--- These Months did Fly; June and July ---

 

Day 368 –‘Packing, shifting and in transit..’ (monthstone reading: <1 month)

As I write this post, all that’s buzzing in my mind are lines from the Porcupine Tree song ‘ …and after a while you realize time flies’. As I sit in uncertainty with legs shaking, planning about my last trip before I leave for the US, the flashes of last month appear as modern-art blotches here and there on my mind’s canvas.

June onwards has been a frenzy of packing, moving and unpacking (still going on!). The moment I came back from my Mumbai vacation (21st June), it was triggered. When I look back now, I realize we managed to pull off quite a feat in such a small time. Dismounting the AC’s, officially closing the contract for Gas and electricity, dismantling the various items in the house, meeting people and finally stuffing the remaining stuff in our 2 cars and making the final move. Phew! What days! And amidst this chaotic dismantle and packing scenario, the cherry on top was Maa and me falling sick. The worst bit I remember was packing the split-AC on an upset stomach; and without any electricity in the house!! I’m so glad its over now. And though we are finally in Lucknow, and Maa and Paa are at ease and feel settled, I am far from that feeling. For me, the Transit-phase continues.

Here’s the road-map and timeline:

Road-Map
GRE (done)

TOEFL (done)

University Applications (done)
Financial Documents (done)

Rejects – CMU, UWASH, UCB, Univ of Toronto, UCI, UNC Chapel Hill

Admits ---- Columbia University, GATech, University of Minnesotta Twin cities, UFL Gainesville

Visa Interview (Done)

Flight Ticket (Done)

Vaccination (done)

Deciding Flat-mates (done)

Packing (remaining)

Timeline:

 

·         5^th June- Air tickets booked

·         till 20^th June- Memorable days with Dee and Adit

·         21^st June- 26^th June – The Packing-up grind in Delhi

·         26^th June – Shift to Masi’s place in Ghaziabad

·         30^th June – The mega-drive to Lucknow

·         1^st July – Extemporaneous trip to Nainital to leave Raghav at Sherwood

·         2^nd July- 7^th July – Health at its worst…Cough, cold, upset stomach and fever

·         8^th July – Shifted to our house in Lucknow

·         9^th July- 14^th July – Setting up the house and recovery phase

·         16^th July (today) - Travelling to Chandigarh/ Shimla

During this time I also managed to work on the interview that I had taken of Shree Nayar. The article is now live and can be read here.

For now I am just thinking about my last trip that lies ahead. Things have gone a bit off-track. My plan was to reach Shimla tomorrow and stay with Gurujee and Gurumaa for 2-3 days. However, due to some work Gurumaa is reaching Chandigarh tomorrow and Gurujee is headed to Jalandhar. This puts a huge question mark on my plan for tomorrow. However, we all should be headed back to Shimla together day after tomorrow together.

That went pretty fast, eh!  Anyways, its time to say goodbye again….and I would be back again in the 1^st week of August to write about the culmination of the journey.

Adios!

---Variety display ;thru April n' May---

Day 332 – 'Vacation time!!'(monthstone reading: 2 months)

I could have made an earlier update here, but then I decided to tarry a little longer for all things to be done and then make this entry. All seems to be done now. A lot has passed in the months of April and May. After booking my air tickets to Newark for 5^th Aug, I feel that the countdown has finally begun!

So the big news finally came on the 9^th of April. While I sat in Saravana Bhawan, enjoying my meal dessert; the delectable Basundi; something sweeter decided to land on my email inbox. It was an email from Remi Moss, Columbia University...I had been accepted!!! This was it...the place where I really wanted to be!...My decision was made right then.

The next few weeks were all about getting the finances in place, preparing for the visa interview and the shift to Lucknow.


To put it in my regular Road-map and Timeline style, this is the story up till now:

Road-Map
GRE (done)

TOEFL (done)

University Applications (done)
Financial Documents (done)

Rejects – CMU, UWASH, UCB, Univ of Toronto, UCI, UNC Chapel Hill

Admits ---- Columbia University, GATech, University of Minnesotta Twin cities, UFL Gainesville

Visa Interview (Done)

Flight Ticket (Done)

Vaccination (MMR done)

Housing (remaining)

Packing (remaining)

Timeline:

·        6^th April – Admit from University of Minnesotta

·        9^th April – Admit from Columbia University comes thru!

·        11^th April – Interviewed Prof. Shree Nayar for BrainGainMag

·        13^th April – Admit from UFL (along with waiver that came with an achievement award)

·        23^rd April – Reject from UC Irvine

·        6^th May- Visa Interview date taken for 20^th and 22^nd May

·        7^th May – Reject from UNC- Chapel Hill

·        8^th May- Successfully completed coursera course on Computational Photography (with distinction)

·        9^th May – 14^th May- Lucknow visit for Loan sanction

·        20^th, 22th May- OFC and Visa interview days

·        23^rd May – Stamped passport received

·        24^th May – Left for Mumbai, along with the cutest pup (miniature Pincher) ever; Fendi

·        25^th May- Finally at my alternate home in Mumbai; Vacation begins with my sister and brother-in-lawJ

Before I talk about anything, let me start by posting my Visa Interview experience:

my detailed experience of the VI @ US Embassy, New Delhi

Reached venue: 8 am
Appointment time: 9 am
Got done by: 10 am
Status: Approved

The procedure: 

1)So one has to wait till the guard outside allows people of respective appointment time to form a queue. This generally happens exactly half an hour before the scheduled appointment time; In my case the guard signalled at 8:30 am

Tip: Not required to be 1-2 hours early. Just make sure that 40 minutes before your apointment time you are standing in front, as ahead of people as possible. Also make sure you don't have any elderly person right in front of you; slows you down. Quickly reach your queue line when the guard signals. DO NOT SIT OR RELAX at this time.

2)Once in the line, a line-supervisor will ask you to pull out your 'i-20, DS-160, SEVIS fees and passport' (will call it the 'essential bundle' for reference); he will staple all these together. So keep these documents ready.

Tip: You can bring your mobile phones if you really need it; the queue passes through a deposit counter, where you can deposit your mobile for some charges.

3)After passing this queue, you enter the security-check area of the embassy; its typically airport style. 

4)After the security-check, one gets into line for a token. I was asked to hand over the essential bundle by the lady at the counter; she wrote the token-number 'H-###' on my DS-160 and asked me to take a seat and check the screen till my number gets displayed. The H-alphabet is for people who have applied for an F1 visa.

5)Once your number appears on the screen/ supervisor announces that you can move inside, you stand in a short queue to get your finger-rinting done (Yet again!). I was asked to give the impression of the fingers of my right hand only. Once done, the person at the counter, an american Lady sumwhere in her 30's asked me to proceed fr the interview queue inside with the same token number. Time noted: 9:15 am

6)The final queue; Huge sitting area, loads of people. There were 13 counters, of which 8 were functional. Each had a tv screen on top, denoting token number's that were in the line (not more than 5). My number finally came at around 10 am. The VO was a lanky American, besectacled, in his late 20's; looked verrry harmless.

Tip: I would like to bring attention to the choice of attire here. You can opt to wear smart casuals or formals, paired with trousers or denims. As the VO sits behind the glass, he will not notice that insignificant stain on your trousers or what shoes you are wearing.

7)The interview (15 seconds):

Me: Good Morning Sir.
VO: Good morning. How are you ?
Me: I'm doing good. How are you?
VO: Good. Please pass me your documents *read essential bundle*
Me: *passes the essntial bundle*. 
VO: Are you working currently?
Me: No Sir.
VO: What did you do for 1 year then?
Me: I was planning and preparing for my Master's studies as the course can be intimidating.
VO: *retains the essential bundle* All right, your VISA is good to go. Have a nice day*gives me a ligh green-colored card, which reads 'your visa has been approved' and lists a few contact numbers and instructions*
Me: Thank you sir!

Other tips: 

Closest metro-station – Race course

Auto Fare from embassy to metro station: Rs 30 – 40. Don't take the rickshaw right outside the embassy; they overcharge

Coming back, Days in Mumbai have been going by pretty quick. I got my compulsory MMR immunization done in Thane, visited college, went to South Mumbai and did a 1-day trip to Shirdi. I have also joined a close-by gym for 20 days to continue my fitness-training during this period. This has also helped me ward off the laziness bug which generally buzzes around during vacations. Btw the Mumbai rains got the city wet a little early this time. It’s still early June and the characteristic continuous showers have the city brimming with its beautiful greens...At the same time the scene on the roads has been quite opposite; the frequent jams, knee-deep waters and the water-seepage in the house have been quite a nuisance. Though, the one who makes peace with these things truly personifies the buoyant spirit of Mumbai.

Done with my flight ticket to the US already, I am totally looking ahead to August. However there’s still much to look forward to in Mumbai for now. A small 1-day trip with friends is on the agenda and loads of guitaring and drumming (Band Hero) are also lined up with my Brother-in-Law. Down with a horrible throat pain and cold right now, I’m looking forward to recovering quickly so that I can get on with all the things that I have planned.

My next update would be there once I am done with my vacations and back in Lucknow. Though an interesting update would come only by the end of July, as that month I would be planning to visit Guruji in Shimla for a few days. That would be an awesome experience and something worth writing about! Newys, ‘be back soon with more to tell!

---The welcoming corridors of Feb & March---

Day 261- 'Finally the end of March. Time to stand at ease...' (monthstone reading: 4 months)

So finally comes the admit/reject season.  It didn’t start all that well. First disappointments were news from Carnegie Mellon and University of Washington, which came in on 12^th Feb and 14^th Feb respectively. By the time I could get my thoughts off the rejects, I got 2 more negative replies from University of Toronto and UC Berkeley on 23^rd March. At the same time, I couldn’t be too upset as all colleges were very highly ambitious in nature.

 

Then came the morning of 28^th March. I was supposed to leave for Amritsar in the night. I woke up and zombie-walked to my laptop and did the routine fishing for any relevant emails from the universities. I stopped at the email that read ‘ GT MSCS decision available’. My pupils narrowed and a thought brigade transcended barriers somewhere inside my mind. Containing myself and my emotions, I opened the email which simply stated that the decision was available and asked me to log in to the ‘application status checking’ page. Why couldn’t they have revealed it in the email! Aren’t they aware that the anxiety levels are already at their tipping point at such a moment. I followed the link, logged in and opened the pdf doc that read ‘Your decision letter’. The Pdf opened at a leisurely pace as I prepared myself to accept whatever came on the screen. The screen opened and the words read:

“Dear Siddhartha:

Congratulations! On behalf of the College of Computing at Georgia Tech, I am delighted to offer you admission to the Master of Science program in Computer Science for Fall 2013…”

I didn’t read further. The two fighting forces in my mind had made peace. I was relaxed. It was the end of my March and these words sounded like orders to a tired soldier to ‘stand at ease’. Once I informed my folks about the news, I came back to my seat and re-read the decision letter 10 times just to be sure that I wasn’t hallucinating. I wasn’t. As William Forrester (character from the movie ‘Finding Forrester’) would have put it, this was a season of faith’s perfection.

 

Alright, that being said, here is my current road-map and timeline for the last 2 months:

 

Road-Map
GRE (done)

TOEFL (done)

University Applications (done)
Financial Documents (partially done)

Admits (one- Georgia institute of Technology, Atlanta)

Visa Interview (remaining)

 

 

Timeline:

 

·         7^th and 8^th Feb- One Globe 2013 conference. Two days of informative talks on education from highly distinguished speakers from all over the world.

·         17,19, 22^nd Feb- Attended music recitals by Vidushi Kankana, Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan and Ustad Shahid Pervez as part of the Jashn-e-khusrau event

·         23^rd, 24^th Feb – Birdwatching at Keoladeo bird sanctuary at Bharatpur.

·         Rest of Feb- courses at coursera, codeacademy.org, creative mathematics by ViHart at khanacademy, experiments with mobius strips, 'Scramblewithfriends', a full sunday spent reliving childhood through puzzles, contra, castlevania and bomberman.

·         2^nd March- 6^th March – visit to Qutab minar, Rajaon ki baoli, Tibetean colony at Majnu ka Tilla; hostel roomies reunion with Chuba and Prajakt; Norah Jones live@Siri fort.

·         Mid-March- Read ‘The Fountainhead’ by Ayn Rand (highly recommended)

·         March 28^th – GeorgiaTech admit; Launch of my photography page- ‘BeyondFrames’

·         March 29^th-30^th – Trip to Amritsar- Sushant’s engagement and Golden temple visit

 

So that I don’t spoil the flavor of this post, I will not talk about any tips and recommendations in this post. Though, will post it soon enough!

 

Stay tuned! 

---A season to remember; that January post December---

Day 207- "...An escape to sunny weather and spirituality" (Monthstone reading: 6 months)

A little late but not too much. I have been travelling again. In fact, even as I write my entry for January I am cosily reclining in my 'sweet corner' at Chacha's house in Lucknow. The name was tagged today by my cousin Bhaavya, as I have taken quite a liking to a cosy spot in her brother's room; with my laptop setup here, I hardly leave this corner.

Though I was done with my major applications in the month of December, four more remained. I completed them all by mid-Jan. After updating my last entry, I started on my travel which I had been anxiously waiting for. The plan was to spend 10 days in Mumbai, 7 days in Bangalore, 3 days in Hyderabad and then back home to Delhi. Let me start with the regular outline.

Road-Map
GRE (done)

TOEFL (done)

University Applications (done)
Financial Documents (partially done)

Visa Interview (remaining)

Time-line

 

·                     20th- Dec- 1st Jan- Hibernation in Mumbai :)

·                     2nd Jan- 8th Jan - stay in the 'Art of Living' ashram at Bengaluru...An extremely fulfilling experience

·                     9th Jan- 11th Jan- Pit-stop at  Hyderabad

·                     12th Jan- 14th Jan - Delhi:Chandigarh:Delhi

·                     14th Jan-  28th jan - finished applications; started worked on photography page and logo; photo-editing

·                     29th Jan- 4th Feb- Visit to Lucknow and Allahabad; Got a glimpse of the Maha Kumbh mela at Allahabad (an event that happens every 12 years)

 

So now that the application season is over, I have switched to the patience-testing period of waiting for application replies from the Universities. Till the time I hear from them, its me and my routine....that's what I talk about in this post.

If you are not already working in a 9to5er and are in a similar set of circumstances as me, then this post should make sense to you. No matter how much we covet it, freedom from a 9to5er comes at a cost; the cost of being at odds with a set pattern. It tends to attract more attention; and suddenly the world becomes interested in knowing what the hell you are doing with your time.  

 

Life is not a mechanical routine. Discipline is good and extremely essential for developing in any field; in fact the 9to5er instills that essential discipline. However, the problem starts when it becomes difficult to step out of it; unwillingness to leave the comfort zone to try out a path that is more promising. I call it the 'bean-bag effect'. The longer you sit there, the harder it becomes to get-up. However, once you are up, you will inevitably face the withdrawal syndrome and would want to get back to your cozy spot. This is where a few things will keep you from giving into it.

 

So this is what I did, and presently do, to ward off my withdrawal syndrome. I am currently enrolled in a few online courses at coursera, which I would be taking in my University curriculum once my Fall session starts. I have also enrolled in alternate courses (like music, nutrition etc) for subject appreciation and understanding basics. I practice my music regularly, travel and complement my travels with photography. I follow some interesting photography blogs like 'PhotoJojo' and 'Digital Photography School' and regularly purchase a monthly magazine called 'Smart Photography'. Currently, I am also working on my photography-page (goes live by month-end). Along with this, I take utmost care about fitness. It is not only important to exercise daily (even if for 15 minutes), but to also eat a healthy diet. Apart from physical health, mental workouts are equally necessary. For these, I turn to mind-games that boost word-skills, spatial memory, speed etc. An effective game to try is the n-back training. This is one of the best work-outs for strengthening recall power. However, even with all this you may still get distracted, impatient or restless at times; this can be taken care of by meditation.

Now lets not get daunted by the term. All it requires you to do is relax, breathe right, think nothing with your eyes closed for 15-20 minutes. This small routine promises better decision-making, calmness and the power of being in control of things. This I can vouch for from my 5 day-experience at the Art of Living Ashram in Bangalore. Along with the process of Pranayam, it reduces your sleep requirements without letting you feel any kind of exhaustion during the day.

All these activities have not only helped me in smoothly transitioning from my office routine, but are also proving to be a strong training ground for Fall-2013 term. I would recommend adopting a similar routine, if not the same, to keep yourself active and ready when the term starts. I will be back by end of February/early March to update you as the admit/reject season starts then. In the meantime, if you have any questions/ suggestions, please feel free to ask here. You can also touch base at 'siddhartha.chandra0112@gmail.com'


PS: A regular dose of good movies also keeps the spirit buoyant. Some of my recent watches (in no specific order of rating) are: 'Never Back down', 'Raging Bull', '3:10 to Yuma', 'The insider', 'Bridge to Terbthia', 'Mary and Max', 'Finding Forrester', 'Peaceful Warrior' and 'The Green Mile'. 

---Sweet November & My December---

Day 157- "One phase gets over" (Monthstone reading: 7 months)

A long gap again...but I had decided to be back only after finishing the application work.
So here's my progress for this duration:

Road-Map
GRE (done)

TOEFL (done)

University Selections (done)
Transcripts ( done)
SOP (done)
LOR's (all recommender's intimated)
University Applications (done)

1. Financial Documents
2. Visa Interview           

Time-line

• 12th Oct - 17th Oct- A visit to Kashmir. Srinagar, Gulamarg and Pehalgam were the major stops.
• 26th Oct- 30th Oct- A short visit to Mumbai to meet my professors and collect transcripts.
• 31st Oct- 1st Nov- Delhi- Chandigarh- Delhi....phew*
• 2nd Nov- 27th Nov- Approaching the statement of purpose iteratively
• 27th Nov - 4th Dec- Trip to Lucknow
• 5th Dec- 15th Dec- Approaching the statement , continued

Time passed unusually slowly over the past month. Many times I hit the writer's block and receded into my shell. However, during this shell-period I reverted to Two books that really helped me clearly put down my thoughts. I would highly recommend "The Elements of Style" by William Strunk, jr. and "How to write a sentence and how to read one" by Stanley Fish. The latter especially gave me the much needed push to evolve my prolix to something deliciously succinct. At least I was in love with my new approach to writing my thoughts. Also, my SOP reviews were going smoother with lesser criticism.

I think this post would be a good time to talk about the essentials one needs to start writing the SOP.

First and foremost, the Logical Connect. It should be made clear that no one (not even you) would like to read an essay that lacks connect. So each paragraph in your essay should lead the reader to the next one in a smooth manner. Without connectivity, even with a hundred achievements, the SOP would pull down your profile. So make sure you lure the reader. Tell him who you are and this is why you want to do this!

Structure is the 2nd most important thing about your essay. The impact of a sentence comes out best when it is brief and precise. So for instance if I were to tell you that 'The most important thing to consider while writing your essay should be to make sure that you write short and precise sentences which convey your essential thought in the shortest possible way', I'm sure you would loose me even before the sentence finishes. However, if I were to rephrase it as 'Brevity and precision forms the core of a compelling essay', you would get the idea in fewer words without losing interest. The redundant gap is tossed away and the reader is left to sip only the concentrate. So make sure your essay has short sentences, and each word in the sentence is hand-picked. Just like a general picks the strongest men to prepare his regiment, its your task to carefully pick the words that line up your armada. Each sentence should have at least one warrior-word, placed in a way that delivers a vital punch. 

Simplicity is the most undervalued asset after one goes through the elaborate GRE-word list. Putting big words  which are not a part of your regular speaking makes your writing shallow. So strictly avoid searching for GRE translations for simple words to put in your essay. The best essays are those that clearly convey the writer's thought. So avoid any kind of pretense; it's a deadly trap.

These three things should be good enough to get you started. Otherwise there is always the option of turning to the books that I mentioned. It would tremendously purify your writing.  

I would be back here by mid-January after another spell of extensive travelling. However, I would keep checking my blog once in a while. So feel free to reach out, discuss or add more. 

--The October sky--

Day 89- “Closing in on the prey ” (Monthstone reading: 9months)

 

My monthstone reads 9 months now. You know what this means? This means that after 9 months I would be a toddler again; I would look at all the things around me with awe; I would have the curiosity in my eyes; I would not hesitate to ask questions even if it would be at the risk of sounding stupid in front of others; After 9 months, I would be born as a student again!

 

I’m so close, still so far away; done with so many things, still so much more that I need to get done!

 

Over this period of time I have come across many realizations, but one that has stayed with me is this; that it does not matter how far behind you are in a race….what matters is the killing instinct inside you, which can measure up all the bygones in that split-second you unleash it…the time that your adrenalin pumps in so hard that you transcend the physical limitations and exclaim ‘bring it on…this is my race…and the finishing line is mine to take!’…that attitude is all that is needed to change the game for anyone.

 

The days of September literally came from the palette of an artist; Colorful, rich and bright orange, green and red shades painted my sister’s wedding. The last few days of the month were dipped, soaked and rouged in celebration. The afterglow of it prevailed through the early days of October. Ahh! Then there was the Karaoke north zone finale as well which happened way before all of this….I sang ‘kiss from a rose’… even though I didn’t get through, it was a very satisfying experience to sing amidst the cheer of my friends…and end on a note of thunderous appreciation from the people.

Ok, before I continue tracing my footprints to some inaccessible recess, let me snap out. So here’s the deal:

Road-Map

GRE (done)

TOEFL (done)

University Selections  (done…atleast for the US univs…still to fine tune on non-US univs)

1. Transcripts ( would get news on this today)
2. SOP (Go slow, man at work !)
3. LOR's 
4. Financial Documents
5. Visa Interview           

Time-line

• 13th Sep – KWC North zonal finals….had a thrilling time….The best part was that all my close friends were there to cheer for me :)

• 20th Sep – Chandigarh calling again! All wedding preps had been done now. Chachi was also there now. A convoy of 3 cars drove down to the city beautiful.

• 20th Sep-26th Sep – days of excitement, exhaustion, anxiety and reserve power ( which I believe my body stocked while I slept those extra hours ;) Though the marriage date was 24th September, we left back for Delhi on 26th Septmber (after the pag-phera)
• 28th Sep- Reception@ Delhi….this was the last function for my sister’s marriage

• 2nd oct- Dee and Adit leave for Mumbai

• 2nd Oct- 9th oct- The lull and silence…and a period of ‘let me sleep endlessly'

  Then there were other events that happened too in this time… went for ‘Zedde@HRC’, an evening out with May and Deb (neighbors) along with karaoke night with them in café revv, watched ‘killing them softly’ after winning tkts on the radio and attended 2 shows from the Lakme fashion week on 9th Oct (courtesy Madhavi) …but yeah, dat apart the week totally personified lull and silence;)
   

Its the age of gadgets and a civilization of technology...No one can run the risk of not getting warmed up to the tech gadgets today...else you would be living in the past. So my mother started embracing the tab that my sister and I gifted her very recently...and after coming back from the wedding, she thought "why not know my tech companion a little better?". Its not even been more than a week and the tab and Ma are fast friends!...Before I knew it there were messages being exchanged with Dee on whatsapp, relatives were being befriended and posts being liked on facebook...and my high score on angry birds was history now!!...I'm so glad!

So why would I share this? Well, Change is inevitable you see. You may choose to accept and embrace it or deny and resist it. The former leads you to live a life in the present contrasted with the latter. So no matter how intimidating the change, its best when we mold ourselves according to it. Never feel that you are too old to learn something new! That's what my mother taught me in the past few days and I'm totally inspired by her attitude.

The month of September was generous enough to give me a lesson in dealing with pressure situations which materialized now and then during the 3 days of Dee's wedding. Still, there is a lot more to be learnt on time management as there were things which I could not catch pace with. One such thing was the cryptography course on coursera, in which I fell right behind in my schedule by 2-3 weeks. Though I'm still counting on that jet of adrenalin to come alive and propel me to this course's successful completion.

I shall keep you updated.