Untitled..

Un dèsir, il vole
avec les ailes de velours
l'arôme de nuage
c'est un parcours venteux.


Disclaimer: Poem written by female with very limited french knowledge but suddenly had the uncontrollable urge to do so. Any resemblance to french language is certainly intended. Any corrections to the above literary piece is welcome (unless you know less french that the aforementioned distinguished young lady).

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Ah well done!- I fear Im not much better, but I shall try. I hope I get it somewhat in the direction of what the distinguished lady intended. please all those better french speakers, excuse our ignorance

a few words of well meant but probably out of place advice

and once again I am amazed, no, outraged at the absurdety of the indian educational system...or shall I say the masses of indian people out there. I am quite sure I wouldnt have stood a chance.

I very much admire, and certainly support your choice to hammer another year for what is known as the worlds worst and most challenging entrance exam.

On the other hand, please do not get your spirits down, and forget everything else because of your overwhelming and unstoppable ambition. And this does not only go for you, pragathi, but for everybody out there. you have one life to live, and spending it at IIT is definately a goal to sacrifice a year for, but sacrificing a life, an honour and personal dignity for it, thats too high a price. Please do not let your striving for gold eat you as a person - do not forget that your life, and what you should live for is never a single track train. enjoy the very few moments you have for yourself, and seek to develop those interrests that make you unique; perhaps not for uni, but if everything, for me.

dont let the gits get you down

Cosmic intervention paramount

It takes a dedicated amount of trouble on the divine’s part to screw up my life this bad. Today crack of dawn I discover that I was one mark away from the coveted CML in JEE. Now im left bereft of the little honour I deserved and within waving distance of people smarter than me. Of course it had to be my good fortune that the EML is abolished this year, effectively depriving me of any little respect that was left in my academically-challenged life.

After having read Julia's sunshiny blogs, i feel a bit out of place to be back on to my ranting. But here we go again.

For any and all unaware of the JEE system,
There’s a rank list of 9000 odd smarty asses, called CML (Counselling Merit list or something on those lines, the acronym sounds smarter) which grants you some thing to show off to your less privileged friends and a counselling, a possibility of an IIT seat - the possibility ranging from anywhere btw 0 and 100.

In the previous years, there was the most awaited EML (Extended Merit list) for those students who are smart but just not smart enough, to save grace and as ive recently heard, to avail a discount in coaching institutes for the drop year.

The cutoff is 190 this year and Im waitin in the swamp with 189.

With my wonderful state rank in one of the other exams, I have been told that it is in my best interests not to waste the rank and to secure admission at a best local engg college.

Ive been told several times and by several people that IIT is not the end of the world. That I must grab a good seat in Surathkal or in BITs, Pilani, both among the top 10 engg institutes in India. Honestly, my chances at these colleges, though not as bleak , are still not too promising. Really, for my intellectual competency, getting into a college on the 4th list just stinks..

Then theres always the MBA argument.

I still maintain that even though Kapil Sibal is doing his best to increase the number of IITs and sink the IITs' unsinkable reputation (thereby blemishing the elusiveness and charm of getting into these institutes), the IITs will always be the best in this country.

I’d rather not settle for the second best. Of course, life could throw its long-unwashed stinking socks at my face again, but I’l at least be better equipped to duck.

On the bright side of things there are only 10000 people in this country currently smarter than me. Doesn’t sound too bad at all.

The decision of dropping a year has become a fitting climax to my extraordinary failure. Of all the laughable scenarios in my life, the near miss of CML takes the cake ;) This preposterous turn of events has led my transgressed soul back on to the path it was ordained to take

IIT

Good Riddance

Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go
So make the best of this test, and don't ask why
It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time

It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

So take the photographs, and still frames in your mind
Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial
For what it's worth it was worth all the while

It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
-Greenday

I am on first name terms with my teachers. I have seen Mr. Garvey drunk, and others very close to it. I experienced one evening with my grade-the whole lot, regardless of clique or friendship group.
"es ist ein immenses Gefühl" (die Physiker)
Prom and Graduation have been unforgettable and unbelievably wonderfull two nights.

I am free now. floating. life seems to hang on, to stand still, while the hour of doom, 14:30 on the 6th of july, is ticking closer and closer. Quentin will leave on wednesday. The relevation shocked me, and I am glad to have been able to see him again before that. I realised/I am realising that my classmates and also my path are separating. Like the party yesterday evening got thinner and thinner, the strands of the rope will burst and erode away. Everybody now takes a new path, just like a new part of my life has/ will be started.

I would like to thank everybody that has made my time at ISS special.
I would like to thank everybody that will accompany me, and be a friendly oberver of my life in the future.

I have graduated

Goodbye ISS

It is such a strange feeling. I am standing there with the last report card of ...ever (43/45 :D). The blue, newly carpeted hall of our colourful school reminds me of endless passages between classes, morning running, the occational hiding from teachers and, more often, tracking them down.

Thats all over now. How interresting...how cool.

I felt an inner restlessness. Something like an urge to get out. This is no surprise to me, I must say. What bound me most to ISS is now gone. Foremostly, the studying; but also some of the people and teachers I have been priviledged to get to know.

My time at ISS has officially elapsed. A bittersweet realisation that has not quite stuck into my head yet. Now also my books are back. I heaved 2 suitcases and a handbag full of them to the school this morning. I have my last reportcard, best wishes from many teachers; so now its time for a sum up. my top 5s at ISS are to follow:

Top 5 things I will miss

1) Biology with Mr. Garvey

2) MUN

3) Hunting down teachers

4) The cheapest latte macciato of Stuttgart

5) Having the best chemistry teacher that moves mountains to enable you to work if your up for it.

Top 5 things I won't miss

1) Writing litterature essays

2) Being bored to death in class

3) Most people (sorry but its the truth)

4) Writing IAs

5) Its been a while, but MYP

Top 5 most influential people (to my life) I got to know at ISS

1) Pragathi

2) Mr. Kelly

3) Mr. Garvey

4) Marloes (well, not directly at ISS)

5) The "gang" of grade 3 (Chris, Niv, me)

Top 5 activities/experiences/fieldtrips

1) MUN

2) Habitat

3) Ardêche

4) Rome

5) Space camp

Sweet and good times!

I’m feeling good. Echoing Michael Bublè’s words, i really do feel good. Its like suddenly all those thick wads of information I've been stuffing into my little brain have been cleaned out and the attic is empty waiting for new and better thoughts to come in.

My last exam for this academic year is over (not yet dwelling too much on my decision of repeating my exams to get a result with cherry on top in contrast to this years dismal performance).

So after the exam, i went shopping; the thing I haven’t done for a long long time. The best was this comfy snug brown tee that I got, that was apparently designed in Heidelberg and brought back fresh and wonderful memories of my stay in Germany.

Then I had some yummy velvety black forest cake at Sweet Chariot (which would qualify as my favourite dessert place). Well it had three layers of chocolate cake, with whipped cream and a hint of cherries between each layer. The chocolate shavings on top with the cherry gleaming and beckoning affably, completed this gastronomic magnum opus. The consumption of this, of course, was comparable to heaven. There was a slightish alcoholic tinge to it, but I may have been imagining that. My sister meanwhile devoured coffee and walnut cake which didn’t look half as appetizing (my biased opinion – she believed it was THE BEST).

After dessert I became aware that I was starving, having skipped lunch as the exam was during lunch time. So I had some other snacks as well. All through, I have to admit, I was feeling so joyous and infected with strange happiness, I wished it would last forever. It’s funny how a few months of pure slogging can make a simple thing like an evening out at a cafe seem so marvellous. Cheerio!

sunburns, bikes and freedom

Last tueday was my last exam.

It is such a relief knoing that the hell of the past two years is over. on the other hand you sit there thinking: so this was it?!

all this accumulated knowledge in your brain there on recall for 2 weeks. and what other use does it have. and the more important question: so what do I do now?

the weather has been absolute crap pretty much all through exams (thank goodness. I would have hated sitting inside with sun + 25°C min. ) but this weekend it has cleared up. I am out and about enjoying the new sunnny sid of things x2.

saturday I went to heidelberg to visit Jürgen. we took our bikes to go to a small lake nearby. via the Hockenheim ring. the place where fast cars race 1 a year. I even rode on parts of the old parcour.

The lake was beautiful (see picture). Quiet, and not overcrouded like stuttgart downtown with sun. and I did get a huge tanline on my back. more like a redline, where the not quite lobster, but perhaps strawberry red met camembert white.

Today I went biking with my mum. past the tv tower, past the school (waved to mr. Garvey), to möhringen, then along a little river, past plieningen, ruit, and home.

straberry red has intensfied. but I take it as the colour of freedom.