Having realized, in one of those painfully guilty moment, that I don't read or write as much as I wanted to, I decided to follow some no-nonsense, practical measures to keep my love with books intact. A few clicks and couple of stumbles finally lead me to the '2012 Reading Challenge'. I initially thought of putting a target of some 100 books (Wow Alen Wow). That would mean 1 book every 3.65 days. Really not happening unless it is an year when I am completely jobless! So here it goes:

Target: 20 books

Finished: 13 books (what a lucky number)

How I feel: painfully guilty

Micro by Michael Crichton, March 30

What a start. One of the most absurd book I have ever read. A big fan of State of Fear and Congo, I thought it was a safe option to try Crichton. Alas! The book resembled a gargled vomit of words in which the author got neither the theme or the story right. Add to that he finds an innovative way to kill the hero towards the middle of the story. Even 30 pages to the end of the book, I was referring back to the initial pages to find out who is who. I swore I wouldn't touch a Crichton book after going through that ordeal.

So let us try someone new now. The Five Greatest Warriors by Matthew Reilly, April 20 2012. I had huge expectations after reading the synopsis. I had just quit Infy and was preparing for a very long vacation. What a way to start a vacation. I don't remember anything about the book now(apart from Jesus being one of the 5 warriors) which pretty much explains how the book was. 

Am I maturing as a reader?? or is it just that my choices have gone bad...

Well never the one to quit so easily, it was time to go for the tried and tested path of finding good reads. I called my friend and asked him what he was reading. A Game of Thrones was an amazing find and A Song of Ice and Fire by Martin George kept me occupied for the next 20 days. For an avid fantasy fiction fan like me, the book was a must-read. Very mature! Definitely not something that I would recommend to my younger cousins. The author has also truly etched the true nature of power and politics in his brilliant narrative. The first 3 books were excellent but he went a little too far with the next two books needlessly dragging the story while explaining things to the minutest details. Even an author has to pay his bills and eat his meals I guess.

A bit of rest and I finally decided to try the Shiva Triology by Amish Tripathi, May 19 and May 20. The Immortals of Meluha was an enchanting book which took me completely by surprise. Both the books were sweet and short reads and kudos to the author. I hope he keeps innovating his style and philosophy unlike Chetan Bhagat. Anxiously awaiting for my pre-ordered copy of The Oath of the Vayuputras now.

Damn. Then MBA happened. I had heard stories of how Bschool life would eat ones time and life.  Stories of sleepless nights and sleep-filled classes. Horrors of the never ending case studies, the ever stressful summers and the Time that just slips away from your hands. The next four months proved that all of them were true. By the time I took my next book The Perks of being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, it was already September. But under the circumstances, I couldn't have asked for a better book. Different, thought-provoking and the second time I liked a book written in the letter format.

Enough is enough. Professors may not really care about our time, but I do! I started reading books in class and finished both How I Braved Anu Aunty and Co-Founded a Million Dollar Company by Varun Agarwal, September 19 and The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud, October 08. I don't enjoy reading in class like I used to do back in my school days. The profs are too disturbing and what the hell is "Class Participation".

But all was whisked away by the next book I read. A true classic which swept me off my feet at the very first page. Like many times It was my brother who suggested this book. It was magical two days as I poured on and on through the pages of The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zaffon, October 10. There are no words to explain this book. It took me to a world which I seemed to have forgotten long back and evoked emotions which surprised myself. I did shed a few tears and that for me is the biggest thing which any book or movie can do to me. It also remains the only book that I have given a 5 star rating in Goodreads through the entire reading challenge.

Tried and failed again. The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb still remains in the unread list. I cannot remember how many times I have started reading this book without being able to finish it. A false start to The Winning Way: Learnings from sport for managers by Harsha Bhogle and it remains incomplete in the shelf. I have lost interest completely after reading some 300 pages of Like a Virgin: Secrets They Won't Teach You at Business by Richard Branson. I think I am just not cut out for reading these non-fiction books or maybe it is just a phase.

p.s. 2013 Reading Challenge...Target 25 books

p.p.s 2 Blogs in 10 days. OMG! I am on a roll

p.p.p.s This must be one of the longest post that I have ever published

p.p.p.p.s I still love post scripts

A tinge of sorrow, lots of happiness and memories that maketh life. This is how I am gonna step down from Bethany Student Centre - My home for the last two years. This will be the last blog from my dear hostel. Funny!! Thinking how the next post will divide blog into a pie. The larger part comprising of the musings of a Bethanian and the smaller of an ex-bethanian. In time the pie will change its mix i.e. If I continue blogging. But I hope the memories in this place wont disappear as easily as the shrinking part of the pie.

The whole 'home' trotting started right after from entrance exam. My mother realized enough is enough and proposed to move into the city. After all nothing should stand in the way of a repeater to reach into the halls of some reputed college. A massive place but with no ambiance, is how I describe our first attempt at city life. I was amazed at how easily my mom adapted to this new life while I spent half the time grumbling about - well basically everything in life. 2 months later - It was goodbye to our house and my repeat course in Zephyr as I finally joined MBCET as a Mechanical engineer. It is weird how to think how life would have been had I taken a different path.

The second so called house was as different as chalk and cheese when compared to first. A warmer house owner, very small rooms (well one hall, bedroom and a kitchen for the three of us - There is no question of space thats for sure), wonderful ambiance and two totally different personalities. I found the life very refreshing especially since Mech class was wonderful. Not quite the same for my mother who had to take 3 buses to reach her place of work. The grind followed and off we packed our bags again. At this point of time, me and my brother had become excellent at packing and moving - Another life skill learnt.

The 3rd move was to be the end of the 3 musketeers - at least for some time. My mother went abroad to live with my father. Bro packed his bags and went off to Infosys and I was left off at the only alternative to the whole situation - College Hostel. It need not be said that I hated it there - It got little to do with my hostel mates and everything to do with the college. To live or better - to 'survive' college is an arduous task enough. One that need constant support from all corners especially your friends. But to go through this charade and come back to a hell of different kind is too unbearable. Also for a person who respects his privacy beyond any measure - hostel life can be tough. I got very little from hostel except my room mate who turned out to be a wonderful friend. Finally enough was enough and I packed my bags again. A brief stint at home and off I was to my home away from home - Bethany Student Centre.

I recall how frightened I was at arriving here. Very different from my previous experiences and very different for a 3rd year too. In every manner this is the only place which I could call a home away from home. Here I made friends but was never expected to sacrifice my space. Here I respected people and was in turn respected by others. Here I worked my ass out for the different activities and finally got the satisfaction which was much needed. This is a wonderful place with so diverse characters that it is impossible not to experience a change in yourself. Your thoughts, your views, your principles, your actions. Everything changes. I still remember:

• 2 in the nite with a coffee cup in hand watching the Manutd Chelsea UEFA final. Nail-bitting finish. Countless such occasions shared with the ever present football communtiy at Bethany.
  
• 100 people glaring at the screen throwing obsenities at each other on the eve of the two IPL's.
• Sitting so many times in the raised platform after a match of football - just enjoying the site.
• Sleeping so late, waking so early, countless nite-outs. I still remember sleeping at 2 in the nite after decorating christmas tree nd waking at 4 to go to the market to buy fish for the feast.
• The wonderful mess we ( ME , JACOB and MANU) did which featured some exciting dishes - toasts on sundays, chilly chicken on mini-feast and biriyani on feast day.
• The card games between the awesome four (ME, JACOB, SALIM and SUBIN).
• The 2009 Lok sabha in front of TV with a heated discussion about politics between the engineers, doctors, IAS aspirants and the list goes on.
• Such diverse topics from politics, theology , bikes, technolgy, love, sex etc. (I really dont think there is any category we haven talked about)
• and (there is so much more) The final farewell (Abi chetan, Ambu, Rolly, Lee, Raghu, Salim, Jacob and me) where I totally felt ' This are the best days of my life' (Corny ..I know..but isnt so life??)

This is one place which I would miss to live and would love to live again.

CAT - Now that is a three letter word which actually doesn't remind me of a real cat - you know the 4 legged creature which spent half its time combing its hair - In fact it has come to the point where u r really going to have trouble talking to animal lovers coz ny ting even related to cat will only remind u about the most hyped exam which is attended by well over 200000 people. CAT inspires us with percentiles, quant, verbal, analytical, mocks and those never ending jargon's which will turn any so called 'non-aspirant' to wonder which language we are talking, and indeed it is true. To many, CAT is an alternative form of life style, the highest purpose which drives them forward, the most revered exam which gives them shivers and so on and so forth. To some others it is just another exam to get a push forward in their social circles at the cost of embarrassment when the results are out. To others it is form of social charity with the sole purpose of increasing the percentile for the upper echelon - if they do realize that. Or it may be the placement wallahs who just couldn't differentiate an 'A' from 'R'. But while there are so many different segments of so called aspirants wanting to fulfill whatever purpose they have, I don't belong to any of them. In fact I belong to those 'dream weaving group' whose life were full of dreams about a certain three letter word but came to the realization long way back that, it is what it is - a dream.

It has been a long time since I moved from "Gosh!!! It must be cool to have a BLACKI" to "So which all are the other participating institutions in CAT". From then on, it was a spiraling journey along "I will definitely do it", "I can definitely do it", "I hope I will do it", "Will I be able to do it" and finally "What does it matter any way". But I have moved from that also and now stand in "GOD Please save me from this " since i started having these weird conversations:

J: So howz the CAT prep going?
CAT aspirant: not so good;
J: Really 100 percentile is not enough for u or what

P: So all set to crack the IIMs?
CAT aspirant: NOT really
P: Oh u r cho sweet and modest (followed by weird girly giggles - when will she realize I was not being modest)

CAT aspirant 1 : Oh I won’t get it. But u r so blah blah blah so u will get it
CAT aspirant 2: No I won’t get it bcoz of blah blah but since u r blah blah maybe u will...blah
CAT 1: NO u will
CAT 2 : NO u will
( I think u know how the rest of the conversation goes)

J again: So how’s the CAT prep going (no matter what you say I won’t believe it)
CAT aspirant becoming wiser: No comments

Now life has been this and many more since me and one of my nutty friend decided to drop CAT. For the record neither of us influenced each other! Now we are expected to travel to Kozhikode this Saturday along with 1000's of so called aspirants from all these segments. My initial apprehension at meeting these bhujis has been subdued by a friend who promised there are more guys like me. Now I can only think about the chance of meeting these day-dreamers and talk about 'Kozhikode biriyani's, the latest flick 'twenty twenty' or simply girls. Now while they are talking about tips on 'How to crack CAT', we will be talking about "How not to Crack under CAT":D