“Rat”tling Memories....

It has been almost a week since college reopened for this semester. And as usual at the beginning of the semester there was a lot of free time which was whiled away in chatting on and on about things that happened in the holidays and in the previous semester. This incident then came up.

The previous semester exams were going on then. It was the night before the second exam. As always we had opened our books only to discover that it was too late to do any sort of justice to the paper. Giving it up as a bad job I slept off that night. Suddenly, I heard a series of bangs and thuds in the room. I thought I was dreaming. But when the noise persisted I woke up. Both my room mates were up with broomsticks in their hands and they mouthed “RAT!!!” I was very groggy and so I felt I did not hear properly. When I asked them they confirmed.

Before I proceed further, there is something that one has to understand about our hostel. Even if you are not the kind of person who does not believe in peaceful co-existence with animals, you will have to change your mind as soon as you step into the hostel! Seeing dogs running around in the corridors, lizards going across the floors of your room and finding your room floor covered with many insects of different shapes and sizes (researching those would be a dream come true for any entomologist) is a very common sight. But rats?

Getting back, I sat up with a start and asked them as to where the rat was seen last and other details. It was a very small rat and had come in while the door had been opened. And it was somewhere inside the room. We tried to make it come out by tapping the corners and the bed with broomsticks. But, all was in vain. After waiting for a while we concluded it had left the room and closed the room. It was all quiet again when again my room mate spotted it running near the door. But before we could chuck it out it went and hid somewhere else. Again this time we could not find where it was hiding at all. Already it was pretty late in the night. So we just removed all those things which a rat would love to play with and went to sleep with the doors open hoping that it would go out of the room.

Next morning we could not find any signs of the rat being inside the room. We were glad. But, that night a loud scream of “RAT” echoed from one of the rooms in our wing and I thought well here we go again!!!

New Year Resolutions – Here We Go Again

Before I start off, A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009 to all :)

Brace yourself for one of the busiest times of the year when everyone is deciding on what would be the best resolution to adopt. Literally, A New Year Resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to a project or the reforming of a habit, often a lifestyle change deemed advantageous. It gets its name given that it comes into effect from Jan 1 of every year. In short you decide to change for the good.

I personally don’t believe in making resolutions on new year day in specific as I believe that change doesn’t need a time. Still here is a short account on new year resolutions..

Resolutions are said to give a direction to our lives and it gives us an opportunity to prioritize the goals to be achieved for the year. The resolutions taken by people majorly depend on the age factor. The most common ones are :

- Shirk Laziness
- Spend time with family
- Finish homework regularly
- Lose Weight
- Maintain a diary
- Reduce extravagant spending of money
- Quit smoking and drinking
And well the list can go on…..

So the resolutions are made. Several notes are stuck all over the house, working desk to remind oneself. Enthusiasm and energy is really high. Way to go… At the end of one month when a check is made on how many are still clinging on to their resolutions I am pretty sure almost half of them would have given it up as a bad job. And the others would be with a reduced enthusiasm! As days pass by the number of people keeping it up dwindles alarmingly. And by the end of yet another year only a very few are found religiously sticking on to their resolutions. Hats off to those perseverent people and to the others better luck next time.

Now looking at why people give up halfway through.. Most of the times these resolutions fail because of setting up unrealistic goals. Its very essential to realize and accept one’s limitations in terms of time and effort that can devoted to achieve the goals set. Say a software pro resolves to get up early and exercise to keep himself fit. But he doesn’t catch sleep before 3 am everyday and his work is so hectic that he is so dead at the end of the day. And so his resolution is, well gone with the wind… As people keep iterating it time and again time management is crucial to realize one’s goals. Also according to me one’s mindset is of paramount importance. We all must have seen that when we really want to do something we would go any lengths to get it done. Basically you should love what you are going to do. That way it won’t be a waste of your time and energy.

So folks, enjoy making new resolutions this year and sticking on to them throughout the year. A Happy New Year once again to all :)

P.S. I believe that its easier to preach than practise :P

Hello All

Bonjour!

At the advent of this new year, I decided to try my hand at blogging. Hoping to sustain your interest and to improve myself...

Cheers
Rohini Raman