The hate affair continues ...

It appears that its not going to be easy to end the hate affair with Quantitative Aptitude so easily. The results of my first AIMCAT confirmed the same. Not that its the final verdict on my abilities, but its an indicator that Quant isn't Verbal, which comes a lot more easily to me. Remedial measure has started, but needs to be continued seriously if any realistic hopes of making the cut are to be kept alive.

Unsure about the summer to come, whether I'll be interning somewhere(minute probability) or will be doing a course somewhere and where will that be.. everything is uncertain.. lol.. as a TCS associate, I'm supposed to experience certainty ! The certain thing is wherever I am, can't afford to lose sight of my goal..

Adios..

Employed, yet unemplyed ..

Well, technically speaking from now on I wouldn't be able to use the phrase 'I'm unemployed' to describe a period of leisure, boredom or restlessness.. Not that I'm sad about it, in fact its a huge relief that I'm placed in the first IT company that visited our campus, TCS. Not an achievement by any standards of the word, but something which would have got me tensed had it not come my way or was delayed. There are tons of things one can write about the 'placements' or the 'recruitment process' which has been going on in our college for sometime now, but I guess I've already had an overdose of listening about stories and incidents where luck mattered more over intellect and the like that I'm no more in a mood to elucidate further.

The break after the placement was more than welcome as it provided a much needed respite from the grueling schedule we were forced to put up with. Headed off to Chennai and then for a small trip to Coorg, a small and beautiful hill station some 6 hours from Bangalore. Quite interestingly, it is the birthplace of the river Cauvery, over whose water people and politicians of two states are fighting with each other, and it is also the birthplace of Aishwarya Rai - over whom needless to say, many men have had arguments and disputes.

Now that I'm back here in college, there will be a routine to follow, a schedule of some sort to put an end to meaningless wandering of the mind in trying to find out innovative ways to kill time. Now that there is a job, I have the mental security to pursue the next target i.e CAT 2008 with greater zeal and commitment. Signing off for now.

Gracias ..

Yes, I still can write and I do have the time !

Thanks to an inquisitive friend who wanted to enter the ‘pseudo intellectual’ world of blogging that I realized the fact that its quite some time and I haven’t been posting anything. Well, the fact that I know that not many people are actually enthusiastically waiting to comment on my next post isn’t very encouraging either. ‘Pseudo intellectual’ is perhaps not the best phrase to describe the blogging community, but didn’t really mean to offend anyone. Frankly speaking, I came across the phrase in the flick ‘Dil, Dosti, etc.’ and somehow it has registered on my mind for no explainable reason as such and I was looking for an opportunity to use it somewhere.

Meanwhile, a lot has been happening from the last post. Probably, one of the things that matter to me was becoming a ‘9-pointer’ for the first time in college. Though its not really a significant achievement considering the fact that this time marks were awarded as magnanimously as one can think of doing it. Many people indeed ended up getting a lot more than they expected, but as far as I am concerned, the marks are not really a shock as I was quite confident of doing better than my last semester, which was my best so far. The biggest joke probably is the fact that there also exist a couple of people who have scored a ‘perfect 10’ ! Of course, it was never impossible here, but then it has never happened before and according to my opinion, shouldn’t really happen. Scoring 9’s and 10’s couldn’t have been easier and more useless like it has become here. Nevertheless, I take pride in my achievement as I think I did cross a barrier and I now believe that I can do better. The spirit needs moral boosts and this definitely qualifies for one. The issue to top it all was the ‘mass hacking’ of the college server over which security seems to be unimaginably thin. Just with a few strokes on the keyboard, a student can effortlessly view the files on the college server. Hope the situation improves once e-IMS, the online Information system is operational again.

Some more news is that I am featured on the ‘Information Brochure’ of my college’s entrance exam this year. Not for ant specific achievement or laurel I received, just the fact that we had a computer lab when the photo session was going on and I was seated at a vantage point in the front row. It did come as a pleasant surprise when one of my friends bought the application form for his sister and saw us featured on it !

Regular news includes placement training going on in full swing along with mba prep. Nothing interesting to write about the things which manage to screw your daily life to such an extent when one looses all remnants of a rational mind. After attending various classes for 14 hours a day, the probability of loosing sanity increases by a considerable degree. Frequent mock tests have started with the frequency being too much of a botheration as there isn’t even the time to reveal the scores or discuss the answers. Have so much more bullshit to fill up virtual space, but signing off for now as I wouldn’t like to scare away the few readers who still go through my posts.

Another one passes...

The most important thing worthwhile mentioning is that another sem.,the 5th has passed. So, technically speaking more than half(5/8) of my engg. college life has passed ! Much like everything that I come across in life, these years were a breeze. Knowing so many different kinds of people, interacting with them, staying 24 x 7 with them, time seems just another dimension. All this confirms one fact, a person's take on life is clearly dependent on the different type of people he meets, knows and understands.

The picture in the blog is a tribute to the brilliant novel by Ayn Rand, which unsurprisingly remains one of the bestsellers even after 54 years of being published and will probably continue to remain so as the vivid descriptions of 'the ideal human' are intriguing and thought provoking. One begins to feel dual emotions of sympathy and pride for the protagonist who faces numerous hardships as he decides to live a life on his own terms, no matter what the outcome. His unperturbed attitude is something which might seem out-of-the-world, because it really is.. I mean one cannot help but wonder if a such a person does exist in reality. Can't wait to read ahead about how such a person values the emotion of love, is it just something that happens to him or does it bring some change in him? The pages of the classic which answer these questions are yet to read and grasped by me and just saying that I am eager would be an understatement.

Things of personal interest which need immediate attention is my growing mane (I'd like to call it that, though I know it doesn't even remotely qualify to be called one) which is not only uncomfortable but also gives me a 'weirdo' kind of a look which I'm not sure I can carry off properly. My cupboard beckons immediate re-arrangement, but as a matter of habit, being insolent towards it suits my personality, or rather comes to me naturally than heeding to its irrational demands. Conditioned myself for some grueling ppt.(pre-placement training) sessions and the standard mba prep. That's it folks, signing off for now.

Atleast the weather is pleasant ...

I've started reading Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead" when I should have been reading Operating Systems and Microprocessors ! Supposed to have a lab. sessional on 'Advanced Programming' tomorrow.. the intent to study is defintely there, but the drive seems amiss. Apart from these trivial issues, my major concern is something of a larger proportion - No, its not the troubling situation in Pakistan or the terror in Nandigram - its more grotesque - its my protruding tummy. Looks like its destined to manifest itself into a more sizable portion of my anatomy. There is no dearth as far as the initiatives of change are concerned, the persistence is lacking - just as it is with millions of people of the 'about to be obese' brotherhood. Have plans of materializing more on my plans, but nothing is easier done than said.

Meanwhile, I took time from my supposedly busy schedule and saw OSO(Om Shanti Om for the few who are wondering) yesterday. Actually, entertainment is a very high priority activity and Farah Khan shares this line of thought with me. Ok, if you think I am going a little over the top, then it might be the other way round i.e. I'm convinced when Farah Khan wants me to convince that a package containing everything from comedy to reincarnation is entertaining.

Something very interesting that happened recently during my microprocessor lab. sessional exam a couple of days back. I resorted to (traditionally) unfair means of taking the programs with me in my cell and could successfully finish what I was supposed to write. So, my egoist half taken care of, I was ready to let the altruist in me take over and help those in need. Did help a couple of guys, and one of them actually gave me a gift in the evening. Now, this is what I call a true expression of gratitude. I'll treasure the pen as a souvenir of his nature and as a token of his appreciation.

Even if I don't do so well in tomorrow's exam, I'll have one reason to be cheerful... atleast the weather is great !!!

Totally "De-Quantified"

Had a class in 'Quantitative Aptitude' which went on as all the Q.A classes which preceeded it. Seems like my affinity towards numbers, or rather the lack of it is taking its toll on me. These ghosts of the past which I try to leave behind seem to be too stubborn for my liking. None of the problems appear solvable to me. And once solved, I keep wondering on how would such approaches strike me. Even though calling the optimist in me to the rescue does help to calm down the frustration, the realist in me knows its not enough. I've starting doubting the priority I've assigned to different things and contemplating if changed need to be made to my long-term plans. Giving up is never an option. The next better thing seems to be trying harder.

Class was a small affair as I didn't feel like sitting through the rest of the classes after the first one. The time was properly utilized in the form of a sound siesta. Second half was quite ordinary in the lab. Evening was spent in learning the basics of Flash for TGMC. Plans for checking out Q.A seems to need another procastination.

Looks like its got me ...

Lots of things to write about ... lets start with the recent ones ...

Conjunctivitis - guess it was almost inevitable. With the virus spreading at an unbeleivable pace, its tough to keep up those high standards of hygeine, especially in a hostel. Though it would be wrong to say that I didn't take any precautions, but I guess they weren't really enough. Guess I caught it yesterday at a friend's party... Anyways, not much of a concern, will get over it in a couple of days. ( don't let the pic. fool u, it was taken before I got infected, strictly for purposes of showing off )

There was a workshop by IBM which was supposed to teach us the tools required for TGMC, but it started and ended with 'Tivoli' - a backup utility software which seemed as an optional addition to our project. A slight info. regarding DB2, Eclipse or WebSphere might have been more helpful, but doesn't matter.

Meanwhile, life ticking as usual. Had the leftover microprocessor exam day before yesterday. Went off as expected, actually slightly better than expected. Had a slew of celebrations before and after the exam. Also, my team's TGMC synopsis seems to be almost over. Actually, it was complete, but as the last date for submission has been extended, we've taken the liberty to spend some more time on it for improvements. Whatever be the case, I'm more than keen for the coding to start as I have a lot to learn from this project as do some of my team mates.

Signing off for now.. hope to be back soon !