The Importance of Being a Slambook and other stories

"You have their numbers"

Is that supposed to be consolation for leaving all by best friends behind?!! I say that as if I'm leaving to the States next week. Ah! it just feels all distant. Yeah, one week for college to end. good! get rid of this shithole place! move on! I went to JWT job hunting the other day and felt very professional. Colleagues still get to scream at me with smiley dirts from the backrows. There's nothing like an inside joke in the middle of formidable CIAs. Every breakdown I've had right here in this very classroom. Every LOL moment I've shared in this very classroom! And all those out-of-the-window DC moments. There're endless memories, even the Asian paints ad agrees. 'I'm always right', says a know-it-all 'I have a doubt', says the rabbit toothed first bencher. 'I couldn't care less', says the window seat dreamer

I love everything about college!

Except the system and the way we've been guinea pigged through it from college to autonomy to University. I guess those suggestion forms were sacrifices we had to make for a better future at the cost that lost magazine journalism certificate. Ah! the joys of a graduate life.

Live - Poet's Society

Ha! I just thought of this name for this imaginary writers club in college. now see this is the kinda thing I'll miss. Whatever the drawbacks, I'm an optimist to the core and believe, wholeheartedly, in change! Not exactly voting for Obama (they printed my name wrong on the voters ID!! That's story reserved for another night) I'm avoiding 'Oye! It's Friday' as my mom (who still packs sandwiches in my lunch box) will not let me play the Foo Fighters loud enough. Now that's a bracketed entry that would gaurantee admission into the club! (Watch Sydney White for insights)

'I'm a soul rebel'-Bob Marley

College life involves a lot of growing up. I mean even though you're a teen for only about a year of it, you're still learning a lot, in terms of how to live and deal with the brickbats. Last week I put the last fullstop in those worthless record books and thought to myself. I'll miss this. I'll miss sneaking food in through the back window. I'll miss hiding behind a shielding fiend cos I'm in sleeveless. I'll miss walking down to the loo with a waterbottle. I'll miss overheard choir practice, the borrowed Sony Ericsson chargers and the lack of sweatshirts till it's too hot to wear them! Yes, that's an odd list. I can't help it, my playlist is finally up and running. Skin n Bones kicks in. Everlong...College felt endless, boring, mundane...

'Kill me! Kill me now', she yelled

And there were times I wanted to jump right out of my seat and obey! Then a simple peice of crumpled chit paper would make me feel meekly better about myself. It's fascinating to trace the cliques I've manufactured over the past three years. Nostalgia can be it's own crybaby. I'm not gonna go into it right now. The point is these people I call friends, what's left of them, I'm really proud to have made the choices I did. Even the hasty last minute ones. I guess all's well that ends well and I don't need that yearbook to tell me how much they've made me smile over the years. I feel old when I don that graduation garb. It'll be the forth time. Most likely, the last time.

"So what are you doing after college?" "Watching Grey's Anatomy season 1-3 back to back!!" "No, I mean after COLLEGE!" "Oh that!"

Now isn't that the most annoying question you have ever heard!!? If I knew, I'd write it on my forehead and walk around fringeless!! I'm young for a reason! lemme think for Christ's sake! Why is the whole world acting as if this life altering decision is gonna be made (by me!?) in the microscopic list of options in their heads!! What if I really did volunteer to save the whale? "Oh you kids have so many options these days" They say it like we're fortunate, like we're ungratful little wretches who don't have priorities! They say it not knowing we're wishing for the little checklist that says 'Doctor' 'Teacher' 'Engineer' Really! we'd rather live in the 60's at this point! Ok I take that back! I have to admit it's my lack of a decisive mind and addiction to Blogger that's got me into this mess. But FEP really put my finger in too many pies and 'emmy mouthwatering ones at that! and now they tell me my pockets will still have to pay for them! :*(

'Your not the only one'-Dave Grohl

I remember the day we went internship hunting. In the middle of the sixth auto ride, which we had virtually converted into a Coldplay/RHCP concert, my glory hogging air guitarist said, "This is how life should be. A challenge. Just running around, being rejected, refusing to give in." Of course, he just meant it's a cool change from a 75% must-have-ness of our college attendence sheet. But it made sense. Wouldn't you rather be told 'You can't stand on your own feet' than 'I'll explain how gravity works but the rest's upto you' ? Everyday of my life I've lived like there was something to live upto. Some days it was my peer group, some days my teachers, some days my own report card. But this kept me going. Past the red circled Blueprint, past the album cover anthology, past the malaria-infected radio show. There were times in the rat race when you'd prefer the inside of a cat's mouth. When you haven't learnt to bell the dork and open that cellphone only between breaks, you'd rather just swallow your pride and write that apology letter to the department of Psychology. Living it a day at a time, as if 3 or 4 days at a time was ever a choice! And every calender was only used as a countdown to the next semester! Every Practical hour was used as an excuse to play with fiddleworthy bracelets. Every party was used as an excuse for Class Reps to wake up and smell the cash. The tomfoolery of Keeda! ha ha! What would I do without Phrasebook!?

"The outcome of the result was that..."

At the risk of quoting teachers who google themselves, I shall put this post to rest. Those double hours of creative writing sure improved conclusion techniques. Hmm...I'll be coming home next year...Ah! that reunion piece we were forced to write, it summed up ambition in our loserish class. I clearly recall having a leader of the league to interview. Insisting you're good for nothing has proved to be a strong point. 'You decided to shine in third year', he said. 'It's better than burning out!', I quipped. Cobain reference or not, I think originality was never my forte. I hang on to the scraps you vommitted yesterday. I'll debate over remakes of Hindi movies and watch English realty shows at home. My point is, who are we really? Christ College Graduates? That stamped certificate is all we have to show for the toil of three long years. For a minute there, I side with the drop out before considering the ones who packed their cloth files with extra curricular certificates, the ones who insisted on perfection through every crappy assignment cos their main objective was to get into JNU or NYU.

Who're you kidding?! Even I'll have to grudgingly admit, college paid off! Certainly not our pillar- to-post fee system, but just college and the life it made us lead.

Cheers to that! Leaders of our own destiny? Now, isn't that how I'm supposed to end this magazine worthy essay! ha! Evaluate now, lecturers!

For college- It's not what they've taught. It's about what I've learnt. For Puddled- It's not about being read, it's about being written. :)

RIP. SIGN. SUBMIT.