two loud snorts of laughter, and fought even more to keep a straight face as everyone turned to look at my now purple-in-the-face friend. The moment the lift doors slid open, we shot out,- walking determinedly toward the lab, I turned around, and found that my stupid friend had vanished. I walked back looking for her, and saw her hiding in a little alcove, half crouching, collapsing with mirth, and clinging on to the wall for support! Not surprisingly, it took about half a second before I dissolved into laughter as well. Into this scene of cheer walked two of the guys from the elevator, took one look at us, and ran for their lives. This of course was reason enough for a fresh outburst from the two of us. Finally, clutching our sides, and wheezing painfully, we walked back.. and who do we see, but the same kook of a girl again. Words fail me, too many tears dripping down my face onto my poor lappie.

Lazy Sundays- what bliss.. Snore your head off till mid afternoon, wake up, yawn, stretch luxuriously and have a prolonged Sunday brunch.. then settle down to a mild activity which doesn’t tax your muscles or brain cells too much – like reading a trashy paper or day dreaming, until you doze off yet again, finally waking up rejuvenated after a stressed out week. Unfortunately, my Sunday wasn’t quite like that. My hyper family and I optimistically planned to wake up before the crack of dawn, and drive down to the beach to greet the sun as it rose majestically out of the sea. Having decided this, we then proceeded to stay up till past three in the morning proposing and vetoing at least 45 randomly crazy “fun things” to do, ranging from driving out for ice cream and playing tag on the terrace, to rounding up all the strays in the area and taking them to the pound. Finally, after much ado, talk, hysterical giggling, a lot of singing and plenty of deliciously melted chocolate we turned in. The crack of dawn came and went , with one cousin trying vainly to wake us up, being the only signs of life in the house. An hour later, there was some stirring, grumbles, moans and occasional shrieks, all drowned by the hiss of the stove as the water for tea boiled away merrily. Umpteen cups of pick-me-ups later, we bundled into a couple of cars and headed off- with the sun well overhead..

Ah, the beach! The magical place where unending stretches of golden sand, the choppy waves of a mighty ocean, and the vast expanse of pale blue sky, all convene. Sounds idyllic?? Far from it. The sand is blistering hot, so that anyone who happens to step on it barefoot ends up looking like they’re performing some complicated war dance. .. it holds a motley crowd of objects – the unpleasant vastly outnumbering the pleasant….the water is no more pristine- you shriek with fright, thinking you’ve been attacked by a Portuguese man-o-war at the very least, and look down to find your leg swathed in a disintegrating plastic cover… You’re also in danger of being hit by a variety of balls, being followed around by strays and crows in search of scraps of food, being cut by a kite thread, and being besieged by an array of ‘sundal’ sellers and fortune tellers. My dad and I watched with big smirks, as the rest of the bunch tripped over themselves and spat out salty sea water, as an aunt and cousin were completely submerged, as drenched cell phones were salvaged and worried over, and as my brother dived in franticly after his ugly rubber slippers… The smirks grew considerably in size an hour later, as everyone sat scraping the sand off their well encrusted persons with disgruntled expressions. With well whetted appetites, we headed across the road to mash, and chomped and chewed steadily on their suitably named break-feasts – omlettes bursting with cheese and laces with spiced beef, soft and crumbly scrambled eggs, mouth watering golden-brown sausages, crisp fries with tangy sauce, hot toast butter and marmalade, honeyed pancakes with pineapples and mangoes, washed down with large mugs of piping hot coffee and hot chocolate. With satiated smiles plastered across our faces and clothes stretched tightly across considerably enlarged midriffs, we headed home and plonked straight into bed. J

Its not the destination, but the journey that counts, and is usually more eventful.. not to mention nerve wracking. This is especially true if the journey in question is a two-way one hour plus tortuous commute from one end of the city to another, in a crowded bus in the sweltering heat of Chennai. I emerge from these journeys disheveled, breathless and with a sense of blessed relief. The MTCs are a boon to all those, like my friend and i, who rely on public transport for long distances cause we’re too chicken to drive ourselves. A well-oiled system is in existence, with plenty of buses, most of them pretty decent- and best of all, the answer to all our prayers, the deluxe air conditioned bus. Deliciously cool, tinted windows to ward off the evil rays of le sol, comfy seats, super fast and barely any crowd at all, they are a joy to travel in! So, problem solved you may say… not quite. Life has an uncanny knack of knowing how to throw in a spanner and bung up the works. These buses are supposedly perfectly timed,. And in fact were a couple of months back. Lately however, we don’t seem to be able to so much as sniff a deluxe bus, in spite of running till we had stitches down our sides so that we could get to the stop on “time” for the elusive vehicle.

And hence, we get stuck with the ordinary ones.. muggy, scorching heat and copious amounts of fine dust pouring in through the large windows, icky-sweaty crowds, jostling each other with great gusto, reckless guys hanging precariously from the footboard, their only safeguard being a one-handed grip on a window bar, grouchy drivers and cantankerous conductors. The worst to have to put up with when we get a seat, is the bundles of unwieldy packages that are shoved onto our laps by the more unlucky lot. Once in a while though, when we’ve waited and waited for ages at the stop, rejecting every bus that looks rundown or has any standing passengers, we give up and decide to board the very next bus that comes by. The upshot?- a miserable hour spent standing in a bus driven by a maniac who loves swerving wildly, while we get tossed around like a sack of potatoes. In some buses we’re saved the bother of trying to maintain balance, as all of us are packed tightly together like a tin of sardines! A solid tangle of arms faces and legs, fighting tooth and nail for breathing space, while trying (in vain) to put in as much distance as possible between our noses and the various smelly armpits in the vicinity.

All said and done, these buses can be very amusing – if you’re not being squashed to a pulp that is. It’s the perfect place to watch the idiosyncrasies of various people in action. A fussy mother berating her bratty children for the ruckus they caused, two old maamis discussing in loving detail their new gold earrings, a couple of schools kids studying furiously, a ‘business’man bellowing in ‘yingilish’ into his shiny phone, a wailing baby being bounced up and down by a harassed looking dad, a bunch of college students spouting pjs and laughing raucously , a young woman powdering her nose and arranging her bouquet of mallipoo with great care and concentration, well aware of the attention she is garnering from a sunglass sporting, lurid pink toting guy, ogling openly, and topped off by a conductor yelling at anyone who dint have their exact change ready within 2 seconds of their having boarded the bus.. Little wonder then that we spend quite a bit of time giggling stupidly, trying desperately to hide our snorts of laughter behind hankies, bags or cellphones (!), while the rest of the bus glare suspiciously at us! J

Well, its finally over.. not that I spent too much time poring over ridiculously long wordlists and endless piles of practice tests.. but the two weeks that I spent on GRE prep were probably the longest ones of my life. my partner in crime and I raced thru the wordlists, and actually managed to finish all of them within a week. I know not how., in spite of spending a lot of time in IIT as well.. it seems like all our spare moments were devoted to feverishly writing down weirdish words, moaning over annoying ones like venal, venial, ventral.. condign, consign, conflate, contumacious and the like... puzzling out ways to remember wacko words like legerdemain, mulct, promulgate and lien. We discussed and quizzed each other while walking to and from lunch ,.. over plates of hot chapattis , while waiting for a bus, and even in the bus- while other passengers gave us strange looks...

The next week of my life seems like it revolved entirely around practice tests- from Barrons' book, Princeton and lyceum material, Barrons' and ETS' practice cd, and a ragtag of online tests from random websites. With each and every test I ended up with widely varying scores.. some sending me into transports of delight, and resulting in me bounding all around the house with unstinted glee, while others reduced me to a messy puddle of tears ... A crazy fortnight indeed.. culminating in an afternoon fraught with tension and nail-biting suspense.. The test being scheduled for one in the afternoon, we got there by 12.30 and waited with shaking hands and trembling voices for us to be called in. Time wore on, without any signs of a summons.. each second increasing my desire to puke my guts out.. after an hour of forced meditation, and desparate attempts to calm my mind, I was summoned to the pit of doooom!

Oh well, what more is there to be said.. I walked through the raging fire and came out unscathed - unless you count a chipped nail and a bumped forehead! It was ok I suppose , anyway, the important thing to note is that I have survived the ordeal, and now have a week more of the holidays left to enjoy, without sharing the feeling of Damocles- of walking around with a sword hanging precariously over my head.

Written bout a month ago during compiler design class- the heights of joblessness .. came across it a couple o days ago when i was studyin for my sem exams! ..

Surreptiously, I stifle a yawn,
The enthusiasm of the previous hour gone
A dull throbbing fills my head
My eyelids are as heavy as lead
In a monotone on and on she drones
Till the boredom seeps into my very bones
Stupor hangs heavy in the air
In spite of the OHP’s glare
She calls for attention – in vain,
‘I’ll mark u absent’, her constant refrain
Finally she leaves with a pronounced pout
With glee, we prance and leap about

A hush falls, an impatient ‘quiet please’,
Oh no! back again to the domain of Hades

We've always had the raw end of the deal- all of us deprived students whose colleges are miles away from the city. Early mornings, awful claustrophobia-inducing buses, long hours of cramped boredom in the afore mentioned, prolonged torture if we happen to miss them, more difficulty in getting out of college than most prisons, having nowhere remotely interesting in our 20 mile radius even if we do manage to escape, and worst of all... terrible food- that we're stuck with till we get back home- late in the evening!!.. Meanwhile, ppl in city colleges sail in and out of their gates in comfortable cars and bikes.. after commutes of not more than ten minutes. They never have a dearth of places to visit around their college. And the worst bit- they get brilliant food even inside campus! Things like chocolate fudge cake, brownies, pizzas, pasta and galaxy bars are commonplace for them, not to mention cold coffees and iced lattes. we on the other hand have to make do with corn puffs, sambar saadam, bajjis swimming in oil, tea served in tiny steel tumblers and icky flavoured milk!

But, finally,.. after nearly three years of this torture.. . *drumroll* .. the winds of change have begun to blow in campus. They've brought in a mini-bakery stand and plopped it alongside our flavoured milk icebox. A whole new menu has been introduced, which at first glance looks way too ambitious for those whose baking expertise had been limited to our not-so-wonderful puffs. But, strangely enough, most of the stuff is pretty good. There are multi-coloured cakes, chocolate bonbons- that are referred to as anything from 'choc ball' to 'choc bum bums'! , doughnuts with deliciously sticky choc icing- albeit a little too chewy, apple pie that's actually pleasant, cute looking burgers with little cherries on top, yummy pizzas - whose vegetables are only slightly raw, and ooh even the little fruitnik bottles of apple and mango juice. I know none of these sound very great.. but when you're as deprived as we've been for so long, anything remotely edible and fairly hygienic seems like manna from heaven! Needless to say, the usually packed canteen is now so stuffed, that walking through it is like swimming through a sea of hands legs and familiar faces. And ooh, the best bit? All of the food is brilliantly priced- bonbons for rs.5, apple pies for 7, pizzas for 8 and burgers for 10!!.. ha! Beat that over-priced-city-college-canteen-that-sells-coffees-for-40-bucks!! J

Whoever came up with the phrase ‘fun in the sun’ ought to be hung, drawn and quartered. Summer hasn’t even peaked yet, and already I’m fantasizing about showers of rain, thunderstorms, snow, hail, blizzards … anything’s better than the agonizing torture of being slowly fried to a crisp in the Chennai heat. Some of the typical symptoms of the i-hate-summer-and-wish-i-could-move-to-Alaska syndrome include-

Not being able to survive for more than ten mins without the ac……. Living primarily on gallons of super cold water, and tons of ice….. spending all your canteen money on ice creams and juice… actually drinkin the ‘recycled’ college water when u finally run out of cash ….. taking looong luxury baths- till your fingers and toes get all wrinkled …. And being willing to sell your soul for a tall glass of deliciously iced chocolate milkshake.

Sittin in the college bus, trying desperately to sleep while waves of hot and extremely dusty air blow into my face, mopping my brow every few seconds , and fanning myself in a futile attempt to reduce the perspiration, I remember a saying, ‘girls don’t sweat, they glow!’ , and smile bitterly as I watch half a busload conclusively disproving that statement! The heat also seems to have addled the already soft brains of college authorities, who’ve very smartly decided to make us write our end sem exams in the latter half of may- in the afternoons! Like we don’t have enough things to worry about.. now we have to include prayers for a seat under a fan, no power cuts, and long lasting deodorants!!! Take the recent semester practicals for example- our lab is supposed to be air conditioned, due to which, the windows can’t be opened, and there aren’t any fans. Unfortunately – and predictably- the AC conked out, leaving us with a terribly hot and stuffy lab in which to execute horribly tricky programs. Luckily for me, I was seated kinda close to one of the two rickety, revolving ground fans. So, every 12 seconds, I’d get a breath of reasonably cool air, before the fan turned away again. Not surprisingly, I spent more time counting down the seconds till the fan turned to me, than typing out hundreds of line of code. And then they wonder why very few people managed to get the outputs!!!.... so much for summer being the best season! Anyway, I shall leave now, im late for my hourly bath :) !

Time is a tricky thing.... It crawls when u keep fussing about it, but when u happen to take your eyes off it for a moment or two, - it swooshes past you. We're now at the end of another year at college. It seems like only a week ago that we first got here and were cribbing about the fact that we'll have to waste four years of our lives at this dump. Well, three of those years have gone by in a flash,.. and somewhere along the line, this 'dump' has started looking a hell of a lot more attractive. All the petty annoyances and old grievances are now accepted with a tolerant grin. we now know the campus as well as the back of our own hands, have come to terms with our canteen and have actually begun to enjoy the food, we've learnt how to handle our heads of dept, how to manage our attendance, how to wheedle ODs and marks from our profs, have grown to love our rickety old buses - so much so that, we find it difficult to comfortably doze off on the rare occasion that we do get a good bus, we've got an " you stay out of my hair, I stay out of yours" agreement with most of our profs, and have found our own little niches in college society.

It's a big bad world out there, and we're all just getting comfy and settling down in here. I for one would definitely not like to leave. Added to that is the overall tension of what to do and where to go next... which makes me wish all the more that I could just freeze the clocks for a while.. and not have to watch helplessly as the sands of time trickle through my fingers while I try in vain to ebb the flow. ..
The last day was one filled with nostalgia, especially for our seniors. They all came dressed in flashy saris and ties, sporting cameras, and taking dozens and dozens of photos. The previous 2 years, I witnessed this ritual with indifference, wondering why on earth they'd want to remember college, and was certain that I would never make such a hue and cry on my last day. But this year was different. Watching them, I felt a strange tug at my heart, and I can well imagine doing this next year. Sigh. I hope and pray that this last year literally crawls past, but somehow, I think its going to rush by even faster than any of the last three years.. I guess we'll just have to make the most of it, and cram as many happy memories as we can into the next 365 odd days.

... my favourite author of all time would undisputably be pelham grenville Wodehouse. Born over a hundred and twenty years ago, he's written 18 musical comdies, and more than 90 hilaarious books.. his sense of humour and style of writing are truly unique. true, his stories are not gripping ... no lives are endangered every few seconds, no ghosts and ghouls and monsters of the night,. no gun fights and wars and stealthy murders.. no adventures in exotic lands,. no nail-biting suspense.... true, he does include a lot of romance,.. but his are not the type of books that you will sigh and get all moony-eyed over, nor will they reduce you to red-faced sobbing into a wad of tissues.. any tears that do well up will be a result of laughing too much!! .. wodehouse's books are the sort u can pick up at any leisure moment, .. the kind that will brighten the dullest of days and lighten the foulest of moods... his writings are generously laced with irony and effortless wit. his characters are described in exquisite detail,.. each with his/her own peculiarities in speech and manner.. your eyes cannot fail to light up and you'll find yourelf smiling as you read about their antics. irressitible as his books are to me, i find that relatively few in the city recognise his genius. most of my age-group think that the books are boring(?!!) and actually prefer (uggh!) Sidney Sheldon over him ! ah well.. to each their own i suppose..

Wodehouse has written a number of connected books, with similar old favourites... probably his best known characters are Bertie Wooster- affluent, too-helpful a nature, a strong magnet for trouble of any kind, who spends half his time trying to break off engagements with pretty girls intent on improving his mind...- and his good old faithful valet Jeeves,- calm, serene, extremely critical about bertie's wardrobe, super-efficient, with a huge brain (that bertie attributes to fish! ) that provides a solution to every possible predicament, and buckets of the ol' feudal spirit.... some of the best wooster books are "what ho jeeves", "thank you jeeves" , "joy in the morning" ....Another set of favourites are the inahbitants of the spectacularly beautiful Blanding's - owned by the lord Emsworth- a wooly-brained, genial old man, who's life's joy is pottering among his flowers, his prized pig 'the empress of blandings' , and his constant war with his head gardner Angus mcAllister.... his sister Lady Constance- stern and frosty, constantly exasperated by Emsworth's woolly-headedness,.... Sir Gallahad the eternal knight in shining armour, the stately butler Beach, Freddie Threepwood, and the motley crowd of guests always at Blandings. the stories at Balndings usually involve several attempted roberies- diamonds, pigs,- anything thats not nailed down!!, separated young lovers, broken hearts, hilarious schemes, and several false identities.... another favourite is Psmith ( i quote- "the p is silent , as in phthisis, pshrimp and ptharmigan" !!)... the perfect gentleman, and with the most absurd and yet endearing manner of speech.. and best of all is "leave it to Psmith", where wodehouse packs both psmith and blandings castle , resulting in one of the most entertaining fiascos ! :)

apart from these, there are several other hilarious characters, such as monty bodkins, bingo little, uncle fred, sally, urkridge and the rest... wodehouse also writes several stories set in america. he describes in gory detail the life in a motion pictures company, the gang wars, the street fights, the boxing matches,.. in a supremely light-hearted tone.oh well.. i could go on and on about his characters.. but, is shouldn't bore you.. for those who've read his work... well you know all about them yourself ,comrades... and for those who havent yet experienced the delight of listening in to the conversation of 'eggs, beans and crumpets' .. or who've never read an account of jeeves' opinion on bertie's purple socks... all i can say is- hop on board, and learn to look at life funny side up!.. life's not meant to be taken all that seriously... after all.. as the genius himself said - "life's a rum thing.. a rum thing inded!! " :):)

When first I awake, on a dewy morning,
Brought alive with the sound of myriad birds’ singing,
Attired in golden yellow, with a hint of saffron,
I slowly unfurl & reach out toward the sun.
Above- an expanse of blue- a sight I’ve not forgotten,
Dotted with tiny clouds, like little wisps of cotton
I watch bees & butterflies, as around me they hover,
Partaking of sweet nectar, they flit from flower to flower.
Soon the sky darkens; the sun goes down- a glowing ball of fire,
The evening breeze whistles around me, as I begin to tire.
Slowly, and oh-so gently, to the ground I fall
Weary and sore, I answer sleep’s final call.
My fallen siblings & I, like a soft blanket we lay,
Until in the morning, we’re unceremoniously swept away.

Omniscient, Invisible and Omnipresent,
or Hogwash, Blind belief and Non-existent.
The debate rages on & on, eternal as the sun,
Continuing as long as mountains stand & rivers run.
Is it proof that you ask for- something solid and tangible,
Which can be dissected & examined,& is measurable & weighable?
Verdant trees, flowers of all hues, the sun beating down on your roof,
And your very own existence- are these not enough proof?
What do you stand to lose, by having faith and believing,
- perhaps a misplaced ego & an arrogant way of thinking.
What do you do at times when all hope seems in vain,
When your brow is furrowed, and you’re in dire pain?

As for me, I breathe easy & sleep more peacefully,
Knowing there’s someone watching over me.

Glittering lights reflect off shiny, swanky cars,
Off bottles of champagne served in plush bars.
Bright cities with slick offices and fashionable malls,
7 Star hotels, multiplexes and grand wedding halls.
Better education, lifestyles, jobs and pay,'
The world's improving each day, they say.
But somehow i find that hard to digest,
As i see plenty that puts my happiness to test.
Starved hands and piteous voices reach out toward
the blatantly indifferent-marching determinedly forward.
Desolate orphaned children wander the streets alone,
Ill-treated, ignored,abused- all of which authorities condone.
Nations are torn apart as terrorists get out of hand,
Creating chaos over age-old prejudice,religion and land.
Screams of terror,wails of sorrow rent, the smoke-filled air,
As they cause untold destruction without so much as turning a hair.
How can we claim that ours is a civilised age-
when men publicly beat up women in fits of rage?
Corruption, injustice and utter selfishness is the order of the day.
In this cloud i find no silver lining, try as hard as i may.
My heart bleeds and i heave a deep sigh,
For our world - that's slowly beginning to die.

written in a weird mood in class -

Peals of laughter, giggles of joy echo around you,

There's a fake smile on your face, but inside you feel blue.

More friends than you can count, more accquaintances than you can name,

But, is there anyone whose attantion you can always claim?

Everyone envies your oh-so-perfect life,

As they crib about their lives- full of problems & strife.

You're outgoing, popular, with good friends & a great family,

Outwardly chirpily cheerful - you look as happy as can be.

Yet- sometimes, do you feel a shadow cross your heart,

Do depression & misery pierce you like a dart ??

Are you assailed by self-doubt, does despair plague you?

Are you gnawed by confusion- till you dont know what to do?

But- you barely ever let it show on your face...

A plastic mask covers you, like a veil of lace.

In your busy lives have you ever found,
the time to stop, pause and look around?
to gaze at stars against a velvet black night,
& feel the enchantment of their twinkling light.
Have you heard the beckoning of the ocean,
or witnessed the grace of waves in motion.
Have you found yourself taking delight,
in tracing the glide of a bird's flight.
A buzz of bees, a flutter of butterflies,
a soft breeze that gently sighs,
the bubbling of a brook, the gurgling of a spring,
dark rain clouds and the promises they bring.
Playful dogs and gamboling puppies,
kittens with balls of string to tease.
Animals of every description and size,
from stately elephants to tiny mice.
Every leaf and feather, every stone and shell,
each one a miracle, - a marvel.
Don't you see, we ought to be grateful..
for this world of ours- 'tis truly wonderful.

My day begins way too early for my liking, college being bang in the middle of nowhere- away from civilized dwellings, us poor students have to be up at the crack of dawn to get to the bus stop on time. In spite of the early rising, i usually end up chasing after my bus and jumping in when it stops at a signal, panting & breathless. Nice start to a day , don’t you think ? :)

Then, there’s the bus journey itself, which isn’t exactly comfortable- far from it really. The drivers seem to delight in scaring us out of our wits with their driving skills- or rather their lack of them. And the buses themselves- they make our MTC’s seem like the heights of luxury. Well, maybe we not all of them. There are a couple or so deluxe buses, but by some quirk of fate, i never get to travel in them and always end up in the rickety old ones. sigh.


Finally we get to coll, in a single piece and without too many heart attack cases. Once classes begin at 9, ppl generously make up for their lost sleep, much to the annoyance of the profs. They expect us to be all bright and chirpy early in the morning…. i guess that’s how ppl are on their home planet :) . Most of them have given up on us now as hopeless cases. All they ask is for us to let them teach in peace, for the super enthusiastic ppl in the first row. Some profs tho insist on askin us questions to make sure we go home and study our “notes”. Obviosly these sessions aren’t too successful. And then, there’s lab. For some, this means groans , sweat and khakhi overcoats. But for us lucky ones , it is a three hour long relaxation period in an air-conditioned lab, spent staring vacantly into free space, copying programs from the board/classmates , or playing games on the comp.


We have 3 breaks, to relieve the monotony of the day. The moment the prof leaves, ppl who were sound asleep and snoring are up and racing to the canteen before you can say “sambar saadam” ! The short breaks have ppl queueing up for the .. umm.. delicious .. puff. Half-burnt, with weird veggies(among other things) , enough oil to fry an elephant.. & yet mouth-watering. Lunch time calls for the standard ‘meals’ or the ‘variety rice’ of the day. At 3,45 once more the canteen’s crowded to bursting point, with ppl stocking up on chocolates, biscuits , appys and frootis for the looong an tiring journey back home.


A day filled with laughs & frowns. due assignments, late records and lame excuses. strict profs, grilling sessions and smothered giggles. passing notes, msging and writing observation under the desk. teasing, shouting and ragging. Races to the canteen, rushing back on time and eating in class. getting od forms signed and pleading for free hours. bunking class, getting caught and getting ur id card confiscated. The good, the bad and the ugly sides of coll …- in just another day in SVCE. :)

well, ive been blogging for about a year and a half now... on minglebox though. Was pretty happy with it for a while, but it has such a limited network.. ive been toying with the idea of creating a blog here, but kept putting it off cause i havent had much time.. but today, ive finally done it.. so, yay me! :) grin.. anyway, here goes . here's hoping i remember to keep blogging!!

cheers
tulasi