Firstly, my sincere apologies for being so late in posting this. But I was a bit busy in organising a sports quiz so I apologize.
And now to begin. I have already stated before that during practice we had already broken the skipping world record. However for it to be ratified by Guinness, it has to take place before at least 2 judges & 1 legal representative. That's why we had assembled on Sunday the 26th of Feb at seven-thirty in the morning - to show the world that we have what it takes to break the world record. It was the final step in the completion of 'Mission Magical Manouevre'.
The record attempts began at about 8:30 AM. The first few attempts were unsuccessful but we never lost hope. We then had a small break after which we again started with our attempts. And finally on our 10th attempt we managed to skip 14 times - thus creating a new world record. The existing World record was 12 jumps by 220 people & we broke it by jumping 14 times & that too with a total of 292 students. Now that's one hell of an achievement.
And then we all went nuts, giving high fives, congratulating everyone, giving hugs & hoisting the organisers, Sagar, Nachiket & PC one by one on our shoulders. It was a great moment, all our hard work had paid off & everybody had a blast. Soon we were dancing, singing & getting group photos clicked. It is simply unforgettable.
Many people disagree with the name of the event - 'Mission Magical Manouevre'. But I think it fits the bill perfectly. Because it may not be magic like getting a bunny out of a hat but 292 people coming together, jumping together, succeeding together & celebrating together IS Magic.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Chakravyuh 2006
As I have stated earlier, I was a part of the organizing committee for 'Chakravyuh - 06' the premier quizzing event of our college. Since there were not too many guys to help out, I had a lot of work to do in organizing the quiz. That took up a lot of time during the last few days. But the way things shaped up today, I believe it was worth it all.
The day began with 'Abhimanyu' the Intra-college quiz. I had a pretty good general round in which I scored 7 points, which made me the joint leader with Kapeesh. Then came the speciality round in which Gaurav Singh scored a stunning 15 points. His brilliance left me with a tough task to achieve in my speciality topic - Test Match captains of India. I scored 10 points which was pretty decent I guess. But the prize was won by Gaurav & he deserved the great trophy which was awarded to him. As for me, there's always a next time.
Then began the actual quiz which had a long elims paper, during which we indulged in our favourite quizzing pastime - pulling Gaurav Singh's leg, though we went about it in a very decent way this time around. After that came a media quiz by Kapeesh, which was good. Then began the Chakravyuh finals, starting with the 'Chakravyuh' round, a great innovation thought up Abhishek who really made easy an extremely complex round. Then began the IR round, during which I started feeling unwell & hence left early. So though I didn't see the end, it was a great day of quizzing. Can't wait for the next edition.
The day began with 'Abhimanyu' the Intra-college quiz. I had a pretty good general round in which I scored 7 points, which made me the joint leader with Kapeesh. Then came the speciality round in which Gaurav Singh scored a stunning 15 points. His brilliance left me with a tough task to achieve in my speciality topic - Test Match captains of India. I scored 10 points which was pretty decent I guess. But the prize was won by Gaurav & he deserved the great trophy which was awarded to him. As for me, there's always a next time.
Then began the actual quiz which had a long elims paper, during which we indulged in our favourite quizzing pastime - pulling Gaurav Singh's leg, though we went about it in a very decent way this time around. After that came a media quiz by Kapeesh, which was good. Then began the Chakravyuh finals, starting with the 'Chakravyuh' round, a great innovation thought up Abhishek who really made easy an extremely complex round. Then began the IR round, during which I started feeling unwell & hence left early. So though I didn't see the end, it was a great day of quizzing. Can't wait for the next edition.
Finally it feels like I'm in college
During your schooling life, you always dream about how college would be. You just can't wait to get out of school & into college, thinking that college life consists only of hanging out with your friends, bunking lectures & hot girls(especially for guys like me who are from a Boys school).
Thinking on similar lines, I went for the first day of my junior college with great expectations. But it proved to be great dud, not just the first day, but the entire 2 years in Junior college. First we'd feel great on having bunked a lecture but the college campus was so depressing that we never attended college for months on end. That's when I realised that college life in Nashik is useless & that to enjoy an ideal college life I had to shift to some other city.
This led to my coming to the 'Oxford of the East' - Pune. I'd secured admission in a very reputed college & really looked forward to starting college. But once again, the first semester proved to be a total dud. Being in an E&TC division, I just HAD to attend lectures regularly, as everyone else did. And there were no other extra-curricular activities to distract me from the annoying truth that it was turning out to be like school all over again- with the fun part excluded.
However, things have changed drastically this semester. I'm taking part in numerous activities, regularly bunking lectures to watch movies, surf the net or just to chill out at the Boat Club. And also convincing others to take common-offs, which has to rank amongst my greatest achievements as our division consists of a large number of total Nerds. The activities I've mentioned include the World record attempt at skipping(see previous post), organizing the ZEST sports quiz, helping in organising 'Chakravyuh'(see next post), participating in various quizzes, playing in plastic ball cricket competitions at the Hostel & being a part of the College Chess team. In fact, I'm so caught up in all this that I really can't remember the last lecture I attended, though my attendance sheet shows something totally different(Thank You Proxyman Pradeep).
Hence my day consists of getting up early, going for skipping practice, attending a practical(if possible), scouring the net for questions for the quiz, going for skipping yet again & then chatting with friends & playing chess late into the night. THAT is what I call an ideal college life. Thus I'm pretty happy with whats going on now. I just hope it never ends. Now never again shall I say that college life sucks.
Thinking on similar lines, I went for the first day of my junior college with great expectations. But it proved to be great dud, not just the first day, but the entire 2 years in Junior college. First we'd feel great on having bunked a lecture but the college campus was so depressing that we never attended college for months on end. That's when I realised that college life in Nashik is useless & that to enjoy an ideal college life I had to shift to some other city.
This led to my coming to the 'Oxford of the East' - Pune. I'd secured admission in a very reputed college & really looked forward to starting college. But once again, the first semester proved to be a total dud. Being in an E&TC division, I just HAD to attend lectures regularly, as everyone else did. And there were no other extra-curricular activities to distract me from the annoying truth that it was turning out to be like school all over again- with the fun part excluded.
However, things have changed drastically this semester. I'm taking part in numerous activities, regularly bunking lectures to watch movies, surf the net or just to chill out at the Boat Club. And also convincing others to take common-offs, which has to rank amongst my greatest achievements as our division consists of a large number of total Nerds. The activities I've mentioned include the World record attempt at skipping(see previous post), organizing the ZEST sports quiz, helping in organising 'Chakravyuh'(see next post), participating in various quizzes, playing in plastic ball cricket competitions at the Hostel & being a part of the College Chess team. In fact, I'm so caught up in all this that I really can't remember the last lecture I attended, though my attendance sheet shows something totally different(Thank You Proxyman Pradeep).
Hence my day consists of getting up early, going for skipping practice, attending a practical(if possible), scouring the net for questions for the quiz, going for skipping yet again & then chatting with friends & playing chess late into the night. THAT is what I call an ideal college life. Thus I'm pretty happy with whats going on now. I just hope it never ends. Now never again shall I say that college life sucks.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Hey Mr. Guiness, we just broke the world record!
Those who have been reading my blog regularly will know that I am a part of the Skipping World record attempt by COEP. The existing record ie till approximately 6:00 PM on the 21st of Feb 2006 was 220 people jumping on a single rope for 12 times. But that is history. Because yesterday, we created a new record with 240 people jumping on a single rope for 13 times. And all the efforts we had put in for almost a month paid dividends.
I was constantly asked by many why I didn't participate in Punt Formation, for that was obviously the more glamorous event. But the reason why me & in fact most of the students joined skipping was a BE guy called Nachiket. He came to the hostel one night along with his friends & gave us a truly inspiring speech. After that it was impossible to stay away from skipping. And 240 people coming together for a common cause is a big deal indeed. At the start there were a few skeptics, since such a big feat hadn't been attempted in the 150+ years history of the college. But he believed that we could do it. And on some days it seemed that only he believed that we could do it. But he persisted & now the results are visible. But it would be unfair not to mention the names of his support staff, especially Sagar who continuously egged us on and PC (Pandurang Chate) who along with Nachiket had the important task of rotating the rope. And also all the other seniors who helped us & prepared us for this event. And throughout all this, never did any of these guys lose their cool, never did they behave rudely & never did they do anything that would hurt our morale. THAT is called management. Kudos to you, you guys have really done a great job.
But it's not over yet. That's because we have only broken the record in practice. We have to do it again on the day of the event, in front of the press & other noted dignitaries for it to count as an official world record & so that it can make an entry in Guiness. But that no longer seems daunting, as we know that we have already done it.
And a final word to those who think the record is no big deal - I agree that getting together 240 people is not that hard. But finding people like Nachiket & Sagar is. Keep it up guys, you rock!
I was constantly asked by many why I didn't participate in Punt Formation, for that was obviously the more glamorous event. But the reason why me & in fact most of the students joined skipping was a BE guy called Nachiket. He came to the hostel one night along with his friends & gave us a truly inspiring speech. After that it was impossible to stay away from skipping. And 240 people coming together for a common cause is a big deal indeed. At the start there were a few skeptics, since such a big feat hadn't been attempted in the 150+ years history of the college. But he believed that we could do it. And on some days it seemed that only he believed that we could do it. But he persisted & now the results are visible. But it would be unfair not to mention the names of his support staff, especially Sagar who continuously egged us on and PC (Pandurang Chate) who along with Nachiket had the important task of rotating the rope. And also all the other seniors who helped us & prepared us for this event. And throughout all this, never did any of these guys lose their cool, never did they behave rudely & never did they do anything that would hurt our morale. THAT is called management. Kudos to you, you guys have really done a great job.
But it's not over yet. That's because we have only broken the record in practice. We have to do it again on the day of the event, in front of the press & other noted dignitaries for it to count as an official world record & so that it can make an entry in Guiness. But that no longer seems daunting, as we know that we have already done it.
And a final word to those who think the record is no big deal - I agree that getting together 240 people is not that hard. But finding people like Nachiket & Sagar is. Keep it up guys, you rock!
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Calvin & Hobbes
I've always loved my comics, be it Tintin, Asterix, Garfield, Archie or Tinkle. But nowadays I have a new favourite - Calvin & Hobbes. Somehow I feel that I can connect with that little fella Calvin. And as for Hobbes, Tigers don't come any cuter.
Well most of you must be knowing a lot more about Calvin & Hobbes than me. So I'm not going to tell you anything more about it. I'd just like to mention my favourite Calvin & Hobbes strip , which was published in today's Indian Express. Here it is:
Calvin(to his friend): I sure am great. I'm one of the greatest people who ever lived. How lucky you are to know someone as great as me. I'm great in so many great ways. In fact, I'm so great that my greatness is ...
His friend: You're not great. You're the most conceited blowhard I've ever met.
(Friend goes away)
Calvin(to himself): When you're great, people often mistake candour for bragging.
See the startling resemblance between me & him?
Well most of you must be knowing a lot more about Calvin & Hobbes than me. So I'm not going to tell you anything more about it. I'd just like to mention my favourite Calvin & Hobbes strip , which was published in today's Indian Express. Here it is:
Calvin(to his friend): I sure am great. I'm one of the greatest people who ever lived. How lucky you are to know someone as great as me. I'm great in so many great ways. In fact, I'm so great that my greatness is ...
His friend: You're not great. You're the most conceited blowhard I've ever met.
(Friend goes away)
Calvin(to himself): When you're great, people often mistake candour for bragging.
See the startling resemblance between me & him?
A few pointers
I've got nothing much to write right now. In fact, I'd rather not write much right now because my exams are on & I've just done extremely badly in my first paper. Therefore I've decided to pass down some wisdom, which I gained after this paper & which I'm bound to lose before my next paper. So here are some tips for that rare breed who is more stupid than me & might actually gain from knowing this:
A few pointers (or rather the reasons for my current sorry state):
1. Days that begin with you being in bed till 10:30 AM & then again sleeping from 1:30 PM to 6:00 PM rarely go well.
2. Such days become even worse if you go to hotel 'China Gate' on JM Road for dinner. Hard on the pocket, bad for the stomach. My advice : don't go there.
3. And yes, these days happen to be worst in case you have your exams in the same week.
4. India losing the match is no reason not to study, however die-hard a cricket fan you may be.
5. If the exams are 2 days away & you still don't feel like studying, consult a psychiatrist.
6. Whoever said 'Playing chess sharpens your mind. Therefore regular games of chess are bound to help you in your studies' obviously had it all wrong & must have had a miserable life.
7. Orkut is a great way to spend your time. I never knew this. Unfortunately I realised this just before the exams.In case you still don't know this, I suggest you stay away from it till the exams end.
8. Chatting with your friends till late in the night isn't exactly advisable. Especially if they're through with studies & you've just begun.
9. Come to think of it, I think I myself had made up that quote mentioned in tip no. 6. Which means that it is totally correct. Scant consolation though.
10. And finally, just because you have a blog doesn't give you the right, nor an excuse, to go online everyday. That you do so anyways is just another one of your problems.
However I do have some self respect left. Therefore I'll do my best and try not to repeat these mistakes again. I promise myself, I'll get through this unscathed at best or at worst, with a marksheet resembling India's tailend scorecard.
A few pointers (or rather the reasons for my current sorry state):
1. Days that begin with you being in bed till 10:30 AM & then again sleeping from 1:30 PM to 6:00 PM rarely go well.
2. Such days become even worse if you go to hotel 'China Gate' on JM Road for dinner. Hard on the pocket, bad for the stomach. My advice : don't go there.
3. And yes, these days happen to be worst in case you have your exams in the same week.
4. India losing the match is no reason not to study, however die-hard a cricket fan you may be.
5. If the exams are 2 days away & you still don't feel like studying, consult a psychiatrist.
6. Whoever said 'Playing chess sharpens your mind. Therefore regular games of chess are bound to help you in your studies' obviously had it all wrong & must have had a miserable life.
7. Orkut is a great way to spend your time. I never knew this. Unfortunately I realised this just before the exams.In case you still don't know this, I suggest you stay away from it till the exams end.
8. Chatting with your friends till late in the night isn't exactly advisable. Especially if they're through with studies & you've just begun.
9. Come to think of it, I think I myself had made up that quote mentioned in tip no. 6. Which means that it is totally correct. Scant consolation though.
10. And finally, just because you have a blog doesn't give you the right, nor an excuse, to go online everyday. That you do so anyways is just another one of your problems.
However I do have some self respect left. Therefore I'll do my best and try not to repeat these mistakes again. I promise myself, I'll get through this unscathed at best or at worst, with a marksheet resembling India's tailend scorecard.
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