Ok, so since my last post, a lot has happened. 5th sem passed by quite eventfully. After my trip to Mumbai and Pune, during the summer holidays, it was back to college, and how!
Welcoming the new batch, followed by their induction into various college societies was both interesting to see and a tad nostalgic as well, bringing back memories of our first year. I also spent most of my time juggling the various societies with which I found myself affiliated to.
The rush of Wednesday, 3:30pm is one that's going to remain fresh in my mind for a long time to come.
Apart from Preview, the documentary and movie screening society which me and my home-boys (Vabby and Row-hill ;) ) started, there were the weekly sessions of the NSIT-QC and the sporadic but significant amount of work in the PlaceCom.
It was both exciting and unsettling to see the future careers of so many people being decided right in front of us, and many times it made us aware of our responsibility in placing the batch. But it is a long drawn affair, and the duration of our placements period is enough to make one feel frustrated with the efforts needed to be put to make it successful. And yes, I must add it is a pretty thankless job.
IEEE-NSIT also saw its share of students registering with it. A number of events were organized in this semester, the credit for most of which goes to Siddi Jai Prakash for doing a splendid job as its Chairman, and also keeping everyone else on their toes, and in turn keeping the huge IEEE body moving in the forward direction.
Much of the fifth sem went contrary to what I had planned to achieve out of it. I saw myself involved in so much more than what I wanted to take up. The responsibilities never stopped coming. I ended up achieving more in some ways, but lesser in others. My academics remained stagnant. 4th Sem results came out, bringing none too great news for me. 5th Sem exams also didn't go as great as I would have liked. The honour of being taught by Prof. Raj Senani and the dedication with which I attended classes was not matched by my performance in the semester exams, and I felt bitterly disappointed at losing my last opportunity to redeem myself to some extent prior to placements. It was not to be. But hey, life goes on. The mind can find ways of rationalizing practically anything, and over time, I have also rationalized my setbacks in my mind.
Quizzing has given me a lot. I feel enriched by it, but have also had to face many pitfalls and tough times due to it. The non-qualifications at IIT-D were painful, but the win at Panache '09 at DCE, in addition to the victories in various other DU quizzes made it worth my while. NTPC Electron '09 continued to see NSIT do well, though it was a matter of so close, yet so far at the end. Losing in controversial circumstances is always tough, especially in big quizzes. Yet, NTPC Electron was one of the more fond moments of quzzing that I have accumulated over time. I won the online quiz at BITS-Goa, but still wait for prizes from them. Same goes for Panache. I was also announced as winner of the IIM-Cal online quiz just a few hours ago. Thanks to IIM-Cal in being generous in the amount of money on offer, and I eagerly await to get my prize. :-)
Here is a concise list of all that I've been watching and reading in this past sem:
1. The Books that I've read:
2 States: Cute and entertaining. Love the humor poked at Punjabi's. Highly readable.
Zero Percentile - Missed IIT, Kissed Russia - Another IIT-novel, not! Though the premise of having young, inexperienced amateur authors writing loosely autobiographical works isn't original, the story and the perspective that the author offered was new. Written in as simple a style as Chetan Bhagat, if not more, but still a fairly good read.
2. Movies that I absolutely recommend you NOT see:
Dil Bole Hadippa! (over the top, arbit, songs so bad they're the only source of entertainment! )
Morning Walk (a sensitive topic dealt in a horribly mish-mashed and screwed up sort of way)
American Pie: The Book of Love (If the entire series is like this, i don't understand it ... never found watching certain 'things' in a movie so turning off)
Nine and Half Weeks (disturbing, though mickey rourke and kim basinger make for good eye candy together)
Van Wilder - Freshman Year (so gross and repulsive in parts, you have to see it to realize the sheer pits of crap they've shown, but apart from them, its ok :P )
3. Movies that I would recommend -
21 (Man, the entire movie is so smooth! Never a dull moment, fundoo movie, totally watchable)
The Great Debaters (Fabulous movie, highly inspiring and it really moves you.)
Some Like It Hot (My first Marilyn Monroe movie, it's highly funny, entertaining and enjoyable)
The Departed (yeah, i know, too late i have been to catch it. But yeah, its pretty kick-ass! Jaw-dropping end)
Reservoir Dogs (Another cult movie I somehow missed till now, loved the attention to detail. Its pretty awesome)
Andaz Apna Apna (No, its not like I haven't seen it earlier, but watching it again brought back so many great memories! Funny through and through... it's a must re-watch! :-) )
4. TV Shows that I have been watching AND would recommend:
Dexter: An awesome TV Show, with its gripping storyline, excessive blood and gore and interesting dialogues. It makes for great viewing, and is perhaps the only TV Show I can boast of having watched straight from season 1 through season 4. Still watching season 4, which looks good from what i have seen. Surya is pressuring me to finish it soon before he blurts out the ending to me, but i'm still taking my time. :-)
Big Bang Theory: I am always a bit wary when it comes to hopping onto the Sit-coms band wagon, especially when you see so many around you raving about it. But BBT has stood its ground and has been a good source of entertainment for me in the winter holidays, along with Dexter.
House: Medical drama, interesting use of gut and instinct which Dr. House puts to use. Though after the first few episodes, the trend seemed a little monotonous and I shifted to other things.
My sister's return from Amreeka along with a trip to Bangkok and Pattaya for New Years with family, added to a fine end to another year.
Well, that is all I can think of right now, but will keep posting with a little more regularity I hope! As per existing plans, Enigmata as part of Innovision, shall keep me busy in January, followed by Mid-sems in February, Moksha in March and End-sems in May. April will in all probability go in keeping up with classes and thinking about "optimum utilisation" of time, but let me try and prove myself wrong. :-)
Cheers!
