Two Girls and a Friendship!

It was way back in my 8^th standard when I first met Salma. She was new to “The East West School” and she was my classmate. Initially I didn’t interact much with her (I was very shy throughout my high school days). But she used to talk to me every single day about all relevant and irrelevant topics. Soon we got along really well and were known as good buddies. 

If you have noticed me playing throw-ball, I have a very weird style of serving the ball and that’s simply because it was Salma who taught me how to serve! I have tried to change my serving style but I always like to stick on to the way she has taught me because every time I serve the ball, it reminds me of her. Oh, it also reminds me of the inter-school and inter-house competitions. It is an age old practice in our school to divide the students into 3 different houses- Green, Mauve and Yellow. Fortunately, Salma and I belonged to the same house, that is, Green House. As a team of two, we participated in vegetable carving competition and used fruits instead of vegetables; in rangoli competition, we used flowers and diyas instead of colour powders; in essay writing competition, we wrote poems with rhyming lyrics instead of boring paragraphs; we sang patriotic songs instead of filmi songs in singing competition; we neither spoke for the topic nor against the topic in debate competition; and guess what, we won prizes in all the above mentioned events. We also represented Green House for the basketball, throw-ball, tug-of-war, short put, high jump, long jump and other such competitions. We were always different from the crowd. Somehow we both shared a good rapport. She encouraged me like no one else did in school and made me feel special in all possible ways. 

It was somewhere during the middle of 9^th standard, Salma lost her dad. She was horrified and so was I. When she cried for days together, I made sure that I was always there for her, wiped her tears and helped her to get over the pain she was going through. This strengthened our friendship. Gradually she was back to normal. 

In 10^th standard, much to our surprise, we both were nominated by our teachers for the same post- Green House Captain. I was happy that she was nominated but sad that I was contesting for the election and that too, for the same post. The best thing about the election was, I voted for her and she voted for me. I won the election. She was happier for me than I was happy for my own self. She was not at all jealous about me becoming the new Green House Captain. We were and we are such true friends. 

In 10^th standard, we were taken on a school trip to Hyderabad. Due to personal reasons, she couldn’t come to the trip. I too thought of skipping it but since other classmates insisted me to not miss out on all the fun, I decided to go. Only after we left to Hyderabad, I realised that I missed her so badly. To make it worse, I got fever, cold and cough and I did not really enjoy the trip as much as my classmates. 

On our farewell day, we both never cried or felt bad because we knew that we would stay in touch. After 10^th, we joined different PU colleges. I made new set of friends. The frequency of our phone calls and hangouts gradually decreased. By the time I joined my degree college; we both had changed our numbers and completely lost in touch with each other. But she always calls me to my landline number on all my birthdays without fail. When I was in the last year of my graduation, I received a mail from my school which was regarding the school re-union. I was more than just excited because I knew Salma would attend the re-union and I hadn’t met her in 5 years. That re-union helped me to get back in touch with her and all other classmates. Though I met her after a really long time, we were still the same. We still felt like we were school kids. It was after the re-union party, she told me that she was going to get engaged and also get married in few months. It was then I realised how much our lives had changed. So we both decided to have as much fun as possible before she her marriage. We spent quality time with each other. 

And then, on November 12^th 2011, she got married. Just like how I always used to be there for her throughout our high school days, I was there with her on her D-day also. I had mixed emotions. I was happy that she got married but sad and scared that our friendship would change. As I was standing beside her on the day of her wedding, she was able to sense my feelings and that too just few minutes after she got married, she had all the time in the world to listen to me about all that was running in my head. This clearly shows how much she values me, my emotions and our friendship. She assured me that our friendship will always remain the same no matter what happens. 

I know that she will keep up her words though her cell phone was switched off right from the very next day of her wedding. Let anything come on the way of our friendship and I’m sure that we will feel like school kids and still remain the same the next time we meet! 

Reasons For Not Posting Here Quite Often

I know, this is a really weird topic to blog about. But I can't think about anything better right now. It's been exactly two whole months since my MBA course started. I joined Alliance University in Bangalore. The MBA course here is very hectic. To make things worse, this B-school is 45 kilometers away from my house. If I have to travel to and fro everyday in Bangalore's nasty traffic, it would take away at least 4 hours of my precious time. So I'm staying in the University's hostel and if possible, I go back home only for the weekend. And, I have some assignment or the other every single day. It's good in a way because I've learnt to make ad campaigns, business plans, product launch, etc. etc. But because of too many assignments, I'm left out with no time for my family members and friends and yeah, for the blog also. It feels so good to actually make a blog entry. I should seriously create some space for myself before this mechanistic life rules over me. Anyways, I need to get back to my half-finished-assignment which has to be submitted tomorrow. So, this is Sandhya logging out, see you soon in the next blog post! :)

Misty Mornings & Frosty Nights

I’m just back from Kodaikanal and I must say that it is one of my favourite holiday destinations. I’ve been there countless number of times but every time I go there, I get a new experience. It is such a calm and peaceful place to be in. I feel so refreshed after spending the entire weekend there.

The best thing about this place is the weather. I like it when I can’t see the sun’s rays for days together in Kodaikanal. Walking amidst the fog and mist is what I look forward to. The cleanliness maintained and the ban of plastic bags is something that has to be appreciated. I’ve visited almost all the sight-seeing spots which includes- Silver Cascade, Pillar Rock, Green Valley View (Suicide Point), Devil’s Kitchen (Guna Cave), Kurinji Andavar Temple, Berijam Lake, Bryant Park, Coaker's Walk, Observatory, Shenbaganur Museum, etc. The Lutheran Church is a masterpiece of ancient architecture in Kodaikanal. Cycling and horse riding around the lake early in the morning is so relaxing.

The next best thing in Kodaikanal is the food! I like to hog on hot and spicy food in Hilltop restaurant, especially the butter chicken. Astoria is another restaurant which serves class food. The baked and roasted maize with chilli paste, which is sold by vendors is a must try. I never forget to buy at least a small packet of home-made chocolates. There are so many varieties and they all taste so yummy. Pastry Corner is a small but well known bakery which is usually crowded and all the items sold over here are mouth-watering. The Naturals ice-cream parlour sells delicious natural flavoured ice-cream for only Rs. 20 or Rs. 30 per scoop.

There are so many resorts in and around Kodaikanal. As far as I know, Hill Country Holidays is the best. It has many posh villas and the price is also a bit high but as my uncle knows the manager of this resort very well, our family gets discounts. Holiday Home is yet another resort which has many comfortable cottages instead of rooms and the prices of the cottages are very economical here.

I go on a shopping spree whenever I visit Kodaikanal. Danish Display is my favourite. This shop always has many wooden show-case items, bronze statues, fragrance oils (like- rose, lavender, jasmine and tea tree), spices, accessories, terracotta wall hangings, etc. The hand-made woollen sweaters, jackets, pull overs, shawls, etc. which are sold in the Tibetans shops are of very good quality and it does not cost much when compared to other branded clothes.

I never miss out on listening to Kodai FM when I’m in Kodaikanal. This radio station plays a good mixture of soothing old and new Tamil songs continuously.

If you want to holiday in a South Indian hill-station, I suggest Kodaikanal. Trust me, there’s something very magical about this place. And, I’m already eagerly looking forward to my next visit to Kodaikanal.

Things My College Taught Me..

Well, my college days are almost getting over. When the month of May ends, my final semester exams will be over. I wonder how quickly these 3 years flew! During these years, I have learnt many lessons- both inside and outside the college (actually more lessons outside the college because PES is known for "education for the real world").

I still remember how the first year of my college started. I thought everything I had was perfect – my friends, my knowledge, my body, my hair, my clothes, my accessories, and my entire life. But gradually by the end of first year, I realised that I was caught in the rush of college life. I didn’t know where I was going. My so-called-perfect-friends started becoming jealous of me (I still have no clues for what reasons). Hanging out with those friends was a mundane task. At one point of time, I realised that they were just fair-weather-friends. I started putting on little bit of weight. My permanent straightened hair was no longer poker straight. I was not the topper in the class anymore. I didn’t win either in the basketball tournament or in the badminton tournament or in the national level best manager event! To make it worse, I didn’t have a crush on any guy. No guys in my batch were handsome (at least for my eyes), leave alone the senior guys, they were worse. I had even reasons to run into depression. I was kind of going nuts about everything. But before all these issues could get on my nerves, I decided to take things lightly.

So, in the whole of second year, I made entirely new friends. Some of them were very out-going but some were introverts. I was able to strike a balance between both set of friends. I kept myself busy after the college hours. I hanged out with friends only twice in a week. I involved in more extra-curricular activities. I concentrated more on the college fests. I was able to make it to the finals of most of the national level management events. I gave up playing basketball and badminton. I gave up my strict diet. I indulged in pizzas, burgers, ice-creams and chaats once in a while. I ensured that I exercised at least 5 days in a week. I had proper updated notes. I started preparing for exams well in advance. My grades improved. I may sound like a geek but I didn’t want to compromise on my character. This way, my college life seemed to be way better! The reason was- I was no more obsessed with perfection! I was well organised but I was not perfect yet I was happy!

Second year was like a turning point for me (in a good way). But unfortunately for most of my batch mates it was in a bad way. Many didn’t realise that being perfect is not the only thing to do on earth. Thus most of them couldn’t cope up with pressure and dropped out of college. Others indulged in excessive boozing, fagging and pulling hookah. Some even got heavy on drugs. I was in no way associated with them, so I couldn’t do anything to help them fight the pressure of college life. But I’m glad I learnt that it is ok not to be perfect and didn’t give in to all the above mentioned concerns.

In the third year, I continued to be the way I was in second year and now everything looks like candy floss and it actually is! I know that I’m not perfect. So what! I have true friends, good percentage in all semesters, job offer from Infosys, and offer for MBA seat from eight B-schools. Moreover, I have learnt how to deal with ups and downs of college life. What else could I ask for! I gained confidence by every experience and most importantly, as a business management student, I have learnt to manage myself first! (Ok, I’ll stop here. I have bragged enough about myself). I have had the almost-perfect-college-life!

My First Job Interview

Today I faced my first job interview. And so did most of my batch mates in college. Fidelity Investments! That was the first company which came to our campus for recruitment. Until then I never knew that such a company even existed. Just yesterday, I prepared my resume and I also surfed the net to know more about Fidelity Investments. It seemed to be worth attending their interview.

The interview consisted of three rounds.

First round: Aptitude test

We were given an imaginary situation in which a consumer had a problem with a service provider and that consumer found some faults in the services. We had to assume ourselves as the service providers and solve the problem by writing an email to the consumer.

This is something which I’m very good at. I showed off my convincing skills in the email and I thought the first round was over.

But we were not yet done. We had to answer around 50 multiple choice questions. It was hundred times easier than my MBA entrance exams. So it went on well and the first round was over!

First round result: Selected!

I was happy when my name was called out in the first list itself. All the entrance exam coaching classes I had attended finally paid off.

Second round: Technical and HR Interview

The word technical made me got nuts. I’m not good at it but luckily the HR manager who interviewed me didn’t ask any technical questions. Here is the set of questions he asked me:-

1. Tell me about yourself.

2. What is your educational background?

3. What is your family background?

4. What are your strengths and weaknesses?

5. What are your hobbies?

6. What do you want to be in the future?

7. What are your achievements?

8. What are the challenges that you have come across in your life?

9. When you have to do four things at a time, how will you do it?

10. Why have you taken up international business as your specialisation in BBM?

11. How much salary do you expect?

I answered all these questions so easily. I had all the answers at the tip of my tongue. But then the final question came:-

12. Are you ready to work in night shifts?

I wanted to say “no” but I didn’t want to lose the job opportunity. I rolled my eyes and I unwillingly said “yes”. I guess the interviewer sensed my unwillingness. But I was very much satisfied with my performance and I stepped out of the interview room with a wide grin on my face.

Second round result: Not selected!

Yup, I couldn’t make it to the final round because I didn’t get selected in the second round. I feel I should have frankly told the interviewer about my lack of interest to work in the night shifts. But even if had given him an honest answer, I wouldn’t have got the job as it was a night shift job only.

Anyways, there are so many opportunities out there and this is not the end!

My Reflections On 2010

                                                                                      
While people out there are excited about the New Year, I want to take a look at 2010. It was quite a bumpy roller coaster ride and at the same time, filled with pleasant memories. Here is a quick re-cap about some random interesting (at least to me and my peer group it sounds interesting) stuff I did in the year 2010:

I made genuine friends (and got rid of fake friends)

I started taking my car to my college everyday (though I hated to pay the parking fee)

I went on long drives with my friends (we travelled around 50 kms in the outskirts of Bangalore)

I attended almost all the CAT coaching classes (I knew I couldn’t make it to the IIMs but I still had high hopes)

I wrote the CAT exam (don’t ask me about the result – it’s not yet announced)

I saw a shooting star and made a wish (the wish is too personal to be shared)

I started writing this blog (I’ll be celebrating its b’day sometime soon)

I attended my school re-union (met most of my school mates after 5 long years and also hanged out with them)

I lost my digi cam (I got it for free but I miss the pics that were there in it)

I started talking my mind out (hence I became straight forward)

I got into so might cat fights (it was fun)

I attended aerobics class (and lost oodles of weight)

I started learning French (J’adore le Français)

I completed my internship (Now I’m no more an amateur when it comes to marketing analysis)

Well, not bad, I have tried my hands at so many different endeavours! 2010 was surely quite a happening year for me.