Life is beautiful..!! Whatever it turns out to be.

For this very special friend..

2011-03-25T08:52:00.005+05:30

This post goes out to one very special friend in my life.. A person very close to me, one who has been with me through all my highs and lows.. And I know one thing for sure, we will always be there together.. Its her birthday today and these are few lines I had written a year or two back on her birthday.. This is my Parul.. :) Miss you..

This girl is called Parul

You know her, you have had many talks,

But its a nice time to tell you why,

my Parul really rocks!!

A girl with a lovely, mischievous smile,

and a laughter, she has little control upon,

Oh God, sometimes she starts laughing,

and then carries on and on and on!

Riding with her funny helmet on,

Enters into the college, but then on...

Her sight is a rarity, she's ms.invisible,

Search for her and she's already gone!!

A dancer of high caliber and variety,

she dances with an amazing grace..

Its a treat then, to watch the expressions,

that light up her beautiful face..

For a girl with intelligent brains,

Even does acting and paintings with a zest..

Enthusiastic with and dedicated to work,

Truly an all-rounder at her best!

A friend, so helpful and caring,

Always there, with highs and lows on..

A bit serious, a bit of mischief filled in,

A perfect blend to reply upon..

Its been a pleasure to share with her,

The cadburies and those 'dozy yawns'..

Some busy, some triggered nights,

sleepy early mornings and lovely dawns..!

So today, on her birthday, it is,

A wish from me and everybody..

Let that wonderful smile never go off your face,

Live life filled with love, joy and glory!!

Not just any other December...

2011-01-23T22:14:00.002+05:30

Just done with the December (2010) that was \m/.. Reminds me about the month of December 2009.. A time which I never saw coming, which gave me a completely different experience.. An experience people dont really look forward to..

It was approaching November end and also the end of the preparatory leave (PL) for our first semester exam of the final year. Having spent many of the starting days of the PL applying for US universities, I was struggling with my studies.. And 3 days before my exam, I was down with high fever that refused to calm down.. A day before, went to take the dengue test. And as if it were a shot hit bang on target, the morning of the exam, the tests came positive..

I remember hardly reading 2-2.5 units for the Info Sec exam and this friend trying to make up for it by telling summaries of the remaining chapters half an hour before the exam.. Completely energy soaked, i hardly could write 2-3 sections and I couldnt go on any further.. Went straight to the hospital after the exam where I spent the next 5-6 days.. And those will be the days, I cant ever forget.

Cannot forget what all my parents and my sister did for me and what they went thru.. They really mean the world for me. Cant forget the friend who came to make me feel better and concluded that nothing was wrong.. the letter that came to reassure me that all will be fine soon.. the time taken by a friend out of his birthday celebrations to come and see me..the calls from all others who were giving exams and were told, not to come visit me while the exams are on.. and inspite of this, the apples that came along with one caring friend just to see whether I am fine or not.. All of these just made me realize how lucky I am to have all these people around.. This post is not to say a 'thank-you' but to tell you all, just be with me.. I am what I am only coz of you all..

On a lighter note, it was good that I missed those papers in a way ( coz they were too tough :P ) The reason wasnt good though.. It was really a weird feeling to lie down in that hospital bed as your friends were giving the exam and asking them how the paper was without having any answer on your side. Also, I got to watch Sehwag's test inning of 293 then :)

It felt good to be back to give the last paper though. I didnt really get a feeling then that some big exam was over.. Coz I really hadnt given a majority of it.. A big exam was rather facing me for the next semester.. Luckily I somehow had passed the first paper with the borderline score of 40 (who knows how.. hail Pune univ paper checkers). So it was 8 subjects for the next semester. Contrary to what I expected, the next semester was full of fun too coz of the BE project and the awesome times we spent together doing that.. I cant really describe the feeling I had after completing the 8th paper.. And never have I waited for a result with so much anticipation.. I did get a good score in the remaining subjects.. and I really owe it to people who were there with me again..

The way that took me 'high'...

2010-10-19T10:09:00.009+05:30

PICT (my undergrad college) was an awesome experience.. Whatever chance I had to come to college, I used to pack my bag and be on my way.. And that way was part of the Mumbai Bangalore highway for most of the 10km journey from my place to PICT.. It was a ride which I always used to look forward to.. The best thing (which I proudly used to tell) was that no signals and free flow traffic, it hardly used to take any time to cover the 10km..

Right through all these 4 years, I have experienced all its moods and seasons.. And the highway too has seen me in all moods, in all times and has been a witness to my emotions during these happening years of my life. And these words are not just to make the highway memories seem rosy, I really mean them..

I remember the initial first year days.. Rain, used to create a havoc literally.. There was hardly any use of raincoat for keeping me dry, as with the speeding vehicles and big trucks, it was more of a protection from muddy water.. And then there was this specific place where a mini lake used to get created and I daily had to take my feet up from the foot rest. People who came by the highway must be visualizing this spot as they are reading now. And this situation in the rainy season (obviously) never changed in these 4 years.. The Sinhagad road bridge was another headache with potholes galore.. Thankfully, they repaired it during the 3rd year..

Another peculiar characteristic was a point on the highway beyond which there used to be a sudden weather change.. This was evident many a times, especially during rainy season and at nights. The road used to completely wet on one side and dry on the other. At nights, the temperature used to drop considerably as I used to cross that area..

Nights and very early mornings has been a time that I have been on the highway many a times. I llllloooooved driving during these times.. And I got ample opportunities, be it the Purushottam play practice, the robotics preparation late nights, the 'marlelya nights' during PL's, the Amdocs project nights.. Used to be all still and silent, chilly cool.. Shivering yet enjoying. Remember myself singing at the top of my voice at 5am or 12.30-1am sometimes as I went back home..

This also has been the way who has witnessed the long chats and drives with my close friends.. Be it the daily college gossip while going to college daily.. talking loudly so that the person behind gets to hear you in the speedy wind.. sharing problems and happiness.. some lovely moments in the awesome weather that used to be there.. the last minute prep talk before going to exams.. this list can go on.. numerous memories flood my mind as I write now..

It has also witnessed the minor accidents that we had.. some might be lucky to have a clean sheet in this respect.. The sights of cars who have had accidents used to be really bad sometimes.. Saw a very bad accident myself too.. Used to keep our speeds in check..

Now here at Irvine, the freeway behind our apartment complex always reminds me of the highway.. Not that the size or traffic is any comparable. The highway back home with all the memories, is and always will be very special......

The SUPPORT SYSTEM...

2010-10-09T04:02:00.003+05:30

Putting down one of the thoughts that crossed my mind in recent times..
Two weeks back when it was UCI Orientations time, we were being welcomed into the university and introduced to different sections and services on the campus. One of it was the counseling service. The lady was saying that graduate life is stressful, you need a support system, you can come to us anytime and blah blah. She said that you all will feel that I am not a person who will need a counselor or something, but come to us anytime in need.

I indeed had the same feeling before that - "Why would I need a counselor??". And indeed we dont need one, but then this has a reason. A reason I feel we have taken so for granted that we dont realize that we are dependent on "that very thing" many a times in our life. You turn back to it in happiness, in grief, in tension, in anxiety, in almost every feeling that you have.
This thing can be your friend, maybe say your entire group of friends... your parents ... that one special person in your life ... maybe music ... maybe GOD ... maybe some activity like meditation, dancing ... maybe whatever...

But there indeed is this one thing that keeps you going, whatever and wherever you are.. This as people say and I like the words used to describe it, is the "The Support System".. Your support system. You try going the untrodden ways, undertake challenges, have a sense of confidence and self belief, coz all this time, right down there, somewhere in a minute corner of your mind and heart, you subconsciously know that your support system is there with you.

This might indeed seem obvious to many of you reading. What I want to say through this post is that find out what your support system is. Value its presence and the role it plays and nurture it, handle it with utmost care. To add, the feeling when your support system seems non-existent is something really bad.. It is like a void in your life.. Something which makes you feel bad and insecure all the time. So this makes it all the more important.. And in some indirect sense it wont be wrong to say that 'you exist coz it exists'......

Expressing feelings

2010-06-27T00:12:00.006+05:30

One of the few old lines that I had written. Its about the various ways through which we express our feelings (भावना)..

काही मना-ह्रुद्यातिल भावना,
खरच असतात किती सुन्दर।
त्या सगळ्या व्यक्त करण,
होता कधी कधी थोडा अवघड।

काही काहींना चांगलच जमत,
असेल ते बोलून टाकना सगळ।
काही माज्ह्यासार्ख्यांच मात्र अस्त,
या बाबतीत जरा, थोड वेग्ळ।

कधी मनातील विचार व्यक्त करायला,
शब्द पलुन जातात, याच काय बर रहस्य??
मात्र त्यावेळी येत, या विचारांच्या रुपात,
माज्ह्या चेहर्यावर, एक वेगलच स्मितहास्य।

लोक मला ते पाहून खुपदा विचारतात,
कारण नसताना का हसतोय, असा वेड्यासारखा।
त्यांना काय सांगाव, मोजक्या जवलच्यानाच कल्त,
ते हास्य अस्त माज्ह्या मनाचा आरसा।

मौनात अस्त माज्ह्या इत्क काही,
त्यात्ल लोकांना किती अस्त ठाउक, किती नाही,
शब्दांना खूप किम्मत असते, अस लोक म्हणतात,
पण त्या मौनाच मूल्य मोजता येणार नाही।

मौनाचाच घ्यावा लागत नाही मला नेहमी सहारा,
शब्दांचा फूटतो कधी एकदम भरारा।
ह्रुदयात भावना दाटून येतात जेव्हा,
स्पर्शाने सजवतो मी त्यांचा फुलारा।

कुणाचे सांत्वन करताना, समजावताना,
ते योग्य शब्द तोंडातून बाहेर पडतच नाहीत,
खूपदा प्रयत्न केलाय, तरी पण,
स्पर्शाविना त्या भावना पोहोचवता येतच नाहीत।

हास्या-स्पर्शा सारखीच असते,
डोळ्यांची भाषा जरा वेग्लीच थोड़ी।
नजरेला नजर भिडली की सुटतात,
मनातल्या भावनांची अनेक कोडी।

म्हणतात ना, ही भाषा असते थेट हृदयाची,
सग्ल्यान्नाच समजेल अशी ही गोष्ट नाही।
ह्रदय तोंडाला जेव्हा अबोल करते,
हे बोलके डोळे सांगून जातात मला खूप काही।

शेवटी साध्य होत ते काय,
होते भावनांची देवाण-घेवाण मना-हृदयान मधे।
सरळ साध्या शब्दात बोलण्यापेक्षा,
काही वेग्लीच मजा असते, त्या अशा व्यक्त करन्यामधे।

A new beginning..

2010-06-17T23:41:00.003+05:30

Feels so good to be writing again.. Again a big break, no post for 6 months.. But this time, it wasnt laziness, nor the pressure of studies or anything. It was something really different that I experienced. The last 6 months have been something, I wont ever forget. It was a period which opened my eyes to a whole new 'me'. A 'me' who really was 'me' and not pretending to be someone else. Yes, they were an eye-opener, hard to take in but feels good that they happened to me..

Apart from that abstract stuff that I have written, lots of other things were on card..
Firstly, I am finally an ENGINEER!! This break was basically the last semester of my engineering.. And boy, it really was happening to say the least.. The B.E project, one of the most awesome experiences that I would ever have. It was more of coz of my project partners and the fun we had together rather than the technical work and the prizes..
Also, had to go through a tough final exam with 7 papers, but then have the confidence of clearing them all. So, to say, all is well that ends well.
Had my birthday on the 18th of this month, and turned out to be the best birthday till now. Was in line for a big surprise party organized by mi little sis Avanti. She had called all my friends from school, class, college. Had an awesome birthday night.
Also, my MS application decisions season ended (finally) and it indeed was one loooong wait. All only coz I was waiting for my desired university 'Georgia Tech' for 7 months! And there it came, on the night after I was done with my birthday before I went to sleep, a Reject!
So, my destination: University of California, Irvine (UCI). I really am looking forward to it. :)

Hope to chip in with some posts in the coming weeks which came across my mind in this period, but couldn't pen down in the blog.

Longest words compilation

2009-10-10T21:16:00.007+05:30

Well, my earlier post of 'What a word' relating to the phobia of long words reveives quite a lot of hits.. And that is because of the presence of this word in the comments section..
So, I thought of putting up this small compilation in a post.. Seems completely weird and unreal.. But as of now, for the records sake, here are some longest words..

(A) The longest word ever ->
Methionylthreonylthreonylglutaminylarginyl...isoleucine

It is 189819 letters long!! I say, WTF! But yes, it is.. Believe it or not.. Its the chemical name of titin, the largest known protein.. Its a chemical name, so obviously there will be a lot of repetitions.. But 189819 is too much.. To just have a look at the complete word (the complete spelling of 189819 letters, have a look at this link.. http://othyr.com/titin.html )
There are disputes on this that it is a technical word not found in the dictionary.. Some say, it cant be defined as word.. But whatever, as I said, for the records it stays the longest existing word..

(B) The longest word coined by an author->
Lopadotemachoselachogaleokranioleipsano...pterygon

It is 183 letters long..Its basically a fictional dish mentioned in Aristophanes' comedy Assemblywomen. This is a very ancient play which has been carried down the times.. It is actually a transliteration of the greek word used in the play.. The dispute though is again the same.. Its not there in any dictionary.. so wondering about the longest word present in the dictionary..??

(C) The longest word in a major dictionary ->
Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis

45 letters long.. Its a lung disease caused by the inhalation of very fine silica dust, causing inflammation in the lungs.. You can say that it is same as silicosis..

(D) Longest place name ->
Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu

This is 85 letters long and is the name of a hill in New Zealand.. Should place names be considered as words, is another debate though..

Well, thats it for now.. Too tired to type those long words... :-)

Wishes at 12 in the night..

2009-09-29T20:22:00.007+05:30

Couple of days ago was Mugdha's birthday.. And mugdha is a friend of mine, really close to me..
Well, this time around though I couldnt wish her at 12 in the night.. Had problems of internal body heat coz of lack of sleep and had to sleep early that night.. My gums bleed coz of that sometimes.. Anyways, that apart for now.. The first thing I did when I got up was wish her a lovely day ahead.. But something was different when I did that.. Something, which wasn't as every year it is..

Its not that not giving your birthday wishes at 12 makes those less important or less special.. Some people rather argue that its one of the worst times to call and wish as we are disturbing the sleeping time.. Many of these people too are awake till 12 on their birthday nights, rather the previous nights.. Something is there in that timing which makes the talk feel really lovely, whoever the person wishing might be.. Our heart knows, and somewhere inside it expects a call from some people who are very special for us.. The smile stays on our face throughout, as we answer those barrage of calls from people, many of them, whom we wont normally be chatting with, at 12 ;-) .. Whatever be it, one really looks forward to that time..

The birthday evening when I met her, the topic obviously had to come up.. Coz both us had felt that different thing in my birthday wishes in the morning.. It hardly matters though.. I knew for sure that she would have missed getting a call from me, the previous nite.. And so did I sorely miss wishing her at that very special 'wishing' timing.....

A tryst with GRE..

2009-09-09T00:43:00.021+05:30

So, after quite some gap, writing a post.. And this is on the GRE exam that I have just done with.. Gave it on the 7th September at the Mumbai center 1:00pm slot.. The result said:
Verbal: 660 Quant: 800.. Total 1460!!

Well, I had always aimed for a minimum score of 1450, and for most of my preparation, it seemed to be out of my reach.. But the last two weeks preparation and a change of strategy regarding the way of preparing really helped me from transforming a possible score of 1300-1350 into a 1450+ score..
So, this is the account of my GRE experience along with some advice and links, which will surely help anybody planning to give GRE in the coming time, in someway or the other..

The TEST:

Travel & timings: Well, Mumbai traffic is horrible and you surely got to face it, irrespective of whatever route you take to the test center. And this is especially the case for the 1:00pm slot.. So plan such that, you reach the centre atleast 2 hours before the actual test time.. This can be 1.5hrs for the 9:00am slot, but not for the other two slot timings.. Applies for the other centers as well.. This also gives enough time for one to refresh after a journey or to have some snacks (as in my case, coz I feared I would get hungry towards the end of the test :-) ).. And they let you in at 8am for the 9am-1pm slot and at 12pm for the 1-5pm slot..

Well, I reached the centre at 11am and had a light meal. Had already come to a relative's place in Mumbai, the day before.. Had done this with the intention that there wont be too much travel on the day of the test and would help in keeping cool and calm.. Learnt a lesson from the experience of BITS exam some years back, when the travel that day from Pune to the test center in Mumbai had really drained me out coz of a variety of reasons. That apart, so went in at 12 pm. Lots of signing stuff and filling in the form. And they absolutely dont allow anything inside the actual test lab except your passport, secondary ID (driving license or college ID ONLY) and you with your clothes on & all pockets emptied!! Jackets/sweaters are allowed and I had worn one coz was pretty cold and felt it pretty necessary.. Rest, you have to put everything in your bag which you keep inside the alloted locker. A lady explains you all the rules of the test.

Time to go in!! They take your photo and signature and I was given the scratch pad (more than sufficient pages) and two pencils and was led to my machine.. First was all the tutorials of how to use the mouse, keyboard and all.. Just to consume a bit of time, before I actually start with the essays, I saw one two screens of each and then exited.. Way too boring.. Proceeded to the AWM section.. You are given a headphone to keep out the noises from the neighboring keyboards, but I found it hardly effective. Also, it was hardly fitting over my huge sized head (!!), and had to wear it in an awkward fashion.

AWM Section (Essays): The screen showed up two topics for the issue writing. Went through them, reading each topic twice. Gave a thought and realized that I absolutely havent understood either of the two topics!! Went through those again, the same condition.. Out of those, I absolutely didnt get what the 2nd topic wanted to say.. So, had to choose the first one.. And I wrote an average essay on the interpretation that I took out from the issue statement. (It has turned out to be that my interpretation was completely wrong and had absolutely no relation with the intended meaning.. So, worried about my AWM scores which are yet to come). The argument was a pretty standard one with typical flaws and could easily point them out and elaborate.. So, relying on argument for consolidating my AWM score..

The option of taking the 10min break popped up.. Absolutely!! A much needed one! Went out, had some water.. Cooled myself down, regained a bit of composure after that real shaky start and went in again.. Still 4 min of break remaining.. Just closed my eyes and once again reviewed in mind, the strategies I had decided to tackle each question type (Thanks to Sahil for this suggestion) and then terminated the break.. ( I really recommend people to take this break coz it helps to reorganize yourself and get prepared for the crux part..) Also, any of the two sections, Verbal or Quant can come first after AWM.. So be mentally prepared to face either of the two upfront..

Verbal Section: The standard one first.. Started with it pretty cautiously.. But most of them were antonyms/SC/analogies mostly based on Barrons words.. Though, the 4/5th question puzzled me & I think I might have got that wrong there.. Also, I think, I have made a mistake in a sentence completion which was the 7/8th question.. There were very few non-Barron words in the options, but I could somehow either eliminate the others to get the non Barron word as the answer or some other option as the perfect one.No RC's in first 10! Real lucky me.. The RC's though started from the 12th question and 3 consecutive RC's (12-22) !! Dont remember whether any antonym was there in between, but mostly not.. The RC's were around 50, 110 & 60 lines respectively.. Had already spent too much time on first two RC's. so just marked some random answers for the third one.. At the end, it was down to 4 questions - 1 min, 3 questions-30sec, 2 questions-10sec!! This was the time, my heart was pounding like anything!! Had to somehow mark & confirm the last 2 answers at random.. And thankfully managed to do so..

Just to mention here, unanswered questions are penalized by the test algorithm! So, even if you have 5,6 or whatever number of questions left in the last minute, make it a point to mark any random answer and confirm the answer for all the questions.. U might end up on a much lower score if you fail to confirm all your answers, depending on the number of unanswered questions.. This is really IMPORTANT!! (Thats why, marking those last two answers was really important)

What I did in the one minute break between these two sections was too calm down my heart beats.. GRE is an exam wherein if you don't maintain your calm and cool, then you are bound to make mistakes, howsoever prepared you are..

Quantitative Section: The section started with the standard stuff of questions on algebraic calculations, geometry and inequalities.. No sum was really difficult.. All were pretty easy.. The thing was that many of these sums were pretty lengthy.. Was taking a significant amount of time to be absolutely confirmed of an answer.. So, after a cautious approach for questions 1-10, I had to increase the speed for the next questions.. The DI questions had probability involved and many sums were worded so cleverly that you would easily go for the wrong answer.. The wording of the problem should be crosschecked after finding the solution, to confirm whether this is what the problem is demanding in the appropriate units.. Got 5-6 problems based on mean, mode, median concept as well.. Finally had 40 seconds with 2 questions left.. And with quant, there is no chance of solving a question quickly enough.. So no risks, straightaway marked random answers for the last two and completed the section..

Now, the research section.. And the screen had on it in bold letters "This will NOT be counted towards your final score" and that this wont affect your AWM score.. So, it was an issue.. But with the earlier issue screwed up, I was in no mood of writing another issue and so exited the research section.. Was more eager to get to the scores instead.. After confirming of reporting and not canceling the scores, there it was: Verbal: 660 Quantitative: 800
A broad smile on my face greeted the score screen.. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!

Submitted my scores to Georgia Tech, Purdue, USC and UMinnesota(Minneapolis) and DONE!!

For the free score reporting, you have to first select the state, and then it displays all the universities in that state. Selecting the university, displays the departments and then you finally confirm an university. So, it is necessary to know the state in which your desired university lies in as well as the exact name. The list that is displayed on the screen is same as that of the list given in the GRE bulletin at the very end. So, have a look at the GRE bulletin list before you come for the exam. NO need to remember codes, just remember the state.

So, came out with a real nice feeling of content and satisfaction.. A different experience..

THE PREPARATION :

Will talk here about my preparation and some tips and advice based on my experience and also of many others who gave the test in the same period..

I had joined Dilip Oak Academy (DOA) last year.. Then, I hardly knew about GRE and my primary motive was to get acquainted with how the actual preparation process should be.. I was actually planning to take my GRE in January, and so had joined the class last year.. But didnt take any date coz of project commitments.. On DOA, I would comment that the class gives you some good tips and the study material is really good.. Dont expect that you are done with the class and you are done with the preparation.. They just give you tips and directions.. The actual work starts after the class ends.. So, joining a class is not mandatory, though its good to start, if you are at 'zero'...

Turning to the sectionwise analysis.

VERBAL SECTION:

The most important thing for the verbal preparation.. Nothing even comes close, neither practice nor tests.. The 4000 Barrons words.. Its a must to know all these words with all their meaning variations or context.. Believe me, I didnt solve a single exercise from either of Barrons, Kaplans, DOA material or whatever else.. The CBT's and a few Big Book tests was all the practice I did.. I strongly believed that if I knew those 4000 words pit-pat, then the marks would automatically follow.. Well, I wouldn't recommend not practicing at all, but it proves the fact that you wont score good in any case if you are not well prepared with them..

Will talk about the strategy change that I made in the last 2 weeks.. I finished my first round of words, 23 days before the exam.. And finished the 2nd round around 14days before.. 4000 words at a time seems to big an amount to handle.. So what I did while doing this 2nd round, was using the wordflash software, i marked the words which I knew, I wouldnt remember after sometime or coudnt remember at that time.. Then, I printed this 'difficult word list' and for the next 2 weeks, just concentrated on these words.. It was still a list 1450 words!! Whatever it maybe, 800-1500-2000, separate these words and concentrate ONLY on these.. Master them and you will feel the increased comfort and ease with which you solve the tests.. I went back to the complete 4000 list of barrons, just 2 days before my actual test..

Of the question types, antonyms are the easiest as you immediately get to the answer if you know the word or by elimination. I found Sentence completion and RC's, one level up.. And analogies were the toughest.. You got to get the exact relation and apply them to the options, otherwise you are bound to get confused..

Well, Big Book tests are really good.. The only thing is that they are paper based.. Could only solve 10 of those (there are a total of 54!), but I found them really worth the time and the level is pretty good..Attaching the link for the.. BigBookTests
Also, attaching a file which gives the equivalent CBT scores for a BigBook test score.. BigBookScores

From what I have heard from friends who have given GRE, DOA material is good and even the Kaplan drills in the Kaplan CBT software are good..

Some really good mobile softwares that I used:
(1) Wordy2
(2) Vocabol
Another useful link:

http://gre-verbal.blogspot.com/

QUANTITATIVE SECTION:

Well again, I havent solved any exercise from any book here, mostly coz of the confidence I had in these types of problems.. Didnt want to be overconfident, but a consistent score of around 790-800 in the tests assured me that I wasnt being overconfident.. Though, had a look at the all the different types of diagrams that DI comes up with.. And just revised the formulaes.. The questions in the actual GRE though, were pretty lengthy.. More lengthy than any of the quant sections problems of any of the CBT's including PowerPrep.. So, the only advice would be to practice a lot and get familiar with the question types, as it would reduce the time of thinking on a solution in the actual GRE.. Mind you, no question in GRE was 'difficult', it was just a bit more time consuming..
And even though I didnt practice anything, most of my friends found DOA material as a useful practice source.. Also, many say that no book gives you the exact feel of the actual level of the quant section problems in the actual GRE.. So, as I said, get familiar of ways of going about a particular type of problem to save time and that in turn would ensure an 800!

AWM SECTION:

Well as I said, I royally screwed up the issue in this section.. One really important thing.. Go through all the issue topics that ETS gives for the issue.. DOA has classified these topics according to the broad subject that they come under.. Reading from there would be more helpful.. Just read them and see if you can understand the basic concept of each topic and what all it can encompass.. Dont forget to clarify any such doubtful point rather than keeping it unsolved till the end.. If you are comfortable with understanding the main theme of all these topics, then facing the issue at the main GRE wont be any big 'issue'.. :-)
The tips given in Barrons and some of DOA tips are really useful and you must go through them once before you start preparing for this section. Also, practice atleast 5 timed issues of different subjects, so that you can understand properly the time management and your comfort level..

The Computer Based Tests (CBT's)

Well, follow the link to Rohan's blog post to download the CBT softwares..
Well, there's a lot of speculation regarding which CBT gives you the closest score..
According to me, PowerPrep software given on the ETS site comes closest.. No other CBT is as accurate as PowerPrep, both in terms of level of questions and the marking algorithm..
But a word of caution.. Dont read too much into either of the test scores of any CBT, including PowerPrep.. In these two months, I have seen many scores increase or decrease by margins as high as 100 points or even more in rare cases.. Dont get bogged down by them.. Here's a list of CBT's and how I performed there..

30days before: Davisons Score:1290 (Q:800 V:490)
24days before: Kaplan-1 Score:1220 (Q:780 V:440)
[these two were just when I was completing the first round of 4000 words.. To get some positive tension.. :-) ]

8 days before: Barrons Score:1360 (Q:800 V:560)
[first round of 1450 difficult words done]

7 days before: Kaplan-2 Score:1410 (Q:790 V:620)

7 days before: PowerPrep-1 Score:1350 (Q:790 V:560)
[Got 1,3,6 wrong in the first 10]

6 days before: Princeton Score:1480 (Q:780 V:700) (too lenient, I feel)

5 days before: Kaplan-3 Score:1350 (Q:800 V:550)

3 days before: PowerPrep-2 Score:1450 (Q:800 V:650)
[2nd round of 1450 difficult words done.. The effect was visible..]

1 day before: PowerPrep-3 Score:1460 (Q:800 V:660)

FINAL GRE Score: 1460 (Q:800 V:660)

Gave the powerprep the day before, after resetting the first one.. Hardly 2-3 questions repeated, rest all where different.. All I had to do to maintain that score was keep my calm and composure during the main exam.. Rest was to follow..

To round up this very wordy and preachy post, let me stress on this very very very important thing.. Whatever happens, dont lose your cool and composure.. However bad or good the earlier section was, make the use of break to cool down your nerves and regain your compusure.. You panic, and you are a GONER.. It has happened that people have got mentally disturbed by an earlier section, which has led to a low score in the next section, inspite of good preparation.. GRE is all mind game, especially on that day.. Your preparation level obviously plays a part but more importantly, to what extent you keep your brain and heart intact, MATTERS!!

Well, the following blog posts were really helpful and were my guides:
(1) Rohan's Blog post (2) Sahil's Blog post

Manatali 'ti'..

2009-08-25T01:05:00.005+05:30

With my GRE on 7th of September, I am completely engrossed by those 'esoteric' english words.. (esoteric itself means 'hard to understand'.. Thanx to Mukul, I remember this word very well)
So, desperately need some break from english..

So, putting forth one of the few poems written by me, long time back.. Its in marathi and reflects the thoughts of a romantic boy about his 'dream girl' and the relationship that he has with her.. One of my first few attempts at writing.. You may find it a bit typical, stereotyped one.. (Correct the pronounciation of 'ल' as 'ळ' wherever required)
So, here it goes

पाहिले होते तुला जेव्हा,
ज्हालो होतो अबोल काही।
तुज्हे ते वर्णन करण्या इतका सुंदर,
शब्द कुठला अस्तित्वातच नाही।

स्वभाव तुज्हा हा इतका सोज्वळ,
निलसर बोलके तुज्हे ते डोळे।
घायाल ज्हालोय बघुनी तुज्हे मी,
तेजस्वी चेहर्यावर हास्य ते भोले।

गप्पा गोष्टी करता करता
वेळ असा निघून जातो काही।
वाटते तेव्हा मनापासुनी,
हा काळ असाच का थाम्बत नाही।

तुज्या बरोबर असतो जेव्हा,
तुज्ह्यत इतका गुंतून जातो।
निरोप तुज्हा घेतल्यावर्ती,
पुढच्या भेटीची वाट पहातो।

त्या क्षितिजावर सूर्य उगवतो,
ते स्वप्न तुज्हे संपते।
तो मावलन्याची मी वाट पहातो,
तुज्या स्वप्नातच मन रमते।

वाटते आता मनाला माज्ह्या,
आपली ही मैत्री राहिल टिकून।
तुज्ही ही मैत्री मी ठेवील,
माज्ह्या ह्रुदयापाशी जपून.

The Finale...Its just started..

2009-08-06T20:18:00.003+05:30

Its the final year of engineering.. The FINALE year as you can say..

Well, this academic year started with a different buzz altogether.. It wasnt the usual stuff..
It was people discussing about placement scene.. About bunking college coz we are in B.E after all!! About GRE preparation and dates.. CAT & GATE classes..
People searching for BE project sponsorship.. The endless notices & the tests and interviews to follow for obtaining project guidance from industry.. The T&P notice board finally got its due attention from us..

When the placement period actually commenced with a handful of companies turning up, it was a real sight to watch.. Watching people coming, dressed up in formals.. The filled auditorium for the presentation.. The aptitude test.. Hundreds of eyes scanning the results to see their name to be shortlisted.. The smiles, the disappointment, the congratulation wishes, the re-assuring pat from a friend saying that there are lot of companies still to come in December..
It was really fun to be a part of all this.. And it was a nice feeling to be amongst the first to be placed.. Well, that was never my aim, but feels real nice and real different as well, to watch all this from the other side of the fence.. And a great start to this year..

Next in the line was my Oracle certification exam.. Well, studied 8 full days for it before the test.. And as usual, the dumps were there as the tension busters with the assurity of not much coming apart from those.. So, secured a 100% score.. Let me tell you, that magical figure of 100% looks completely surreal.. But, to be frank, it wasnt that creditable as well.. I mean, everyone has to study hard before getting a good score, but the dumps play a huge role.. And I was real satisfied with my preparation.. All in all, I am an Oracle certified Associate (OCA)!!

Now, in all this, my GRE preparation had taken a huge hit.. It was time to get back to a thing that really needed some focus from me.. So, that is what is consuming my complete time and attention for the time being..
In the mean time, was a periodical phenomena that was to make its presence felt.. The results!! And it was 'the moment of huge relief' for me when i took the marksheet in my hand.. I was real apprehensive of my Sys.Software pracs and the last S/W Engg paper.. But never before was I so relieved just to see that column filled with 'P'(Pass) letter.. Cleared everythng and got 64%.. Not a score to be proud of, but given that i expected way less than these marks, it was a relief nevertheless.. I consider myself really lucky..

It feels really strange that how these 4 years of engineering makes a person literally 'shameless'.. I mean, I remember those days of FE where getting distinction was like just another thing and how it has now become something to strive for, especially in my case..

I just realized that I started writing this post for some different reason and have ended up writing about my initial months into this Finale year.. Well begun is half done, as they say and I am eagerly looking forward to the rest of this year.. Its gonna be a potpourri of fun, hard work and emotions and I am eager to make this 'FINALE' year, as memorable as have been, the last 3 years..

ABC Tag

2009-07-27T15:14:00.004+05:30

The ABC tag.. Well, much simpler than writing "25 things about me".. I was tagged by Rohan..
So, here we go...

1. A – Available/Single? Neither of the two
2. B – Best friend? Well, have some people whom I consider really close to me.. Can call them my 'best friends'
3. C – Cake or Pie? Cakes.. Chocolate cakes.. Mouthwatering stuff for me.
4. D – Drink of choice? I am a coffee/tea/milk addict.. Can have them at anytime of the day.
5. E – Essential item you use every day? My cell & internet
6. F – Favorite color? Blue, the cooler shade of it. Also like shining black and red
7. G – Gummy Bears Or Worms? Neither of the two
8. H – Hometown? Pune
9. I – Indulgence? Eating, surfing, staying in touch with friends, ManU matches
10. J – January or February? Weird question.. I'll say February
11. K – Kids & their name? Well, every Indian is my brother and sister.. So, no kids.. :-)
12. L – Life is incomplete without? Love & friendship
13. M – Marriage date? Nah.. Not so soon
14. N – Number of siblings? Have a younger sis
15. O – Oranges or Apples? Apples
16. P – Phobias/Fears? Not any serious ones..
17. Q – Quote for today? Success is not final, Failure is not fatal.. What matters is how you carry on..
18. R – Reason to smile? Friends, satisfaction, relief, Imaginations
19. S – Season? Rainy season comes first and winter, a close second
20. T – Tag 3 People? Yes
21. U – Unknown fact about me? Though people think that I dont get angry and dont express feelings directly face-to-face.. Well, I have been many a times.. Its just that I believe, that I achieve much more by silence, than I can, by being angry.. Its killing, let me tell you.. So, you hardly see that angry side of mine..
22. V – Vegetable you don’t like? Just one.. Karlyachi bhaji!
23. W – Worst habit? I am always 5-10min late, most of the times..
24. X – X-rays you’ve had? Teeth, hand, finger
25. Y – Your favorite food? All sweet & milk preparations and also egg preparations. To name some, rasmalai, puran poli, gole-bhaat, halwa, pav-bhaji, south-indian snacks and lots more.. Like chinese too, also pizzas & burgers
26. Z – Zodiac sign? Gemini

Well, my time to tag.. I tag Manan, Darshan, Neil

Real hard hitting forward...

2009-07-09T20:34:00.004+05:30

The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and laying up supplies for the winter.
The Grasshopper thinks the Ant is a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away.

Come winter, the Ant is warm and well fed. The Grasshopper has no food or shelter so he dies out in the cold.

*Indian Version:**

The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and laying up supplies for the winter.
The Grasshopper thinks the Ant's a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away.
Come winter, the shivering Grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the Ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving..

NDTV, BBC, CNN show up to provide pictures of the shivering
Grasshopper next to a video of the Ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. The World is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be that this poor Grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Arundhati Roy stages a demonstration in front of the Ant's house.*
Medha Patkar goes on a fast along with other Grasshoppers demanding that Grasshoppers be relocated to warmer climates during winter.
Mayawati states this as `injustice' done on Minorities.
Amnesty International and Koffi Annan criticize the Indian Government for not upholding the fundamental rights of the Grasshopper.

The Internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support to the Grasshopper (many promising Heaven and Everlasting Peace for prompt support as against the wrath of God for non-compliance) .

Opposition MPs stage a walkout. Left parties call for ' Bengal Bandh' in West Bengal and Kerala demanding a Judicial Enquiry.
CPM in Kerala immediately passes a law preventing Ants from working hard in the heat so as to bring about equality of poverty among Ants and Grasshoppers.
Lalu Prasad allocates one free coach to Grasshoppers on all Indian Railway Trains, aptly named as the 'Grasshopper Rath'.

Finally, the Judicial Committee drafts the ' Prevention of Terrorism Against Grasshoppers Act' [POTAGA], with effect from the beginning of the winter.
Arjun Singh makes 'Special Reservation ' for Grasshoppers in Educational Institutions & in Government Services.

The Ant is fined for failing to comply with POTAGA and having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, it's home is confiscated by the Government and handed over to the Grasshopper in a ceremony covered by NDTV.

Arundhati Roy calls it ' A Triumph of Justice'.
Lalu calls it 'Socialistic Justice '.
CPM calls it the ' Revolutionary Resurgence of the Downtrodden '
Koffi Annan invites the Grasshopper to address the UN General Assembly. **

Many years later....**

The Ant has since migrated to the US and set up a multi-billion dollar company in Silicon Valley , 100s of Grasshoppers still die of starvation despite reservation somewhere in India ,
AND
As a result of loosing lot of hard working Ants and feeding the grasshoppers,

India is still a developing country..

What a word..!!

2009-06-24T10:28:00.010+05:30

Well, I came across this word in a section which usually is behind the notebooks which give some interesting facts.. And found hard to believe that such a word exists..
So, cross-checked it, and was amazed to see that it really is an authentic word..
So, here's the word..

hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia

Before you start counting, its 36 letters long.. Well, the longest I have come across..
Its a noun.. And well, for the meaning of the word, what do you feel it will be?
Well, the word ends with phobia, so it surely is a phobia of something...
And the word starts with 'hippopoto' which indicates that it must be some phobia like fear of 'hippopotamuses' or something...

Well, here comes the biggest irony.. It actually means 'fear of long words'.. !!!!! Cant believe it, can you?
Neither did I.. Check this link...
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia

And the pic that I have posted is a good one, which was there accompanying that fact..

Award for PICT Dept. of the sem goes to....

2009-06-19T16:36:00.007+05:30

Well, this semester at PICT, there really was a compelling need to introduce this award... A very prestigious one.. To be selected and given by the students of PICT..
The "DEPARTMENT OF THE SEMESTER"

Well, and the winner of this award for the semester that just ended (Jan-May '09) is undoubtedly...

The E&Tc Department!!!

The department, which is always written off for its mediocre placements and considered a branch of secondary importance at PICT, made its presence felt this semester!! And that too, in what a way!! Nobody would have imagined this...

(Well, me not an EnTc student, so dont have the detailed or the accurate version of what happened, but this is what every student here, whatever be the branch, got to know...)

Well, I think, it all started with all this..
Consider this, an usual morning at the college.. Time around 10.15 a.m, and the lectures on.. And then, what we hear is a big sound... Bang..!! What was that?? Was easily audible through the college... An accident outside?? Or some transformer blown up??..
But what actually had happened, really was completely unexpected... A firecracker ('sutali bomb' as what many say) went off, that too in two classrooms and at the same time!! (I think, not both but one of them was in EnTc, not sure though)
Man..., that was something completely unheard of, for me till date.. Dont think, they ever got the person or group who did that.. But that really had become one big talking point...
The real impact was on the EnTc profs though.. And that was evident from the next few lectures that took place.. This was what one prof. was telling the students... "muzhe bhi udaa do!! 'Supari' deke.. I come from Katraj dairy route, daily.. U can execute your plan there..." Wat else to say..(!!)

And if this wasnt enough, i dont remember if it was just some days or 2-3 weeks later, another early morning incident shook the campus.. Well, the time table had changed with the lectures now commencing at 9 a.m.. And the EnTc were the ones to take most of the brunt.. Maybe it was coz of this, that the following thing happened...
Well, this morning as usual, the students turned up for their lectures.. As usual, the locked classrooms welcomed them, as even the helpers used to come late for opening the doors, 9a.m being early for them as well.. This time though, the locks didnt have the usual holes for the keys to be keyed in.. The holes were sealed off using M-Seal!! There was absolute no way of opening them.. And this was for an entire floor I heard.. It was really a devil's mind, to even think of this way.. They had to finally break all the locks...!!
The aftermath of this however was increase in security and checking and lots of other measures..
And for the EnTc students, some 'school'-level measures were adopted.. They were all assigned individual places to seat, and were compelled to sit in those places for every lect., with checks to ensure that the seating arrangement was followed!! The back-benchers had now become the front row bench-warmers..

Also recently, towards the end of the sem, another news flew in from the EnTc department, which finally stamped their complete dominance in the race for this award..
Well, it was submission time and the labs filled with people completing journals and doing those last minute changes.. Well, this 'x' guy was in a lab, was completing some journal, when the lab.asst asked him to leave and it seems, he resisted.. N coz of the hand movement from the lab.asst to drive him out ( really dont know how, so using this very generalized term), the spects of this guy were thrown off his face.. And this led to 'that' guy slapping the lab.asst and then chasing, trying to beat him as the lab.asst ran towards the HOD cabin..

This was it!! No further waiting for any other incident... The name was carved on the trophy, then and there, that very evening.........

The lost 'magic' ...

2009-06-09T22:09:00.005+05:30

The photo to the right isnt just a 'ritual' that our very own Paes and Bhupathi (popularly 'were' called Lee-Hesh) used to follow...
It has filled in it, the passion for the country, the zeal when winning for one's country..

What a scene that used to be.. The bumping of the chests into one another after a crucial point.. Used to fill in the spirit and get them pumped up, to urge them on towards winning, even in difficult situations...
Even I used to love seeing that thing.. Would fill in me, a different feeling too... Used to feel proud of this greatest pair, that Indian tennis has ever seen... 'Indian Express', they were called....

But something happened.. A wall came up in between, and these two bumped into that now.. Hurting themselves, as well as the country and the numerous tennis fans who used to watch their matches, for the sheer reason that it was 'India' playing there, it was 2 of the greatest Indian tennis players playing with full passion together for the country.. But that wasn't to be.. This wall of egos separated them.. These two forgot the passion they had, and switched onto different partners...

What brings me back to this very 'old' topic is any title that Paes or Bhupathi win these days.. Recently, Paes won the French Open title with Dlouhy.. But I didnt feel like watching that match, like the way I used to watch Lee-Hesh's matches till 2-3 in the night... N I just felt nice for Paes, nothing great.. Coz it wasnt India, it was just Paes...
Well, atleast these guys are enough mature to play together for the Davis Cup ties and the Olympics Games... Its the best pair that India can put forward and has been doing it.. But things arent the same now.. Its more of an obligation than their own will to play together, for the benefit of the country...
The 'magic' that used to be generated though, is nowhere to be seen..
The magic has been lost.........

Athvanine de...

2009-06-05T21:18:00.004+05:30

Here is one more of the many good poems that I have come across...
Wish I had known, whom they are written by..
But for now, by whomsoever they are, my salute to them..

I like this one for the various subtle aspects of beauty that the writer has brought out through his lines.. Have a read..
(Tried to type this in Devanagari, so the pronunciations of ल and न might be different..)

चांदणे पांघरलेले आकाश नाही मागत तुज्ह्याकडे,
क्षितिजावर लुकलुकनारा एक तारा मात्र आठवणीने दे...

बेभान कोसलनारा मुक्त पाउस नाही मागत तुज्ह्याकडे,
श्वासात दरवलनारा ओल्या मातीचा सुवास मात्र आठवणीने दे...

बेधुन्द करणारा रातराणीचा बहर नाही मागत तुज्ह्याकडे,
जाताना एक मोग्र्याची कली आठवणीने दे...

उसलनारा बेछुत दर्या नाही मागत तुज्ह्याकडे,
शांत जलाशयातिल एक तरंग मात्र आठवणीने दे...

मुठी एवढे ह्रदय नाही मागत तुज्ह्याकडे,
माज्ह्यासाठी चुकलेला एक ठोका मात्र आठवणीने दे...

आठवणीने दे......

Its Manchester United again!!!

2009-05-17T00:44:00.005+05:30

A day to cherish... Manchester United winning the English Premier League for the 3rd time in a row...!! N 18th overall to equal Liverpool's longstanding record...
Well, it was just a formality with a point securing it...

My heart really fills with great pleasure to see this trophy back at Old Trafford...
All credit to the players n their hunger for winning n coming back from difficult situations to turn matches around.. Be it the Tevez goal after the two defeats which gave a welcome win, or be it the Macheda goal which set ManU on the path to this victory.. It has been a great team effort..

This season too, has seen its up and downs... The clean sheet run of Van Der Sar was a lovely record.. A feat that couldn't have been achieved without mainly, Ferdinand and Vidic who have been rock solid in defense this year.. It has been a strong defensive display this year by us, and 22 clean sheets at the end of the season says it all...
N some real great goals too, thanks to Tevez, Rooney, Ronaldo n Berbatov..

Also, having 4 in the 5 nominees of PFA awards isnt no small feat either..
N Giggsy bagging that one was real satisfying... That man truly deserves it! What a player we have seen.. From a youngster who used to make those unstoppable runs into the box in the 90's era, to a captain n a true loyal ManU player who makes an impact every time he is on the field, there has been a real transition.. But his passion for football, for goals, for victories n for ManUtd still remains the same... He is a real inspiration...

Well for the lows, were the defeats that we faced, running into the 2nd half of the season.. To Liverpool and to Fulham... when questions were raised about whether we would be able to sustain the form... N the injuries to one and all, Rooney, Ferdinand, Vidic didn't help either... Those were real tough times..
But we rose, as champions do.. As teams are made of champions stuff do... Fight it out...
Get the game to the opponents.. Get them in their face, n play attacking football...
I really saw considerable change in the play strategy in the late stages games... N the results are showing...

Losing the FA Cup semifinal on penalties was a bit of a heart break... It was a gamble to play a young and relatively inexperienced team, which unfortunately didn't work out.. The 'quintuple' dream that we were chasing was not to be... That would have been real magical..
But then, that's the only trophy not in the pockets..
Its the Club World Cup, the Carling Cup and the EPL today...
N i hope, the Champions League title will be shortly ours too.. It will be... Coz its meant to be..

And behind everything of this, every award, every trophy, every comeback and the passion within every team member and every ManU fan lies a man...
He is the mastermind.. A person whom I highly regard..
Sir Alex Fergusson..
This man has vision.. He has footballing brains, which any manager would crave for..
He has developed this team.. spotting the raw talent amongst youngsters n picking them up n grooming them for the big stage... It was him who spotted Ronaldo.. N now, the current fresh crop of players coming up present a pool of excellent talent amongst them... Macheda, Rafael, Welbeck, Evans... all are exciting to watch...
N see the hunger of this man, when asked today in the post match Q&A, he said that he is looking forward to the 19th title... Well, hats off Fergie.. We love u...

Well, to sign off, i would like to say that...

Until 1878, there were 7 miracles. but then a club was formed ... they called it the 8th miracle ... we call it .. MANCHESTER UNITED !!!

GLORY MANCHESTER UNITED!!!

Ajun kay hava asta....??

2009-05-08T01:34:00.003+05:30

Well, this is a poem in Marathi which I had come across long back, in some e-mail..
N really love it.. So, sharing it here... (sorry that, not actually typing in marathi)

Ekach chaha, to pan cutting,
Ekach picture, to pan tax-free,
Ekach sad, ti pan bhakarachi,
Ajun kay hava asta mitra-kadun....

Ekach kataksha, to pan haluch,
Ekach hokar, to pan lajun,
Ekach sparsha, to pan thararun,
Ajun kay hava asta priye-kadun.....

Ekach bhootachi goshta, ti pan rangvun,
Ekach shrikhandachi goli, ti pan ardhi-ardhi todun,
Ekach jordar dhapata, to pan shivi hasadun,
Ajun kay hava asta ajji-kadun.....

Ekach mayechi thap, ti pan kurvalun,
Ekach garam poli, ti pan 'tup' lavun,
Ekach aashirvad, to pan dolyat 'aasave' aanun,
Ajun kay hava asta aai-kadun.....

Ekach kathor nakar 'swairacharala', to pan hrudayavar dagad thevun,
Ekach updesh sadetod, to pan ghogrya avajatun,
Ekach najar abhimanachi, ti pan aapli pragati pahun,
Ajun kaya hava asta vadilan-kadun.....

Saglyanni khup dila, te pan na-magun,
Swargach janu milala mala, to pan na marun,
Phatki hi 'jholi' mazhi, ti pan vahili bharun,
Ajun kay hava asta ayushya-kadun....??

Back again...

2009-05-08T01:12:00.002+05:30

What a long time in between two posts on a blog... I admit, I am real lazy at this...
I mean, had so much to write about... But have just been following blogs, & not updating mine..
So many things going on in life... So many thoughts in mind.. Feel to pen them down.. Ask opinions..
But this laziness of mine in these past few 'busy' months has overpowered me..

But not any more.. Gonna kill it down.. Cant let this silly thing bog me down...
So, will see to it that this start (afresh) would continue for long... N would be an enjoyable writing time..

First Day.. First Show..

2008-11-17T01:24:00.003+05:30

Well, I should say that I pity people going in for the ‘First Day, First show’.. They don’t know, what exactly to expect, coz they just have been through the trailers n promos.. N I respect those people who come out happy, unscathed.. Sometimes, the shows are so horrible that people actually have to come the 2^nd time to exactly comprehend, what all that was about..!!N also, I am born lucky, coz I have never been in for a first day, first show..I always make it a point to hear from people about how the show was and the reviews & comments, before going myself.. N even if the reviews are not that good, I have to see to it that I attend atleast 2-3 different shows after every 6 months..

An engineer reading this might get, what I mean by ‘the show’.. It’s the mega show that comes into every to-be engineer’s life.. The External Pracs n Orals!! Well, I am just over with mine for this semester (where everything went perfectly fine)..

But these days of External pracs n orals are full of buzz..The ‘first day, first show’ goers are bombarded with calls from others, regarding the external.. ‘Phad rahi hai kya??’.. ‘Koi bahar ka problem statement aya kya?’.. n lots more of these typical questions in air..

Well, the first day people have to go in, prepared to take on whatever things hurled at them.. Unlike others, they don’t have any idea of what to expect.. N that poses a real challenge..The people having theirs on the following days, go in mentally prepared, from all the reviews about the external & the questions asked.. Having at least a rough idea of how things will go, is seriously one damn helpful thing (as I have always experienced)..

Some people (mostly the ones having theirs on the last day) argue that they get the toughest of the problem statements, coz the external keeps on adding them, as the days pass.. Well, maybe that’s the cost paid for having all the knowledge of whatever that has happened with people till then.. Even-stevens..!!

Well, this time round, for my DBMS orals, I had my first experience of a ‘first day’ show.. This was coz, the orals were project group wise.. It was the ‘first day, second show’ though.. Ah.. N it seriously felt different.. Was used to having some input about the external n types of questions asked...

N here I was, knowing nothing of what to expect.. N adding to this, there was just a day to prepare.. I was up almost the whole nite, going thru the theory.. What if the external turns out to be ‘phadu’??...‘Do all the theory’, I told myself… But what if he turns about to be a ‘VB-Oracle’ master??..’Do all the VB controls n stuff’.. I added that to the ‘to-do list’.. N the list kept on increasing..

Finally, at 4a.m, I closed that damn Korth.. Enough is enough.. I can’t keep doing everything, thinking about the “if’s n but’s” regarding the external..

‘Just go & face it, whatever it turns out to be’, my mind told me.. N on that note, I went to bed..

The morning was great n I was completely relaxed, n at ease.. Just went through our project, one last time.. N at 12, in Lab6 with the external.. Gave the project demo.. 1-2 questions regarding the project features.. N the viva ended..!! No theory questions!! Was stunned for a moment.. Came to know then, that if he is satisfied with the project, he doesn’t ask questions on theory..

N there I was, later.. Answering calls n questions from people.. ‘External kaisa hai?? Phada kya?’.. :-)

The blog title..Life is beautiful.. Is it??

2008-09-28T16:21:00.000+05:30

Well, for the first post on my blog, would like to write about some thoughts that struck me, when I selected this title "Life is beautiful!! Whatever it turns out to be.."

Life is indeed beautiful for me.. N I am just loving it..
But then, I thought, what about the people who are living a life, full of pain, sufferings.. Is life beautiful for them, for what it has turned out to be for them?? Is this statement that "Life is beautiful" specific to someone's life or can it be generalized??..
Maybe, I am just lucky enough to be able to say this..

But deep down, I feel that its the way you look at things, your attitude towards life and it ups and downs, that gives u feel of how your life is.. Its this attitude, that shows how you face life, even in its worst times..

And wid this, I decided to go ahead with this title..
" Life is indeed very beautiful!!"

(Too philosophical for the first post, but thats the way I am!!)