Random Rambling!

Do read the follwoing ONLY if you are extremely bored!

You were warned!

Life does not give you everything you wish for,does it?Well if it did you wouldn't exactly understand why you deserve it right?The past few months have been completely memorable experiences.Memorable good?Memorable bad?

Memorable and unforgettable!

You always get what you deserve!Taught by religion and elders to comfort us in times of distress.Ever wondered why didnt get more?All the time right?Ever wondered why you didnt deserve more?Maybe throwing some light on that will help.

I've always been a strong believer of karma:What goes around,comes around.Saddest part is we dont always remember what went around but when it comes around we're all up and ready to cry and feel down.

Anyway, it doesn't seem fair if we don't get something we deserve.What if you deserved it,got it and then it was snatched right off your hands because the price to pay to hold on to it was too much to handle?Now that is NOT fair!

Anyway,the semester has started,course work is getting to my head already along with other stuff in the back of my head that keeps nagging me.Adios!

Gayathri.

A plan made is a plan followed : For 21 years! :)..

Hello blogosphere! Its " that " time of the year when I give myself license to go a little crazy :) Yes!The year end holidays are HERE! So as we make all these grand holiday plans and getting excited here I am thinking of totally random things!Without fail,every single year my birthday has managed to excite me.Right from starting to clapping aloud every time a mere mention of it is made to jumping about in excitement it has been awesome!Agreed,there were a few setbacks this year!But despite that there are things I am totally looking forward to too.

Okay,that said let's go down the "Timeline" for a bit now :D.So being called "princess" by a few was not enough as my dad did feel a "princess" like treatment was the only thing fit enough for his daughter.Lo!The first birthday was celebrated at Taj!(Ofcourse I didnt know that I was the centre of attention then or I wouldnt have cried when I saw the knife and got scared of it!And the cameras HAD to capture that!)Well!yeah so that done,it was a lil downhill for some years from then as I saw my sister getting cakes in the shape of ships,trains etc as I had to settle for a BlackForest cake from Spencers(Standard round and guaranteed to make me feel nauseated later!).That said the last few birthdays have been awesome as this time not only the relative group but the friends group too chipped in catering to every one of my whims and fancies :)

The 18 was welcomed with much pomp as the family took "care" of cakes,gifts and entertainment,Then came 19 with the wishes of everyone and my first "official" birthday treat!And then came along the best-est birthday of all!The 20!My official exit from the teens was one which I would never forget! :)Friends! 2 gatheries and loads of "happie bday to me"s

Then came 21.The whole family was there !(Well they were there for my grandpa's 81st bday but forget that I told you that! :P ) The day was picture perfect!

Finally,I stepped into 22.And what a ride it was!A great personal loss and all that!So the spoilt brat this year went into the hibernation mode and out came the "I dont expect anything this year lest I get disappointed Gayathri".

And she was proved wrong ! :D For the wonderful ppl around me threw buckets and buckets of water on the hibernating creature and woke her up with a hugggggggeeeee BANGGGGGG!!!!!

Updates:

So I kept running around from one house to another and finally settled down at one.The door was burst open and in came the gang with an OREO cake singing happy birthday!! :)

So that was pre-birthday for you.Along in 4 days came the Real one!Again the well behaved one came out but was driven back again!

All the super-awesome friends calling twice:once on their timezone and once on mine made the day.And to top it all (the cherry on top of the superawesome sunday that is my birthday :D.... Thanks Barney :D) there was this awesome surprise bday cake cut at midnight and a shower of gifts from the kin.(PS-Harish,Priya and the Chennai group : You all rock)

PS - Well,I just wish I was reborn everyday just so that this happens over and over again . If only there is a tooth fairy around *Sigh*.I wish ,if only..........But wait I already have like 25 tooth fairies(or should I say tooth friends and family :D) don't I? :D

Until the next one,

Gaya. :)

A promise made.

We all make promises and resolutions and that too with new year right around the corner I'm imagining all of you might be scampering around trying to figure out your goof-up list of the previous year and prepare a goody-goody list for the coming year.Yeah?Well if you are religiously able to stick to a resolution you made for more than May then you have my salute.I bow to thee!

Unfortunately,me being one of the lesser mortals cannot stick to anything that I promised myself or others often.This post is about a promise I made to myself that so far I've been able to stick with and hope will do so forever.

Now thats a lot of build up I say.Dont you think so too?Of course you do.Because finally after all this hype that I create to make you read on further ,I give a very sappa climax.But my dear friends,wake up and smell the coffee.Life is all about mokka endings because at the end of the day you dont find Shah Rukh Khans and Kajols prancing on the street and falling in love with you on the first sight.All you find is a Kundalakesi,2nd std,Avvayaar Aaramba paada saalai stare at you on the bus until you feel so creeped out that you opt to walk the last kilometre.

Anyway,enough digressing now.(Well,I am to blame.I was just testing if my "fractured" funny bone was actually healing :P ) (Okay that was lame,I know.Remind me why you are reading my blog,again? )

So yeah,back to the resolutions and stuff.And ofcourse the promise.You make very few promises that you want to hold on to even if every single thing around you forces you to let go and still you don't.Test of character?More like test of the worth of the word that you have given yourself/to someone else.I am holding on to a few (Surprised?Even I am ! ).

There once was a guy who could make anyone laugh,be a shoulder to cry on,be a gentleman despite being extremely drunk and ofcourse protect me yet not so much that I feel stifled.He always had a ear when I ranted and that ear was reserved for me.A guy who could make my birthdays special.One that has seen me in my good times and bad times.One that could pick me up from the worst of falls yet pull me down from the creepiest of heights.We watched happy,sad and stupid movies together.I was habitually late:something that he always hated yet I am still late and he still complains.We have traditions.We have our idiosyncrasies.We get mad at each other.I scream.He listens patiently and calls me after I calm down.He knows when I am fake-mad and really mad.I just piss him off for the heck of it and he still takes it in his stride.The trips we had,the secrets we share:everything is so special.

I promised to myself he would always be a priority for me.The best-est and irreplaceable friend.

I might be 10000 miles away and not call you as much but to me Harish,you always come first.You were,you are and you will be my best-est buddy always.

PS-Gautham and Anu your posts are on the way :)

Until the next one,
Gaya. :)

Ambitions and destinations.

This post is a result of a sudden shock,a personal loss that left me speechless in the last couple of days.

Ever had a dream?One that you cherished for a little more than a decade ? Felt it was the right fit for you?and that it was yours and yours alone?

I did.All the above and when I actually achieved I was the proudest person at least for a few days until recently when one day I woke up and realized how insignificant it all seemed.

There once lived a man.A great and righteous one at that.He was a strict father,a considerate husband and a loving,loving grandfather who ran until the end of the passage only to see his granddaughter disappear as an escalator ascended slowly and rails blocked him from moving further.Little did the granddaughter know that it was the last time she would ever see him.Because if she did she would have never left.Or at least her last words to him would have not been "Ok let me get to the immigration before its too late.Bye!"

Guilt.A very strange feeling.Particularly when you start appreciating the fragility of life.You start blaming yourself for the very things that you took for granted.And strangely this happens right after the loss of a life.We all start thinking about what we could have done when indeed right after we're done grieving we get back to square one.This has become a vicious cycle of life.

Anyways,there are so many stories to tell and I wouldn't know where to begin or where to end but here is my wish list.

Thatha,

I wish I had deferred my admit just a year.

I wish you had come here this march.

I wish I talked to you more often on skype.

I wish I spent more time with you.

I wish we had watched more matches together.

I wish I never told you off for the millions of times when you saw a serial and scolded the characters through gritted teeth.

I wish I had visited more temples with you and learnt the names and stories behind everything.

I wish we had watched more movies together.

I wish I could still drive you to the bank.

I wish we could have had more Grand Sweets trips together and you bought me my favourite things.

I wish I was there to get the 100 rs from you this Diwali

I wish I was there for your Birthday this year.

I wish we could have gone to the beach more often.

I wish I didnt discourage you everytime you wanted to eat the tea-kadai vadai.

I wish I didnt tease you everytime you got scared for a little headache.

I wish we could have celebrated many more Indian world cup victories.

I wish we could have seen the UofA matches that we both were looking forward to.

I wish I could have seen your face beaming with pride when I graduate.

I wish I could get that Well done Gaalu! everytime I achieve something.

I wish I could hear more about how you passed your art exams or how you swam across rivers to reach schools!

I wish I could still feel those goosebumps when you described those Independence times stories to me.

I wish I could still hold your treasured signed Independence day declaration and hear you talk about that day!

I wish I could still sit on your lap , pluck at your hair and call you "Sanku!!"

I wish Thangaapandi saloon did not lose its most loyal customer.

I wish we had more "computer sessions"

I wish I had been more patient with you.

I wish I didnt have to look at your phone and realize that you'll never answer it.

I wish I heard your voice one last time.

Finally,I wish I was not here writing a blog post but there consoling paati.

I will miss you always.

My Ambitions seem nothing and Road to the Destination is faltering.I will however continue on holding strong just to make a grandfather who meant everything to me proud of me.

I know you're always near me ,watching over me and protecting me.

I will always look at the sky when a flight goes by ,believing that someday you'll be here watching a match with me ,cheering the Wildcats.

I'll always remember the last laugh we had thaatha.I wish I could associate you with it always instead of the phone call I got from mom telling that you are no more.

100 and still counting...

So it has been almost like an eternity since my last post which agreed was absolutely not the usual vetti talk.Pardon me for,this post is nowhere close to that too.So,U-S-A.My Dream of 10 years.Finally a reality.Rude shock?Definitely yes.

So,landing here on July 14th with all hopes and dreams and 2 lazy weeks spent in California was by far the best thing that had happened to me.What am I chasing after?Well,if I knew that I would tell you.

So until the funding was confirmed everything around me seemed in monochrome.Life became much brighter after the "financial aspect" was taken care of.

Things started getting downhill as pressure mounted.Life as I knew it seemed to have never existed.And even if it did it seemed to hover near the horizon.As I chased after it more and more it started moving away from me further and further.From a person trying to hold on to every piece of her past I have become someone struggling to hold on to atleast one distant faint memory of my motherland to keep me warm.Life as I knew it ceased to exist.

Still there is a trace of hope hovering somewhere between fading away and becoming stronger,waiting for my decision.Would I destroy it or keep going on?If I did trudge along what am I running after?Is it all worth it?

I just hope time can give me some answers.

100 days in the USA and still counting..

Until the next one,

Gaya :)

MS in US-Basics you need to know!

I obviously do not have like 10-15 years experience in this field but let me share with you stuff that I went through when I decided that this was for sure my line.

Okay the first thing to make sure is that you plan in advance.Let me chart out a lil' schedule.

Also please make sure you apply max for the Fall batch since a lot of schools dont offer many programs in Spring.

Ok the schedule.

Say suppose you are going to apply for the Fall 2013 batch.(The earlier you start the process and start making up your mind the better).

Please decide your specialization(Not ECE or EE ..Stuff like Networks,Databases etc) atleast by 2012 May.

If you require coaching make sure you take and complete the course by 2011 December.

If you are confident enough go ahead and take GRE by March 2012.(The scores are valid for 5 years!So dont worry) and no problem if you goof up! You have enough time to take it even twice.

Okay the next step.Prepare and take TOEFL(About a week should be more than enough if you speak good english).

[Clicking here takes you to an article I wrote about my TOEFL prep and test taking experience]

All that done make sure you are done with all this by July or at the most August.

Now begins the real process.Go through various university websites and check out their programs and which suits you.Read about the research of various professors and see who you'd like to work with.Allow yourself atleast 3-4 weeks for this(If you're in a hurry atleast 2 weeks).

In the meantime start writing your SOP(Statement of Purpose).It should through light on why you are applying for MS?Why this particular field?Why this university?How you got interested in it?What all have you done to prove your interest and passion for this?Other extra curriculars etc.Make atleast 5 or 6 drafts.Ask people around to read it to make sure it sounds good and then prepare a final copy.Take atleast 2-3 weeks for this.

Now also speak to 3 professors in your college/superiors in your workplace for recommendation letters.Sometimes they do it themselves in which case just give them a short summary of your achievements for them to highlight and in the worst case that you have to do it yourself make sure that they sound poles apart and not like they have been written by the same person.

All right , lets get back to the shortlisting.Now that you have done your research,spoken to seniors,seen all those rankings you must be ready to shortlist those univs that you want to apply to.Ideally choose 10(2-Dream,4-You can get into,4-Safe Admits).This done get your univ list approved by some seniors who you know or by other means just to be on the safe side.

Next Step:Start filling out applications.Most of them are online applications and require registration so careful with the username and password!Fill out all the details they ask..

[A typical appln will require the following:

Name,Last name,Contact address and phone no,DOB,College that you studied in and graduation date,GPA,SOP Upload,Recommender contact details,Resume(Optional in some cases) and details about your citizenship and Visa type you require,what course/term you are applying to,Test scores(GRE,TOEFL),Publications,project details(optional),Scanned copy of transcript(optional),Work experience details(optional)]

While sending the application you'll have to pay for it either by credit card or send a DD to them.I'd recommend credit card.You're application processing will begin only after you pay this amount.

Okay now to get your application packet ready.This is the one you'll be couriering to the universities.

And before I forget send your GRE and TOEFL Scores to all these univs by using the ETS Website.(I think it costs 40$ for a GRE+TOEFL Report).Univs accept reports sent to them from ETS and not your xeroxes so it is mandatory that you do this.Again credit card payment is better.

Now back to the packet.First of all see how many univs require a transcript and how many copies.Total all this up and add 2 to it just to be safe for later(Some univs may require after they give admits so its up to you to decide how many you need.Typically I'd suggest atleast 16 or 17 copies initially)

Go to the univ which you studied in and follow the procedure to procure this.Let me tell you the procedure for Anna Univ,Chennai.(Experience is quite harrowing here unless you get everything you need beforehand.)First Get a DD drawn in favour of whatever is mentioned in the website(I think mine was drawn in favour of Controller of Exams,not sure though).Get a copy of 10th and 12th mark sheets,all your degree marksheets and put it in a cloth cover and give it to them.You can collect the transcript in a week(I think there are some revised rules now.Do check the website)

See what else the university requires and put all these in a folder and create an index for them.Now use a A3 or A2 size cover for all these and courier it to the univ.(I used TNT.Edulix members get a discount there.It cost me around 685 Rs./courier but its 704 now I guess).I would not advise speed post.(Friend of mine had little trouble with it)

Now keep checking the status page for the updates and follow up to see all the documents are received and updated.

Wait for the decisions and All the best!

(Steps after getting an admit will be discussed in another post when I am feeling too lazy to touch my books just like today :D)

You can refer to Edulix or Happy Schools Blog.This is just an intro.You can find in-depth information in the above two links.

Cheers!

Gaya. :)

Dashing before dining!

Now I am not exactly proud of this incident.And I am not fairly sure when it happened but should be some time around this January.Now wait,January 4 th I think(How did I remember? Because it was just one glorious day away from the last working day at college) ..Right so why exactly am I not proud of what I did?Well,now that I think about it could have turned out a lot worse and probably could have happened to anyone.

Okay it almost always goes without saying that whenever I got out for dinner with my friends it is always a place atleast one of them has been to before.And I am basically not encouraged during the "suggestions" session much due to the fact that I often end up suggesting an allout Vegetarian place(I do get my way on my Birthday though :D).Okay so yeah I did read about this one place on the newspaper which got like a 4.5/5 and naturally I was intrigued and so naturally I suggested the place and turns out I got that one in the bag and a 30 mins of no-vetos later we decided on that place.

And one thing I do have to mention is that I am in general the last to reach any place and I almost always arrived 20 mins after the agreed upon time + grace time.So you should actually imagine the surprise on my face when I reached the place the first(Well even then I was around 20 mins late :D) but yeah the next part is quite embarrassing.

So I go inside with this friend of mine and around 3 are yet to arrive.The interiors are quite pleasant actually and we walk through and are alloted a table.There was no one there and hence all the eyes were on us,the two poor souls who'd walked in then.

We were handed the menu(which was like around 2 pages I guess) and trust me it was quite a good one except for the prices!We didnt expect a mere starter to cost that much and all of us were pretty much broke(me from my trip and others from their new year splurge) and then began those uncomfortable moments on deciding whether it was worth spending so much on such pretentious food!And obv I had to take responsibility for the fiasco.

And so we made this awesome (!) plan of sneaking out but frankly,it is really difficult to escape unnoticed when you're like the only customers in a restaurant.And what do I do except the usual mobile dance?You know pretend like you're not getting signal inside and running out.(But to save some face I did leave my friend inside) and so I call up the other guy and quickly explain the situation and while he was successfully stalled I went inside to the get the poor dear who was braving the piercing glances of the staff there.

What pretext did I use?The usual.One person is not able to find the way and we had to go get him.Solid plan.We told them we'd be back in a few minutes and made our way through those questioning looks.And we got into the lift we remembered something...

...That we had forgotten to inform the other two! Just as our lift doors closed they came up! and were greeted inside by the staff and it was too late and us going back to get them was stupidity+embarrassment.We first had to clear our head and stall the one guy who didnt report yet.That done we set to work on the other two who by now were seated already and probably were screaming curses under their breath looking at the menu.Finally after about twenty minutes of this nail-biting drama we managed to escape and shamelessly(!) laugh about the whole incident.

P.S-Dinner that day ended up being a huge tub of icecream and cron nuggets with salsa(as put by our rising star Mr.Anu Kapoor-"Enna machan bonda vum thakali chutney um vechutu 100 rs.vangitaan!Eduku namma Taj laye saaptrukalaame") at Sandy's chocolate lab.After effects included heavy fever,cold and missing the last working day of college.

P.P.S-Taj is a very royal thallu-vandi thattu kadai at mogappair apparently with awesome mutta-dosai and biriyaani.

Until the next one,

Gaya :)