A Year in Pictures

The beginning of the year saw some of us quizzing aficionados make the long and arduous journey to the far east, where Messrs Lefty and Prondu lay in wait of sweet reunion. Although none of us were able to increase our state count, and we received unasked for blessings from the crows at every corner of the campus, Joka still proved to be a memorable trip. There is no way Lucknow this year can be as good, but for the sake of everyone, I hope it's better.

Not many weekends post Joka came this forgettable WONA trip. The camping location was almost exactly the same as the WONA trip made during the same time of the year in 2010, which would have been a massive bummer had I considered trying to enjoy myself. I will remember these 2 days for the treachery of friends, the breath-taking beauty of the mountains and getting to catch a fleeting glimpse of a female's bare back.

For some, Watch Out couldn't end sooner. The kids made sure they'd see us out of the door in the most unpleasant manner possible. All I can say is that I like to have toothpaste smeared all over my face during final meetings so that nobody can see it succumb to extreme sadness.

Prondu paid a visit to R just in time (conveniently) for Cogni. He couldn't prevent team PMS from sweeping most of the quizzing honours though. Ashesh Memorial brought further glory, making the masters prouder of the current batch than ever before. Final moolah amounted to near about 10k, most of which yours truly used to buy a 1 TB hard-disk, and the rest in repairing said 1 TB hard-disk.

This specimen of mediocre photography is a depiction of us watching the cricket world cup final inside CCD, even with mid-term examinations looming large in the horizon. India won the cup after a gap of 28 years, so it was worth it.

This was the absolute end, the photography session and chapo afterwards proving mere fillips in hastening the kick-out. I paid a wordy tribute to all my comrades, and settled down for the after-life.

Perhaps the highlight of the year. Manchester United became the most successful club in England by winning an unprecedented 19th Premier League title. I was in seventh heaven along with my fellow red devils, until the best team in Spain/Europe brought us crashing back down to earth with a demolition job at Wembley. Still made it a very memorable year. Glory Glory Man United. 

The latter half of the year was notable for breaking free from the shackles of Facebook (despite watching The Social Network and feeling extremely sorry for that Zuckerberg fellow) and embracing an old but effective solution- twitter. The prodigal tweeter was back in town, and tweeps the world over rejoiced. Occasional blips, like the shark swimming above, were to be expected, but twitter came as a whiff of fresh air into my life and the lives of many others.

2011 will also be remembered as the 'year of the deluded'. This moron has often been ridiculed for his doubtful ethnicity and for showing a bizarre ignorance for technology as would be characteristic of a prehistoric primate; yet his one and only defence has been calling the entire world 'deluded', 'incompetent' and 'deluded' again. Long live his delusions, and may the people of this world long derive pleasure from taking the mickey out of him.

I decided to write GRE and TOEFL upon reading a report that said pursuing a Master's degree in the West triples or quadruples an Indian boy's chances of getting laid. Okay, just kidding. The real reason was the blinding confidence shown by professors and placement team alike in the inability of this MMED batch of 2011 of getting placed anywhere. Both tests were chastening experiences, with the latter making me doubt my very grasp of the Queen's tongue. I have since starting focusing on non-English speaking countries. It's much easier to fool them into believing you're better qualified than you actually are.

It was time to wrap up all our belongings from my house of 15 years and move into hitherto unseen territory. There were a lot of tears shed and requiems sung at this estrangement, but the pain of moving stung for a few days. Then I came to realise the sheer number of good looking girls who reside in Khan Market, and all was forgotten.

In a year of many estrangements, this one probably hurt the most- Nesci being shut down in an inexplicable move by the admin. As we sipped on the last dregs of our coffee, we were filled with sudden dread for the future. A nightmarish December was endured, with no friendly coffee-house present to cheer us during the dark days of no placement. Here is hoping Nescafe is resurrected come the new year.

P.S. I also got placed. Placement season being the depressing time that it is, the thought of capturing our suit-clad selves on the camera did not cross a single mind.