Sunday, December 30, 2007

Scratch Me

To the tune of Nirvana's song 'Rape Me'. This one is dedicated to Scratchy (if you don't know who he is, please feel free to ask)

Scratch me
Scratch me, my friend
Scratch me
Scratch me again

I'm not the only one, Ah [3x]
I'm not the only one...

Hate me
Do it and do it again
Waste me
Scratch me, my friend

I'm not the only one, Ah [3x]
I'm not the only one...

My favorite inside source
You'll lick my open sores
I appreciate your concern
You're gonna stink and burn

Scratch me
Scratch me, my friend
Scratch me
Scratch me, again

I'm not the only one, Ah [3x]
I'm not the only one...


Scratch me! (Scratch me!)[9x]


Monday, December 24, 2007

Engineering: A Force or Farce?

Having secured my degree in Computer Engineering from the well renowned and reputed University of Mumbai, I am left scouring the country for a job in the IT industry. So far I have been offered jobs in the BPO industry, as a journalist, a mystery shopper and sales manager. Does my B.E. in Computer Engineering have any value at all?

Now this might sound like a lot of whining but it has been a pet peeve of many friends of mine. Some of them no doubt have got jobs in an IT related field but I believe that along with me, undeservedly suffered in our Undergraduate years. Some of them top programmers with profound knowledge of core Computer Science concepts, others enthusiasts in extracurricular work which demonstrated their interest such as Open Source, MultiMedia, Processor Overclocking, PC Case Modding, Robotics and so on. The crux of this argument is that, was all that suffering worth it?

There were some of the most interesting subjects such as CP 1 & 2, TCS, Data Structures, AOA etc. The nature on how these examinations were conducted meant that students went for classes and were spoon fed the knowledge. Now I don't have anything against classes and don't want to take anything away from people's hard work, but it was quite shocking that people still couldn't understand OOP concepts or even C programming for that matter by the final year. Worse still there were many of us who got KTs in these subjects. Don't want to boast here, but c'mon, it's impossible to get a KT after understanding concepts from books written by authors from the cream of the US Universities.

That's the whole problem with this country. You mugg like hell and you'll get a distinction. No practical application of theoretical paradigms. If the foreign universities would grant admission for a truthful Statement of Purpose, I'd say that I just want to get away from this terrible education system. Interest counts for nothing here.

A bigger annoyance was the attitude of many profs in DBIT. They have gone through the whole system themselves and still they decide to inflict punishment upon us harmless beings. Nadir Kunt was one example. Idiot didn't have a minuscule modicum of knowledge and still would play around with people's marks and mess up careers. Other losers were Goonda, The Snake (although he started off well), That Faggot who taught OS and IP and Head Peon to name a few. Scratchy himself personifies incompetent engineering standards in this country. Being a Phd he should've encouraged research, but idiot compares his daughter to students and is a proponent of the spoon feeding industry. May he rot in the depths of Sheol with Cerberus masticating on his ball sac and spitting them into a cauldron of fire and sulfur.

I write this in a state far from sobriety (2 Kingfishers, 1 Cobra, 1 Haywards Black and 1 Baron's), but more than a vent for my frustration, I think it will rile up those who were in a similar situation.

Once again feel free to comment on this. Let me know whether you found Engineering a waste of money and time, even if you have got a job. (you get the same jobs with B.Sc in Physics, Maths, Comp Sci or IT )


Anfeuerungen!

Friday, December 21, 2007

Panned Sh!t



"Full class is coming as well as Extc and IT guys"
- Bhavi Jones

After nearly half a year since graduation our motley gang decided to meet up. Only this time it wasn't just our gang of drunks but so many of the IT industry workforce. Pooh and I hopped onto the luxury 'Vahikal' at BKC and we set off for Panshet (or Bhandhardara according to Ricky). On most occasions this trip would have taken about 7 hours. However we were in for a treat from the bus driver. After picking up the full class, we headed towards Pune. The driver travelled at a blistering 40kmph on the expressway. After travelling over 35kms in the wrong direction, we picked up Shaazia and finally were on our way to the intended destination. The Master of U-turns then decided that he was hungry and we stopped for dinner at 4am at some dhaba where we were served butter chicken with chicken substituted by pineapples by a drunken Sardar who took quite a liking to Rohan. Satiating our palates with some terrible pigeon meat and fruit, we finally got to Panshet in the wee hours of the day. 13 freakin hours (through which Marina slept). According to Lemuel, that's the amount of time he takes to reach Bombay from Hyderabad.

Panshet, however was something to be appreciated in all its rustic splendour. The rural setting was the change we all needed from the urban chaos. (yeah even Nerul and Khopar Khairane would be considered urban compared to Panshet). The Abhiruchi farm house was a cool place for a weekend and that's what we really needed. Two whole days would have made the trip killer since we were dead tired from the bus ride. The only good things about the bus were the Stags and some innovative use of Appy Fizz by Baba Bagade.

We all settled down in our rooms. Some piping hot tea made us feel better.
Tea Break


Some goofballs broke holiday conventions and had a bath. Breakfast was served and people just went about exploring. Following that there were some photo sessions (courtesy Floyd and Shaz) and some gossip sessions (courtesy Shaz).

Swingers

Full Class

Some more gossip and card games later (Amy = eternal vice-asshole), lunch was served. I opted for veg (I had my reasons) but I was devastated when I found that cabbage and cauliflower were served. Had to make do with moong and some other dal (which bhavi and nimkar christened with some goofy colloquial name). Vineet and Bhavi downed some alcoholic chaas. Went for a killer hike after that down to the lake. Didn't go prepared and thus came back with a throat parched with dust. Walked around the banks of the lake in hope of finding the jetty for boating which we found later was about more than 10kms away. Of all the people, Mr.Bear decided to break trekking conventions and took a big group (which included girls in their high heels) off the beaten path. Total tp watching them scramble through barbed wire.

Trek



Went boating in the evening although we were a bit late due to people nursing their injuries so had to settle for motor boats. By this time I and many others were hit by the lunch, weariness from the bus journey and the trek. Had a light dinner and started my business with Eno, Pudinara, Lomotil etc. (IEM helps. Just ask Pooh, Nivya and Shaz). It was then that Milan and Avinash brought in a supply of refreshments.

We got back to the farm house. Those were the last few moments of the night I do remember. 1/2 bottle of a Russian spirit down neat and I was done for the night. Got up in between to greet Floyd Pink Floyd

, tell Shaz to quit talking and to lock myself and be saved from the wrath of the mad Baba, Kirk and Mr. Image Transformation. Had the best sleep ever.

Deadman

Well that's as much as I could write. There was a little more but I went home early so didn't experience the other trek. Other writers please send in your entries. Ms. Anu, Pooh Pooh, Marina (if you were awake any part of the trip), Shaz (if you could write as much as you could narrate, this blog would be pwning the world), Bhavi.

Cheers
(hic)

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

The Last Class Of College...........

This was mailed to me by Shaazia ......... changed a few names ........ just try to find yourself in this story


I walked with my best friends across the campus......... towards my class... my final year engineering class. The hour hand at the watch said ... it was ten minutes past 5.... and there was not even a single trace of any life in the college........ except for we three.... me and my best pals ...........

Another ten steps.. and there was our class with the doors shut... !!! we were on the third floor... and the sun setting down in the valley with its orange rays was creating a magical scene. Had a wish that the time stops at that very moment... but it never happens... the seconds hand ticked heavily..... and we opened the doors of the class for one last time...................

Wished i cud ask my teacher..."may i come in.... " and wanted to hear her shout.... "You late again... no attendance..."
but there was no one there... just empty desks.. and we three.... looking at the walls.... and the desks.. all empty... with quotes we wrote ... and the raised platform .. where the torture classes were held... and the last benches.. where we had fun.... laughed .... kicked out.... hiding from the teachers... pleading for attendence............ million memories rolled like a muvee into our minds... and there was complete silence for a moment.. and we smiled ... laughed!!!!!

Walked like heros from the medivial times.... jumped over the benches... had a look at the bench .. where the so called babes of our class used to sit.... hehehe... babes in engineering.... a dream in itself... (no offenses to any babes)... ..

drifted to our place... ... sat there..... side seats...
dint feel like the last day .... dont remember how we met .... how we came to such a stage... feels like i know my friends from ages... feel like as if i was born in this college..... feel like i was always here...

The entire class was still there alive.... the last benchers sleeping.......... the gals chatting amongst themselves........... the teacher in her own world...... KP sitting besides me .... cribbing about something .... Anurag sitting on first bench taking down notes.... and Boytoy smiling at the babes.... Sagar ... trying talking to the gals... and we laughing about something of the other..... me occasionally scribbling something on my notepad............ making some sketches.. or bullshit poetry ............

Ahh.. Sid asking me to look outside... for some babes from FE ... standing there....... and i without even a word...looked outside.. it was an unsaid communication.... Mhatre pinged me... and i, with the same enthu... looked outside... but today there wasnt anybody there................ just the deserted corridor.......... and i cud see the mechanical department at the end... no one there..................

looked back..... but there was Rahooooool .. in his dream world.... not scribbling anything in his notebook... not laughing this time.... not sayin anything this time........... just sitting there.. and there was Amie ... and there was me ..... and a few more .....

"roll number 23.......... "
"roll number 23............ royston .... u sleeping again........ "
"Ok fine............. roll number 24"
"....................... hey .. present ma'm............ "
"you sleep dear...!!! no attendence for you................."


No attendence.... the class has ended... and my friends... chatting and laughing .... going for a chai... aur a samossa..... aur a lemon juice...

and we sat there ..... sat there all alone ......... closed our eyes, for the entire world outside the walls of the campus was calling us..............

Wanted to attend one last lecture........ but this time there was no one to take that last lecture..............

and there was that door... open... and we wished all the time .. to run away .... to bunk.. but this time it wasnt..... one last time.... one last time............ attended the class.... with no one.. just we three...


Monday, December 10, 2007

HOW TO brainstorm for SOP ideas

Yeah I've been using Linux for a while hence the title seems apt. Anyway since most people are heading to the land of booze and money for further studies, a good essay carries a lot of weight in the application process. Colleges will give an eye catching essay nearly 30% weightage. This can help compromise your poor GRE score if you make sure you write this essay to the point. To get started you'll have to brainstorm for ideas to go about writing the essay. Here are some tips:

To each question write about 3-4 lines in a rough book. The answers to these questions can form a good base to your SOP

1. What are your influences? What particular thing in a subject draws you to it?
In my sop i stated that i like Software Engineering because of the methodical approach to development and Security because it is a neverending challenge to keep one's system safe in the world of rapid technological transition.

2. This can be addendum to the previous question. Which exam that you've taken has been the best one? State some reasons why you think it tested your knowledge in the subject and how you proceeded with it.

Well i had terrible acads but I did well in Object Oriented Analysis and Design and since my interests lie in that field I mentioned that specific exam.

3. Single most important concept that hooked you?
My example was Open Source and Linux. Ever since i was introduced to Linux in TE, i have been addicted to the freedom it offers from a central authoritative entity.

4. Have any profs said any encouraging words about you?

5. How has your interest evolved?
I mentioned IT boom in our country and a good chance to startup a company in India for which a Master's degree will help. If your B.E. project was related to your interest then mention it.

6. Any experiences as a traveller?
I was fortunate to go to Canada to experience the way Western Education is conducted which got me interested in higher studies. You might have some experiences which you can jot down.

7. Reasons for pursuing M.S.?
This is what colleges want to see. While you're making a rough draft truthfully jot down what comes to your mind. My rough ideas were higher salaries, working on latest technology, starting my own company, specializing in a field of interest and laughing at people wasting time slogging in India for $500 a month. Just remember to put the better points in your final draft.

8. Have you done anything constructive in the time since grad? Have you prepared yourself? Honed any skills?

9. Professors from target university whose research you find aligned with your academic interests?
You'll have to read up on the research activities of profs at the colleges you're aiming for.

10. After giving them what they want, give them what you want.
Clearly defined career plans, your image of future career goals, anticipated contributions to your field and to society in general.

11. Personal info
Extra curriculars, hobbies etc.


Hope all this helps. Just take a day to plan it out, write it, modify it and then get it proofread by someone good in English.

Comments will be welcome. Guys like Sagar, Bhavi, Saurin, Vineet let me know what you think since you guys have gone through the whole procedure.

Thank





X

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

To GRE or not to GRE?

Ah, finally done with the most annoying exam in the world. The GRE. This was my second attempt at killing the vicious beast and unlike last time, I honed my test taking skills with some meticulous practice and diligence in sticking to a schedule of sorts. I got a score below my expectations, but not one I'll complain about and far better than the score I got in my first attempt. Anyway here's my guide to taking this test and coming out with a 1200+ (at least it worked for me)

Book your GRE date 2 months from the time you decide to start preparation. Also consider which semester you want to go to the US. Ideally it should be a year or 10 months prior to the beginning of the semester there. For example, for Fall, it'll be good to take the test by October. I took in November but now have fewer colleges to select from. So consider all deadlines of universities you dream of studying at (or partying at).

Now to the prep. Most people in India usually have no problem with quant but dread the verbal section. In our Comps class, none have failed to get a minimum of 650 in quant. It has been the verbal section or rather the fear of the verbal section that has brought people's scores down. So here's a few suggestions. Most of you must be using Barrons word list (KP Singh's flash cards are copied from Barrons). Most people know the words but on the big day mess it up. The idea is that if you know to incorporate the words in appropriate context you will find scores of 400+ in verbal quite common. The best word list i've come across so far is the one at the end of "Word Power made easy" by Norman Lewis. I strongly recommend perusal of that book, follow the exercises given there and finally go through the word list at the end. The words have been used in a humorous context and with a little bit of imagination will stick around in your head. Also try making sentences of your own from the words in the flash cards. If you're too lazy at least make sentences of the high frequency words. Try using the words in your vocab. Abandon using your native language or the national language because no one gives a crap about your conversational skills in Hindi/Marathi/Malayam/Gujarati/ German/Russian etc. in the US. Speak to people in English, read english newspapers (the OP/Ed section is amazing. Try the Asian Age, Economic Times and avoid gossip related crap like BT, Mumbai Mirror etc. where journalists and celebs prefer to engage in verbal diarrhoea) , watch the english news channels, maybe more english programs on TV and best of all read a lot of english literature. Maybe one book a week also would suffice.
Other great word lists are Kaplans list of similar words and maybe NOVA's word list. For the RC section use the tips in Barrons and Kaplan. If you need help contact me. RC is the most scoring section since the answers are right in the passage itself. Be warned that this is no school RC so there'll be a lot of implicit meanings.

For the Quant section, I recommend the NOVA's preparation book. It is quite a comprehensive coverage of the questions that occur on the GRE and they give good tips on the Process of Elimination (POE) for the ultimate hard questions. In addition to NOVA, I suggest using Barrons quant prep and maybe Kaplan Math Workout. I also suggest you go through the pdf file that comes with the Powerprep cd and many questions on the GRE are nearly identical to those questions albeit with minor changes. If you need additional practice you can use R.S. Aggarwal for the sections you find scores wanting.

A bad verbal section or a lower quant score can be compromised if you at least get a good AWA score. The AWA part is the only subjective part of the test and the universities can use that as a criteria to test how good a student might be since one can score in the remainder of the test by randomly clicking any answers. A good book would be the Arco's answers to real GRE essay questions. It gives good tips on going about this section and how to plan your time. It can be downloaded from the ETS website. Download Arcos guide from here: http://rapidshare.com/files/72835069/Arco_Essay_Book.pdf

Ideally preparation should take about 2 months. Start taking practice tests one month prior to the real test and analyse your performance. The best tests are the Powerprep, but you can also take Barrons, Kaplan, NOVA, Cambridge. For some tough tests try out The Big CD. Available at most book stores for Rs.250 i think. Also do the verbal section from the Big Book. Atleast one test a day. It would be better to prepare without distractions. For working individuals book the test 3 months from the time you decide to start preparing. Also if travelling isn't a problem I very strongly recommend taking membership in USEFI. http://www.fulbright-india.org/

They have all the resources you need for test prep. In addition to that they have counselors you can contact if you need help. And a plethora of books from which you can research US/Canadian universities. And all that for just Rs.1500 for an annual membership. As for directions to the place, i suggest you visit the aforementioned website because i've been plagued by inquiries on its location and I'm tireeeeeeeeeeeeeeed.

Hope that helps you guys and you can forward this to juniors who might decide on taking up the challenge of higher studies in the US. Please feel free to comment on this post. I guess it should answer the question, To GRE or not to GRE

Monday, November 5, 2007

How to Lose a Job!


Trust me, i have enough expertise to write this so i thought i'll share my knowledge, i am finally laughing at myself through this and THAT as far as i know is the first step to moving on ...

U can treat this as a comprehensive guide to WHAT NOT TO DO... enjoy!

1) Get the often repeated Aptitude test paper of the previous years and base all your hopes on it, don't study anything else and Voila! The format gets completely changed for the first time ever exclusively for you!

2)When you hear about negative marking of 0.25 , take extra care about positive marking and mark only the answers which you are certain are correct even if those answers lie in only one section which leads you to exclaim after the paper "oh sh**, is there sectional cut-off?"

3)In the last round after you have been promised the job, when the interviewer (a biggie of a small but very successful company) asks you why you want to leave your previous job say "There is growth, but this branch i am working in is not huge " which leads him to say "My company is also not huge, so that means you'll leave me!"

4) When asked "Where do you see yourself in 3 years ?" say -> Working abroad in the technology you are training me in!

That's all i have for now ... but will surely update this with more of my pearls of wisdom!

Lesson learnt: Complacency does KILL!

Life has always been about ... Win some
Lose some

The Ultimate aim though is -> To Win all
but until then i can keep laughing at myself and yes, u can keep enjoying at my expense! :P

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

To Hell and back

September 15, 2003 - A day that haunts my mind till date. Due to my stupidity in chasing the dream of getting a degree in Electronics, I took admission in DBIT thinking that I'd stand a chance in the minority list or even the second round. However I was in for a surprise which had two contrasting fortunes. First was that I was stuck with Computers. The second one was way better. I ended up in a class with some of the best classmates one can wish for. But that class was united only in the 2nd year and so I had to settle with the E&TC group for the first year. On that horrible day the gates of hell opened up to me and after a round of introductions, I thought that it couldn't be all that bad. As the weeks progressed and the number of whisky quarters as well, we all heard that the exams were scheduled after New Years. Most of the papers were quite terrible but I cleared the killer subjects of Mech and BEE in the first attempt so I couldn't really care less. The second semester was a lot more laid back and having being acquainted with quite a lot of people in the college I started off my business proceedings and shop was opened. The exams and the ATKTs went well this time around and I had completed the first year of my sentence. Within that first year most of us picked up some amazing high jumping, stealth and other skills that would make the best military strategist proud.

The 2nd year started with a totally new bunch. I was quite surprised that some people were actually afraid of me because of my dreadlocks, dilated pupils, expressionless face and "don't give a crap" attitude. Oh well that can be scary sometimes. Anyway a few introductions later and we had quite a well established group on the back benches. I knew the great Bhavi Jones from the earlier KT exams, Kevin from the rock shows, Ralston from his talks and Clayton from the goa trip after the 2nd sem exams. A month later the guys from IT namely Lemuel and Shukal joined the gang. Another month later there were the diplomat additions which included the ever so knowledgeable Ganguli. Our class was a perfect mix now and was ready to cause chaos. Victims included Madhavi, Greig, Nitesh, Shirley, Manisha and Sudha. Off course there was Goonda Shekar who ruined the party for few of us but we still got through it all. The 4th sem was one of the best ever. Nitesh returned for more torture and Kurusu inspite of all his training from the UN, couldn't subdue the spirit of our class. The subjects were easy this time around and most of us got a first class for the first time in a semester. Many cleared their critical KTs and it was onwards to the 3rd year. The 5th semester started with the dampener of the floods. It was one of worst sems ever but with additions like Saurin, Tension and Revin, the entertainment never ended. The group at the left corner of the class got even stronger. Some of the girls who became part of this group picked up the same rebellious attitude. Some even became more corrupted than the guys. Bhavi Jones will name the corrupted ones on request. Java class was fun and we got to witness Crazy Amy's antics. Jethva was sighted on few occasions but still remained a rarely seen specimen. Shukla slowly came out of his shell and vacated the first bench only to be called back by the profs. Naasir and Amiya suffered the most this semester. PCT was another subject that was annoying but you got to hear people like Shirke talk, Melvil voice his opinion on the state of the college and some crazy nutball talk against homosexuality where some immature guys laughing at it, refused to leave the class. After a terrible semester and equally horrible exams there was the great goa trip where most of the class was present. Some crazy incidents occurred there with minor annoyances but all worth it. The results were really good inspite of the terrible papers. The 6th semester wasn't all bad but I don't remember much from that semester except picking up 2 kts thanks to those b@$+@^)$ from DBIT. The final year was the best one ever. We took on the challenges by the female goofy professors and survived albeit with bad TW. The 8th semester was supposedly our busiest one ever but we made time for our fun activities. The mahabaleshwar trip was killer wherein almost the 'full' class was present. There were many other small outings including the Lonavala trip during the exams. The Lois choosing the wrong path was another addition to the famous group of evil.


The results came out on the 17th and it was a really weird feeling. On one hand it feels great to be out of DBIT. On the other, our class is no more and I'll always miss those times. Maybe sometime in the future we'll have a reunion where we can recant our stories of the good old days. Until then (pre)cheers!

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Engineering in Don Bosco

This was my first day in Don Bosco. Many of my friends and relatives told me a lot about college life and stuff. But after completing 1st sem I found out that it was even worse than school (we didn’t even get ne holidays for diwali…).1st year was more or less like school no bunking and even extra lectures on weekends and even at 8’o clock in the morning. But good thing was we made lots of friends. Some thing that most of us will not forget about the first year is wrokshop. Also playing wid chemicals in the chemistry lab was fun. Also the rumors about the results was something that we had experienced for the first time. The first year went on and wasn’t much different from school.




The second year came along. Now for the first time all students of comps were put into same class. The 1st few days were a little different. I could see many different types of students around me. Some too silent, some talking too much and some really strange. It was gr8 to make new friend again. Some guys also shifted from IT to comps (and I am sure they r not regretting). But it took some time for all the people to know each other. Truly speaking there were some ppl in our class whose names also were not known to me for a long time. Also with some new students who came from diploma had got into comps. There by increasing the strength of the class.

But as second year progressed we started enjoying the lectures.

The most important person to be credited is Mr. Nitesh Kulkarni in whose lectures ppl tried to play as many pranks as possible. And why not his actions tempted us all to pull his legs more and more. Who could ever forget the statements “I want complete silence please”, ”Am I going fast,… am I going slow…. Is my speed proper”, ”Are you getting my point ”. We can definitely say that he was one big reason for the entire class to unite after all united we play more pranks and divided we become victims.

Another factor responsible for getting ppl closer was the assignments. It was usually one person who wrote the assignment and entire class copying from it or its copies which were usually compressed. So in order to ask assignments to copy ppl started talking to each other thereby strengthening their friendship. Yes it seems really weird but its a fact. Usually we have mass bunking but we introduces the concept of mass copying wherein assignments were completed rite in the class with every sheet being booked in advance by someone or the other. I don’t think that we will ever get a chance to see so much of understanding and united efforts ever again in our life.

Later people started realizing that why only assignments and journals why not also copy the programs??? Then came the generation of computer engineering students who knew what they wanted. Just one program and printout for the entire batch. And then who could stop us.

At the same time we also got some phrases amongst which tireerrd was most popular which both students and teacher enjoyed. In the very 1st lecture usually when around half the lecture is over everyone starts shouting tireeed. And most of the times it worked too. Second year went thru and the friendship among the students of comps became stronger and stronger

Then came the 3rd year. After the results were declared something bad happened. Some of our good friends got a drop and had to stay back. Its not that we forgot them they still are our friends

But something good happened too. We got some really gr8 new friends. With the entry of new students our class strength increased considerably. Not just in terms of number but also in terms of friendship. We started knowing ppl better. Usually a class is divided into groups. But our class was different. We had only one group, which comprised of the entire class. This was what that made us unique. Also some new teachers were appointed. Some good, some not so good and some really bad. Copying of assignments and journals increased further. The pranks increased further. Now apart from assignments and journals, there were students who helped other students with studies. The students started teaching some subjects. And the idea was not bad. It worked out really well.

We the students of comps also introduced many changes in the rules. Bunking which was a taboo in Don Bosco was now a part of life. We tried and changed the attitude of most of the teachers. We also organized the first intercollegiate festival Colosseum which was quiet a success.

The class was a mixture of all kinds of students. We had mischievous, the intelligent, dumb, talkative, silent, givers and takers of tension.

We never left any chance to do any thing stupid. though we were all engineering students we were always ready to do something childish. I don’t think we spared ne teacher.


Then came a season of placements. The first company to come was cap-gemini. About which we were informed just 2 days before it was supposed to come and yes they expected us to be ready with our CV’s in such a short notice. We all faced this challenge too but no one from comps got selected. Some of them were surely put on a waiting list.

As time passed many of us got placed many didn’t, but 3rd year ended in the worries of placement but we still had fun. Our common bakra Nitesh had come up again in 6th sem to take economics. This time he took two subjects for us AOA n economics so we had double chance to pull his legs.

Another important thing was the pct presentation. It was a torture but a gr8 experience. We started understanding our friends more. Finally we finished with the presentation on 26th, 27th and 28th of October 2005. Some events in the presentation were also memorable. I still remember Anurag singing “yeh hai mumbai meri jaan”, some really cool ads from my group, Bhavesh n group switching off the lights and fans to talk about the invention of electricity and many more things.

Though things done by this special group of students was always different, one thing that was really “HATKE” was the introduction of concept of JARGON, which was started by sorin sah. And in a very short span of time we had our very own Joan being called as “Jargon Queen” with some killer ones like “did u go to the eye dentist????”, “waterproof raincoat” and many more. There were many more such jargons of which my favorate was one by Srividya “I will run with my wife (knife)”.Humm sounds really funny.

By the end there was a tough competition between Joan and Kotak To allow everyone to read and add jargons a thread was started in the orkut community. People worked really hard trying to put as many jargons as possible in to this list. Pre cheers to all the people who were ever ready to catch any slip of tongue and carefully note it down and add it to the list. I am sure that these people are going to continue collecting the jargons even in future. Just imagine one of the students sitting in an important meeting and here comes a jargon by the chairman. Leaving every other work the gr8 student of our batch notes down the jargon carefully and then continues with the meeting.




The Jargon Queen

Royston


always

wants


to be


the


first


person


to


hear


the


jargons


The Jargon King



The 3rd year ended and we all now moved to the final year. And rite from the beginning everyone got into thinking abt the projects. Quiet a long time was just spent on discussing abt the project. College authorities gave some deadlines to submit the names of project. As always we never completed our work in time and deadline was extended. Later we had a couple of presentations to make and bla bla bla.

This time we had Colosseum again. Technical fest went for 2 days. Later we also had cultural fest. And yes the dance competition this time was really awesome. People prepared with lotz of efforts. But later found out that on the day of competition they had to go for placements
But they returned b4 the competition ended. The only problem was that they didn’t have costumes. There were a few arguments among the team members about shud they perform or not and at last they decided to perform. That’s when I saw how helpful ppl were everyone was ready to help in some or other way. People went and borrowed everything from other contenders. Infact one of the dupattas was borrowed from one of the teachers But finally against all odds they performed and the performance was too good. We won and everyone from the class was really happy.


One good thing that happened because of colosseum was that we could play counterstrike.
All our pracs were now called as CS pracs. And full two hours of masti in the lab. These were the pracs for which students never bunked. Infact even if the concerned prof was not present, student’s wud make sure that they attend the pracs. Not only that there were many ST students who started attending NN pracs.

In the last year we had two picnics where
many of the students turned up. The matheran one were “THE LOIS” became famous. And the mahabaleshwar one which made Jenifas “BBBBUUUUUUAAAAA” famous. Both the experiences are something we will never forget. Hey the songs made on the way back was also something really creative. And not to forget those jargons again “pre cheers”, “if I was a bachelor’s son ……… ”

The last year was fun and we made it more and more memorable. Every moment that we spent in the college was special.


Fallowing the mahabeleshwar picnic we were asked to finish wid the project work along with the documentation. Again a deadline was set and again we fallowed the trend. We did not complete it in the time. Finally after all the fuss abt the project we managed to complete it. And it was finally over. People were all relieved. But soon came the vivas.

Everyone was worried about all the 4 subjects. With DC viva schedules as the 1st students were now busy studying. We came across some really gr8 talents of ppl like saurin who made subjects really easy and interesting. So we managed somehow finishing with vivas. And the farewell that was given to us was also on the day of our viva itself.



Farewell was not bad at all.
We enjoyed it to a gr8 extent. We could see some strange things happening in farewell. The tension dance (dance by Mr. Joseph ) was something that stunned many of us. It really appeared that all the tension was moving out of his body. The most memorable event of the farewell was the award ceremony where in student of BE comps were given special awards. There were many categories covering various talents of the students.

The ceremony was hosted by Reef who made it very interesting.

One bad habit that I have developed is that whenever some one asks me a question which starts with a WHY I end up answering “WHY NOT”. This habit of mine has such an impact that in one of the interviews I actually answered “WHY NOT” and in another I was very tempted to use it but managed to control myself some how.

With the end of the engineering everyone is heading to different paths. Some going for higher studies, some doing job, many of us still waiting for joining dates, and some looking for jobs. These 4 years have ended. But the friendship is something which would remain always forever and ever and ever…

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

So that was it .. everyone goes their own way ..

But before that, We decided to go for our own little trip to a land Far,Far away .. The place was called Arnala ...

It was so pretty the whole way that i realized how much i miss the lush greens n earthy houses of my native land :)

Anand Resort was checked out first but rejected soon because some people with an affinity for Public Loos did'nt find the place good enough then finally lodged in a hotel .. named Green Paradise resort! ..okay No paradise but green it was!

The room provided us with some wet beds dumped on top of each other with NO MIRROR ..the girls would have gone into SHOCK ..but i came to the rescue with my shining MIRROR! (Big grin).
But we made the best of it .. (by staying away from the room as much as possible .. unless absolutely necessary!!!)

I realized people were REALLY hungry when i saw them feeding themselves the upma and poha.Upma was utterly clumpy but the i liked the poha(maybe due to the generous presence of potatoes) .

Then it was time to hit the pool .. God bless sandy for being "Oh so careful" and getting an extra bunch of clothing .. giving me an opportunity to take a dip :D
where Srividya had clearly mastered the art of floating in water !!! Everyone of us tried n tried n tried and only sandy succeeded later while Joan just sat pretty n entertained us with her dance routines.

The water got to us after a while and after changing ..we set off for another adventure ..Explored a well ..................BY ENTERING IT! i thought that was Pretty cool! .. it was hilarious when Sri got a call in the well and everyone around went .." I' m Well " while Reef gave some good advice of the form : 'If ur scared , just look down' .

Lunch was had by all hence and this time no one complained except for the hard work that went into finding 'soft puris' .

It was followed by a round of dumb charades; was intended to shake off the lethargia but what really woke us up was the chai and golas later ..Umm .. Anurag won the Gola eating Marathon after eating 7 closely followed by saagar at 6.

As the evening set in .. We began walking toward Arnala Beach ..
There was a good attempt at the Baywatch routine ...................by the GUYS!!!!!!!!
after which everyone got emotional and took snaps with their near and dear ones ..Awww!

So that was it .. everyone goes their own way ..
but ways can always meet ..
paths can surely cross and
BE Comps shall be together again ..
i can feel it in the air ..
can hear 'Tireeeeeeeeed' being echoed still .. .. .. .. .. Can you? ;)

Friday, June 15, 2007

Lonavala trip

May 26, 2007, the day we had the MMS exam. The build up to this exam was a harrowing experience. First of all we had to endure the terrible heat and humidity of our tropical 'paradise'. Then there were rumours that the exam would be postponed due to Western Railways' ill timed mega block. Nothing of that sort happened and everyone had to make arrangements to somehow get to college or face the prospect of being bound to engineering (and DBIT) for another 6 months.

Anyway the exam turned out better than expected and aptly called a 'bally' paper by Saurin. After the exam a larger number of us went to Pop Tates to gorge down on pizza and some 'fluids'. It was there that someone made the wild suggestion of going to lonavala. The idea was intriguing but all of us jumped on it and calculations were made on the number of bikes needed. The Lois of all people decided to continue his journey on the 'wrong' path and came along with us.

The rendezvous point was Ville Parle and after a few tussles with Bhavesh, I had to temporarily settle with sitting on Jethva's bike. I never prayed so hard even before the MMS paper. Luckily he couldn't take my weight and Saurin sat with him rest of the journey. The ride to lonavala was loads of fun at high speeds on empty roads. The only delay was due to a dhaba taking an hour to make the tiniest sandwich for Bhavesh. The cool air on the ghats was so pleasant.

On reaching there, accommodation seemed to be a problem. Cops were telling us to get off the streets. Suddenly out of the darkness comes a creature with vile breath analogous to some cheap liquor who saves our hides from the mosquitoes. The beast's name was Murli. He took us to a cottage with really big rooms. He uttered some of his infamous phrases:

"I'm very famous here, but spread my name"
"I'm a big man, but I live a simple life"
"This scooter 3 days, tomorrow I ride Splendor"

After laughing away for hours at Murli's ballies, we got a good night's sleep. All of us dozed off into the night tired from travelling and sleepless nights prior to the MMS exam. The next morning we went to Tiger's Leap point or something on those lines. Found Nipple Mountain #2. Took some photos there and ate something for breakfast.

Finally we set off for home. The ride back was fun with Henry and Bhavesh meeting with an accident as well as going far ahead on the wrong road at 100kmph. The curse of Bhavi Jones is real I guess with all riders with whom he sat with getting lost at some point. The trip was one to remember especially since we went during the exams and all of us agreed just on a whim. It would only happen in our class. Pre Cheers!

Arnala Experience(in peom)


Arnala,trip I'll never forget
Enjoy the Freedom was only target
Made sure that no one gets Late
But some people(Bhavesh) had to hesitate

Even though Some people(Shaazia) took another line
Even though some people came from another line
And even Some people(Bhavesh) came early and didn't get fine
Everyone reached Virar on time.

We reached Anand resort,Fun Destination
But it didn't came in our Expectation
We searched for other Destination
Finally 'Green Paradise' came to our Expectation

We got the rooms and Breakfast
Everyone then changed cloths very fast
No one wanted to enter pool last
But some people(Clayton Reef Bhavesh) did jumped last

Girls had a separate pool
Every girl entered it, that was cool
But some people(Shukla) sat outside like fool
But we thank god that he didn't entered pool

In the pool, Fun was experienced by one and every
In the End, we played water Rugby
In the lunch, we had food not so Tasty
We ate it as we were damn hungry

After lunch, we had real fun
In dumbsheddas*, new movies were learned
Also jargons were coming in Tonnes
Place was explored by each and everyone

everyone ate gola several Times
To eat gola on swing and slide, there was a line
In the end, we thought its the Time
We started our way to beach with Sad Times

At the beach, Site was Nice
Taking photographs, move was right
BAY WATCH move didn't fit in Size
We had to leave as sunset was in sight

At last journey came to an end
Everyone were Happy for a moment
But then became emotional for missing friends
But i assure you that this MASTI will continue till 'the World Ends'

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

DBITians Anthem!!!!!



On a long and lonesome road, west of kurla,
You can see the watchmen running behind guys who try to bunk,
You think about the mistake, you made by studying less.
But your thoughts will soon be wandering, the way they always do,
When you're attending full eight hours coz theres no way you can bunk,
You dont feel much like attending, and just wish the lecs were done.



Here I am - in FE
There I am - trying to reach SE
Here I go - clearing KTs
There I go - to SE




You open your lunchbox, in no time its over,
You look for other options, but there aren't any more.
So now is the time, to enter the great canteen.
So you walk into the canteen, far off from your class,
After looking at the menu, you just try anything new.
You pretend you're still OK, but your arse wants to explode.

To explode..



Here I am - in SE
There I am - trying to reach TE
Here I go - clearing KTs
There I go - to TE




Companies come for placements, and you don't know what to do.
Two years are already over, and your stuck at 52,
This is when u start thinking, how to reach 62.
Later in the evening, you lie awake in bed,
With the echoes of your parents' lectures, ringing in your head.
You smoke the days last cigarette, trying to forget what they said.

What they said...



Here I am - in TE
There I am - trying to reach BE
Here I go - clearing KTs
There I go - finally to BE




Then you start your outings, on every project day,
The idea of the project's not yet sinked into your head.
Then you start thinking of getting it readymade.
Later in sem eight, your project is not in shape,
The money you had spent on it, seems to be a waste.
Then you get all scared, and just take one from the net.

From the net...



Here I am - in BE
There I am - wanting to be free
Here I go - clearing KTs
Atlast I go - out of DBIT






Pre cheers for BE COMPS



Hip Hip Tireeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed!!!

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

The Cry of the Free

Ah, it feels good writing a free man, relieved to have done my time at DBIT correctional facility. So let me just recant the experiences of the 'full' class who made the most of the hours after the exam and on Monday 11th June.

It was a moment of great abatement, the minute the final bell went off on our DC exams and consequently on our lives as engineering students of MU. It just felt like a bolt of electricity hitting every cell in my body. The realisation that there'll be no more submissions, vivas and papers to appear for.

The gang assembled outside the college to light crackers. Following that a sizeable amount of us went to Fun Republic to watch Ocean's Thirteen. It must've been the hottest day in the year but we didn't care a bit. The movie was great and I managed to enjoy it from one of the better seats in the house, right at the back, albeit with Bhavesh (there's always a catch to all good things in life). Before going our separate ways, we decided to go for a picnic on Monday. It was planned a long time back, but some computer illiterate monkeys (Bhavesh) didn't make the most of Orkut's popularity in spreading news around.

Come Monday and we all met at Virar amidst all the chaos. Shaazia even made a trip to Churchgate before meeting with the rest of us. The best part of this was that people from the central side nether regions as well as some Navi Mumbai villagers showed up [you know who you are ;) ]. We didn't get Anand Resort as originally planned but found some neighbouring resort (Sandy's if i'm not mistaken) to suit our needs. Highlight of the morning was Bhavesh getting kicked in the hammock and then landing flat on his face when trying to get out. Breakfast was mediocre but not all bad. At least it didn't churn the acids of my stomach and unleash the bile like our college canteen food. Most of us then hit the pool. The water looked an ugly shade of blue and green mixed in unhealthy proportions but had to ignore all that just to cool off. After all, at some point in time we have all gone for a swim in the waters of Mumbai's beaches (buuaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh). The swim made for some good exercise especially after the torpor inducing exams that had plagued us. Water rugby was killer. 'The Lois' learnt full swimming and didn't seem to want to leave the pool after that. The women had their own bout of fun in the other pool it seemed. The great Shukla didn't enter the pool (Oh thank you Lord). Finally when all got out of the pool and washed off the chlorine, we went to the dining hall for lunch. Lunch wasn't bad. Chicken curry was good. Puris were rock solid though. Everyone seemed tired then and looked like a moment for siesta/susegad. Exploration was next on our agenda and some of our bold men and women decided to explore a well. Checked out few more places along the way. Never knew the girls of our class were tree lovers. Funny seeing them taking pictures besides the trees with ants falling all over them. Before leaving, people decided to get their inner child out and played on the swings and slides. Gola was gorged down and then we headed to the beach in all its black, oily and shitty splendour. A few photo sessions later, we set for the city (and villages).

The trip was loads of fun especially since it was planned quickly and so many people came. Just hope we can meet up again in future for more such trips.

This for the DBIT's Best Batch ever

DBIT had a worst,no BEST class ever,
BE comps 06-07 will be remembered forever

For all the pranks that were yield,
Yet we are best in studies and on field

There were days when bunking class & coll was a pain,
But when we came, bunking became sweet as sugarcane

'Tiiieeeerrrrd' is our Emblem,
yet after shouting, no one takes the blame

Everyday in class there is no good sight,
'Coz we are tiiiieeerrrd of the schedule plight

But during Vivas & Exams, sight is little odd,
Its like one god pouring light on other god

Profs will never forget the Great Men of Honour,
Who used to sit on last benches in corner

Krishva, Huge Boy, Reef, Amie on Beach, Mallu Cobra and list goes on,
But the spirit of our class will never be gone

But profs will also remember the Great Men of Scholars,
Milly, Oil, Crazy Frog, Ashok, Shirke as we call them as Front Rowers

Combination of above Men of Class,
Will never be seen other than Our Class

Gone were the days of our destruction,
Today there are days of Happiness and Placement Tension

Oh God the Great, the spirit of this class never die,
A simple prayer from your own guy.

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

And the sun rises

We reach mahabaleshwar early morning. Hotel Sapna was the name of the hotel if my memory serves me right. We fill in the register and everyone unpacks in their rooms. The toilets were good so I definitely wasn't complaining. It seemed that each room had a predefined task (yeah overdose of computer jargon). Our room was destined to be the party room. Saurin took out the hookah and with Ralston's expertise in the field, we were all puffing away at some strawberry flavoured smoke. Some newcomers to the world of smoke inhaling also tried it which was a real funny experience seeing them cough or complain that they inhaled smoke, but couldn't exhale any!!

A few hours later breakfast was served with some really milky coffee (too milky to even be called a latte). The overtly oily breakfast was good enough since we hadn't eaten anything since the previous night.

Following breakfast we decided to check out the hill station. Table mountain was the first place we attacked. Checked out this killer cave which was so damn cool, especially with the midday sun beating down on us. The others decided to entertain themselves by going paragliding, riding ponies and eating ice creams. It kinda bored me, but fun to just chill out with friends, most of whom never even come for trips with us.

We headed back to the hotel after that. People seemed a bit too tired to go on. Now unfortunately it turned out to be Holi that day in Mahabaleshwar. And a bunch of drunken retards were blocking the entry to the hotel. A bribe had to be paid to one of em fags so that we could get in without getting wet and splattered with chemicals. There were casualties however with Mr.Amy getting a dose of water and colour. He should have asked em for Bhang following that tragedy.

Lunch was mediocre and since i hate most veg food, I couldn't be bothered eating too much of it. Most of the people rested that afternoon.

In the evening, a few of us decided to go check out a guesthouse while the rest under Saurin's leadership, went trekking some other place. Both groups had loads of fun and we all met up late in the evening. On the way back, I had some killer strawberry milkshake and some strawberries with fresh cream. Good stuff!

Back to the hotel and it was party time. More on that in upcoming posts

Saturday, April 28, 2007

TouchDown! .....We Reach ! ! !

We set off again for the coveted destination ...

Songs were sung until throats ran out of voices,but shaazia was heard complaining that she was unable to lose her voice!!!! :P


The bus was pretty comfy(Take a bow!,Kotak) but WAS... after all ... a bus,rite...so was promising to be as suffocating as buses are expected to be ..coz u cant really move around without feeling nauseous ... The ones who DID had to pay dearly for it!!!

YESSS ...m talkin abt da HIGHLIGHT of the whooooole journey....

It seemed pretty tragic at the time ..

but that incident REALLY set the tone for the entire journey :O


When jenifa who got out of the bus to catch a breath of fresh air ,suddenly fell ,fainted and then vomited!!All gathered around her to offer her a lemon(supp 2 curb puking!),chocolates,biscuits or even just a comforting word ... Our efforts were not in vain ...as she was BACK IN FULL FORM after some rest... n gave us a GOAL to our otherwise meaningless travails :)


ONE common goal united us all ... BUWAHHHHH!!!

One common objective led us through ...(any similarity to LOTR is totally intended! :P )

The tireeeeeed souls ended up at a nondescript hotel at the corner of a quiet street ...all we needed now was a bed to doze off ...ZZZZZZZZ !

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Destination Mahabaleshwar!!!!!!!


"seven down one to go"


Yup, this is my last sem after which I will be a complete engineer. The past three n half years have been a roller coaster ride for me as well as my other classmates who would be passing out with me in a few months. Being an engineer would make me n my classmates feel good n satisfied, but at d back of our minds is d fear of being scattered all over d IT industry where we would again be called freshers n would join d race to be at d top at whatever we do.

Considering all this we decided that we would enjoy our last semester to its core best. So the sem started of with the technical n cultural festivals, along with the sports activities which added to our extended vacations and not to forget d Tie n Saree day. After all this some blessed person in class suggested we go for a trip outside Mumbai n like always Bhavesh said, "yes, the whole class will go". After a lot of yes n noz, it was decided to go to Mahabaleshwar on d 9th of this month for 3 days.

So we left on Thursday night so as to reach Mahabaleshwar early on Friday morning. The bus started off from Borivli n then picked up others from Parle, Sion n Chembur. By 10:30 all were in the bus n ready to rock. The backbenchers of d bus started off with what they do best .... sing .... n they were at their creative best. So d entire bus joined in the tunes of bambai se ayaa mera dost, she will be comin down d mountain, my ballies lies over d ocean .......... .Ya n not to forget by this time Marina was of to sleep ( wonder how people can sleep wid so much noise around them) .

In d words of Nitin, in d midnight at 12 O'clock d bus halted at Panvel for those who did not have their dinner. So everyone had a bite n we were on d road again