Bachelor's Party

Even eligible females look for life partners...

[Click to appreciate]

Why then don't I ever see an ad like this one here?

Help for Burning Souls

This was back in NITK when I was in second year. I had decided to get a laptop to replace my then almost defunct desktop, which left me with this DVD writer to dispose of. I had purchased the DVD writer only months before and had no intentions of confining it to the dusty corners of my attic along with the desktop. As you'd expect, selling it off in college (for what I'd want to call a decent price) wasn't as easy. So had I came up with this saucy piece of ad , which I recently found in a seldom visited folder on my comp. It makes quite a read. Read on.

Help For "BURNING" Souls

Does your saga sound very much like this??

1. I shell out 10-12 rupees for just 700MB(i.e. a whopping RS 1.6/100MB) on CDs
2. I move around the block with my hard disk just to transfer a few gigs
3. My comp is old and has a mere 40GB HD & a screwed up CD ROM (ok..ok.. a CD writer)
4. I wanna burn a few gr8 movies that I’ve just seen but the very thought of burning 5-6 CDs is punishing
5. I've come across great DVD rips but then putting all of them onto my HD would be suicidal
   

There’s a panacea for all this...A DVD Writer.

• Almost 5 GB off your HD with just one burn
• Neatly burn 4-5 movies into just one disk
• By using DVDs you spend a paltry 36ps/ 100 MB as compared to 1600ps/ 100 MB for a dumb CD. Dirt cheap, isn't it??
• With a DVD RW you can conveniently take 5GB anywhere u want (Without searching for that screw driver)
• With a double layer DVD you free up a mammoth 8.5 GBs in just 1 session (That’s 1/4 the HD space for quite a few of us)

By now u must be thinking "Yeah, yeah! That’s very sweet but i cant spend 3.5k. Besides I don’t have the time to go and get one". That’s exactly where this DVD writer of mine comes in. Its that much needed remedy for ur problems. The specs go like this:

• SONY Q28A DVD+-RW Dual Layer(IDE/ EIDE)
• Supported CD Format: CD Text, CD-Extra, CD-ROM Mode1, Photo-CD, Video CD, CD, Audio CD
• Supported DVD Format: DVD-ROM, DVD- Video, DVD+/-R, DVD+/-RW
• Supported Writing Standard: CD-R, CD-RW, DVD+/-R, DVD+/-RW, DVD+R DL (Double Layer)
• Buffer Size: 2 MB
• Features: Emergency Disk Eject Hole
  

I've only used it for 4 months and so its really NEW (The warranty is still there). Keeping in mind ur budget constraints, I’ve put a very modest tag of Rs 2850/- on it. The offer doesn’t sound true?? Well it is. Pinch yourself once and then call me .I'll do a door delivery for you. Achtung!!: Don’t waste time pinching or you'll miss out.

VINAYAK KAMATH K
Mob: 9448xxxxxx

I was convinced that my pitch had been perfect and even the penny pinching NITKian who might think twice before giving the second Chlormint he'd got at the co-ops in lieu of Re.1 change (or the lack of it) to his friend would fall for it. But I was proved wrong.

Enter jugaad. I realized that the average NITKian doesn't care if the DVD writer is in his comp, or belongs to the guy next door or some black guy with a squint from the adjacent block whom he'd once seen having Maggi at Sunder's many a times. As long as there is a writer somewhere, it was sufficient. Where didn't matter. Only there did.

I had learnt my lesson and the penny pinching NITKian and his buddy continued to suck on the Chlormint blissfully, discussing about the pleasantly large number of fresher girls that year.

Muted Celebration

Its finally over. I'm an engineer today. But its only bitter sweet at best. The euphoria of having completed my graduation is being shadowed by a numbing pain of having to part. From my dearest of friends, my department and my college.
Come the last few days and we all seem to be normal. Still nothing is happening. Sorry. I dont think so. It just doesn't show. Deep within we all fear the day when we'll have to leave behind a place and friends with whom/which we bonded like nothing else in life. Its the end of a tumultous 4 year journey but its only the sweet memories are left behind. That makes it even worse. Agonizing.
The night before the day before ECC exam. I'm sitting in the main building reading room. (Forget all the scornful looks that you get for being a final yr student in the reading room.) I just could not read. Memories come rushing to me... a time when I met somebody in the main lobby... some incident which was ever so insignificant now weighs so heavily on mind. Its forms a knot in my throat I cant swallow. I walk out and go for a stroll towards the college gate, along the dimly lit road. I plug into some light music to lighten things up. It just doesn't fit. I dont minding listen to some really sentimental kannada song now playing over the FM. Its soothing. Its comforting. I sit down and turn back towards the main building... Man!
I've been doing every other chore of my daily routine with a heightened sense of awareness. The last time I'll be entering ATB. The last time that I'll be writing an exam. The last time I'll be eating at NFC.. The last time... Its not all the musical for someone near me to hear that. But I dont care. I know it hardly matters
And finally the day has arrived. The ineveitable. Its almost nothing until I go to bid Amod farewell. He hugs me tightly... For just an instant longer... one fleeting moment. And it all comes tumbling down on me. I try to push him away in an attempt to fight back the up surge of emotions that I was not prepared for. He looks away. Its all too much.

Convention Colours

Here is an account of the SpicMacay's Jammu Convention held in late June. FINALLY!


Zero Hours: 10 people. 10 days. B'lore City Rly Stn is where it all began. Lots of enthu and equal sense of anticipation for what was in store in the days to come.


Chugging Along: Of the 10 days that were a part of the entire episode, almost 6 days were spent onboard trains. What came out of it is something beyond my literary abilities.


Lets Phase It: When it comes to train journeys, they inevitably go through 3 phases (or so I say!). The first phase is the ice breaking time, where everyone get to know 'every other one' and comfort zones are redefined. The next and possibly the longest one is phase II. Its THE fun part, inclusive of all the animated discusions on the wildest of subjects, dumb charades, cards...you name it. Groups may be unfortunate enough to enter the last phase, wherein the whole arena tranforms into an intense reading(and dozing) zone with occasional interrupts only at stations.


Hey! Somebody's put on weight: 10 people squeezed into one compartment. Though the group did show signs of drifting into phase III from time to time, we never really did! We were hell-bent on not entering it.
Result: 6 immemorable fun-packed days.


Pant Pant...: Delhi. A huge station choc-a-block with people. Throw in lots of confusion and you have 10 clueless students lugging all their baggage along, running from one corner of the station to another. At the end of all the drama, we did manage to refill our batteries, our cellphone batteries(I din't say by how much) and catch the connecting train to Jammu.


Hang On: An overnight journey from Delhi to Jammu on the Shalimar Express. All around, there were people. And then, there were people and yes, how can I forget? There were more people!


Everyone's Invited: All weary and worn out, we finally made it to venue - Jammu University.


Surround Sound: And what a place it turned out to be! Lush green and tranquil. Birds chirping from canopies and squirrels scampering on tree trunks. A quick stroll around, and we knew that we were going to have the time of our lives during the next 5 days.


DND-Great Minds @ Work: In contemplation of things to come...


Naavu Surathkal inda bandiddeve: After the initial formalities for room allotment was an intro session with participants from known and unknown realms of the country coming forward to introduce themselves in their native tongue, or otherwise.


Dorm Sweet Dorm : An anagaram for dirty room, we din't have to do much to make the dormitory live up to its name!


Boy o Boy: The grand Zorawar Singh Auditoriam was where it would all happen in the days to come. A splendid, posh auditorium built at a cost of a staggering 40 crore, its was flattering just to be present there. A/C, plush push-back seats and a hi-fi audio system... you couldn't have asked for more.



So sweet: A dash to the sugarcane juice centre for the mint laced juice. Everyday. Just to give us the kick!


Love thy neighbour: And yes! I made friends at Jammu, irrespective shape, colour, age, and species.



Family Reunion: Lunch Time. Fun Time. We all got together to discuss the days happenings at our respective intensives.


A Feast: Amazing performances at the close of every single day. These included folk and classical dance forms, instrumental and vocal concerts.


Spellbound: An out of the world performance by Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma


Intense Intensives: There were intensives held in the mornings where one could get to learn popular and also some rare and dying out art forms from the great masters themselves. This is one of the puppets made at the puppetry workshop conducted by Shri. Sudeep Gupta


Plotting the plot: Working under mouting pressure towards the end, to put up a great performance for the other delegates to see.


Show Time: Participants of various intensives showcased their art forms on the last day. This one is a Kathak performance in full flow.


Lend me thy ear: The Sankhavadyam performance, a folk dance with its roots in Orissa, was note worthy.


Dark Arts: The puppetry workshop junta also came up with a shadow-puppet show after a whacky round of glove puppetry.


Night Out: Drawing the convention to a close were the overnight concerts - a marathon series of 5 elevating concerts held through the night to the break of dawn. Dr. Kiran Seth set on our shoulders the responsibility of this grand finale. We carried it out with finesse, with Sayari bearing the flag.


System Standby: Having woken by 4:00 and having been through a long and tiring day, the exhausted body did at times get the better of the fervent souls' thirst for music...


Kudos: The sun was out and the concerts were over. A glad Saranya putting on a tired smile 'at the end of the day'...


Comrades in the war against deculturisation: The Surathkal platoon with the Commander-in-Chief, Dr.Kiran Seth himself.


Gale Force: At the end of the convention, our chapter had collected accolades from different quarters to take back.


Laree Chooti: The field trip that was scheduled for the last day got cancelled due to incessant rains. But the rains did not dampen our spirits. We took a bus and hit the roads!


Field Day: We spent the last day in Jammu visiting Jagannath Temple and shopping. At the end of it all, we had bags full of souvenirs to take back home.


Belly Dance: Adding to the uniqueness of the return journey was the state of the art condition of my belly. I had moths in my stomach! I dont want to loose talk by delving into the gory details...


Back on track: More adventure and fun on the way back home. Mention worthy is Logik's (unintentional) attempt to belittle Amir's 'Ghulam' stunt. And yeah, we are still trying to figure out who's playing Rani...


Pit Stop: Our return journey brought us to Chennai. Where we were glad to treat ourselves with fingerlicking South Indian food. What a relief! Unfortunately for me though, my stomach begged to differ...


Crown Prince: An incidentally senti farewell to our beloved Jakra. Miss you...


Drama in real life: Just in case the element of suspense was absent... Well here it is. Guess that completes the script.

Wats in your headdd?.... Zombie !

9:00 am. Teary eyed and my head throbbing, I'm sitting in front of the comp with just one half side of my brain working. Which is why I'm indecisive about which half side it is. A zombie. Numb.

Seldom are the days that you feel exasperated when classes get cancelled. Today is one of those; unfortunately. What a day!

Placement season. Treats apenty. Movie marathons. Thats how the past week has been. And yesterday, was not much different. Had to retire to bed early (read 2:00 am) after two and a half movies, for the sole reason that we had classes beginning 8:00 today. And here I am now, with nothing more than a single class, at 11:00, to look forward to. I mean, can it get worse?(Yeah, unless I get kicked out of this class or something...).

Arrrrrrrrrggggghhhh!! The calender would have been shorter and way sweeter without this day!

Devil's Workshop

Back to college after 2 blissfully hectic months in B'lore and the devil's workshop is breaking havoc in my head. Its like I've suddenly transcended from rags to riches. I cant deny the fact that its partly the final year joblessness thats behind this. But it does not stop at that, unfortunately.

I've long wanted to post my Jammu Convention 'joys' and have succeeded in miserably failing at that. The sheer magnitude of the task overwhelms me every time I sit down to write. And the results are (NOT) here for all to see. Conspicuous by its absence. But some magnanimous souls that go by the name of Logik and Mahima(with all the due regards to Saranya's efforts) have come up with noteworthy stuff. Dont miss dearest Jakra's comments on the former though. Its a real eye-opener. And non members of the group regrettably cannot read the latter I suppose.

Well Well Well. I hence came up with this idea to just make a picture story to "beautifully illustrate" the same. You can say "Wow! How innovative(when I finally manage to do it)...", but then frankly its an act of sheer lethargy. And by a not very surprising twist of nature's ways, my comp gets infected by Sudden Death Syndrome at this very time! She's in quarantine now and is expected to make it back to good health in a matter of a few days and a littttttle dough!

So until then, I need to find ways to keep my humble self engaged by doing anything which can amount to anything as worthless as... this post, maybe???





O Draconian Devil!!! I'm determined to drive you away... deem you jobless... for I'm no novice at being one.. I'm in Final Yr.... and ...Joyously Jobless...