Once upon a time....

Wow! Things are going a little haywire for me these days. I am being this rebellious kid who does not want to do what she needs to do, but instead lives in the moment and follows her whim to guide her actions. Examples would be not being serious about making and marketing my resume like my other friends; not having the mood to finish up whatever task I took to hand; not finishing my grad school apps; not calling home regularly to keep in touch with family, etc etc....

So my apologies for not finishing the GRE post. I think I will not have the motivation to write it until and unless I make significant progress on my pending work.

I took my GREs two days back. I walked into the center at 3 pm even though my exam was scheduled for 4:30 pm. This would be the first time in my life that I was so early for a appointment. But anyhow, the exam center happened to have open computers and the proxies offered me the option of starting early. It would have been nice to get it over with early, but I still wanted to look over my word-list for one last time and maybe prep myself for issue writing task by reading one of those samples essays or a magazine article. So I sat there for another hour doing last-minute preparations. I wasn't nervous or anxious at that time; I was confident, but just needed some brushing up of my acquired knowledge.

So I finally closed my books at 4:00 pm and secured my stuff in a locker after eating two 'Tiger' glucose biscuits. The proxy was very affable and he quickly signed me in and gave me general instructions about the test. I walked into the room with sound-proof glass windows and sat down at the table pointed to me at by the proxy.

The first five minutes were all general instructions on how to use the mouse and scroll-bar and how to select the answers. Next was choosing any undergrad institutions that I wished to send my GRE scores to. That made no sense whatsoever to me! I thought GRE was for grad schools only, but whatever.... I rolled my eyes and moved on...

So I came to the essay writing part 15 mins after I had sat down at the computer. I took a long breath, released it and clicked the 'Proceed' button. The essay I chose to write about was: "People who are most committed to a policy or an idea are usually the ones most critical of it'" I refuted the statement and finished writing and proof-reading the essay just in time. *phew*

Oh time for class now... will blog later if I find time!

Threats to music sharing... An email I received earlier this month from my university read:

The Recording Industry Association of America (the “RIAA”) continues its efforts to curtail unlawful peer-to-peer file sharing of music over the Internet. Earlier this year, approximately 16 students were contacted by the RIAA and requested to resolve claims of copyright violations through out-of-court settlements. According to the RIAA, the vast majority agreed to settle. Based on information received from those individuals who agreed to settle, the average settlement amount has been approximately $3,000.

Using its own process of monitoring peer-to-peer traffic, the RIAA identified IP addresses for members of the University student body alleged to have violated copyright laws. The RIAA then notifies the University that it intends to issue pre-litigation settlement letters for these students, outlining the details of the settlement process and threatening to initiate legal proceedings against these students, should they elect not to participate in the settlement process. Upon receiving such settlement letters, the University promptly takes steps to identify and notify the students at issue. The University does not share information about the identities of individuals with the RIAA unless required to do so by law (e.g., in response to a lawful subpoena).

One day and 16 hours remaining to the start of exam...

One day and 21 hours remaining to the celebrations afterwards...

I have got a lot of things on my schedule for tomorrow - incl. moving back to the dorm, exam review, getting directions and general prepping for the exam - Just wish me luck: I will need all that I can get!

With due credit to.... http://asma.eomag.com/category/lifes-funny/ whom I stumbled upon for some GRE entertainment :P

A NORMAL PERSON : People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.
GRE STUDENT : Individuals who make their abodes in vitreous edifices would be advised to refrain from catapulting perilous projectiles.

*******************************************************
NORMAL PERSON : Twinkle, twinkle, little star
GRE STUDENT : Scintillate, scintillate, asteroid minim.

*******************************************************
NORMAL PERSON : All that glitters is not gold.
GRE STUDENT: All articles that coruscate with resplendence are not truly auriferous.

*******************************************************
NORMAL PERSON : Beggars are not choosers
GRE STUDENT : Sorting on the part of mendicants must be interdicted.

*******************************************************
NORMAL PERSON : Dead men tell no tales
GRE STUDENT : Male cadavers are incapable of rendering any testimony.

*******************************************************
NORMAL PERSON : Beginner’s luck
GRE STUDENT : Neophyte’s serendipity.

*******************************************************
NORMAL PERSON : A rolling stone gathers no moss
GRE STUDENT : A revolving lithic conglomerate accumulates no congeries of small, green, biophytic plant.

*******************************************************
NORMAL PERSON : Birds of a feather flock together
GRE STUDENT: Members of an avian species of identical plumage tend to congregate.

*******************************************************
NORMAL PERSON : Beauty is only skin deep
GRE STUDENT : Pulchritude possesses solely cutaneous profundity.

*******************************************************
NORMAL PERSON : Cleanliness is godliness
GRE STUDENT : Freedom from incrustations of grime is contiguous to rectitude.

*******************************************************
NORMAL PERSON : There’s no use crying over spilt milk
GRE STUDENT : It is fruitless to become lachrymose of precipitately departed lactile fluid.

*******************************************************
NORMAL PERSON : You can’t try to teach an old dog new tricks
GRE STUDENT : It is fruitless to attempt to indoctrinate a superannuated canine with innovative maneuvers.

*******************************************************
NORMAL PERSON : Look before you leap
GRE STUDENT : Surveillance should precede saltation.

*******************************************************
NORMAL PERSON : He who laughs last, laughs best
GRE STUDENT : The person presenting the ultimate cachinnation possesses thereby the optimal cachinnation.

*******************************************************
NORMAL PERSON : All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
GRE STUDENT : Exclusive dedication to necessitous chores without interludes of hedonistic diversion renders Jack a hebetudinous fellow.

*******************************************************
NORMAL PERSON : Where there’s smoke, there’s fire!
GRE STUDENT : Where there are visible vapours having their provenance in ignited carbonaceous materials, there is conflagration.

My co-op assignment culminated last friday and I finally bid adios to all my co-workers and the cat-house for good. I was in a state of baffled ambivalence- torn between the grief of not seeing those friendly co-workers regularly and the excitement of finally graduating and entering into a new phase of life. I was amazed at the comments and compliments I received over my last week of work; I could not bring myself to believe that my colleagues had actually confessed to me that they found me so transparently pristine and morally strong! On a funny note though, one Mr. Patel who happens to be from the same district in Gujarat as me sent me the following email:

"You are a good girl, so here are some tips that may help you for your bright future.

1.Work hard.
2.Be honest.
3.Learn new things.
4.Take more responsibility.
5.Never get married until you are 100 % sure with your partner. Trust your partner.
6.Manage/control your weight.
7.Nothing is too late to do something new in the life. Never say “It is too late”.
8.Think everyday is new day of the life. Keep your mind fresh.
9.Never say “I am old now”. Be active. Be open minded, and talk with others.
10.Have a good night sleep. Never sleep with sleep with family issue. Trust god.

I wish you all the best for your school and bright future.
God bless you…."

I did not know how to react to this one either - laugh it off because I already knew all the above, or respect the advice because it was given by an elderly person. My ultimate reaction was an amalgamation of these two ambivalent feelings.

Anyway, work is done, and so is everything else except for some formalities for the 'co-op of the year' award that my supervisor nominated me for. Ok well, back to GRE marathons for now; I will get the paperwork done later.

Never did I imagine even in my wildest dreams that I would be inundated by such self-created eccentricities and outlandish incidents! These past few weeks have seen me go from morose in worries to exhilarated in ebullience, and from debilitating in mettle to glowing with ambitions. It has been a roller-coaster ride that I have thoroughly lived and remembered. Despite of everything, I feel bubblier; more effervescent than ever and satiated with optimism! And as you can tell, the GRE study is on, albeit not as efficiently as I would like it to be, but also not bad enough for anyone to disparage.

And lastly, I am beaming with joy for coercing myself into watching 'Chak De India'! I loved the fact that YRF were thoughtful enough to represent the eastern states of Mizoram and Manipur. No wonder the populace of those states have lacked patriotism so far! We have ostracized them for being Chinese or Nepalis indeed!! And SRK has perfected the role of 'the' coach - he is middle-aged, charismatic and diligent- qualities felicitous for an experienced captain who was extradited for seven years! Despite of all the current ardor surrounding the film, I wonder if it will have any impact beyond an ephemeral celebration as witnessed by other reformatory films such as Rang De Basanti and Lage Raho Munnabhai?

I finally registered to take the GRE on 24th of Sept, right before school starts! Wish me luck and let me know if you have any suitable practice tests.