FIRE IN THE UNIVERSITY !!! RUN RUN RUN !!!

The software mass increases as its release date approaches. This is one of the important law of SE mostly because i have already started to experience that 31^st of this month is coming closer too soon and the mass of remaining work on my SSL project is getting on increasing. This is what keeps me awake in the lab these days till late nights or even till early mornings even thought internet remains down.(internet is a lifeline for us indeed, because of the various e-books and refrence material it provides, nah nah, not because of ORKUT or GMAIL, believe me i stopped telling lies, atleast until i finish this sentence).At about 1:45 i was really feeling sleeping (remember the devil of sleep??? he was back again) so thought of just going to the hostel and coming back. Sudesh and Sudanshu accompanied me.

While we were returning back we saw a huge light, we were a bit surprised but did'nt bother much. Sudesh spotted the tube-lights from the lab flickering and immediately could we hear the security people blowing their whistles trying to convey something, we also did see some students running about but had no idea of what was really going on. When asked one fellow, we were informed that fire had broke out in the campus somewhere near the Zoology Department. So we were running to the point when Sid and Bren came and started telling us about it. They did bring with them Abhi's cell-phone ( and Abhi was sitting in the dark in the lab) and asked me to make a call to the Fire force. We made a call and called the fire brigade and informed the cops as well. We then moved to the point. The underground electric cables which were open had caught fire (due to a power surge might be ).

We added ourself to the group of another 5 to 6 people who were watching the fire, It was a big one indeed. Then came the cops and began asking all the “filmi” questions. ( One cop called me near him and asked how many Jumping Chickens did we catch and i was quick to give him a wrong count ). The fire was not showing any signs of going off but was trying to get bigger and bigger. We were just looking at it ( because we were scared that it might explode any time, it was very close to the big electric box ). The electrician was next to join the group and he tried to do something and manged to bring the fire under control. He also put off the main line so it was really very dark now. At this point of time we could only hear the siren of the fire brigade. ( hmmmmm...... does'nt it sound like a bollywood movie???? yep it does, but its not over yet ).

Then through the darkness comes a big vehicle and we hear the whispers... fire brigade... fire brigade....... but to everybodys surprise it was the vehicle from the electricity department ( who called them ??? ). They were followed by the fire brigade ( at last the long awaited people finally arrived ). Same time i got a call back form the fire force department asking whether that they had already reached to the point and yes was my reply. This call did'nt last for too long ( might be because he called or because i was more curious to see what these fire force personnel were doing ). These people brought out a fire extinguisher and started spraying it on the flames, the extinguisher got over and they were asking for more ( what did they come with ??? ). Sid and Sudanshu ran in one direction, Sudesh in one direction and Brenton in the other and very soon they came with three more fire extinguishers ( believe me these guys seemed more quick then the fire force presonnel and more enthusiastic as well, Brenton was saying he never ran that fast ever before ). They then tried to extinguish the fire, it was good to see the CO2 gas running on the ground and Sid was quick to say “ Hy , now i know how to make smoke on the stage for the next Mute Beat “ ( Mute Beat – something that we are really too good at). The electricity department vehicle which had come went back then. ( Nobody knows why they came and what they did ). The fire extinguisher from our department also got over but the fire was not showing any signs of giving up. Finally they started spraying water and then the fire did dissapear, so they put the pipe back in and were getting ready to go but one of them was not satisfied i guess so he asked them to spray more water and they did that again. Finally it was all over and i had to fill a form for calling the fire brigade and then they left back.

In this entire incident dont you think some people are missing??? yes, i'm talking about the security personnel, we did'nt see many of them over there ( only 2 to be precise ). Where were they ??? ( lets avoid this, they would'nt have done anything better). But not to forget the charging lamp from our department, it also played an important role. It was the major source of light there. Its really doing a good job these days. All -in-all it was a great experience for us. We enjoyed it a lot . ( Don't know if i should have really said the last sentence)

JUMPING CHICKENS ( make me ) JUMP OUT OF JOY !!!

Every year when the monsoon begins, this sound is very familiar. I might be wrong if i say thats its the sound of them crying, but whatever it is, it gets back the childhood memories back to my mind, for sure.Never thought even in my dreams that this would continue in the University Campus as well. Its real fun to go hunting for them and a great joy to catch them, although i missed it last year (because i was not sure about their presence in the campus) this year it was a different story. As the rains hit the university for the first time this year, Aditya quickly informed me that they were present here in large numbers (the devil inside me was quick to get up). The discussion about them began in the lab with mixed opinions coming from all sides. Many agreed about the fun and the good taste but a small group headed by Sid went in total defence. Alveena was already set to eat them while Sneha was quick to say “How can you do that ?”.Whatever be their opinions I had already made my plans and was waiting to go....

It was late in evening and almost everyone was busy working on their network projects (Network Project: really makes us slog these days) Pritam entered the lab and informed us that Jumping Chickens were making a big noise, my mind was quick to divert, i could'nt work on the project any more then, the curiosities of myself,Brenton and Sudhanshu took us out to check them, believe me we just went to check and came back catching one. Getting it to the department and everybody from the lab coming out to check that out, clicking snaps, that was really amazing.This was enough to motivate us to move out to catch more. This was after hunting for a good torch in both the wing of Boys hostel and until finding one with the security fellow. So we set out and returned back with 3 more. At this point of time we did decide to finish the hunt for the day (because we didnt have a good torch and whatever light the cell phones could provide was not sufficient). But the charging lamp from the department was enough to get more destructive thoughts in our mind and make us to go out and increase our catch. So we went back again and returned with another 6. Sudhansu was quick to spot them in the dark while Brenton spotted only one but that too turned out to be someones shoe sole.(Did we laugh at this ???? Ha ha ha). Sudanshu was moving with the Charging Lamp on his head trying to lit more area then what was possible. End of the day 10 was a good catch. Enough to inspire us to continue on next day as well.

But this time Brenton was replaced by Sudesh (why ????? , guess he was busy checking the UI of my new cell, mind you, i said i only guess and when it comes to guessing i'm really bad) and Bhiju was the new addition to the gang. As it was pre-planned in advance we did have the required weapons and a good torch with us this time.We also cover more area than the previous day (some places which i never visited in the campus ever before), but finished with only 8. It was good to see Sudesh running after them with a big stick as if he was going to hit some big animal. The Cops also intervened us but at that point of time there was only one jumping chicken with us and we said we are going back so they too felt pity on us (might be). Poor cops thought we would really go back. How was that possible, we continued and caught seven more after that, until we decided to finish it off.

Killing and cleaning them was really bad and i was the one who had to that. I has never done that before but had seen my friends doing it, so that was not so difficult ( i did struggle with the first one tough). When inquired with my friends about how was their performance back at home their count was 14, so our 18 was anytime better (so it gave me a sense of acheivement and made them jealous). According to the deal my job is now over and what remains is Brentons job to cook and serve. He should do it well, he is a good cook (saying this just to give me some feel good factor about how it will be when its being served)

So another advent of monsoon has just gone by and was a memorable one it was. I really dont know how it must have been for the Jumping Chickens coming out after more then six months (Herbination) and jumping out of joy to celebrate the advent of monsoon only to find us waiting to catch them and finally we end up jumping to celebrate the catch. And since i really dont know, let me also not think much about it.

Heartbreak or Triumph for the GUNNERS ???

A week has already passed by, but i can still remember a little bit of everything that happened in that extraordinary drama ( CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL ) at the Stade de France.

It was after a long time that i really stayed awake to watch a football match, although staying awake late night is nothing new since when i've joined MCA.It may be to check and forward all those e-mails,surffing the net, studing ( this happens only when the exams are really knocking the door ), or getting lost in Orkut ( the latest craze in DCST ) and if the net is down then just sitting on the department terrace, making jokes or watching movies.I was so excited about the Finals that i even forgot to celebrate the end of my exams which happened on the same day at around 4:30 pm, as i was desperate to reach home and be all set before the television to catch the live action.

At around 10:30 pm it was really getting boring as my PC was not working and there were no good programs being shown on the television, i felt as if the Devil of sleep was pulling down my eyelids forcing me to sleep but my passion for the World's most popular game did'nt allow him to succeed.( Not forgetting here, the Angel of sleep who always comes during class hours and ....)

And finally the final's began and It was in the 18th minute when Jens Lehmann committed a blatant professional foul against Samuel Eto'o just outside the penalty area which made the Norwegian referee flash the RED card at him and force him to leave the field.Since then, the 10-men Arsenal had to fight really hard against the mighty Barcelona.And they fought very bravely and made sure that they were ahead of their rivals before the lemon break. At this time it was Campbell's goal that separated both the teams.The Gunners began the second half with their smart short passes and thrilling runs and it never seemed that it was 10 against 11.But the arrival of Henrik Larsson in the 61st minute did make the difference as it was he who initiated the moves that helped Barca net the ball home twice within 6 minutes to turn things around. ( Not mentioning the role played by the refree which was very crucial ).

The Gunners looked exhausted after that, as they really worked hard to make the 10-11 difference really invisible before Eto's strike.Fredie was still working hard to get a second one but Henry appeared too tired and was missing opportunities, after all he too is human and considering the pressure that was created on him by the press, it was all fine. Pressure does have a great psychological impact on the players in this game ( Remember Ronaldo in the finals of France 98 ???? )

At the end of 90 minutes the referee blew the whistle and Barcelona were crowned the New UEFA Champions ( Andy and Ozzy must have been really happy at this point of time ).Arsenal deserved to win, ya they really deserved to win, but the fairytale ending was not to be.All their fans ( including me and not forgetting Yves ) were sad and totally shocked for all that happened.

But every Sun-Set leads to another Sun-Rise and within 48 hours the millions of Arsenal fans were given a reason to put the finals behind their mind and start rejoicing as the King of Highburry who was all set to move to Barca announced that he will stay with Arsenal for the next four years( From this moment Andy and Ozzy must have really been scared, no wonder why i managed to kill them so very easily the other day when we were playing CS ).Now, was it the love and support which the fans displayed that changed Henry's mind ??? Was it the Teams collective performance that touched his heart ??? Was it the un-conquered UEFA finals by Arsenal ???

The reasons don't really matter as long as he stays. And this is a warning to all the European Clubs that we ( ARSENAL ) are going to come back soon and this time with a double edged sword having both the support of the fans and the bitter experiences of the past.So you better watch out !!!

They Came, They Saw, They Made a Mess And They Went.

This time it’s about a group of guys who were staying next to my Quarters in the University. Believe me, I really had to bear them a lot. But they were helpful at times as well, especially when I couldn’t get up according to the set alarm their songs would help me, as when they started to sing, sleeping was nearly impossible.

So let me start with, one Ramesh Chingle or Chingoo or Chingle Bell.This one was a big philosopher, used to preach a lot but could not practice what he used to preach. When any one went wrong he had lots to say but when he goes wrong ……..

He always used to say Maratha Martho Kiwa Martho, but stopped saying that when the other guys proved it to him then when it came to Chingle , Maratha Only Marto. He was a good singer until he won a prize in the university, he just lost it after that, used to just sing loudly (was really horrible) anything anytime.

Next was Siddu, this guy once said in a singing competition, I came to song a sing, (imagine how funny that was ). He was good, but the freedom that he got in the University pushed him into some bad habits. Standing straight was something that he really struggled to do. Was a good cricket player but. He used to get scared of ghosts a lot, he once even thought I was one, when I was sitting late night on the terrace.

Darshan is next to follow. He was a split personality, Darshan and Shaktiman. He was my rival in all the cricket matches that we played. He liked making jokes on others but if you start the same on him then he would really get pissed.He once got a nice bite from one of the boiteck guys.I guess he will never forget that.

Srikant was the forth, a good singer and the best among all of them. I knew this from the time I heard him singing during Plateaunica, and he proved this to everyone during the singing competition by winning the first place.But this Guy had some problems with his sensations ( only he will understand this..). He would make the rules before the party and break them during the party. I still remember the two great facts that he told us on the day when we had a party, hope no one will ever forget them. That party was really good, at least till Shaktiman arrived.

Of the seven rooms given to them they had only used one during the first 18 months, they never bothered to clean that one as well, it was only when the Students of law ( Sushant and Salil ) came to stay with them, they changed.They had planted a creeper ( money plant ) along with us but it too was lazy like them and took a long time to come up.

Few days back ( on the 5^th of May) they finished their exams and their course as well.So they will never come again I guess. I shall miss them for the cricket matches that we played and for nothing else. So now Peace is back and hope it stays for a long time.