Feeling the Need for Speed

The latest craze on the campus is need for speed 5. A game that allows upto 8 racers to race on a LAN and pit their skills against each other. As usual it has more appeal than a class discussing the nuances of the financial instruments. A few tips for new racers. This is a highly specialised area and this post is not for people who are blissfully unaware of this piece of software.

1. Familiarise yourself with the ins and outs of a track. Common mistakes that can occur. Keep special track of the turns that lead to overturning. :)

2. Try to keep to the centre of the track and exercise restraint when overtaking at the corners.

3. Dont blindly follow the guy in front. More often than not he makes a mistake and you follow in his step.

4. Do not accelerate through the turns, unless the turns have a large turning radius or have a banking. If damage is on, then this could lead to a damaged car. Problems are bound to follow.

5. Do not look at the rear view mirror or the standings regularly. At least not until you have really mastered the game.

6. If you have an accident, the sooner you restart the better. Keep the finger on the accelerator for an instant start.

7. For very sharp turns use the handbrake (space bar). However this requires a lot of practice and decreases the speed quite a lot. Chances are there that the car will swing out control. Use of the normal brake is advised for slightly difficult turns.

8. Try and have a race with the minimum number of restarts, that will automatically lead to a good position. Most people, even the winner will make at least one mistake.

There could be a lot more tips. Just a few for the rank amateurs. Needless to say, even I am learning the tricks of the trade.

Out of Breath

It is 4 o'clock in the morning, speakers are blasting away lounge music, have 3 more chapters to finish before tomorrow's test. Chances look bleak. And yet I am up writing my blog.

The seniors are in the proess of leaving the campus after finishing their course. Thats it, they are done. They have completed their MBA. Done with it. Standing here it still feels like there are a million miles to go before I finish my MBA. Looks like it has only just begun. I am reliving an old feeling. As a young lad, I used to take swimming lessons. And when I was asked to try and swim the length of the pool, more often than not I would get out of breath in the middle. The edge of the pool would seem a kilometer away. And soon enough the body would give up and I would sink to the depths. Survival Instincts would kick in after swallowing a mouthful of chlorine water. Gasping and out of breath, I would make a beeline for the nearest edge. And then hold on for dear life. Confidence busted, it would take almost 5 minutes for me to garner enough courage to restart my attempt.

I can easily draw a parallel here. Except that both the final destination and the easy way out look like a distant target. Hope to get to end of this term without running out of breath. Hope to. I maybe already out of breath. It is going to be a struggle. Hoping those survival instincts kick in and I am rescued by a last burst of adrenalin.

Sometimes, I wonder what it would take to get into a job like the one Ian Wright has. He is the traveller photograher of "Lonely Planet", a travel show aired on discovery channel. I rather juggle a camera and visit the most exotic places rather than work on a PC for a living. But looks like I am destined for the later. Maybe someday I will apply to Discovery Channel for a job. As of now, they dont come to the campus for placements. A little piece of fantasy?

Age of Innocence and Tintin

Honestly a lot of things have gotten in between me and my blog recently. Not to mention the fact that we did not have a party of significant consequence since my last post.

Now that I have started writing, let me share a few interesting insights on Herge's works. Tintin. Tintin, has not just been a comic book character for me. To me he has been more of a friend philosopher and guide(Sorry about that cliche). To such an extent, that when in the first term our OB prof asked us to write 3 characters who have had the greatest influence in your life, I chose to mention Tintin. Tintin personified the lofty ideals of truthfulness and faithfulness. The never ending quest to pursue the truth. Faithfulness was portrayed in the various relations that he shared with his friends and most importantly his dog, Snowy. The underlying theme that came through in the comic books is that never at any cost should one ditch his or her friends. They are our companions and to them we should show unwavering faithfulness. Though Herge does not stress on family values but such lessons can easily be stretched to cover the family as well. Is it that in an age such as today, such values have lost their relevance? Have we lost that young innocence or is it still there, hidden, deep within us and have we chosen not to reveal it? Today if we pick up any of the comics that are availble at the friendly local bookstore, the only theme that comes forward is that of violence and revenge. The age of innocence may well be on the way out with in these times of FPS games.

Another Blogger Born

Egad! I have been thinking about how to begin my first blog for the last fifteen minutes. And this is what I come up with. Pathetic. However I am hoping that I will improve as time goes by, and very soon I will come up with startings that are as smooth as Pierce Brosnan in a James Bond movie.

I also think that is the right time to put in a few good words about myself. I am doing my MBA at IIM Kozhikode. Thats about it.

Well let me tell you about the term that has just begun. We recently had a party in celebration of my friend Debanjan winning 6 lakhs @ KBC. Honest he was my friend before he won the booty. And as is the tradition of K we danced our blues away. There was also a certain other beverage that went a long way in having the same effect. But we had a lot of fun. We got to see some unique and rare dance forms. I will try and analyse all the dance forms that have originated from the dance floor at IIMK. Like the cobra-dance, where one sits on the floor and sways like a hooded king cobra. Intimidating yet interesting. We also have the spot-jump-dance. It is also known to build calf muscles and is a good way to start dancing for people like me who have two left feet. However I keep ending up on someone else's feet on the way down. Have to work on that. Then there is the lizard-in-tshirt-dance. Practioners of this rare dance form will wriggle as if they have a cold and slimy lizard moving up and down their spine. In the hip-thrust dance, the dancer can propel himself forward by a 10 horsepower thrust from the hip. We also practice some tribal and Russian dance forms. Quite an interesting bouquet of talents are showcased at our parties.

Well this is all I have time for today. Will be back sometime soon.
"Over and Out tchcht"