Midterms

With half the year gone, half of my life at a B-School done, it is time for a mid-review, or maybe even a mid-course correction.

Whichever half you take - half of 2012 or half of B-School life - it has been nothing short of amazing. Life's most eventful, most exciting, most happening time this period has been.

The juniors have come and in a small way we're living through our first year all over again through their induction week and other experiences. Second year of MBA has become a little bit of a challenge considering the level of study has suddenly shot up; the professors expect a lot more, the subjects delve deeper into concepts and have come even more application-oriented. And I still feel a little clueless about what I need to do with all this information. But then, all this is part of study and college life, so it's all ok. I'm sure the second year will pass in the blink of an eye and soon I'll be wondering why it all had to end. In fact, I already find myself wishing sometimes that this never ends and that I would never have to go through the drill of corporate life and work politics, and have very little to worry about.

As for the resolutions, I did do a pretty good job of no expectations, no boundaries, no rules for quite some time. I did things quite unexpected of me (nothing bad, if that's what you're thinking about), and when you don't expect much from life in general, life throws surprises - some good, some bad, mostly good - and it makes life a little interesting. That's deteriorated over time and now I find myself expecting, and hoping, and then starting to live in hope that something happened or something didn't happen. And this is where I think my midcourse correction comes. Life's become a little too predictable at this point, and to make it a little interesting, I'll have to make this mid-course correction and take life one day at a time.

Otherwise, life's just been wonderful to me, and I hope that it continues this way.

Yet another fleeting year

My resolution for 2012 is to not have any resolutions. No resolutions, no expectations, no boundaries, no rules. It's probably going to be my last year of "freedom" if you know what I mean, though I don't see why anything has to change when "it" happens. Anyway, just in case, I've decided that for this year I'll drive my time-machine from the future, park it in the present and make the most of what the present lays in front of me - be a little impulsive. I've got to make my friends stop calling me "mom".

As for last year's resolutions, as with all resolutions, all of them were broken. Except one - do not get married. And with no boyfriend in sight, I can be reasonably sure that the resolution won't be broken in 2012 either.

2011 has been quite eventless, except for my getting into MDI which was, somehow, completely unexpected. Though eventless, it has been a year of self-awakening. The image I had of myself and of the world has faded to give rise to a new realization. And it is with this realization that I'm going to step into 2012 and be the best I can be.

Happy 2012!

Wait. What? It's gone?

Wow. It's the end of one whole year. One whole year gone by in the blink of an eye. It feels like only yesterday that I graduated from college, that I moved into this house, like Avatar released only a week ago (2010 started with Avatar, for me). It's hard to believe that one year has passed. It's already time to replace that calendar on my cupboard. It's already time to retrospect and introspect while I feel like the year has only begun. It feels like nothing much has happened this year, yet I can talk for days about all the events that have happened in life this year. The realization that this year is at its end feels weird. Really weird. Like this is a dream. Like I'm in the "matrix".

Anyway, fact is a fact, no? 2010 has ended and it is time to look back at those resolutions. Now,

• Did I write that song or poem I wanted to write? Hehehe. That's a joke, right? Of course not. But I made music. That is something, isn't it? 
• Did I stop eating biscuits and maggie? Yes. I'm now eating more Dairy Milk Roast Almonds, more pizzas, more Chinese noodles and more roommate-made delicious food. Call me lucky for having a roommate who is about to get married and wants to "practice" cooking. 
• Did I learn to find the greater of two given fractions? Yeahhh. Yay to me. 
• Did I learn to lie? Well, not really, but I've been told I exaggerate a bit much (In my defense, doesn't exaggeration make a boring incident more dramatic and interesting?)
• Did I learn a new language? There was too much choice... Spanish, German, French, Japanese, Greek, Latin, Russian, Italian, Gibberish... I couldn't pick one.

As for my new new-year resolutions, here they are --

• Make more music
• Read all the books I bought last year
• Buy more books
• Draw more
• Make at least 20 elaborate 3D models
• Aim high, wherever I am, whatever I'm doing
• Do not get married

Looking forward to the new year. I'm excited. And a little apprehensive. A decision needs to be made. A decision will me made for me. Nonetheless, I know it is going to be a very interesting year.

Happy 2011, everyone.

Time For New Year Resolutions

Ooh, I love making new year resolutions! They're so much fun to break. Ok. They are not. I made resolutions on the eve of my birthday and need I say, I hardly ever followed them :(

Now is my second chance. To make another set of resolutions. Except, this time I'm going to follow them. Sincerely. They're imperative for what I've planned for my future. Very important. So here are my resolutions for 2010, not in any order.

1. Write a poem/song: This one figures in my resolutions almost every year. I want to write a song, or at the least, a poem. No. A song. That's easier, right? I'm amazed at how a poet manages to compare silky flowing hair to a broomstick so beautifully. I can just never do it. This year I'm going to work hard at it.
   
2. Stop eating 'unreal food' for lunch and dinner: The only reason this is here is because I just got yelled at for not eating 'real food'. Apparently, maggie and marie biscuits come from a parallel universe and are not 'real'.
3. Learn to find the greater of two given fractions: Ramanujam is avenging me. I know it. I still remember, that evening, as a little girl learning the beauty of halves and one-thirds when I had invented an easy method of 'sorting' fractions in the ascending order. I had ridiculed the famous mathematician for not 'seeing' the simple method of doing it. Of course, the logic made no sense whatsoever (which took me months to realise), but hey, you can't blame a little girl for putting in so much thought into fractions. Well anyway, Ramanujan was offended and he cursed me to never learn working with fractions and till today, fractions bring me to my knees. And I am not going to let Ramanujam win.
4. Learn a new language: And it's called Gibberish. I've come to realise it's very useful for a person planning to pursue MBA. Wish me luck.
5. Learn to lie: I can't lie. Blame it on my birth date. But I need to know how to lie. I've seen the benefits of it. Besides, lying is a creative activity. It needs wit, presence of mind, prudence and creativity. People who can lie make convincing story-tellers. And that is why I need to learn this art form. For animation's sake.

About the year that passed, I don't even remember the resolutions I'd made. I was 21 for a major part of the year and true to the astrology book I'd read somewhere, it definitely was a 'happening' year. Lots of ups, lots of happiness and lots of downs, lots of sadness both at their extremes. New experiences, new insights, it was as if I was given a crash course on life. I hated it, but I managed to weather through it and emerge wiser and confident than ever before. I didn't realise it then, but I needed it for otherwise, I'd have been a lost soul. Now, I know what I want. I know exactly what to do. With the road forward visible with such clarity, I couldn't be more ready to embrace the year ahead.

Wishing all of you a very happy and a prosperous year ahead.

Happy New Year!