Chp 9. Exam-I

Oh My God….
Blogging is so freaking addictive… I promised not to blog again until my exams are over. Why for the love of sweet Jesus did I ever start blogging right when my exams are just around the corner (tomorrow) :-(

All my frens around me are slogging their asses off. Life is tough here. Lets see what I studied today. Chapter 11 and 12 from Organizational Behavior and chapter 3 and 4 from Kotler’s Marketing Management.

And how is this going to help me?

Well, in the short run, its not going to help me at all, because for both these exams, the papers are going to be purely based on how we implement the hazaar concepts and strategies on a given case. In other words, there is no point in mugging them actually, but all of us got no other option…

And in the long run, its not going to help me at all again. Who the hell is going to remember the five different threats that competitive forces pose which determines the intrinsic long-run profit attractiveness of a market or market segment industries? Or what Hersey and Blanchard’s Situational Theory is three years down the line from now when we are sitting in our own air-conditioned office in the HR department???

Then why am I mugging away to glory over here? Because that is how things are, and we cannot beat the system however illogical it may seem. But at the same time, there is one reason why I really appreciate the way things are over here. All these mugging does help us in a great way which many people don’t usually realize. It teaches us how to be tough and how to face stress. It teaches us that life is not a bed of roses out there. It also teaches us how to nail down others, even if they are our frens, coz that’s what the Corporate World is all about. You stab my back and I’ll stab yours, and then we’ll go for a drink after that. I learnt it the hard way that sacrificing for a fren or giving up something so that the whole team can gain is wrong. Its every man for himself. Even though we learn about team work and team dynamics, we also learn how to watch our own back. Relative Grading sux big time, but it does make a man out of us.

I’ve just finished walking around my block. Nearly 70% of junta is asleep (its 4pm right now). It’s the unofficial bed-time here at IIMB. Man, my hands are just twitching to blast my 2500 Watt music system and wake up everybody! *evil chinky grin*

And to make matter worse, the PGP2’s (second years) are mocking us because they will be partying on NY’s eve while we’ll be studying. Poor guys, they went thru the same phase last year, I think they deserve to take out their juvenile frustration on us this year :-)

Okie dokie… time for me to hit the books again. I will get back to you guys when I take my next break. Sayonara for now...

Chp 8. New Year

Farewell for now my frens.

My final exams are coming up – 31st December, 1st and 2nd January! WTF. IIM truly knows how to push a person to their limits (and also to the edge of insanity).

All my frens are calling me up and inviting me to various parties – KGA Club, Bangalore Club, Hollywood 2005, Speed Zone, Club X, The Club, just to name a few. They are going to welcome the new year with a bang. And you know what I’ll be doing? Here, let me show you a glimpse of what’s likely to happen on 31st midnite.

11:55pm : Study
11:56pm : Study
11:57pm : Study
11:58pm : Study
11:59pm : Come out of my room
00:00am : Scream out happy new year!
00:04am : Finish wishing all my frens a happy new year
00:05am : Go back to room
00:06am : Study
00:07am : Study
00:08am : Study………

Oh my my… this New Year celebration is going to be so exciting, I just can’t wait for it to happen! And considering the fact that I’ve spent the last new year at a private party in Hyderabad with my Arab frens, belly dancers, hot chinky babes everywhere, and the previous new year party before that was with my sweet ex (when we were still going around) and some 30 of my other frens at this posh Golf Club, and the year before that… **kima breaks down and cry**

Sniff... sniff… Happy New Year everyone. Party hard. And play it safe.
This is me signing off for the year.
~Kim.

Chp 7. Christmas

Got up at 9:30am! No time for breakfast… rushed to the bathroom for a quick shower. Ran to Amol’s room after that and woke him up. Got his car keys. But not before running to Monu’s room, waking him up and asking him if Amol can borrow his car in the afternoon for a short while since I am borrowing Amol’s car. Lol, this might make a good story line (comon, its much more interesting than that Bold and the Beautiful crap which is still running even today!)

Dressed up in suit and everyone I passed by wished me a merry Christmas and complimented that I look really good (boy, talk about being humble).

Finally left hostel by 10:45! And the mizo church starts at 11:30. Hope I can make it in time. And here is the best part. The church service is taking place at this Theological College near Cantonment Railway Station… and I have never been there before! Leave driving over there, why, I haven’t even been to those parts in an auto. I have no clue how to get there. And my fren Hminga (the only mizo I know) so coolly told me to ask the autos how to get there. Like hell, it was the most stressful, terrible day of my life! And the fact that today is Christmas is sheer irony. Hah.

My knowledge about the Bangalore roads is limited only to Jayanagar side, Koramangala area, Airport route and Brigade/MG road. After that, I’m just another fish lost in this huge ocean of traffic jam, dirt and pollution.

So there I was, completely blind the moment I took a turn into Commercial street. After that I could vaguely remember following the instruction of taking the first left. Then everything else is all hazy after that... I remember asking atleast 30 different auto drivers how to get to Cantonment. I remember blocking traffic in the middle of a green signal at a junction because I didn’t know which road to take: right or straight? I remember asking a traffic cop if I was in the right lane leading to Cantonment. I also remember him giving me that suspicious looks. And then I remember remembering the fact that the car I’m driving does not have all the proper papers. Hence I remember suddenly driving away from him after he started showing deep interest in me :-) Man, I also remember driving thru the Bangalore Central bus-stand. I had to drive at minus 20km/hr (that slow). All along the way, the traffic was full, and the only sound coming out of the car was not my music playing, but rather my distressed voice shouting “Cantonment!” “Cantonment!” to any structure that bears the remotest resemblance to a human being.

Finally after sweating out nearly 2 litres of stress, I reached Cantonment. Phew! Parked next to the Call taxis and called up my fren. Ooops! Its 12 already! Just as I feared, he did not answer. The Church service must be going on. And I got no place to go… So I just sat there inside my car, watching the traffic pass by. And every 15 minutes or so, there was this huge exodus of people coming out of the railway station. And then there was a brief lull for 5 minutes or so when the railway station was quiet and peaceful, only to be all packed up once again. I just wondered, why the hell would anyone wanna travel on Christmas day? And this is not from a religious aspect. Even on Diwali or Eid, I would never dream of traveling. I think being brought up in a multi-culture, multi-ethnic, multi-religion background, one comes to respect each occasion with utmost sincerity.

Finally, at 12:30 my fren calls up. I told him I have reached Cantonment and dunno how to proceed from there. And guess what he told me? He said “Good. Now remember that right turn to Cantonment? Don’t take that turn. Come straight, passing Cantonment on your right!” #$%#$%$# WTF! I told him I already took that turn, and now Cantonment is on MY left, and it’s a one way so I cannot go retrace my steps….

And so, within 10 minutes he came in his car and I followed him. We took a big round and finally reached UTC (United Theological College). Mizos everywhere… as usual sitting together in groups of 5-6 scattered all over the green UTC campus. And then I realized, I am the only guy dressed in suit in my age group. Every body else were wearing normal formals. (Another reason why I should kill Hminga, coz he told me to wear suit, and then he himself wasn’t wearing one!). Went and met Hminga’s parents, and all the other elders, and a couple of other mizos that Hminga knows. Some of the girls were really hot, but blasted Hminga said he doesn’t know them well enough to introduce me. And they were all talking in a group, so I felt a bit awkward going over there and introducing myself to the girls. But some of the guys I met like Paul, Avi, Dennis etc were really cool. And everywhere I was asked the same question “How come you have never come for any mizo function before? Studying real hard huh?” Lol. Studying hard? Ha ha ha…..

Lunch was served at around 3. Beef boiled in the typical mizo style! It was soooo delicious. I ate a lot. After that we had the recreation. It was kick started by a dance number, performed by the 3-4 years old mizo kids dressed as Santa’s little helpers. Aweee… they were chooooo chweeeet. Everybody gave them a standing ovation after they finished. Then there was a game for married couples, where they had to walk on a piece of paper which grew smaller every level. It was hilarious. The couples tightly hugging each other, and some of the guys even carried their wives! :-) And for the youth, there was a game where random guys and girls were called out. A balloon was tied to the girl’s leg and the guy has to protect that while at the same time trying to burst other girl’s balloons. We laughed our asses off. You know, this is what I really like about my community. You go anywhere, you meet anyone, there is always that invisible force field you’ll activate around you. Its difficult to trust anybody just like that. But with the mizo community, well, I don’t know how to explain this, but everyone is completely at ease with each other. Any mizo is welcomed with open arms anywhere. But the downside is, any alien force trying to enter their group is met with fierce resentment. They become extremely defensive and protective when dealing with someone outside the community. But once that outsider is accepted by any member of the group, then he is automatically accepted by the entire group. A very strange an interesting phenomena which people should do a research on.

And then the event everyone’s been waiting for. The Gift Exchange! My number was 40 and Hming’s was 51. People having the same number are called up to the stage and we have to exchange our gifts. It’s a strictly guy-girl thing. We’re suppose to wish each other a merry Christmas, exchange gifts, and hug each other. What happens after that is purely up to the two individuals, but it sure serves as a good ice-breaker. When my number was called out, my partner was this cute but extremely shy girl. After exchanging our gifts, I bent over to hug her. She forgot to hug and already turned, and then she realized she didn’t hug and turned back to hug me, but by then I had already leaned back.. lol… everybody laughed as the girl went running back to her seat blushing like a budding red rose. I was totally cool and walked back smiling. Hminga was laughing at me the whole time! And I just kept quiet. Until his turn came. His gift-exchange partner was a married aunty! LOL…. I nearly fell off my chair laughing when I saw the look of disappointment on his face… ha ha ha… guess who had the last laugh huh? :-)))

After that, there was a prayer meeting, so Hminga and I went to Tushy’s place at Airport road to wish them all a merry Christmas. Hanged out there till 7:30, and then went back to UTC. We were just in time for the mizo dinner. I’ve been looking forward to the pork that was going to be served. Ahhh… pork… cooked in the perfect mizo way. There is no food I’d substitute for this. The very thought of it can still make my mouth water…

There was this really sweet mizo girl called Felia. I find her extremely attractive. Even during the gift-exchange thing, I was wishing she would be my partner! :-) When Hming and I walked into the dining hall after filling our plate with pork and more pork, as luck would have it, the girls were sitting at a table alone. So we joined them. Got into a conversation with her, and I believe we hit off quite well (Atleast from my part, I hit off very well with her). She’s doing her I.A.S coaching, and stays in a hostel in Jayanagar although her parents are also here in Bangalore.Even after dinner, we continued talking outside. Soon it was time for her to go home with her parents. Said goodbye. I thought of asking her for her number, but felt a bit shy doing it infront of the other mizo girls and parents. So I asked Hming if he has her number. He said yes. Bastard! Later we found out he doesn’t have her number!!!!!!! So, Felia, if, by the remotest chance, you happen to read this blog, just wanna let u know that I’d love to get to know you better…
:-)

Hming and I went back to Tushy’s place where there was another party. I stayed there for sometime, but later got bored coz everyone’s drinking and I dared not drink bcoz of the b’lore cops stopping every car and making the driver undergo a breathalyzer test! Its not my car, so I don’t wanna take any risk. Went back to hostel around 12:30 in the night. Man, I was completely exhausted.

Back in hostel, we had an L^2 party. I was so tired that i did not feel like partying at all. I drank my Scotch and tried to sleep even though the music was blasting from the party (right outside my room) and everyone were having so much fun. As I lay there, letting the alcohol slowly take its effect, I thought about today. Was it worth taking all the trouble just to socialize with other mizos who might not even remember me tomorrow? Like hell, yes, it definitely was worth it. Merry Christmas once again everyone…

Chp 6. X'mas eve

Ah Christmas… wonderful Christmas. The birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The day that makes me really proud of the fact that I’m a Christian. Also, the day I feel sad I’m the only Christian in my close circle of friends here in IIMB. Coz there is nobody else to split the bill with when I am treating them!

Took out my frens to this wonderful restaurant at Church street called “The Only Place”. Had an amazing time there. Ordered the special Turkey Steak. Yumm yummy… Everybody ordered a steak related item, except ofcourse for dear Ankita who is the sole vegetarian in our group. I can never get enough of taking her trip about being a veggie. Man, I seriously dunno what veggies eat on special occasion… Roots and leaves cooked in special schezwan sauce topped with la crème de lait? LOL… anyway, the others had a great time gobbling down those scrumptious red meat…

And then my frens surprised me with this lovely Christmas present… an expensive scotch whisky! This is the perfect gift a guy like me can ask for. I can already hear 100 pipers playing in the distance… :-)

After our grand dinner together, we went to Brigade road. Man, it was sooo beautiful. The lightings, the Christmas spirit, the party animals, the cocktail of people who roam up and down the well renowned street, even though it was chilly and 2 in the morning. Took a couple of snaps there. It was such a wonderful feeling u know… Christmas time, and here I am with my wonderful frens basking in its warmth. Everyone dressed up so nicely… Amra and Monu looking cute together as usual, Ankita with her red top that she changed for the umpteenth time just before leaving, Tommy trying to enjoy the moment as much as he can without thinking about how much time he’s wasting by not studying! Amol and I wearing the red Santa’s cap, and Momo looking really great with her faded denim skirt that I’ve never seen her wear before.

Initially, yes I was regretting the fact that I’ve turned down an invitation to party at the Catholic Club. But after spending time with my frens tonight, well, this was way better than partying anywhere. Frens give you something that partying at discs cannot. You may find joy at discs, you may find passion. But with frens, you have warmth, which no discs can give you. Period.

I am on my 4th glass of my Christmas present here. I better get some sleep now coz tomoro ( I mean today) is gonna be one hectic day!!! I decided to spend Christmas with the mizo community… and I don’t know anyone! Jeez, this is going to be fun….

Church at 11:30am…

Gnite…

Chp 5. Fever

Man, it’s such a different feeling u get when u fall sick. Especially in an institute like IIMB bang in the middle of a project submission. Suddenly everything becomes so unreal, as if you’re living in a dream. Life moves extremely fast here, but this time you have missed the bus. The only thing you can do is sit on the pavement and watch everything as they passes by. Looking at my surrounding as I sit typing this, I’ve realized things are not the same as before. My table has never been this messy. Two empty chicken flavored Cup O’noodles with forks sticking out, my marketing case-lets lying in one great big heap of jumbled mass, disprin and “Vicks action 500” tablet strips strewn all over the table, an empty can of Red-bull rolling to and fro, and ofcourse pieces of stale cake (the only food my stomach seems to accept for the moment) all over the table… even the music I’m listening to has changed. No more Snoop Dogg and Door’s latest remix “Riders on the Storm” (by the way, if u haven’t listened to that song, then, my my, ur missing a great music, an amazing fusion of rock and hip-hop). Instead I find myself listening to… Norah Jones’ “Turn me on”!!!! On top of all these, there are the numerous glitter strings and paper flyers coiled up all across the floor because of my incomplete Christmas tree decoration. I am just too plain lazy to do anything now, except sit infront of the comp and type this blog (after all, I am using just my fingers)

When you fall sick, you also find out how concerned your friends are. I have been excused from any remaining marketing project work, and my project-mates have taken up my part of the work without any complain. And my close circle of friends ping me on bracket (our internal communicator) or come visit me every now and then. Its only when you fall sick that you realized how vulnerable you become. No strength to play any physical sports as of the moment. Why, I don’t even feel like playing the NBA 2004 PC game on my comp! And every passing minute, the only thing in your mind is if you can just wish this fever away, *poof*, just like that…

As I was lying on my bed today, all alone, with temperature soaring up high, I suddenly became so lonely. I started missing all the people I have cared for… the first person on my mind was my ex girlfren. She has always been by my side whenever I feel down or dejected. She was always there to put a smile back on my face. Even though we have broken up a year ago, we are like the closest of frens, and keep in contact with each other. Why we broke up was a long story. She being a merwari and me being a mizo, our future was not so bright in terms of family ties and stuff, so after a serious 2 years relationship we both decided to move on separately. We have both gotten over each other, but because of our history, we still have that trust in between us, and many a times, turn to each other for advice and stuff. And then I missed my two dear roomies back in Hyderabad – Hyder the Iraqi and Alaa the Syrian. The funniest Arabs I have ever come across in my entire life, these two have certainly changed my entire perspective about the middle east people. What we had among the three of us was a true value of friendship and togetherness. I really miss all the times we spent together back in Hyderabad. Speaking of Hyderabad, I miss my dear Kinsipoo. Best buddy and extremely hot, she and I clicked immediately the moment we met at the YMCA basketball court. I miss taking her trip with my smart-ass remarks. I miss hanging out with her almost everyday at Lifestyle back in Hyde. She and I shared so much in common, and the best thing I like about our relationship is that we can spell out everything to each other, even the most embarrassing secrets, bcoz there is no romance between us to play spoil-sports. And then I miss my dear three sisters. Ever protective, ever pampering me to the max, although we have our regular brother-sister fights, they have made a big difference in my life. I love them so much. I missed my mum and dad. To them I will always be their sweet angel, their youngest and much cherished only son. I miss all my frens, right from Montfort to PSG to Hyderabad.

I just wish this blasted fever would go away. Its making me delirious… its making me say things I never meant to say… recently I met this wonderful person over the net, and the other nite as we were talking on the phone, I said a really mean thing to her. And now she’s not talking to me…. Damn fever. The sooner you go, the better I’ll feel (pun not intended).