LSU Vs bama!

I had worked a plan for close to 3 weeks, so I can spare some time to volunteer at AID ( Association for India Development) . They basically have food stall during the football games, and the proceedings of the business is sent back to India for some social cause.

Lucky me, I get to go for "THE" most important match. LSU Vs. Alabama! The atmosphere is like India, Pakistan cricket match a couple of years back! :-)

I had to wear a LSU T-Shirt when I am working at the stall with gloves on hands when ever I am touching any edibles! The shirt was literally stinking with food smell but I has no choice but wear it. And since I am the "strict" veggie, I was at front desk just facilitating the whole business :-D.

I sneaked from the food stall a of times and went to the stadium to witness the craziness! Serving the drunk wild fans, enjoying nachos and cheese my self with quick visits to the stadium made my day more interesting than whats was happening since a few days! 8 hours, awesome fun, no MBA, no Work...just serve, eat and watch! It was perfect. Did get an opportunity to bond with fellow Indians in the stall as well. Would love to do it sometime when I can afford! ;-)

P.S : Off course LSU won the game!!! ;-) score was 24 LSU, 21 bama...6th Nov 2010

MBAA Games 2010! Geaux Green

After never ending PoB [ Practice of Business] sessions every Friday as part of our MBA course, last Friday was something different!!

Yes, we had our very own "Sports Day" for the 1st & 2nd year MBA's. We are divided into 4 Cohorts [ Blue, Red, Purple & GREEN]. I belong to the Green Cohort. Apparently Green has been winning the trophy since 3 years!!! When they sent a registration form for adding our names, I just volunteered for Tug of War [ Considering the fact that I am no sports person and didn't want to be one of the reasons just in case Green lost this year].

Chilly Cold morning, all wearing sports ware [ unlike the usual Business Formals!!] and some even in Halloween Costumes was a treat to my sleepy dead eyes!

Kick-Ball - Green lost and won a game each. I was just the photographer for the whole event apart from clapping my hands when someone played good.

Volleyball - I was so exhausted clicking photos ;-) I just rested on the ground with some friends

In the mean while Green had won some other game

Relay - I participated in 4 legged race and frog jump. The guys between whom I stood in the 4 legged race, literally squeezed me in an attempt to lift me and run!!! I am applaud for the but it since that day my arms are aching like hell [ Nah anything for Green and no PoB ;-) ]. Green was the 2nd best.

Tug of War - Though I had registered for it, I never got an opportunity to participate. But I was a huge moral supporter for the guy at the end. His name is Bobby. He gave me his jacket so I don't freeze in cold that morning, so I thought I must scream my guts out to cheer him up. The usual scenario's is we stand 5 feet away from the rope and the moment the whistle blows scream like crazy people saying " Geaux [GO] Green, Come on Bobby, Push it, You can do it" and once we win/loose start over again !!! Green was the 2nd best!

Anyways end of it cumulatively GREEN won as usual, we took a couple of snaps before everyone left for early Halloween Celebrations and me coming to work!

Home away from Home!

After 2 months of classes, we were getting Fall Break [ 21st & 22nd October], this was a long 4 day break since weekend was also there!

I had planned to visit my bro during this time, and he had booked my tickets to San Jose,California long back. As the days neared, I was more worried about my 4 days absence here, the pending task I have to complete etc. One of my friends asked me "Are you exited to see you bro" and I was not so "reactive " about it then. But when I stepped into the plane to go, I know I skipped a heart beat, when I realized I am going to meet FAMILY!!! That 's the time when I said to my self screw the pending task, screw assignments let me not think of it for the next 4 days!!! And I must agree it was the best decision I made :-D

Had a wonderful travel experience from Baton Rouge to San Jose [ sitting next to a Yahoo Employee and a Manager of some company], landed in San Jose, picked up by my bro, headed straight to a Indian Fast Food Center, packed Dosa, Idlis and filter coffee and came to his apt ooops I would rather call it HOME!!!

Was impressed and surprised the way his home was maintained, hogged dosa and dozzed off on the carpeted floor [ better than my unstable air mattress]. Woke up when mom called, spoke to her briefly got fresh and had idlis and coffeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee :-). Was watching the latest hit "Endiran" when bro came home and picked me. Visited his office, met his colleagues, boss and had buffet lunch with them in an Indian Restaurant [Sneha]. After that, bro took me to shopping!!!! Then we headed to a Jain Temple [ Was very relaxing and felt good] and had dinner at Tirupathi BHIMAS [ I can still feel the taste of RASAM I had there]. Then bro thought me how to drive for about 2 hrs I guess.

Next day same routine, but we made a visit to Shiva Vishu Temple at Liver-more, then headed to San Fransisco. The drive was really endearing! Visited
1. Golden Gateway Bridge
2. Crooked Street
3. Peer Street
in San Fransisco and dined at a posh Italian Restaurant with one of his friends.

Came out to realize bro's car was towed, had to hunt for it and pay a hefty fine! Didnt realized the drive back to San Jose as I was exhausted!

Next day, met Nikhil & Srivatsan [ Friends and Colleagues from MindTree]. They are studying MS in San Jose [ This year just like me]. Nikhil prepared some good coffee and I had a typical gossipy chat with them. Nikhil then took me around his campus followed by some mouthwatering Punjabi Lunch. We then went to a Tech Exhibition [ though the plan was to go to an ART museum]. Had some fun seeing & experimenting some techie stuffs. Lost our way back home, so asked my bro to pick us. Then went with bro for more shopping and had CHAATS for dinner .

Well that's the end of it, next day traveled abck to Baton Rouge [ bad travel experience] and got back to my routine of worrying about everything! Yes Bro's Home was HOME AWAY FROM HOME, for 3 days I had good sleep, good food, good company and no responsibilities to worry about just like how things were back HOME and above all I was with FAMILY. I couldn't have asked for a better break!!!

Though my heart desires I get such breaks every weekend if not everyday!! Is it too much to ask for ?

A weekend that wasn't!

After mid term exams, I was really looking forward to having a great stress free weekend :-)

The Initial Plan was :

1. Get my Learners Permit to drive in US on Friday afternoon
2. Have a good poker night at our place on Friday night
3. Saturday morning get up without an alarm ringing!!!
4. Clean the apartment
5. Go for lunch with a couple of friends to an Indian Restaurant
6. Finish my take home exam on Saturday Evening
7. Prepare Bisibele bath & Paysam on Sunday :-)
8. Get ready for my trip to California coming weekend!! [ To meet my brother]
9. Wash clothes and Iron them

What actually Happened :
1. Since I didn't have my Indian DL with me, I was turned down at the Driving License Office
:-( [ After waiting for about 2 hours]
2. Pre-pone the lunch plan on Saturday to dinner on Friday night [ I didn't get to eat Saga Paneer]
2. Poker night though was fun, we had to wind up early since many were tired
3. I had to get up like 6:30 in the morning on Saturday, to go to some driving school and attend some 6 hours of class room lecture [ To get the certificate through which I can apply for Learner's Permit]
4. I came home like 4 PM in the afternoon on Saturday, crashed on the bed, woke up at 6:30 PM and started cleaning my apartment.
5. Since I was not done with my Take Home exam, my entire Sunday went for it. This meant no Paysam, no Bisibelebath and no visiting temple .
6. Lastly, forget washing clothes I couldn't find time to wash my hair as well.

Looking forward to a better long weekend this week.....

My perpectives change according to my convinience

I had my 1st set of mid term exams this week [ giving exams after 3+ years]. It was very challenging for me to sit for any length of time and write [ I am now more used to typing on the computers].

One Exam really went good [ Marketing] and the next 2 were terrible :
1. Information Systems
2. Accounting.

From what I have heard, here the professors curve [increase] the marks in case the performance of the entire class is bad.

And the grading system is
>= 90 - A Grade
89<= >80 - B Grade
69<= >89 - Grade C etc etc.

So even if you get a 70% [ which is considered really good in India], it is equivalent to flunking here!!


In India, if I pass I am good, if I get a First Class I am glad, if I get a First Class Distinction it is a miracle and it really didn't matter how others performed!!!

Now in US, my performance is totally based on the entire classes performance. If I belong to the majority of them who have done the exams really bad the professor will curve our grades. If I belong to the minority of people who have done the exams bad I have to leave with bad grades and if I belong to the minority of people who have done the exams really good, instantly I am the enemy of many :-). So me giving my exams and be done with it will in no ways is the end of the story.

Anyways the main point is since I did 2 of my exams really bad, instead of hoping to some how get good marks [ miracle] I am just hoping that the rest of the class also have done it really bad so the professor can curve our grades. I know it is a sad-dist thought, but I am only HUMAN I ought to think like one!!!

Its a question of 1.25 Dollars == 62.50 Rupees!!!

I was studying for my accounting quiz which was due Wednesday!!! [ I totally suck at Accounting] when Hari came to our apartment and started literally abusing the washing machine!!! Apparently, he had fed the machine with a couple of dollars and they were stuck Neither can he remove the coins nor can he use that machine :-). The expression on his face was hilarious!!! I didn't concentrate much as I was studying [ pretending :-)]. Pri got up and went along with him to have a look at it .

After about 10 minutes I get a call, Pri saying "Get some tools like jump clips and safety pins because the coins are badly stuck!!"

I had no choice but to venture into this, I took with me a fork, my hair clip and headed towards the laundry place. When I entered the room, both of them had expressions indicating " We have lost everything in Life, we cannot even do laundry NOW!!!". It was challenging to take up the task, but I found this more interesting than studying accounting [ At that moment at least].

I banged the machine left and right [ Hari was scared that there might be a CCTV which will see us abuse the machine so much] but, nothing was going to stop me!!! I wanted to try all things before I gave up. I inserted the fork, my hair clips and did all possible tricks I learned in my Hardware labs [Smacking the devices] but no use!! It was about time we gave up and I saw a metallic name tag lying on one of the machines. I inserted even that, and this time it went so deep into the hole that, I couldn't get it back. Hari was laughing his guts out, and said 'Arpitha is inserting more stuffs into the already jammed machine", it was funny and illegal but I really didn't care much. Next I again inserted the fork and there was some jerk in the hole and "Tappak" the name tag fell down, and with a little bit more fiddling 5 quarters fell out. Hari was the happiest and I was the proudest person at that time. I took one quarter in memory of my expedition and called the day off with a couple of pics!!

New Avatar for my blog!

Hi Reverie Faithful Blog readers!!!!

First of all extremely sorry for not blogging this long. I have been busy with my course work!!! But if you come to think of it, my 1st job here is MBA. Evey thing else comes next!! [ Not really ;-)] so I think, me not able being to blog should be fine to some extent at least.

Anyways, after receiving 2 constructive feedback [ negative feedback] on my blogging style, I have decided to change my blogging style.

1. No more detail stories : Apart from the fact it discourages many of my readers, it is time consuming to write in depth and right now for me Time is EVERYTHING!!!!!

2. I would blog when there is something really interesting to share, no routine daily stuffs. You
guys must have understood my life here. Me having no sleep is a constant!!!

Anyways will cya all with my new blogging style some time soon. Till rest your eyes!!! :-D