25 Random things about me

The craze on facebook... brought to my blog :p

The thing is to write 25 random facts/goals about yourself, and then tag 25 people, who then do the same. So here are mine....


1. I get bored very easily, and constantly need something to hold my attention, else I turn cranky and seek to be entertained immediately. I think my life is horribly boring if this entertainment doesn't come within a minute of seeking it. :D On the brighter side, I get a thrill from the silliest of things. Figures?

2. I love dancing in front of a mirror... Actually I can dance just about anywhere

3. I love it when my hair curls at the ends, and I hate that it happens only in the morning when I wake up and there's no one to see it

4. I get completely involved in movies and books, I get scared when it's horror, mushy when romantic, inspired when inspirational and I tend to relate/apply the parts I like the most to my life. It does sadden me that my life is not like my favourite movie/book ( at that time )

5. I love talking - about ANYTHING under the sun. I never really shut up :P

6. I do not like negative people, thoughts - they freak me out. Period.

7. I love my parents! And I really wish I could do half the things my mom does. And I wish she reads this too.

8. I want to have a really incredible "and that's how it happened" love story! * sigh *

9. I hate being taken for granted.

10. I want to, someday, pack my bags and go on a world tour, with people who matter the most to me.We'd all have Tees that read "Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish" :D

11. I have sudden creative impulses, and I surprise myself with what I end up doing!

12. I love writing - I vent out most of my emotions through what I write, by creating a situation or just random sentences... and I feel terribly shy when someone compliments it.

13. I'm a fan of perfumes, body mists, lotions. Tell me I smell nice, and you have made my day.

14. I get unusually upset with things breaking - materials, resolve, morale, relationships.

15. I love flaunting the fact that I'm a Gemini

16. I believe chocolate and laughter are the best stress therapies in this world. Sometimes boxing helps too.

17. No matter how many clothes I have, I can never find the right outfit to wear. That explains why my room looks like a tornado wreck most of the times.

18. When I have a great idea, read a good book, seen a good movie, or just am in a good mood, I feel like sharing it with absolutely everyone!

19. I can be happy today, and sad tomorrow, and go through both with utmost sincerity :D

20. I hope to have a huge library someday- of books, music.. and I'm flattered when anyone praises the same!

21. I love cats and thinks it most unfair that I'm highly allergic to them.

22. Red is my favourite colour, and I can not make out the difference between black and dark navy blue

23. I'm damn proud of the fact that I'm half Kannada and half Marathi. I'm weird that way. :D

24. I can NOT tolerate cold weather. I fall sick though ironically I LOVE snow! But I really wish it was Spring all year round

25. I will, at one point of time or another, really really surprise you

Looking back

I looked around at my class, and flashed everyone a tentative smile. I wondered who I'd be hanging out with for the next four years. The class was unevenly divided. The few girls in my class sat on the leftmost column of benches while the boys fanned out on the remaining. Nobody exchanged a glance. Well, at least not consciously.

First year. Fresh impression. Fresh start.

Knowing there were only 300 odd people to a batch, I decided it was in my best interest to NOT come across as snobbish, high maintenance or rude, if I wanted to survive the next four years amicably.

I think first year can be aptly described as being the "eye-opener". With equally clueless people around you, managing tests, workshop (which I truly enjoyed! I liked the whole weld/cut/make-your-own stool/compass box/carved wooden stand attitude), submissions, and teachers is a daunting task! First year goes by so quickly when you're trying to learn how to handle a chisel, drawing free body diagrams, figuring out the side view from a given front and top view, observing Newton's rings, and titrating liquids to find out strength of some given acid. And when that is done, come the much feared, first Pune University exams, where, as a rule, everyone has to come out cribbing. Those who don't are hated.

Frankly, besides drawing free body diagrams, I don't think I managed much of it gracefully. In my enthusiasm of handling a saw, I have broken plenty blades, and replaced them from other saws discreetly. I have accidentally sipped in too much of acid, and sat giggling for the rest of the day, and I have successfully managed to break metal tapes while surveying the basketball court from the parking lot. And in all the madness and embarrassment, it's surprising how many people start liking you and stick with you for the craziness that's in store. I look back at my first year with the fondest of sentiments. The amount of fun I've had then is still unequaled.

When I entered second year, I was pretty convinced that my branch, I.T. rocked, and had the coolest crowd. This conviction holds true for everyone, with regards to their branch, and the debate is an ongoing issue :)

Second year for me went from being the toughest to the most satisfying. Second year usually sees the birth of two leagues of people. One being the kind who warm up to "C" as if it were their mother tongue and the others who don't, and start feeling that their choice of engineering was indeed a very wrong one, and dread the years to come. The person who codes the best is everyone's best friend and any site on the Internet that offers code is bookmarked. Soft skills is the only thing that is seen as a sure shot at gaining marks, and I truly banked on it because I have full faith in my ability to gab and think it's completely justified that the University agrees I should be rewarded for the same. :p

By the end of the fourth semester, I had actually started enjoying the whole technical jargon. Somewhat. Microprocessor 86 wasn't my sworn enemy and I could accept that trees had another purpose than just providing oxygen. I also started liking writing assembly language modules, still cursed pointers, and began bonding with the other people of my class, who I had promised myself I would stay away from.

With third year, the comfort level with my colleagues and the faculty grew and so did my friendship with the computer. Submissions weren't as taxing, and we managed to have fun while writing sheets too.

Of course, the fun isn't limited to just the classroom! With Addiction and INC happening once every year, fun is served to you on a silver plate! The first time I took part in Addiction, we did a two minute dance sequence, simply because we were scared of being on the stage any longer. The second time however, we crossed all boundaries, and put six couples on stage. Choreographing this sequence was too much fun, though at the end of it, we had to redo it as we were told that the guys were dancing like the girls. (I'm going to be killed for writing this!) And on the final day, we confidently walked on stage, only to have a power failure mid way during the dance, and any attempt to remain inconspicuous was in vain, as our very glittery costumes made us very visible to everyone in the audience.

With Addiction satisfying our creative appetite, we had INC, which gave us a chance to hone our marketing, communication and PR skills. This event sees the participation of the entire college, making it a huge success and gives an excellent opportunity for interacting with juniors, seniors and faculty. It involves chasing after HRs of various companies, making everyone memorize statistics, negotiating money for "visibility", confidently saying P.I.C.T. is the best college in the world, and using the phrase "INC is a national level technical symposium" without any hint of amusement. As the ex-finance head for the event, I'd like to thank everyone who helped me in sticking bills. God bless you! And my sincere thanks also to our Canteen for providing the 4pm "chai". Work would never have progressed without it.

And with INC sharpening our industry-interaction skills, placement season gives us a chance to prove it. Bagging a job is a milestone in your engineering course. Throughout that month, all you'll hear is "Kitna package?", "Sahi hain yaar, congrats!", "Abbe treat kab hai?", "Criteria 70%? *$#*&%*@", "suna blabla company doobne waali hai?!?", "Sectional cutoffs kyun rakhte hai?", "GD mein you're on my side o.k.?" though both of you know that in a G.D everyone fights as if their lives depend on it, and the scene is similar to a fish-market where one claims his fish is bigger than yours.

And then with a job, and that indescribable feeling of "being almost through", comes the final year. Your project gains precedence over everything else and your project group becomes your immediate family. I remember our first fight over choosing our project sponsors, deciding the project definition and then meeting place, online conferences which discussed everything except the project, meetings with our guide and deciding milestones over "special chai", extending deadlines, celebrating the making of a deadline, debugging into the wee hours of the morning and then sleeping till afternoon, and finally ending it all by winning on home turf, at INC. I would never go back to it all (haha), but the memories are going to haunt me for a pretty long time. :p Just kidding, I've enjoyed every minute of the insanity!

And with that, I come to now. My last semester. I can't believe I'm the senior most in this college. And though I have longed for this, everyday, for the past three years, now that I'm finally here, something doesn't feel right.

Being in P.I.C.T has given me some of the best and worst times. I've grown to take failure in my stride, and congratulate myself on my successes. I've learnt to enjoy each day, and not worry too much about the future. I've met some of the nicest people, built great friendships, laughed and argued. I've seen great attitudes, been inspired, lent a shoulder, and then taken one. I've broken rules, done it right, screwed up and learned from it.

It's hard to put all the memories in words, especially now, when they all mix together, giving it an effect that I can best describe as nostalgia.

Three years ago, I entered P.I.C.T, feeling apprehensive, excited, anxious and eager.

Then each day slowly started becoming a memory.

The mass bunks, the morning after the mass bunk, the Addiction days, College on the first day of INC, last minute studying before an exam, lunches in the canteen, healthy discussions in class, a teacher acknowledging your efforts, attendance proxies, mini projects, seminar reports, getting files checked on time, so on and so forth.

Today, I leave P.I.C.T, with those exact same feelings, knowing that I will miss it all.

Trip to Sinhagad !

We have always been the kinds who plan it many times, and never end up following it. And then, sometimes, it's a last minute plan, which ends up being remembered as the best thing ever. The trip to Sinhagad was an example of the latter.

We, my school friends, that is Meghana, Gayatri, Manasi, Vedang had been talking about it and one fine Saturday morning, 6:30 AM, our long planned trip would be undertaken.

Or so we thought.

But Meghana couldn't miss her morning lecture, because it was very important ( I just think she has a huge crush on a certain someone - If I'm dead tomorrow, you know who to blame ), and Vedang gave in to the unnecessary urge to turn responsible and submit the college D.D. on time. I can never figure out that guy and his ways ( Pun intended ; ) - Again, if I'm dead tomorrow, someone had an accomplice )

So, when Saraswat Bank finally decided to oblige, and hand over the Demand Draft, it was 11:30 AM already ( and for the first time, it was NOT me who was late..so hahahahah! HA! ) Of course we made constructive use of the time we spent waiting for Vedang, while he claimed to be "on his way". We cursed him a billion times, decided ways to make him pay, and shopped for chocolates, biscuits, and other goodies, and made a pact of not sharing any of it with him.

When the three of us arrived at the bus stop, Vedang was already there, dressed in gray with red shoes. He took one look at us and was evidently disappointed to see that not one of us came wearing shorts. We sought sadistic pleasure.

We had to wait another 45 minutes for the next bus to arrive, and in that time we garnered local attention by talking loudly and taking snaps. Gayatri wore a bored expression, and made sure all of us took notice of it. That expression was replaced with a huge smile for the camera and a huge smile and wink for Vedang with the camera.



When the bus finally arrived, we dashed into it like crazed idiots and took the wrong seats. Females on the left, males on the right it seems. And for the first time Vedang was in the correct seat. So the four of us ambled over to the other side, and managed to get three empty seats, leaving Meghana to fend for herself in the bus, as it jerked and lurched.

The bus conductor immediately developed a thing for Meghana. Most men do. Only this time, it didn't work in her favour. On second thought, it never really does. He stubbornly told her she couldn't stand anywhere near us, because supposedly that was his "space" and no amount of cajoling or bugging could make relent. Gayatri threw him dirty looks openly, she swore and I made pathetic, miserable faces as though I couldn't tolerate the injustice of being separated from my friend. After realizing none of that made a difference to him, I too joined Gayatri and threw him irritated, pissed off looks.



The bus journey was a lot of fun. Vedang did a pole dance ( Meghana claims to have seen it ), and I will put up evidence the minute I get it. That might have tired him as he ended up sleeping for the remaining part of the journey. Meghana kept trying to win a seat next to us, Gayatri decided to spread the love by giving dirty looks to everyone and when she got bored with that she'd use my shoulder as her head rest. Manasi , the budding photographer, fiddled around with her camera and I assisted by posing for it.

When we reached the foothill, we decided climbing was not an option and called for help. Which came in the form of Rahul, Raghav, in formal clothes and leather shoes and a white Accent. However, while they took their time navigating their way to us, we started walking up. We sang, I danced, I sang. Vedang told me to shut up. I sang louder.

Manasi patiently waited while we moved out from her frame and clicked pictures of the lovely scenery around us. Vedang urged us to move faster. He apparently assumed that all of us shared his goal of losing weight. ( No, he doesn't love trekking. Why would you want to believe that? )



The same continued, till our knights in shirt n' boots arrived on a white stallio., sorry Accent. Us five hitchhikers happily crammed in the car. And were all set to go.

Or so we thought.

It wasn't even a kilometre before we smelled smoke. The engine roared although we were hardly moving. Uh oh.

Car did not like few of us. And it made that clear. Meghana, Manasi, Vedang didn't like stubborn car either. So they left us to bear it's tantrums.

After guessing what was sufficient time for the car to recover, Gayatri, Raghav, Rahul and I sat back in the and hoped for a smoother ride. But it wasn't in the stars for us. We were stuck on a slope, and we had a rebellious car. So we parked it, with stones under the wheels, took our stuff and started walking. And then it started raining.

If any one of us ever hated the idea of asking for a lift, now was the time to get over it. Off went Gayatri and Rahul in the first car that was nice enough to offer us a ride, leaving Raghav and I to chat about..umm..weather. So we trudged along, and as we were walking along the curve of the road, we came across our other three friends! Yes, the same ones who decided to walk, were now sitting on the side of the road, playing Uno!

By this time, Vedang and Meghana had decided to give up on normal human speech and chose to yell at each other instead. Manasi decided to not to interfere and enjoy it.( Proof below )



So, we clicked a few pictures ( Explanation for the above Solo picture ) and were walking again. The next lift carried Raghav, Meghana and me, leaving Manasi and Vedang to deal with each other. When we reached up, we were greeted by a very anxious Rahul and a highly amused Gayatri. Eventually, Manasi and Vedang arrived, in a Sumo full of screaming little kids.

Hungry and tired, we hurried to reach the "zunka bhakar" hut, eating little tidbits like "kakdi" and drinking "sherbet" on the way. Once we reached the hut, we all sat down and first ordered for "dahi". After consuming 3 pots per head, we proceeded with the main course. It started raining soon enough, and the sight outside the small hut was absolutely breath-taking.



After eating, the sky had become overcast and it was now time for us to head down. We rented a jeep, and were soon suffocating with six others crammed in with us. Vedang sat in the front, looking out for Rahul's lone car. The rest of us stuffed ourselves in the back. Albeit being exhausted, never had we had so much fun!

On reaching the foothill, Rahul got in touch with a few friends, a mechanic, and arranged for his car to be repaired or at least towed. Raghav and him waited for help, and the five of us caught a bus. Meghana clambered in first, and then freaked out when she realized we might be left behind. This time, the conductor was a friendly, no issues guy, who let us all sit together. I sat behind Vedang, and amused myself by hitting him on the head or pulling his hair. Whatever bugged him more. :D

We reached home, with aching limbs. As we hugged and said good-byes, we were already planning our next weekend get away.