The Last Stretch.

The past week, adrenaline has been high. Have had 5 papers on the trot, no breaks. In fact, as you read this one, am probably preparing for the 5th one or appearing for it, or maybe even dealt with. This is the last stretch. Strangely am reminded of the theme song for Chariots of Fire, the closing sequence where it shows the athletes running on the beach. The week has been good, and hopefully the last one would be the best (best way to sign out, I say). Sadly, the end of the term exams, also reminds me that time at Imperial is drawing to a close with only a few more months left which would be primarily spent working on dissertation.

Murphy Strikes

Murphy’s law they say, strikes at the most inopportune moment.  While I might have had a taste of it in the past, there was apparently no recollection from recent archives. So for me the import of the very true essence of Murphy’s Law struck on Tuesday morning.  The exasperation that one can feel in such moments can only be experienced. Words can never do justice!!

Tuesday, we had International Business from 10:00 am. After having scheduled the travel time and unforseen delays, starting off by 8:45 am seemed to be a safe bet. However, things started going wrong from morning. Having set the alarm for 6:30 (2 separate alarms, 1 of them actually could be set to go off at 3 different times), I overslept. I did open my eyes around 8:15, at which point I realised I had my phone in my hand ( Wonder when I picked it up!!). Still feeling a bit whoozy and not able to comprehend the circumstances properly, I was galvanised into action as the dreadful message came in from a batchmate, “Piccadilly suspended”. Having dashed out in about 15 minutes, I did a mental math on the time efficiency probability of all available routes at my disposal. Much to my disappointment, the first plan of boarding the district line from Ealing Broadway was dashed, as the first available bus for us for at 9:10 am. That would have been cutting too fine. Cabs had mysteriously disappeared from action too. Finally we did board a train to Hammersmith from where we changed over to district and finally made it to the examination hall 10 minutes late. And now I must emphasize the importance of good preparations, as it was that and a sound understanding of the concepts which saved the day for me, with 5 minutes to spare. I was happy.

I blog, therefore I am!!

This was the tagline on the t-shirt that I got from Indiblogger a couple of summers ago when I attended one of their bloggers meet in Pune, India. The reason I am reminded of the phrase is the blatant increase in my blog patrolling over the past few days. Honestly, revising cannot be a pleasant activity (the studious may differ though). And somehow, time seems to fly rather fast. Especially when I start reading blogs. That’s right!! I haven’t been blogging, I have been reading (read patrolling). A lot!!

The past week found me frantically trying to make sense of the stuff I was reading and am almost through with 2 modules, while 3 more are to be dealt with yet and exams are just about 10 days off. So, while I have been really close to pressing the panice button, I observed a few funny traits about me. I barely get any study done during daytime, and that’s when I panic or something of the sort. It seems am a total nocturnal creature. I study all night. Fortifying myself with caffeine at regular intervals, I end up making significant leaps in my preparation. And then there is the daily venture into the world of blogs, which would invariably last a couple of hours.

Though socialising has hit an all time low (quite expected one would say), yesterday was an exception as I had to step out to mark the occasion of Bengali New Year. (Cultural trivia: Bengalis are an ethnic group from the eastern part of India and are the majority of population of Bangladesh.) This was a much needed break perhaps, as at least for a few hours I really did not think about any of my modules for a change. The result a much refreshed and mroe vigorous approach towards revision. May be in one of my following posts I would discuss about the subcontinental fare available in London, which I believe is quite a hit in the city given the revenue they generate and the popularity  they have garnered. Focus would obviously be on student budget.

Now, back to the books.

PS: I just found this out. Incidentally, the New year is based as per the Hindu solar calendar. The first day of this calendar is celebrated as the traditional New Year in various parts of South Asia, including Assam, Bengal, Kerala, Manipur, Nepal, Orissa, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Tripura. It is also celebrated as the traditional New Year across Southeast Asia, including Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand (see Songkran). (sourced from Wikipedia). It certainly, is amusing for me as it shows the cultural similarity that apparently exists.

Over the weekend in all the merriment at Glasgow, I somehow forgot the impending doom awaiting me. It wasn’t until I was on the tube from Victoria for South Ealing, that I realised the enormity of the tasks awaiting me. To start with, there was the draft proposal for the research to be submitted by Friday. And then, there is revision. Frankly, I have never been really good with my efforts at revision, often doing the bulk of my studies the day before exams. The difference between prior exams and the ones here is that there isn’t a gap in between. So, waiting for the day before exams is an absolute prescription for academic suicide, which frankly I have no intention of committing.

So, it was with a heavy heart that I let myself into my room. After roaming about the apartment being absolutely useless, I came to the conclusion that fretting wouldn’t really get me anywhere and set about the daily chores. Probably, a subconscious effort to calm the nerves. Anyhow, pretty soon it was lunch time. Really, all I was doing, I suppose, was to keep the inevitability of hitting the books at bay for as long as possible. So, after lunch, without much ado, I set about the task of drafting a research proposal, at which point I realised though I might have given a passing thought or a moment’s attention over the past few months on this aspect of my degree, I have never really given it the due consideration it deserved. The resulting situation had me scouting the net, wracking my brains and having a few lengthy chats with certain relatives on the most desirable subject for dissertation. And that’s a day flew by and nearly another one did too, before I found a little text file saved in a corner of my lappie. What it contained was something I had jot down in one of my more thoughtful and sincere moments. Thankfully, it led to the drafting of my research proposal.

Lesson learnt: Be organised. And plan a little ahead of time if you can…

Meanwhile, thanks to rains up at Glasgow I really couldn’t step out, but a few of the snaps I managed there.

I haven’t the faintest remembrance of when I heard the above mentioned phrase the first time, or probably read but it has been lodged in the deepest corners of my memory for a frightfully long time. In fact, I have always wondered when and where I could use it, until today. And there is a good reason for that, or so I shall have you believe. Right now, I am in fact in Scotland. Glasgow to be precise. Not really on sightseeing, which I daresay I would have loved to. It’s a visit to catch up with a school chum of mine. Met the bugger the first time at the school bus stop about 12-13 years ago, having just moved into that area. And since then we have been the best of buddies, except that he has been here at UK for about 7 years now. Training to be a medic a charming fellow to begin with. Enough of my friend.

Glasgow, was at one point of time one of the largest cities of Europe. I suppose if you care to look up wikipedia you shall find loads of information there. My first sight of the city turned out to be quite rainy, what with the weather being true to Scottish form, or so I have been told. Luckily for me, by the time my friend came around to pick me up it had stopped raining, so we took a pretty long walk from Buchanan Bus Station, past Kelvingrove Musuem and the University of Glasgow to finally arrive at Maryhill, where the university accommodations were. While it was a pretty damp walk through the park and streets, I must say the architecture of the land certainly did impress me. After nice little rest, we went out for a walk again through the city, spent some time at the Gilmore hill campus of the university which I must say was pretty old and beautiful. Will post snaps once am back in London. After that it was lunch and siesta!! Evening saw us head out to Hillhead, for a pub where I met up with some other medics in training and their friends and ended up having a wonderful till a wonderful time. Sadly, the party broke up at midnight and we headed back to quarters with a dinner of battered haggis with gravy to go. For the uninitiated, haggis is a traditional Scottish dish which should be very much part of the diet while on a trip to the land. More on the history of this dish over here.

How to get there:

getting to Glasgow is not really rocket science. So, hop on to any train from King’s Cross/Euston for Glasgow. A standard one way ticket should cost you about £35-40 min. on the National Rail. Or maybe a coach from the Victoria Coach station, which is is definitely for the one worried about how deep his/her pocket runs and one way should cost about £25/28 with the National Express. The other option is of course by air.

So long, cheerio and have a nice time!!