Thnks for the Mmrs

In the past two days, I have seen so many photos of people walking the stage wearing black graduation robes, that I stopped wearing black myself.

Just kidding.

Despite the fact that I am happy here, all these images do make me slightly sad that I did not get to walk the stage and “officially” graduate, so to speak.

My senior year in undergraduate (or final year B.E , for Indian folks) was a slightly dramatic year. It included stressful mornings and tearful nights. It came to the point where I felt that my undergrad was a book which had been read once, never to be opened again.

That is not how I want to live my life, though. I did have some brilliant memories, shaded by bittersweet emotions when I see them now. I thought I would go on a small walk down memory lane, with eight somewhat significant incidents, for eight semesters of my life!

  §  The time where I experimented with embedded systems

This was during the end of my first semester. IIT Bombay had a workshop going on, and Savio convinced me that I should join him and his friend to make an r-Hex robot. It was a new experience for me, and I still remember leaving the house at six am so I could go meet them and travel to the University together.

Side note: This is also one of my most favorite pictures with Savio. Much innocent, such cuteness.

  §  The time where I just let loose

I do not remember what course this was for, but I remember we had to give a presentation. This was the first time I had to wear formal clothes to college, and my friends and I were in the phase of “DOCUMENTING EVERYTHING”. I took that as an excuse to climb on the bench and start dancing to music, because *inspired look* every moment is a moment for dancing.

  §  The time where I went to Bandstand

Everyone in Mumbai knows Bandstand as that place where all college students go, where all budding couples make out secretly under dupattas, and where photos need to be taken.

My friend Chirag had come back to Mumbai after three years. It made a perfect occasion to go to Bandstand with drizzling rain washing out the streets beautifully. This was also an excuse to take clichéd photos of our feet which was actually my cover photo on Facebook for quite a while. (I regret everything)

  §   The time where I traveled without my parents

The term IV makes every college student ever burst into laughter. It is never an actual industrial visit, but just the guise of one to go travel to different cities. Somehow, I had convinced my parents to let me go to Goa with my college friends.

It was a whole night’s journey, with a bonus running montage towards the train we needed to catch. 

The train stopped for a bit around sunrise, and I was able to take this beautiful picture.

  §  The time I started my own tradition

23 April is not significant to many people (unless it’s your birthday, in which case, Happy Birthday). However, to Whovians, the 23^rd of April is the Silence Day or Tally Mark Day. I still remember the first time in 2013, where I drew about fifteen tally marks on both of my hands and wore a jacket so my parents would not ask me why I was leaving with Sharpie marks on my arms.

I have always gone to a coffee shop on this day, baring the tally marks, doing my own thing, trying to find other crazy people. 

  §  The time I wore a sari in the rains (not like in Bollywood)

Ah, the last year of college. Where everyone get suddenly nostalgic, every month is the “last month you will ever spend at *insert college name here*”, and all the events suddenly become mandatory.

I decided to participate in this particular human tradition of nostalgia and decided to wear a sari for sari day. And attend lectures. After the bottom of my sari got wet due to the ankle length water level outside my building. After my heels broke because of the water (WHY DID I WEAR HEELS WHEN RAIN). Despite all that, I think I look cute.

  §  The time I went to prom

My college always had Prom and DJ night during the same evening, where couples danced during prom night, then the masses gathered in to dance to crazy beats. I always attended the latter, but never the former. This time though, I went as a rite of passage and I took one of my favorite guys with me.

  §  The time I got an admit to University

I still remember that night. I had taken a break from studying for my last final. I was eating dinner with my parents and going through my phone when I got a notification saying I had a new email message. I opened it, and this was the sight that faced me.

I remember ugly crying, hugging my parents, trying to reach my sister so I could tell her I was going to the States along with her, getting ready for the next part of my life.

Other momentary occasions with no images:

  §  The time I completed a robotics certification for a KUKA Hexapod Robot but never received the actual certificate

  §  The time I received government funding for my final year project

  §  So much binge watching

  §  All the sleepovers

Tl;dr: 2011 to 2015 was not that bad as I make it out to be to myself. With so much photographic evidence, I can now prove myself wrong.

Leaving you with this song, because the song is catchy, and also this article is a 1000 word version of the chorus.

What's in a name?

Well, everything, if you cannot even remember it!

In the last six months, I have met about ten different people every week. You may say, it is a new place with new situations. You may say, the other people are the same way and you can just reintroduce yourself. But, when you forget a person’s name literally ten seconds after they introduce themselves to you? Not cool at all.

My sister and I were visiting extended family last week. I had been to their place before and so was familiar with them to a certain extent. She asked me about them, and I said something along the lines of,

              These are the people who I know. Their son’s name is ABC, their other son’s name is XYZ and the first one has two kids, whose ages… um, I can’t remember. Their names? Nope. The wife? Nada.

Well, my sister just shook her head at me because she’s used to my antics. In real life? I do not think people would humor me as much.

Similarly, I had met a guy who was in the same class as me. We had conversed multiple times and in one of those conversations, he offered to exchange numbers. As you would know it, I had no idea what his name was. I tried to be all smooth and gave him my phone to enter in his details. He was too smart, though and called me out.

The funny part is, I had someone to do the same to me as well. He handed me his phone and said, “Oh, I need your full name for my phone.” I called him out as well, at which point he just gave a sheepish smile.

Note to self: I really need to try and pay more attention to my surroundings so I don’t mess up with people I would like to befriend.

The sad part? This doesn’t stop here.

You know that thing on the tip of your tongue? You know the exact concept, you can even describe it to a person, but getting that exact word? Good luck!

I go through this a lot to the point where people wonder if I lost my marbles along with my words. Select friends of mine have gotten used to completing my sentences since I will and shall spend ten minutes trying to think of that exact word and going through multiple sites to get the same.

It is frankly frustrating, and one of the things I hate about myself. I think it is partly because I do not use those words as often as I do simpler ones. However, when I cannot remember words as simple as vivacious, or worse, commit one of the great grammar sins like affect instead of effect, I want to put myself in a corner and wear the cone of shame.

I am hoping that this really does not trip me up somewhere important as opposed to a random conversation about something with friends.

Do you guys have any forgetfulness problems? Do they happen right around exams? Let me know!

Leaving you with this song since I think this is how the names and words evade me:

 Hello? Is it me you're looking for? 

Just … being happy

Wide awake with arms wide open

Catch your breath, walk this way

No regrets on New Year's Day

Obligatory end of year post!

A few highlights of the year:

1.   I got to go for an Ed Sheeran concert!
2.   I got government funding for my undergrad project!
3.   I got into University!
4.   I moved out of my parents’ place for the first time in my life.
5.   I read 38 books in 2015, altogether.

(Yes, I count that many books as an accomplishment and wish I could have made it an even fifty, or at least forty.)

I realize that 2015 is the only year where I have officially lived in two different countries. Even if/when I go back home to Mumbai, it would be on vacation so to speak. I am surprisingly okay with that (says the person who would be bawling her eyes out while leaving).

Moving to a Different Phase

Somehow, moving out from your parents’ and into your own apartment is a seamless transition. That is, if you do not count the parts where you complain about the conversion rates, have to find new friends, buy almost everything except the sink to furnish your new apartment and so on.

That was only the first month. After that, it was mostly me and my laptop at the library. We have a wonderful relationship where I spend twenty hours a day with it and drop it on the floor when I am really sleepy.

I also discovered a new love – baking. I am hoping to expand into savory stuff as opposed to just baking muffins because I cannot eat them all!

Friendship

This was also the time where some friends lasted the distance, while some just could not. I have made my peace with it. Either the time zones were hard, or I was too difficult to hold onto. With online friends (you know who you are), the situation was exactly the same with just my time being earlier than them instead of later than them.

Making new friends is usually not hard for me. However, there is a difference between making friends for the time you are there and making friends that last you a lifetime. With respect to the latter, I think I can count the number of friends on one hand, maybe two. With time, I guess I may or may not find more.

Music

If you see me in the library with my earphones in, I am most probably listening to an 8tracks playlist or a variety of chosen music on Spotify (Do I get paid for advertising them?:P)

Somehow, I got closer to music when I got here because that is the one connection that will always stay with me. Certain artists that remind me of a person, certain songs that reminds me of simpler times, or just making new memories.

One thing that frustrates me is that I could not attend certain concerts because lack of time. I went from ‘no one I like comes to Mumbai’ to ‘I have an exam the next day but FALL OUT BOY’. Instead, I visited a dueling pianos bar about two days back which I absolutely adored because live music and sing-shouting lyrics at the top of your voice is the next best thing.

Shows

If anyone knows me from earlier this year, they know that I am/was crazy about shows to the point that I binge-watched three season in a week, or followed about fifteen shows every week. All of that came to a pause after I got here. Mostly because the only free time I have, I spend in sleeping. Not counting Jessica Jones because holiday time. Also, that show deserves to be binge-watched.

Writing

Writing has been such an integral part of my life for the past four years that I almost felt like I was cheating on it when I stopped writing due to lack of time. Despite feeling this way, I have written fifteen articles/poems which I have posted on this blog in 2015. I am hoping to be more frequent than once a month on the blog this year.

Compared to me last year, I am definitely different. My priorities, to some extent, have also changed. I think this is a good thing, though. This could be the start of something new (Quoting Disney, as usual, I am sorry).

I am not going to do the resolutions thing because, well, it is the first day of the year and I already want to go back to sleep.

Instead, I will put up a list of what I am looking forward to doing this year:

• Making more friends
• Concentrating on my research
• Playing racquetball
• Opening up to new experiences and opinions
• Writing more. Definitely.
• Just … being happy

Leaving you with a song I love which is also thematic for this article: