In Memoriam!

This post is my entry for 'My College Diary' contest held by travel blog My Yatra Diary in collaboration with Collegedunia.com
College:Its been three years since I joined this institution of teenage aspirations,which has seen it all:loads of lives made,millions of hearts bound together,forever,a million others broken!My course gives me the great advantage of staying in college for six years(Two junior college years included.)It's just been three years,but it feels like a lifetime ago,when I first stepped foot on the threshold of junior college!Now,at the risk of sounding cliché,and the hopeless romantic that I am,I would say that college is a place one won't mind staying in,forever!(Academic repurcussions aside,ofcourse.)So,when I came across this contest on MyYatraDiary.com,I decided to give it a go.
As you would've correctly guessed,or know,if you know me,my college life has been a riot!Of fun,of happy memories,of color and emotions,and of priceless people!Its been a glorious three years,and the best is yet to come.And like my favorite protagonist of all-time,Mr.Gus Waters says,"It's a roller coaster ride that only goes up,my friend!"College life,has been,this incredible journey,which is so difficult to put up in words a second time.(Yeah,let me explain that:I'd penned down this beautiful little article,2000+ words only,and it was all ready to be published,complete with images and links,when this glitch occured in my WordPress app,and deleted it all!So,writing this through a haze of tears,and hoping against hope this one turns up as good as the original one!)
As I sit down to pen this one down,for the first time in forever,I am at a loss for words!Where to begin?!!Should I begin from the first day of junior college,when no one knew anyone else?Or should I just begin at the day I left junior college,with 500 new people in my life?Some of these 500 have now become an irrepleceable part of life as I know it now.It's amazing how college gives one the opportunity to know all these people:acquaintances,friends,and more:and with every person comes a treasure trove of memories!Come engineering college,the deal had changed.I knew most of the people already,courtesy coaching classes,and junior college,and the seniors at Atharva are so amazing,they just take you in as their own,no kidding!So,after a million bunks,thousands of hangouts,and a gazillion different memories,(okay,yes.I'm speaking in hyperbole here,but then dont we all have that special place in our heart reserved for such goofyness?),when I finally get around to actually writing about it,here are the things that come to mind right now:
1.Adu's bappa:
Adu is the guy whose place has almost become a regular rendezvous spot for all of us.Every year,the entire group gets together during Ganpati's,no excuses accepted,and it's like old times all over again!Can't thank adu enough for keeping the group together like he has!It's like we never went our seperate ways!And its so amazing to be with the same old people who were there from the beginning,before everyone left junior college and got their own careers!You can see,not a thing has changed,since the first time we went to adu's,back in 2011,I guess,and this years pictures!:")

2.The bunks,The acting,The excuses:
I have a knack of turning up late for class(atleast the one's I attended)and then coming up with the most innovative excuses ever thought of!The look on everyone's face when the teachers buys the excuse,is priceless!I remember telling a professor once that my bus had accidentally swerved into a Swift,and the row that ensued was the reason I was late!He bought it.But no one else believed me:(*poker face*The seniors are also saviours in disguise,as you can rely upon them to come and extricate you out of a particularly boring class for some "work",which never tends to get over before the lecture does!This helps a lot when there are no ongoing festivals in college,which,in itself is a rare occurence!There's this especially memorable incident when kranti rescued me from a lecture by telling the prof that she was my cousin and the keys to her place were at mine,and so,we both had to go,pronto!Since then,along with bff's and soul sisters and whatnots,we are cousins as well!>_
3.The food.
I am ever so grateful about how my body remains in purrfect shape even after I eat like a horse,all the time!The Gods Are Good!And food tastes all the way better when you are not supposed to be eating it,like at three a.m in the morning,or with friends,bunking lectures!Especially when its chocolates,or chicken,or all things "unhealthy!"

4.The crushes!
The numerous crushes,infatuations,some heartbreaks,the happy times!There's two and a half years to go,and these could fill an entire storybook!All the staring,the getting addicted to people,pestering my guy friends about the current concern,botherinh girl friends about how "adorable" he is,in the middle of the night,the numerous conversations,those tears:of joy and pain alike,the disappointments,and the expectations!Giving gyaan to infatuated girl friends,and yhen arguing that the same logic doesng apply to me when my sappy li'l head is lolling side to side,drooling over mr.CurrentCrush!-Oh to be young and in love!It sometimes feels like heaven,and hurts as hell sometimes,but looking back,I know these are going to be some of the best memories of college life!
5.The festivals!
My college is a place where there are festivals happening,almost 90% of the time!Oh,the fun we've had in all of those!Plus,there are memories of countless other festivals:AutoExpos,ComicCons,Debates,all of the KGAF's we've been to!College life is a never ending fun fair!Speaking of,how can I forget to mention the Atharvacha Raja here? Atharvacha Raja.Read about it in my article, for it seriously is awesomesauce!Also,festivals reminds me of my latest visit to Mt.Mary's,durng the funfair.Khush made me ride this humongous giant wheel,and I'd never been more afraid!The rickety caskets almost got me,and you can see how I'm holding on for dear life as the guys all laugh at me.Yess!I'm afraid of rickety giant wheels.I'm a kid.accepted.Now dont scoff!

5.The books,The Movies,The music,and more!
I always have a paperback in my rucksack.Always.Call me a bookworm,or whatever,but Reading has been an integral part of life around campus.And my lovelies know that,what with all the amazing books they've gifted me over the years!(lovelies includes Daddy dearest,by the way,who gifted me the entire Game Of Thrones boxset,this ThanksGiving!Christmas has arrived early this year:)))),and,my dad is a superhero!*_*)

All the movies we've watched:some brilliant ones,some crazy ones which could be sat through only because of the fabulous
company I had,and a few ugly incidents of me rushing the fabulous company out,because we couldnt take it anymore!(Ughh.Grand Masti Debacle:we left after interval!),and the sitcoms and series I've gotten addicted to:I would be 70 and still be watching re-runs of That 70's Show and HIMYM and F.R.I.E.N.D.S,and remenisce about the good old college days when I first saw em!Also,the amount of music one listens to rises exponentially during college!Huge Thanks to all the artists yonder in the west,and a few fabulous ones closer home.Cheers!

6.The Insomnia!and the Sleep-all-day phases!:
All nighters with your friends are sometimes the most amazing days,ever!Nightouts are heaven,with all the crazy humor,drama and never-ending fun.But all-nighters for academic reasons are a continent apart from the ones mentioned earlier!Those are the times which make me realize the importance of caffeine,a.k.a,coffee,RedBull,and all such aerated drinks!On the other hand,there are the aforementioned "sleep-all-day-phases",when all you want to do,is take another nap again,just after you wake up from one!Unfortunately,these occur only during examinations!
7.The studies.
Like it or not,studies are an integral part of college life.Gratefully,I've always been thankful for getting through,always,sometimes admirably,and sometimes,barely!Exams are the times when the student fraternity rallies around each other,taking every stray into its folds,as we determinedly march our way towards the enticing reward that "passing" is!

8.The "forever-and-always-wala- pyaar"
Yes,you read it right.Accuse me of being cheesy,and I acquiesce,gladly.For these lovely munchkins have seen it all:The kiddish stubbornness,the egoistic stuck-up phases,the philosophy guru phases,the tantrums and the emotions going berserk,the panic attacks,and the infatuations!We've had our share of fights as well,no denying that,and I've endured week-long silences where all we wanted to do was text each other about the latest piece of gossip!!!But after all the silly misunderstandings,the baseless temper tantrums,and crazy fall-outs,we've always made it up in the end,with the forever-and-always wala pyaar intact!These people have never let me go through a box of tissues,or a box of ferrero Rocher either,alone!You peepz know I love you so much,it overwhelms me sometimes!It is overwhelming,I kid you not,to have all these people for you.They've been there,through it all,and I know they will always be there!And these are just college friends;if I get started about the others,this article might never end!
It hasn't been all-smiles always.It never is.I've had my fair share of downs and lows:insecurities,and dissapointments and emotional outbreaks,but when I look back at it all,all these faces lit with the most brilliant of smiles come to mind,bringing one to my face instantly!

This is what "My college diaries:volume 1" looks like to me,equal parts of awesomeness,emotions,and fun.It's a heady mix,and the party,is just getting started!I've got two more years of this amazing phase of my life,and I plan to live em out with the awesomeness they will surely prove out to be!Thanks a lot Aarti,for making me relive the first half of my college life,for bringing forth all those beautiful memories!Shukriya jee.Big hugs.
I'd further like these lovelies to share their college memories with the world:
Yash Shah
Tennyson
Divyakshi Gupta
P.s:I've gone berserk with names up here,even though half of you guys will never know these awesome souls,but bear with me pretty please.Thanks for reading it all.I'm sure you have some pretty memories of your own.Share them here: Penning this down for the second time around,I am overwhelmed by all the awesome memories I'll treasure forever.and A bit sad,because the earlier article which got lost in the virtual ocean of information that the internet is,had taken up a special place!I got it all covered,though,the second time around.Atleast I hope so.Going back to being holed up at home,studying!So,adios amigos.

Woebegone!

Yes.
Thats me.
Woebegone!
Why?Well,I’ve got my end of Semester exams coming up in two weeks(almost.),and these are probably the only Exams which are a big deal to us Engineers-to-be.
So,naturally,what one is expected to do,is to cram up on technical subjects by the truckload,and then,cram some more!
We even get a nice month-long vacation,aka Preparatory Leave,for the purpose!Needless to say,no one studies!(Well,except for the good people who do,and then help us poor mortals in our times of need.)Atleast I don’t.
And before you write this off as swag or some weird arrogance,let me clarify,that that is so not the case!I want to,oh I do.But there are a gazillion distractions waiting for my attention,and they all pounce upon me the moment I open a book.
Every day dawns with this countdown towards D-day,which is,incidentally the twentieth this month:only nine days left.(Gods!I almost abandoned this article in a panic attack,but came back to finish it the very next moment!Speak of distractions!)The countdown,is a very sobering,harsh reality check,which motivates,(tries to)me to do the one thing I should be doing right now:STUDY!
But then an hour passes by, deciding on which subject to pick up,as yours truly doesn’t know a single subject properly enough this time!*Again,panic attack!!!*
When I finally choose a subject,(Randomizing.Works every time!),the exhausting efforts have made me hungry,and that calls for a break!Breaks usually extend from lunches to nap times and then walks in the park and sometimes even to dinner-time!(Don’t even mention the sitcoms and silly conversations.They are an essential part of every social butterfly’s life!)
When I finally realize that breaks are supposed to be short,and that the literal meaning of study break is “a short interval of recreational time between long hours of knowledge assimilation!”,I finally get back to the Chosen Subject of the Day,only to be assaulted by this monstrous guilt trip over the time I wasted,am wasting,and will waste!I literally waste time obsessing over wasted time!Gosh!Exams can drive one crazy!
So,after 1% of studying,the clock strikes 12,and,Night Owl that I am,I seriously study.For an hour or two,tops.Among other things.(Checking social networking sites,Playing HayDay,writing poetryand stuff like that!)I kid you not when I say that these days,I feel like the writer in me is amped up on a huge six-pack of Tantrum(Refer HIMYM;p),with all the poetry,and prose that I’ve been churning out!No complaints there,for I love it,ofcourse,Thank God for my writing,Hallelujaah,but most of the time,I feel like Shia LaBeouf from Revenge Of The Fallen!Only difference,I see new poems in my head,instead of old cybertronian symbols!Getting it all down on paper is ofcourse a priority,which reduces my serious study-time even more!
I thought I was stuck in a rut,sleeping at 3 everyday,waking late the next morning,and doing nothing,so I even decided to liven things up a bit!Saw two movies this weekend!Thats normal,but not normal during PLs!I thought that maybe the added guilt will help me mature up a bit and finally start studying.Well,I was wrong.
So here I am,just another day of the countdown gone by,without any serious work on the study front!Only major achievement:I managed to ask all my friends the quintessential exam time question:”Kitna padha??!!”
Those who replied aren’t better off,and that is soothing,for “seeing another human being undergoing the same plight as ours is always better than enduring it all alone,and is found to impart great moral strength!”It is who we are as humans!(ignore the philosophical talk:#InterstellarEffect.)Those who did not reply,well now we know how they manage to score all those marks!
I need to end this on a positive note,so,and I believe this 100%,the universe always gives you what you really want!What I really really want at this point of time,is to preserve my purrfect li’l 8-pointer,and so I will!Don’t be surprised if you don’t hear from me for a long long long time.(A month.I can’t leave you lovelies for long now can I?)This might sound crazy,or like a Note To Self,but this is the time which will matter the most,academics-wise,so I have to make it all count!
If you are an Engineering student,I know you can relate.Just,keep those phones aside and study,for I gotta do the same thing,and:same plight,human tendencies yada yada yada!Happy Studying!
Thanks for reading this,and for all the love and appreciation I’ve recieved for the poems as well (They are here: http://uncivilizedsophistication.wordpress.com ,in case you haven’t seen ‘em yet.)Ya’ll are the best.Many thanks,and much love.
Stay Blessed.
P.s:Did I mention how we all(all of the other engineer-kids who’ll soon embark on perilous journeys) are going to ace our exams and stay All Clear and get great pointers?!Guess I did,.Believe it.We are.Rainbows and butterflies people.That’s what life is!Life’s all rainbows and butterflies,despite the occasional dirt storm,so yess,We Can!Okay,I seriously need to staahp.Like,right now.So,goodbye
:)
And yes,Believe!

worst day of my life!?

So it all began with a night-out gone crazy;(Or,craziER as nights-outs are as crazy as they come!).
I had vivas the day after,(for the layman,Vivas are that phase in an Engineers life where they are supposed to know everything,but infact,know nothing!).By God’s Grace and my absolute talent of bluffing,I had sailed through all my other vivas considerably well!With only the last of the horrors remaining,I decided to take it easy on myself.(Horrible mistake,I tell you)
One crazy night of extraordinary,stupid fun later,there I was:the day before the vivas,dozing off at 10 in the morning,trying to cram up Java concepts,with a heavy heavy heavy head!(Oh the fun we had!But,no,I’m not supposed to tell ya’ll about it,and I’m not supposed to stray,so,getting on with the topic,*wink wink*)Needless to say,in that sleep-deprived state,(we only managed to doze off for a few moments at 4:35 in the morning!Oh I love my friends),my mind could not,or rather would not take much in!All I achieved the day before the vivas,was to brush up some basics,and make some handy chits for copying the programs!(Yes,yes,I know its bad and immoral and shameful and the works:Copying!)
The day dawned with this uneasy squirming in my gut which I dutifully ignored.The first blow came when I got a call from a friend saying that I was running late,horribly late,and that my number was up,literally!(Mine is among the last of roll numbers,so I always turn up a bit late:But the examiners had had a change of mind that very day!Like I said:Worst day of my life!)I managed to get the situation under control by running in and well,bluffing my way out of the examiners dreaded questioning!That made me drop my guard a bit,have some fun,click a few selfies,climb parapets,and,well,joke around,a lot,which in turn,proved to be fatal(No exaggeration)We had to perform some programs as part of the Practical Examinations(Which I din’t know anything of,ofcourse),and I walked in with the false confidence I had gained during the vivas,and a handful of images on my phone(of the programs we were supposed to do!:Not proud of it,but one has to do what one has to,to survive).The papers were handed out,and I luckily got a seat as far away from the examiners as possible,so I could’ve copied in peace!Oh If only I could’ve!The question I got,turned out to be the only question I did not have on my phone!So,after a panic attack and disturbing my immediate neighbours for a while,I wrote(copied) a similar program.Which the teacher rejected,giving me the death-stare!Its funny how teachers who seem harmless otherwise turn into absolute monsters during vivas!
Two more programs,a million attempts to copy,more errors than the teacher could ever imagine,and a bit of rona-dhona later,there I was,staring blankly at the computer,when she finally snatched away my paper!I came out with a dismal face,just hoping she would somehow have the good grace of giving me passing marks,atleast.(Fingers crossed)In my defense,I was just beginning to type the program out(one more time),and it might’ve been right,this time around,and I could even have achieved an output(A mean feat,since the college PCs are ancient versions of what we now call computers,and are so delicate they crash at the slightest stress),and then,atleast I tried,there’s gotta be points for that!Failure is not something I have ever encountered,and I plan to continue that way,so my grouchy mood was a given!It took a lot of convincing(texts,phone calls,hugs and slaps,and screams:the works) by any and everyone of my friends to finally make me let it go,to let it rest and not screw up the entire day over it!Again,I love my friends,so.damn.much!Well.that and some icecream from gelato!Immediate mood-uplifter I tell you,and you wont argue!
So,this is how I go home,when Momma announces I need to accompany them all to some family function!When all I wanna do is curl up in bed and lament over my screw-up some more!Again,I had to oblige,and I did go,but only after going home,watching a few episodes of HIMYM on the run(Yes,Again),eating something,and accidentally leaving a tap open,somewhere in the house!Results:When I finally was beginning to unwind a little and enjoy a bit,I get a call from my kaku(who stays next door),that the house is flooded!I remember mumbling something to dad in a hurry and just bolting from there before mum could catch hold of me!God bless that auto-vallah who helped me reach home in record time:Only to see the entire place in ankle deep water!Could the day get any worse!??!Heavens,I hate the crappy engineering  or plumbing,or both,at my place which makes it flood at the slightest of mistakes!Also,the floor is tilted,I noticed!It was 10 o clock in the night,so my only hope of salvation was to scoop- literally scoop out the water,all of it!Back-breaking work,I kid you not!Two hours later,after seeing corners of my place I had’nt even seen before,and clearing up water which mysteriously managed to resurface somehow,with the help of my angel of an aunt,and some help from daada(God Bless them both!),I finally managed to dry up the entire house,just in time before the rest of my family arrived!
It sounds fun now,but It wasn’t,not then!Plus,mom almost bit my ear off,praising my carelessness,and then shouting at “that stupid phone of mine”(I was texting everyone about this major blooper,and whatsapp tends to make us real busy,doesnt it?)!Finally,when the stories were recounted an ample number of times,and I could type no more,and the battery ran out,I had to go sleep!Thats when I had this epiphany,of how copying is not going to work for me all the time,and how I need to suck it up and actually start studying,for the semester is almost over and my books haven’t even been properly opened yet!So,it wasn’t that bad a day afterall:kind of an eye-opener of sorts,for yours truly has resolved to STUDY (among other things) from now on!Lets see how that goes!
Thanks for reading,and happy studying to ya’ll too,or whatever it is that you do,just,you know:Peace!*weird spock gesture*
Stay Blessed.Hope I pass.I know I will.Hope that works.OkBye!
P.S:The climbing parapets thing is true..will explain in the next post I do!Hang on.*wink wink*