Déjà vu - CAT '06 and '07..

A few days ago, I was asked to write an article on the possible patterns of CAT '07 paper to send to one of those online dailies. As I sat down to write the article sometime today evening, I was reminded of the article I had posted precisely a year ago on the same topic. And so I decided to open the post and go through it. To my surprise, I found that I had predicted two things correctly back then - that it might be a 75 question paper and we might be given 5 options. Although I did think these scnearios would be unlikely, I was pleasantly surprised when I found the same in the paper. On the whole, I believe I was prepared for those cases and hence was least shocked. And when the shock element goes missing, the paper looks much more easier, right?

So lets fast forward to CAT '07. Considering the trends that are being followed over the past few years, the number of questions are being reduced gradually - from 123 in 2004 to 90 in 2005 and then finally to 75 in 2006. Now one could expect the number of questions to go down to 60 which would just mean that the paper might be on a higher difficulty level. Or they would stick to 75 and raise the bar slightly.

Also every CAT paper has something new and different to offer - at least one of the three sections are more difficult than usual. (Assuming there are only three) In 2005, it was DI with more logic-oriented questions; for us in 2006, it was Verbal with the "Judgement, Inference and Fact" types of questions. So there is a good possibility that this year, the Quant section will be the toughest with something new added just to spice things up a bit.

On a final note, I guess I will repeat the same words as last time - do not waste time in questioning whether the changes in the paper are justified or not. Be flexible. Do not enter the exam hall with a fixed mindset. Do not panic on seeing the changes. If it is difficult for you, it will be difficult for the majority of CAT aspirants. Believe in yourself. Nothing is better than a good dose of self-belief! And do not get stuck on any question. And most importantly.. do not forget your admit card! ;)

All the best to all the exam takers. May the force be with you! :D

Note: You can find my post on CAT '06 here. And my views aired here are pure speculations. You are not told the CAT question paper even if you're studying in an IIM! :D

Quote of the day:

The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play.

PS1: I completed 2 years of blogging sometime last month.. Oct. 24th I think.
PS2: I forgive my father.. I forgive my boss.. I forgive my friends.. I forgive my barber.. I forgive the government.. I forgive my past.. I forgive them all.. I feel like.. I feel like God.
PS3: I am very, very happy! :D Tomorrow only 3 classes - 2 of them require no pre-class reading! Alright!! :D Of course, that is not the only reason why I am happy.
PS4: PS2 was the Bajaj Avenger Ad lines tailored to my context. That ad is legendary!
PS5: Ate awesome food.. freaked out with friends.. rode at 75 kmph.. and a very memorable night! A starry one too.. :D

CAT '07 sample questions..

Well, since CAT is around the corner, I thought I'd share with you different kinds of questions that might be asked in the coming edition of the billi. A typical question connecting multiple concepts is given below:

1) The minutes hand of the clock is on 12 and the hours hand is on 11. But Gokul has not started studying for his ME mid-semester exam. The probability of him screwing the exam if the paper is tough, is 0.6. The probability that Gokul will complete studying the entire portion before the exam is 0.3. What is the probability of him screwing the exam, provided the paper given is easy?

a) 0.28
b) 0.12
c) 0.18
d) 1

Solution: Answer is option d. I screwed up what might possibly be the easiest paper ever set by any professor. Looking back, I wish he had given a tougher question paper. At least I'd have had a few fellow cribbers! Our mid semester exams are going on. Hopefully my other exams go well.

In other news, we've received our grades for term 1. My performance has been slightly below average, but nothing to be ashamed of! :D And my GPA calculations have been reasonably accurate! I was after all gifted, eh?! :D Work is expected to pile up exponentially in the coming weeks. I've ended up cutting down on CS so as to accomodate other activities in my schedule, which include studying, giving quizzes and sleeping in classes.

Time to get back to studies. Adios!

PS1: To all those who ended up hoping to find a leaked CAT '07 paper - sorry for the misleading title of the post.
PS2: CS fest being planned in IIIT! :(
PS3: Anybody has the song Sideways by Citizen Cope? Please mail me the song! I'm tired of searching for it over the net.
PS4: The last episode of HIMYM viz. 305 was frikkin hilarious! Barney's theory of plotting girls on the graph of hot and crazy was.. err.. classic Barney! Especially the Vicky Mendoza diagonal!! :D
PS5: Dont ask me how I find time to watch HIMYM episodes during exams. Please refer to the second sentence of the sample question given at the beginning of the post.
PS6: Back to studies!

The Human Calculator..

There was this phase I went through, in my third year, when I used to sit and calculate my CGPA time and again. After having accounted for various permutations and combinations, I'd arrive at my GPA for the semester and consecutively my CGPA. The whole funda behind the exercise was to check whether there was any hope of me crossing 7 at the end of 4 years. And typical of me, I'd always put very optimistic estimates and would feel good about myself. But at the end of the semester, I'd get a rude shock when my GPA would be a good half point less than what I had calculated. But at the end of my 4 years, I'm proud to say that I crossed the psychological 7 mark. Its like getting a total of 300 on a flat pitch - you never know whether it would be enough or not.

So why am I saying such things on the public domain and lowering my image amongst my readers? Because the syndrome is back again to haunt me through my post graduation. Yes, the past couple of days, I've been calculating my GPA for the first semester - adding new results and revising estimates time and again. I've come to be known as the Human Calculator (of GPA) not because I calculate faster than anyone else but because I am the only one involved in such fruitless activities. People come to me asking for an estimate of their GPAs. I, just like the fake baba/saint/whatever-you-refer-to-them-in-your-language, give them hope by over estimating their GPAs. Well, I am not charging any fee for this small service I offer. Not yet. But I hope I dont get into trouble once the sem results are out. If things work out just fine, then I might start charging some consultation fee from the next semester. So how does this work? This calculating of GPAs?

DISCLAIMER: Please dont try this at home. Or in class. Or in your hostel rooms. These are trained professionals who have spent their lives perfecting the art of calculating GPA.

Well, firstly you take into account the past record of the instructor. If it is Mr.X who has given 40 Ds last sem, you take an optimistic grade of C- for that course. If it is Ms.Y who believes in giving lesser As and more Bs and Cs, you take into account the mean grade - which might be a B or a C ,and then calculate the resulting GPA. Other factors which should be considered include the number of times the instructor has caught you sleeping in the class, the overall performance of your section and batch, and the average performance of your section and batch. Believe me - calculating GPAs is a very tough job and not everyone is cut out to do the same. Only a select few are gifted with qualities of estimation and intution to carry out a good job.

So I repeat - please dont try this in your data compression/HSSM/Open Elective lectures. It might be a highly amusing exercise at the beginning, but one tends to get addicted to it. They're worse than drugs! Not to mention the depression one experiences due to overquoting of GPAs. You need to be a certified GPA calculator to put the worst beind you and continue calculating for the coming semesters. May the force be with you.

PS1: After my second year, my calculation speed increased manifold mainly because of 2 reasons:
a) calculating my GPA after every mid-term/end-term result was announced
b) when India used to chase a huge target. Once upon a time, we used to be good chasers
PS2: I finished the Quant section of CAT in 35 minutes. No prizes for guessing why.
PS3: I spent 1 hour 15 minutes on the verbal section in CAT :(
PS4: Hectic life.
PS5: Somebody scrap me.
PS6: Somebody comment!
PS7: We have dandiya night scheduled today. We are supposed to come dressed in ethnic wear.. :|
PS8: Special buffet arranged for tonight. hehehehe.. aakramannn.. :D
PS9: Washing clothes in washing machines is not a pain at all! :D
PS10: I hate wearing suits!
PS11: Mom, if you're reading this - Hi!
PS12: Seriously, why is the Indian cricket team so inconsistent?!
PS13: CAT 07 round the corner. All the best to all the CAT takers.
PS14: Work piling up. adios!

The one with the batch trip

And so finally, I get down to writing about the batch trip when all has been said and done about it already. Anyhoo, we started on 17th April and made our way to Nampally from where we boarded the train. Since we did not have enough berths reserved, we ended up with a 3:1 ratio. Just like the students:PC ratio in IIIT.. :)) We took turns sleeping while the others chatted among themselves. And by night, we had enough berths reserved. In fact, I got a whole upper berth! woo-hoo!! :D


The next day morning, we arrived at Delhi. We got awesome rooms. AC.. big beds.. AC.. nice bathrooms.. AC!! A freezer.. and of course AC. Food offered was also very decent. Simple, yet decent. Then we started on a small tour around the city. Saw all those important political and historical stuff.. you know Parliament, Rashtrapati bhavan, Qutb minar, India Gate and Karol Bagh. We visited the Lotus temple as well, and outside Lotus temple almost the whole batch bought the Rs.10 goggles which were being sold outside the temple premises. Here you can see yours truly posing with all the goggles he can wear at a time trying to pass himself off as a salesman. (I demanded the pic be taken before they could arrange any more glasses.. :( )

The next day we started our arduous journey to Chandigarh which took us 8 hours by bus. Now chandigarh is the most beautiful city I've ever seen. And no, I am not exaggerating. No puns intended either. It is by far, the cleanest and most organized city I've ever come across. And as I said earlier, the city is beautiful in every sense ;) And they've got some of the best mango juice makers.. :D The Chandigarh rooms were decent as well. And we went for boating!! It was fun and exciting boating with friends.. :) We also went to some rock garden. Very informational it was. And boring.

The next day morning we started for Kullu Manali - our main destination. We had no idea it would take us 15 hours to reach there! But the journey was a roller coaster ride. We took breaks, shot a few snaps, and enjoyed the natural beauty the mountains had to offer. Did you know that the water was ice-cool even at noon? They called it spring water or something of that sort. Then finally we reached Manali at 10 PM. The dogs in Manali are very strong. And furry. Each one looked like a hound. Scary.. :-s

So finally we reached Manali.. the rooms were awesome! Not a single room had a fan but the room temperature was quite low. They provided us with quite a few rugs to keep us warm. The next morning we took off for snow point which is en route to Rohtang pass. And for most of us, it was the first time we saw snow. It was by far, the most memorable part of the batch trip. The mountains almost seemed to touch the sky. I guess I am running out of words to describe the experience. It was worth taking all the pains. So at snow-point, we saw quite a few yaks. Here in the pic, you can see Tipo playing the cupid between the lovely yak couple.

We all got turns to try skiing. I, for one, was as good at snow as I am on land. Clumsy. And before I forget, there is nothing better than eating steaming Maggi when you're freezing to death.. :D We then went on tyre rides where you get to slide down a 30 feet slope on a tyre! Its primitive, but its exhilarating! :D Tyre rides were fun. Soon, our feet had become numb. I guess it was the snow some of which had managed to make their way into our shoes. So as we sat there, with our shoes and socks removed, our naked feet resting on the warm rocks.. it just felt great! :D

On our way back from snow point, we stopped near a waterfall - Krrish shooting was rumoured to have taken place there - to have our lunch. It was chiller than snow point thanks to the cold winds fluttering across the plains. But it was a great place to stop. Lunch was once again pretty decent. We took quite a few snaps beside the waterfall but I am going to stop putting any more pics because firefox is acting up.

That night we had a bonfire set up. Songs blasted on the speakers as everyone let their hair down. (I know I dont have much hair, but thats just an expression!! Nitpicks!!) Thankfully none of the video cameras caught the author shaking his leg. But my leg got stomped upon quite a few times as I tried to gingerly avoid the over zealous dancers. At the end of the day, I had been stomped 22 times - highest scorers being Sairaj and T3. (For the next 2 days, I had difficulty walking as I my toes ached. )

The next day was somewhat forgettable. So moving on, we finally made it to Agra - our last stop. Watched the Agra fort, ogled at the foreigners, took snaps with monkeys and then ogled more at the foreigners. Then we moved on to THE Taj Mahal. But somehow I guess you need to be in love to really appreciate the structure because I didn't really see what the big deal was! :P And then I saw a phirangi couple with tears streaming down their cheeks as they kept staring at the monument. And I was trying my level best to suppress a giggle and ended up chuckling a lot. Thankfully the place was crowded enough.. #:-s

So that was that. Our return journey to Hyderabad was uneventful. Did quite a bit of shopping. I recently discovered my love for shopping.. or rather bargaining.. :D Especially be it the peta shop or the jerk-ins, my friends dragged me along for some bargaining.. :D Its fun.. bargaining.

Some of the memorable moments..
ITEM Raja B.Tech Honors.. hu ha hu ha.. :D
NPK and the ladies toilet scam
Batchu and his little strip tease.. :))
Cards!! Least count.. bluff.. rummy! :D
Bargaining! A guy quoted a jerkin's price as 750 and 5 minutes later he was running behind us begging us to buy it at 300! :D
The bottle fights in the bus! Poor Raja.. :D

PS1: Peta doesnt stand for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Its a world famous sweet in Agra.. ;) that's how the salesman marketed it!
PS2: The mineral water bottling industry made a huge profit during our batch trip.
PS3: I finally decided to upload pics in orkut.
PS4: And my IIM results are out. I got into IIM-K. Yes, I am slightly disappointed, but on hindsight what would I do after going to A!?! :D And for the kind of preparation I did, I really doubt whether I deserve IIM-K.. :))
Ps5: Relieved that the results are out. Am yet to get out of the relief stage..
PS6: Everyone else performed pretty well. 4 of them are into A.. which is cool! :D
PS7: People have started leaving the campus. Right now my wing wears a deserted look. Wonder what I am doing here still.. :(
PS8: The book kiterunner is the most asimov (awesome) book I've read in a loong time. Thank you Geetha and Sameera for suggesting the book. Its a must read.. MUST read.. go read it.. Its available in the library! :D
PS9: I am done with a short story. Need more polishing. Finished it in an hour! Surprisingly.. probably the next post will be a short story.

The farewell post..

This farewell post comes with a special, sentimental below-par short story and an inside view of what went wrong with the author as the foot-in-mouth disease strikes again.

So finally we're done with our farewell. And like any other fellow batchmate, I'm finding it real hard to believe that we'd be leaving this place pretty soon. Farewell was nice with good food (although we'd have loved to eat first). Nice speeches by IV and Mangla kept me awake. (FYI I've slept for only 3 hours since Sunday morning 6:00 AM) The entertainment part was also well thought of, with the opening act by our very own Zulu. And the best thing was, we gave him a standing ovation! He seriously deserves it although I hate compilers which might be quite evident from some of my primitive posts :D

Anyhoo we then started gorging on the leftovers and moved on to the informals session. By now I was becoming grouchier. However all the shouting helped me stay normal until my name was called out for the "Uchit award for the coolest one" But cool that I am, I did not press the panic button yet.. :P And then they called me on to give the speech. I thought I was supposed to give the speech at the very end of the program and so had prepared a sentimental speech. But none of the guys were ready to handle any sentimental crap and so I decided not to dish out the senti, mushy stuff. In fact I am glad I did not end up like Aditya/Goyal :P

So moving on to my short story.. I guess I've built up enough suspense.. :D

Bidding adieu

It was time. As he tried restraining himself from crying, he couldn’t help letting a few tears flow down his cheeks. There was a time when she had made life hell for him - especially the last minute assignment deadlines. Fassttt, she’d scream. But right now all he could remember was the good times they spent together, the fun he had when he was around her, all the new people he got to meet because of her and the night-outs they spent trying to compensate for the sleeping hours in the early morning classes.

As some more tears managed to break free from his eyes, he found it tougher coming to terms with the reality. He wanted to go back into the past. Not because he was unhappy with the present but because he wanted to go through it again. He did not mind the pain and suffering because in the last 4 years, she had made a man out of him. He could never forget her – he could never forget IIIT and how in turn, she had become an integral part of him. Forever.

PS: Now THAT is a short story :D
PS1: I am senti.. I need sleep. Period.
PS2: Travel plans hang by a thread. All 90 odd of us have to travel on RACs all the way to Delhi. Now that's going to be one fun-ride. Especially after having done a nightout now.. I am sleepyyy.
PS3: Results are going to be out on 21st April. And we reach Kullu manali on 21st. I am going to be "comfortably numb". (Assuming I convert)
PS4: meow meow poonakutti.. :D
PS5: I need sleep. Time to start for the batch trip. Adios people. And wish me luck for my IIM results! :D
PS6: IIM-A.. here I come.. :D

IIM - C : The one with the blog..

And so the final installment of the IIM interviews is here. The C interview. From the very beginning I gave myself a good chance of making it to C because of the following reasons:
1. They do not give weightage to your academic record. Other IIMs do.
2. Of all the other IIMs, they are rumoured to give maximum weightage to the CAT score (something around 70% for a fresher) And your's truly managed a 99.89 percentile!!
3. My instincts said I'd get C hands-down.

Anyhoo, the panel consisted of 3 interviewers. Two of them were supposed to be faculty and the third an alumnus of IIM-C. P1, P2 and P3 are the interviewers. I do have a vague idea as to who was the alumnus guy but as most of you who attended the Splash must be knowing, "We stand for the truth.. ONLY the truth!" :P

P1 came outside and called me in. I entered the room to see the interviewers engrossed in a discussion. Couldn't overhear anything substantial. They asked me to take my seat and I thanked them in return.

P1: Good afternoon Mr. Srinivasan. How are you doing?
Me: I am doing great sir. Thank you.
P2: Good. Now tell me about yourself.
Me: blah blah..
P1: So your dad works in a bank. So you must be knowing quite a bit about the Indian Banking Industry.
Me: *oops.. wrong footed start.. Red Alert red alert!* hehe.. No sir. I wouldnt call myself very knowledgeable when it comes to the banking industry.
P1: Why? Your dad never talks about work with you?
Me: No sir. That's not it. There was a time when I wanted to get into the banking industry. When I was very young. However my dad said I was not suited to be in the banking industry.
P2: Do you mean that he found you unfit to get into the banking industry?
Me: No sir, I dont think he meant that. And possibly he made the statement in jest or a fit of frustration. And me not being suited for the banking industry was his personal comment and not my opinion.
P1: Ohh.. ok. So if not banking industry what are you good at?
Me: *assumed he was asking me in what field I was knowledgeable* Sir, cricket.
P3: What? You're good at cricket?
Me: *grins* No sir. I follow cricket passionately.
P3: I dont. So apart from cricket do you follow anything else passionately?
Me: *Tell orkutting.. tell orkutting. Oh will you shut up for heaven's sake!* Sir, I do blog quite often. I think I am a decent blogger. Apart from that..
P1: Ohh.. so you blog. What do you blog about?
Me: *tell IIM interviews. I want to see the look on his face! Will you shut up for heaven's sake!* err.. Cricket.
P3: Again cricket? *chuckles*
Me: *tell it goddammit!* IIM interviews? Philosophy.. personal experiences..
P2: IIM interviews? How many IIM interviews have you attended so far?
Me: *gulp* Four sir.
P1: Ohh.. so this interview also is going to be blogged about?
Me: *ohh yeah.. ab aaya na line mein* Possibly sir.. :D
P1: Then tell me the address of your blog.
Me: *Its url he's asking. Anyways just check* Sir, you mean the url?
P1: Yeah yeah
Me: *tells the url. Readers are also advised to take a look at the url*
P1: Ok.. We'll read your blog. That also will be included in your evaluation! Ok?
Me: *shit. I need to edit the posts. I've written something bad about the IIM-K professor! #-o* Sure sir.. :D
P1: Prodigal? Why do you think you're the prodigal iiitian?
Me: *Because every other url was blocked and I had this sudden flash of creativity* err.. Actually sir *Voila.. found the reason! My mind works faster than a computer when it comes to cooking up answers!* I think I am the prodigal iiitian because I've never utilized my full potential or say capability.. I've never had to use it. In other words, I think my best is yet to come! *And thats a home run!*
P1: Why do you think you've not put in your best effort?
Me: *Oh no its not a home run! :( * Well.. hmm..
P1: I meant something must have kept you from achieving your best. What is it?
Me: Sir. Possibly lack of competition or the urge to better oneself.. hmm.. In some cases it has been changing priorities.. err.
P2: Fine. So you must have blogged about your interviews. So you'll have a fair idea as to what we're going to ask you in the interview, right?
Me: Sir, it is my opinion that every interview is unique in its own way. Especially the IIM interviews. No two interviews can be same.. or for that matter of fact, even remotely similar.
P2: No, I meant a few questions might have reappeared in every interview, right?
Me: Yes, sir.
P2: So, can you tell us the 3 questions which have been asked to you by almost all IIMs? Something like frequently asked questions. FAQs!
Me: hmm.. One question which has been asked quite often has been the tell-me-about-yourself question.
P3: Yeah.. that's a standard question. Next.
Me: Apart from that I've been quizzed upon why my institute is the International Institute of Information Technology unlike the other IIITs which have Indian in their names.
P2: Oh.. ok. And the third one?
Me: hmm.. :-s *sheepishly* well.. they've been asking me why I've performed so averagely in my academics.
P1: *guffaws*
P2: What? what?
P1: *Tells the reason*
P1: So now tell me Srinivasan. Shall I ask you the FAQs or some totally unrelated questions?
Me: *Jackpot!! $$$$ It cant be so easy. Come on!* Sir, I dont think I should be in a position to decide which questions you ask me. But I dont mind the FAQs either. It's your call, Sir.
P1: Aah.. ok. This is what I am gonna do then. I'll ask you FAQs and some outside questions. 50-50. Ok?
Me: Fine sir.
P1: So tell me srinivasan, why did you perform averagely in academics? *starts laughing and points his finger in aha-I-gotcha mode*
Me: *wow.. one jovial professor he is! Nice.. :D Tells the reason*
P2: hmm.. But you said you live in Hyderabad. Why did you not go home?
Me: Sir, hostel accomodation is compulsory. Just like the IITs.
P1: Ohh.. ok. So tell me what is the growth rate of the agricultural and manufacturing industry?
Me: *hain?* Sir I am not very sure. But I think it is somewhere around 2.5 percent.
P1: 2.5? /:) Think and answer.
Me: I am not sure sir. I think its 2.5 err.. 4.5?
P1: Take a guess.
Me: 4% sir.
P1: And what is the growth rate of the manufacturing sector. I am asking you the growth rate and not anything else. You know what growth rate is, dont you?
Me: Yes sir. Growth rate.. hmm. I cannot recall it although I did come across it in a newspaper article.
P1: Take a guess. Is it 10%? 12%? 17%?
P3: Or 50%?
Me: No sir. Its not 50%. hmm..
P1: Take a guess!
Me: Probably 17%..
P1: Ok. Now whatever the growth rates are, there is a huge difference between the two growth rates. Right?
Me: yes sir.
P1: Why is it so?
Me: *thinks for a while* I think it is because of the overwhelming presence of private players in the manufacturing sector which tilts the favour..
P2: You think there are no private players in the agricultural industry?
Me: *oops!* err..
P2: Do you think the government of India.. or for that matter of fact the government of Andhra comes and tills the land? Tell me.
Me: Sir, I did not mean that. I guess it just slipped my mind. What I meant was the amount of investment..
P2: No you tell me first. Do you think there are no private players in agricultural industry?
Me: No sir. I was wrong. There are private players in agricultural as well as manufacturing industry. What I intended to convey was the amount of investment that flows into the respective fields..
P2: Yes. Now he accepts his mistake. So if investment comes in, then you can work on a larger scale and provide better quality which in turn leads to a bigger turnover which leads to a greater growth rate. Right?
Me: Yes sir. I intended to come to this explanation at the end.
P2: So you should explain it so clearly.
Me: Yes sir. I guess I was a bit too verbose.
P2: Yes!
P1: You must be thinking why is this person being so mean.. right?
Me: No sir. I think he is just trying to test how I think under stress. In fact my L interview was on the same lines.
P1: Ohh.. how was it?
Me: Sir, the interview was very intense. Questions came flying at a great speed. I had little time to think and answer. I guess that was the whole motive behind conducting such an interview.. to see how I react under pressure.. how I take stress.
P2: hmm.. anything else?
P3: Speaking of mean people, why do we have 3 means.. arithmetic mean geometric mean and harmonic mean? We can as well have one average.. a+b/2
Me: Sir, because they have different applications.
P2: Who has different applications? Which companies?
Me: Sir, by they I meant AM GM and HM have different applications.
P2: ho ho ho.. okk
Me: *Is it Christmas already?*
P3: So what are the applications of the 3 means?
Me: *Dammit.. however hard I try to avoid it, it keeps coming back!* Sir, I am sorry but I am not aware of it.. the applications. *Looks at P2 with a twinkle in the eye*

They exchange stares. Then they decide to put me out of misery.
P1: Ok Srinivasan. You may leave now. Just keep the door open
Me: Thank you sir.

I come out and people are like.. OVER? Already? You've been in there only for 12 minutes. I am like WHAT THE ****? Anyways so that was that. No one was asked any academics questions. At least none from our panel.

So after a gruelling month and half, I am done with all my IIM interviews! Hope I get into A.. [-o< I dont mind C either.. but I want to make it to A. Sudden urge.. dunno why! hmm..

Quote of the day:

All those who believe in psychokinesis.. Raise my hand!

PS1: Halley is back to blogging. Batch T-shirt looks good. And we rocked in Splash! Alright!! :D
PS2: Monday was one of the very few days when I've been very proud to be from ug2k3! :D ug2k3 rocks!
PS3: Yes, I got my hair cut and I do look funny. When you come to think of it, being a standup comedian isn't such a bad idea.. :D
PS4: The quote happens to be status message of Chandrachud who incidentally is a senior. Just trying to aknowledge the source.. Its pretty nice.. the quote! :D
PS5: And so the countdown starts. Final days at IIIT.. :(
PS6: Have been trying to compile a list of things-to-do-before-leaving-IIIT but I might be too late.. :-s
PS7: Avatar is good. Both season 1 and 2. Baba's making a big deal of getting drunk.. wonder why! :D ;)
PS8: Farewell around the corner.. *senti* Might come up with a senti post soon. MIGHT!
PS9: My friend Sivachandra is getting married. Congrats to him. Happy married life! Finally I'm invited to a wedding where my relatives wont pinch my non existent cheeks and ask me about my lineage.
PS10: ASR is bugging me for proxies! enna kodumai daa saami!! :((

THE IIM-A interview

And here comes the third installment of the IIM interview series - my IIM-Ahmedabad interview. This was on March 7th. Nice sunny day it was. Anyways coming to the GD, it was very ordinary. The topic given was a case-study and we all had to write a summary at the end of it. I couldn't finish writing the summary in the allotted time. Then moving on to the personal interview, this time around we had a panel of 3. If I'm not wrong, one of them is from the industry or an alumnus and the other two faculty from IIM-A.

P1: A formal and sophisticated looking guy.
P2: Somewhat sporting and cool. Dressed in casuals.
P3: Dark guy with a French beard.

As I entered, one of the hotel staff was bringing in lemonades.
Before I completely drift from the topic, they asked me take my seat and as usual I wished them with my loud, somewhat cheerful customary "Good afternoon sir". They seemed to be in good spirits.
P1: Srinivasan. Srinivasan.S. huh?
Me: Yes, sir.
P2: Ohh Srinivasan. How tall are you?
Me: I am 6 feet tall, Sir.
P2: Just 6 feet?
Me: Yes sir.
P2: Exact? Because you seem taller.
Me: Thank you sir. (Didn't know what to tell.. :-??)
P2: Are you still growing Srinivasan?
(Now everyone starts laughing as if it is some inside joke.. I was slightly irritated but then was quick to retaliate once the laughter died down)
Me: Sir, I took a conscious decision to stop growing a couple of years ago.
(Now they were laughing louder and I also joined in.. :D)
P1: Ok, Srinivasan. So you must be doing your final year project. Can you explain it to us now?
Me: Sure, sir. Our final year project was based on he principle of..
P2: *interrupts* Dont mind if I interrupt but what do you mean by "was based on". You've stopped doing your final year project? *chuckles*
Me: No sir. Our director was of the opinion that students tend to slack off on the FYP front once they get placed. So he got it advanced by one semester so that people end up finishing their final year project.
P2: aahh.. nice! Please carry on.
[Explained the project. They asked me a few doubts and I answered them satisfactorily. Then they asked me to encrypt a C-program into another C program. And then some technical stuff followed which ended up with me confessing that I could not recollect the algorithm. They were fine with it.]
P1: Ok. fine. Can you tell us about your areas of interest?
Me: Sir, I am particularly interested in Cognitive Science. *explained what it was*
P1: *Not very impressed* So what other subjects interest you?
P2: You've done Linear Programming! Do you mind me asking you questions in it? *He was looking at my 7th semester projects*
Me: err.. I am not very comfortable with Linear Programming as a subject but I dont mind you asking me questions in it.
P2: Ok fine.. if you're not comfortable with it, then I wont ask you. Tell me any subject which you're comfortable with so that I can ask you questions on it. Maths - I?
Me: *NO WAY* hmm.. well..
P1: You must have some core computer science subject in which you're interested. Right?
Me: *yeah right!* hmm.. Can I take some time to think? *still twiddling my thumbs*
P1: Sure..
Me: *immediately* Sir, I am interested in Multi-robotics course. I did it in my 6th semester. *Explained the projects which I did. They grilled me. Understandably. And I answered pretty well, to the best of my knowledge. After explaining the constraint space coverage projects, they decided to stop and let the French beard guy take over*
P3: Srinivasan, huh?
Me: Yes, sir.
P3: You dont seem to have too many extra-curricular activities.
Me: *Are you kidding? I have ONLY extra-curricular activities!* Sir, I beg to differ. In fact I think I've mentioned that I am even part of our college theater group.
P3: Oohh.. so what do you do?
Me: Being the college theater group, we enact plays sir.
P3: No no.. I meant what do YOU do?
Me: *still confused* I act in the plays, Sir.
P3: No no.. apart from acting.
Me: *Now I am puzzled. I just cant say I do nothing. At the same time I can neither say that I direct plays. It would seem way too far-fetched* Sir, I helped my director choose costumes for all characters. *And then I felt like the most stupid soul on earth!*
P3: *chuckles* Ok. So are you going to write a paper on your final year project?
Me: Sir, my project partners.. 2 of them.. are right now working on it. And I also hope to work on it once I am done with all my IIM interviews.
P3: Ohh.. ok. So you are from Hyderabad?
Me: Sir, I was born in Coimbatore. Since my father works in a bank, I've travelled quite a lot. But right now we're settled in Hyderabad.
P3: Coimbatore. Ok.. So Srinivasan tell me.. what is the other name for Coimbatore.
Me: *I should have said Kovai.. but instead* Sir, err.. if I am not wrong, it is also known as Manchester of the South.
[Again everyone had a hearty laugh! Is there any catch here? :-??]
P3: So do you think we can still call it by the same name.
Me: *I tried explaining but then I realised that they were just fooling around and stopped before completing the answer*
P1: Thank you, Srinivasan. Take one chocolate from the tray. *It was a melody chocolate*
Me: *He was practically ordering me* Thank you Sir. Can I take two?
P1: Yeah sure.
Me: *Then I realised that if I take two, there wont be enough left for others.* Sir, if I take one more, there wont be enough left for others.
P1: What? Then you can't take two. *turns to P3* Ohh.. someone has already taken two. Now we're one short!
Me: Thank you sir. *leaves*

The interview revolved around my final year project. And a couple of topics I took in engineering. The panel was pretty cool with us not answering all questions. It was not a stress interview. They wanted us to relax completely which was quite unlike the L and C interview. Now, if I do get selected, I wonder on what basis they'd select me.. :D So overall a very ordinary GD and a somewhat-ok types interview. All I can do now is wait for the results to be out.. :-ss

PS1: India lost to Bangladesh! WHAT CRAP! And I actually saw the whole match.. not that I believe in miracles or something.
PS2: I am on the verge of breaking the testimonials record.. :D Have written quite a few but dont want to break it.. dont feel like writing any more.
PS3: Awesome day, today has been. So far.
PS4: Moving out of wordpress.. mostly to blogger again.
PS5: Woolmer passed away.. sad :( India better whip Bermuda's ass. Else Chappel would follow suit.
PS6: Cal GD was very bad. Interview was also somewhat ordinary. Dont know what to make out of such interviews.. :-??
PS7: Watched 5 minutes of Nishabd yesterday. Decided that I'd rather sit at room and whine than sit through the movie! That movie's only meant for senior citizens!! :P
PS8: The labels thing in blogger is cool! :D
PS9: People want me to go for the clean-shaven haircut a la Michael Scoffield! They've gone to the extent of bribing me! What do I do? What do I doo?? :-ss
PS10: BTW I made it to IIFT Kolkata.. So I have my backup secure! Of course I wont be joining IIFT. Only IIMs for me.. :D

My IIM - L interview..

So finally I get down to blogging my L interview! It's been almost 20 days since I've had my L interview. Anyhow getting down to business, the panel consisted of 2 IIM-L faculty, one lady and the other a gentleman. I was more polite than usual, since it was the Lucknow interview and the Lucknowis are known for their etiquettes (tehzeeb I think.. :-?) and stuff like that. So I wished them as soon as I entered and that, in a way, lightened the mood in the room.

P1: The gentleman ; P2: The lady
[I handed over my certificates as soon as I entered the room. So as they started going through my certificates, I was sitting there feeling awkward enough hoping someone would start the conversation.]

*And after what seemed a lifetime*
P1: International Institute? So everything is international about it? What is so international about it?
Me: *Retold the same IIM-K answer. And then the word reservations and merit slipped out*
P1: So what is your opinion about reservations?
Me: *Never gave my opinion. Spoke in general about how reservations were the right thing to do immediately after independence. Added that we should have removed them by now and even spoke about reservations based on economic status and how impossible it is to implement it practically. And how they can be misused as well, just like other reservations*
P1: hmm.. So your name - Shree.. Shreenivasan. What does it mean?
Me: *Explained it - sri stands for God and nivas stands for abode *
P1: So you mean to say God lives in you?
Me: Sir, thats what my name suggests.
P1: Do you mean to say that God doesn't live in me?
Me: Sir, I personally believe that irrespective of the fact whether I am named Srinivasan or not, God lives in me.. *pause* He lives in you.. He lives in each and every human being.
P1: *least affected and continuing from where I left* So what does this S mean.. your initial?
Me: Sampathkumar. S stands for my father's name.
P1: *offended*Mr. Sampathkumar. Ok? You should respect your father. It's wrong.
Me: *quick to apologise* I'm sorry sir. Mr. Sampathkumar.
P1: So you did not tell me your opinion on reservations.
Me: *Repeated the answer. But I think he wanted a more biased view and so..* I dont mind reservations as long as the general public is not adversely affected by it unlike what is happening right now. *Yes. I am dipomatic.*
P1: Do you know that you come across as a very selfish person? You dont want your interests to be harmed.
Me: Sir, I think you misinterpreted my answer. *Tried repeating the answer but he cut me short with the next question*
P1: Are you a denser?
Me: Pardon me sir? *I thought denser was a term used for people who are very verbose. Never wanted to write GRE because I'm bad with words. It comes naturally*
P1: Are you a denser? Do you dance?
Me: *I'm like #-o ohhhh dance!! Whats wrong with your accent? Not that we southies have a verrry good yaccent* No sir, I am not. *censored* Sir, I prefer listening to music and humming along than shaking my leg.
P1: What kind of music do you listen to?
Me: Sir, I like listening to soothing melodies.
P1: When was Kishore Kumar born?
Me: *Have I been in a time warp? Did I miss anything here? :-??* Sorry Sir, I am not aware of his year of birth. I am not a great Kishore Kumar fan.
P1: You tell me that you like listening to soothing melodies but you dont like Kishore Kumar?
Me: Sir I usually listen to tracks recommended by my friends. *I chose to play it safe because I did not know the date of birth of R.D.Burman*
P1: *still insistent* What do you listen to?
Me: *after some thought* Yanni's compositions.
P1: :| *Dammit! I should have seen Yanni's year of birth!*
Me: *voila!*
P1: What else do you listen to?
Me: Sir, since I am from Tamil Nadu, I listen to Illayaraja..
P1: *Still straight faced*
Me: Sir I also listen to A.R.Rahman's songs.
P1: *aha!* 1942 Love story music director was A.R.Rahman, right?
Me: No sir, if I am not wrong, it was the legendary R.D.Burman's last composition. Rahman made his debut with Mani Ratnam's Roja.
P1: *ahem* ok ok. Where was A.R.Rahman born?
Me: He was born in Tamil Nadu sir.
P1: Where did he give his last live concert?
Me: Sir in Mumbai. On New Year's eve.
P1: No no.. outside India.
Me: *caught unaware* Sir, he gives quite a few concerts outside India. He gave one in Dubai as well.
P1: When?
Me: As far as I can recall, it was in the year 2001, sir.
P1: When was MRF established?
Me: *Did I blackout in the middle? Shocked at the discontinuity* Excuse me, Sir?
P1: You know MRF?
Me: The tyre company sir?
P1: Yes. Do you know when it was established?
Me: No idea, sir.
P1: Ok, what is Bangladesh's currency?
Me: Taka, sir.
P1: Even in Bengal they keep telling taka taka. So is taka West Bengal's currency?
Me: Sir, even in Hindi, we keep telling "do take ka faayda nahi"
P1: So is taka West Bengal's currency?
Me: No sir. Since West Bengal is part of India, taka is not West Bengal's currency. Rupee is West Bengal's currency.

*Lady Takes Over*
P2: How do you see yourself two years from now?
Me: I see myself graduating with a PGDM from one of the IIMs.
P2: So are you going to graduate without a job?
Me: No ma'm. I'm confident of getting placed through the placement process.
P2: Where'd you prefer to join? Which company?
Me: Ma'm, it'd depend on my area of specialization..
P2: What is your area of interest?
Me: I'd be deciding that after my summer internship which I think will be at the end of my first year of PGDM. I think I'd be in a better position to decide it then..
P2: Say all companies want to recruit you, which one would you join?
Me: *I dont know which companies come for campus recruitments at L.* Ma'm, I'd consult my elders, my peers.. hmm... my FACULTY and then decide.
P2: Cant you decide a company NOW? You shouldnt act so indecisive.
Me: hmm.. well, it depends on how the industry scenario is, 2 years from now. Deciding now might restrict my options in the future.
P1: *interrupts* He doesn't need to decide now. *continues* You've performed miserably in your engineering.
Me: *didn't let him complete. Explained*
P1 looks at P2 hoping she continues..
P2: There is a petrol bunk in M.G.Road. Lots of people drive rashly in that area. I am very scared of crossing the road because of this. Now using your Linear Programming knowledge, propose a solution.
Me: *hain?* Ma'm a more down to earth solution would be to build a footover bridge.
P2: *interrupting* Then what about physically handicapped people? Dont you want them to cross the road. Put yourself in their shoes..
Me: *interrupting* Ma'm, one can use an inclined plane instead of steps so that the PH people dont have problems.
P2: *breathing space* No no.. I want you to use your linear programming knowledge.
Me: *Tried figuring out by constructing a few constraints and a vague objective function but before I could come up with something concrete she asked me to forget it*
P1: So you've done cost accounting.
Me: Yes, sir.
P1: What is Break Even Point?
Me: *Explained clearly.*
P1: Good. Now what is a flexible budget?
Me: *Never heard of it!* Sir, I've never come across the term in our course, but from the term I deduce it has got to do with a more flexible .. blah blah..
P1: One thing I like about you is even though you dont know the answers, you're answering the questions.
Me: *Is he being sarcastic? Only sarcasm can understand sarcasm. I'm thinking too much!* Thank you sir.
P1: haha.. you've done cost accounting and introduction to accounts and finance as well!
Me: *whats so funny?* Yes, sir.
P1: Define accounting.
Me: *Define??* *Explained the process of noting financial transactions which can later be used to make financial decisions for a company.. our clients. It can be used to decide the financial position of the company.. blah blah*
P1: How will you decide the financial position of the company using its balance sheet?
Me: Sir, we never went into such depth of the topic, but just to answer your question we need to take into account various parameters like the initial investment, the profits or loss made.. I'd look at minimising overheads and other costs so as to up the profit margins.. whether the company's a startup or not.. etc etc.
P1: Good.. good. *looks at P2*
P2: Which vehicle do you own?
Me: I dont own any vehicle ma'm.
P2: Ok, which vehicle do you drive?
Me: *I aint falling for it* I dont drive any vehicle ma'm.
P2: Do you have a driving license?
Me: I have not yet acquired a license, ma'm.

[She stared at me for 30-45 seconds and I stared back at her. Because somewhere in psychology it is said that when a person lies, he tends to look away. And I didn't want to give such an impression. So after we were done with our staring contest, she broke into a smile and exchanged smiles with the gentleman]

P1: It was a pleasure interviewing you, Mr. Shrinivasan.
Me: Pleasure was all mine, sir. Thank you.

About the interview, all this took place in 12 minutes!! The questions came quick and fast. I had little time to think and I think all questions were aimed to stress me out. Especially there was little continuity between a few questions. Like the part where I was being quizzed about reservations and the next questions was whether I'm a dancer. Even Kishore Kumar and MRF questions were out of the blue. It was a very short and quick interview. And I think I'll make it through because they looked entertained and satisfied at the end of the interview. I did smile throughout the interview. I maintained my calm and wasn't provoked when he called me selfish. Nor did I look stunned and out of place when he asked me about the year MRF was established. Overall a much better interview. And NO technical questions!! Yahoo.. :D :D

PS1: Played holi this time in the campus after a gap of 9 years!! Had loads of fun impersonating tribals.. :D :D
PS2: I got hit by tomatoes and eggs! :(
PS3: I was all pink post-holi. And my nails still retain the pinkish tinge. Discovery of the month: ALl colors are basically made from gulal, the primary color.. :D I know its too childish, you nerds! x( :P
PS4: I have a before and after holi picture but decided not to put it in the post because its already too long!
PS5: First 4 PSes were about holi. Weird.
PS6: My I interview was a biggg disaster. I am not going to blog about it! EVER.
PS7: About the I interview.. I'd get a biiig zero for acads.. a bigger zero for general awareness. So overall, my rating of the interview would be (biiiig zero + bigger zero) /2. Yes, I'm eating sleeping studying Math for my Calcutta interview!
PS8: Feel lightheaded of late. Need to prepare for C.. #:-s
PS9: My A interview was decent. I hope they take me! [-o<
PS10: Need to start the movie marathon that I've been planning for quite some time.
But it can wait. Preparation for C can't.
PS11: Need to complete one more tag.. :-<
PS12: Sid is sick. Seriously. He's sick.
PS13: Have been getting all senti of late about leaving IIIT. And people are coming up with creative ideas. Btw before I forget, Ramji rocks! :P
PS14: Tomorrow warm-up game #2 for India! gl+hf.
PS15: Mind's been working overtime trying to come up with ideas but winds up at a dead end! Frustrated and running out of time.. hmm.. :-?

My IIM-K interview

The panel consisted of 2 professors from IIM-K - one of them taught Operations Management and the other taught Economics. It was the same panel which moderated our group discussion.

Panel 1: Operations Management prof.
Panel 2: Economics prof.
Me: ME!! who else? :P
Inner Me: The Inner Me.. which again turns out to be me :D


Panel 2: Please sit down, Mr. Srinivasan. If you don't mind, can we take a look at your certificates?
Me: *offers certificates*
Panel 2: Sooo.. tell me about yourself.
Me: [brag] blah blah blah.. [/brag] [modest] blaah.. blah blah! blah. [/modest]
Panel 2: "International" Institute? Why is it called the International Institute of Information Technology?
Inner Me: hmm.. why did I never think about THAT? :-?? Or maybe I did and I just don't remember it..
Me: Sir, initially we were called the Indian Institute of IT. But then the government wanted us to follow a fixed curriculum which we were not very much in favour of since ours is a very research-oriented curriculum. So we decided to forsake the "Indian" in our name for our vision. [MS]
Panel 2: hmm..
Panel 1: Do you know Deep Blue Program?
Me: *huh?* Sir, you mean the chess playing program?
Panel 1: Yes. Do you know the significance of Deep Blue?
Me: *utters some blah-ous non-sense. *
[The panel is confused because I stated too many facts which they were unaware of. They assumed that I am a die-hard follower of chess or I was an AI geek.]
Panel 1: So then you must be knowing Fridge..
Me: *huhhh?* Pardon me, Sir?
Panel 1: F-R-I-T-Z. Fridge! You know Fridge?
Me: No sir, I am not aware of Fridge.
Panel 1: Ok. So why do you want to become a manager?
Me: *Recites the already prepared answer although deep in my heart I knew it is not true. *
[The panel is reasonably satisfied.. :D So they move on to my grade sheet.]
Panel 1: Your grades have been very bad. Especially Mathematics. In first semester, it is very miserable. *I got an F* In your second semester also, it is bad. *Thats a B-!! How dare he calls THAT a bad grade! x(* And in the third semester you got a B which is not a great grade. *WHAT!! I'd kill for a B!*
Me: *Narrates the sad story about the "great end sem screw-up". *
Panel 1: Ok.. fine. What is limit(x -> infinity) sin(x)
Me: Sir, I think the limit wont be defined. *explains*
Panel 1: hmm.. ok. Then since you must have prepared your first semester Maths topics, tell me the topics in your second semester Maths.
Me: *caught off guard. Because I did not remember anything!* err.. hmm.. well.. we had Complex Variables. hmm.. Partial Differentiation. And of course Probability!
Note: IIM profs are suckers for probability! And I love probability. So I just let it as a loose end hoping they'd pick it up.. >:)

Panel 1: Ok tell me the most famous formula in Partial Differentiation.
Me: *Idiot!* hmm.. Euler's formula.
Panel 1: What is Euler's formula?
Inner Me: Why did you not tell Probability in the first place! Jackass!! Now answer Euler's formula..
Me: err.. If a homogenous equation.. hmm.. of degree n is present.. then the partial differentiation of.. no no.. err.. *hoping they'd move on to probability :(( *
Panel 1: Ok.. fine. No problem. What is degree of an equation?
Me: Answered.
Panel 1: What is the degree of e^x?
Me: One.
Panel 1: Ok.. you said you studied probability, right? *evil gleam*
Me: err.. Yes sir.. :-s *acting unprepared.. *
Inner Me: *evil gleam*
Panel 1: If there are n jobs and n operators in how many ways will you assign the jobs to n operators? *hands me a pen and a paper to calculate!!*
Me: *in a flash* n!
Panel 1: *stares at me for a second and then announces triumphantly* Correct. Now if there is a fast operator and you cant assign him the fastest job, in how many ways will you assign the job now? *slides the pen and paper*
Me: *stare into space for a couple of seconds and answer* (n-1)! * (n-1)
Panel 1: *taken aback at the speed at which the answer came! * Yes it is correct. How did you arrive at the answer?
Me: *explains by shaking hands dramatically in an emphatic fashion! :D Whatever you do, do it grandly! :D *
Panel 1: Good. You seem to be pretty comfortable with probability..
Inner me: No no no.. Do not brag!
Me: Sir, Maths is my favourite subject. *smiles* [MS1]
Inner me: You had to tell it!! You had to brag!! Now he'd think you're arrogant!! Useless jackass.. x(
Panel 1: I see.. I think we'd do another question in probability then.
Me: *scared and in despair but still smiling* Sure sir.
Panel 1: If you have n envelopes and n letters, in how many ways will 1 letter be always present in the wrong envelope.
Me: *Hurrah!! Thank you AP intermediate board of Education!* Zero.
Panel 1: *Thinks for a second* What if n is odd?
Me: *Confused.. huh?? * Still zero sir.
Panel 1: *waits for a second* Correct.
Me: *Sigh of relief.. #:-s*
Panel 1: Ok so what are your areas of interest?
Me: *Happy to be back in familiar territory* Sir, I have been interested in Cognitive Science. *blah blah*
Panel 1: ok.. lets move on to other technical subjects of yours.
Me: *Sigh of disbelief! :-<* Panel 1: Define algorithm. Me: *???????????* Sir, you want me to describe any algorithm? Merge sort, heap sort, quick sort? [MS2]
Panel 1: No No No. DEFINE algorithm. You're a computer science student. You should be knowing this.
Me: ok sir. err.. Well, an algorithm is a general step-by-step systematic process to find the solution of a problem. *blah blah blah.. Hoping he'd shake his head in agreement when he thinks I've arrived at the correct answer but no response from him. I look to the other side and panel 2 is half asleep! So I stop*
Panel 1: Ok do you know the Turing machine?
Me: *hain?* [ignorance] blah blah blaah. BLAH blah blaaah [/ignorance]
Panel 1: *Waiting for me to continue*
[I think they were amazed or amused by my ignorance or innovation. So they wanted me to carry on with the entertainment.]
Me: [instant-innovation] blah blah blaahhh.. [/instant-innovation] *couldn't go on. I have a cap on my creativity!*
Panel 1: Its the wrong answer.
Inner Me: As if I did not figure that out already.. :|
Panel 1: Turing machine is blahh blah blah.. *explains a very complicated answer*
Me: *graciously accepting my mistake* ooh.. ok. ok
Panel 2: So you're interested in Cognitive Science. Do you know that there are two halves of the brain?
Me: Yes sir, the left half and the right half.
Panel 2: Yes. So a few abilities are controlled by the respective halves. Like your analytical skills. Do you know anything about it?
Me: *Mindless BC of which they had little idea. Got a bit too technical for their liking. Avoided answering the question because I had little idea about it. Give them other facts to ponder about. They were somewhat impressed.*
Panel 2: I think you misunderstood my question. *Repeats question.*
Me: *dammit! smiles* Sir, no I am not aware of such facts.
Panel 2: Ohh.. ok. Fine. Ok.. so over the years the size of the brain has not changed at all. But man has made so much progress. Why do you think so? I mean, the brain activity also should be more or less the same, right? So how did we achieve so much development?
Me: *gets prepared to deliver the knockout punch* Sir, I believe that the most important factor in the learning process is learning from mistakes. Even a child cannot start walking immediately after birth. He falls.. he stumbles.. he learns from his mistakes and finally manages to learn how to walk. Similarly, over the years, man has learnt from his mistakes and improvises and will continue to do so, because there is no limit on making mistakes.. :D
Inner Me: That didn't turn out to be so awesome.. :( And you forgot to quote Einstein! Useless fellow! x(
Panel 2: *very impressed* hmm.. good. You're right.. in a way. Ok since you said you were interested in teaching did you read the latest news on AICTE's announcement?
Me: I am sorry sir, but I am unable to recall it.
Panel 2: What is this? You're interested in teaching so you should keep yourself updated on the front. Anyways, AICTE has announced that they want to close all B-grade colleges. What is your take on that, especially with govt allowing FDI in the education sector?
Me: *told something. Dont remember. Not a very satisfactory answer.. but not a bad answer either.. :D*
Panel 1: Ok.. so what is hexadecimal representation of a number?
Me: Sir, when a number is represented in base 16, it is ..
Panel 1: ok ok.. What is the decimal representation of the number 60..
Me: Sixty sir. In decimal right?
Panel 1: Let me complete my question, gentleman. *smiles*
Inner me: *ayyoo!! useless fellow.. dont be so eager to answer.. listen to the question*
Panel 1: What is the decimal representation of the number 60 expressed as in hexadecimal system? *this time offers a pen to calculate*
Me: *again in a flash* 3C
Panel 1: *takes the paper and calculates*
Me: *looking at panel 2 and smiling serenely*
Panel 1: Its correct.
Me: Yes sir.
Inner me: You and your arrogance! DAMN YOU!
Panel 1: Ok fine. Tell me something about Operations research.
Me: Sir I did not take the course because it is being offered as an elective in our college. However I was somewhat interested in the course and I know a little about the course. *Actually someone happened to tell me that it was similar to Linear programming.. ;)) *
Panel 1: Ok then tell me what do you know about Operations Research.
Me: *Explained the transportation problem at the same time thanking the heavens that I took Advance Cognitive Science instead of Operations research.. phew! *
Panel 1: But that is a specific problem is Operations Research. Do you have a more general idea?
Me: Sir I'm not sure if this is it but if you have a situation along with a set of constraints then you go about finding the optimal solution using various methods. *Some BC and technical jargons*
Panel 1: THAT is operations research. *visible impressed and satisfied. looks at panel 2*
Panel 2: *stares back at panel 1*
Me: *stares at panel 1 and 2 interchangeably*
Panel 2: Are you interested in literature?
Me: Not much sir. There was a time when I used to read books..
Panel 1: Have you read Sherlock Holmes?
Me: Arthur Conan Doyle, sir if I am not wrong. yes, I read it in my fifth - sixth standard. Sign of four.. err.. hmm..
Panel 1: Agatha Christie?
Me: Sir, I dont recall reading her novels. But if I'm not wrong one of her works was the longest running play at Broadway.. I cant recollect the name of the novel.. *goes into deep thought*
Panel 2: Is it mousetrap?
Me: Ahh yes yes. Mousetrap it is. Well.. actually.. I am interested in dramatics, as I've pointed out in my form. In fact, I am part of the college theater group. We wanted to leave behind a legacy as we'd be graduating this year. So we revived the dramatics club. We even enacted 2 plays..
Panel 2: Ohh.. ok. What do you think of Vishwanathan Anand's *mindless crap which went over my head* Kasparov *mindless crap*
Me: Sir, I dont follow chess very intently so I am not aware of it.
Panel 2: ohh.. so you follow chess only when machines are involved? *Both start smiling*
Me: *sporting laugh* haha.. no Sir, it is not like that. Actually I recall our professor telling us about the Deep Blue machine in our Artificial Intelligence class. So... *smiles*
Panel 1: Ok. *smiles.. exchanges glances* Thank you Mr Srinivasan.
Me: Thank you Sir.
Inner Me: I'm alive!! :D

There were three master strokes here in the interview.

MS: I avoided bringing up the reservations issue by not mentioning the fact that we wanted to pick our students based on merit and not reservations. However I made the same mistake in my IIM-L interview which of course I again managed expertly.. :D I really need to stop bragging! Reminds me of someone.. :-<

MS1. Math-is-my-favourite-subject. It could have worked against me but I kind of justified it time and again by answering all the questions that were posed to me after I made that statement. Someone remarked the other day that IIMs like proud people who are confident of their abilities. I might have sounded a bit arrogant but I choose to overlook it as pride.. :D

MS2. When he asked me about algorithm I asked him about all the different kinds of algorithms thus giving him the impression that I was prepared on all those topics and thus avoiding them. *I wasn't prepared for any algorithm! However it was a risk I took and it paid off.. being a manager is all about taking calculated risks! :D * Almost every other person was asked about complexities of the different algorithms. They were even asked to compare the algorithms and state the conditions when they'd be useful. I'd have come across as a dumbass had they asked me to do the same. Or maybe I was just plain lucky. But let me bask in the limelight! :D *bask bask*

Thought for the day:

Practical people would be more practical if they would take a little more time for dreaming.

- J. P. McEvoy

PS1: My K-GD was kinda awful. But then I was the third least awful in our group of 9. Which I think should give me an edge.. :D They dont call me the optimist for nothing!
PS2: I think my interview went pretty well, because I gave them quite a few reasons to select me.. meaning my strong analytical skills.. ;))
PS3: And if you thought this interview was interesting, then wait for my Lucknow interview! It was awesome! :D :D Awesome in the sense.. quite entertaining.. ;)) Why do all my interviews have this knack of being entertaining? :-??
PS4: But before I blog about the L interview, I need to blog about this year's unforgettable valentine's day. It was/is/will be unforgettable! Unforgettable boletho all tenses combined.. right? I think I need to go sleep.
PS5: B'lore chicks are hot. Seriously. But they are the yucky hot types.. At least the ones I saw. Now dont ask me what/who are yucky hot chicks.. Come on guys!! Use some brains.. :D :D
PS6: Baba is rocking in all his interviews. Giving himself 8.5 - 9 /10!! :D :D
PS7: Used html kinda tags but they dint show up in the post. So had to revert to orkut kinda tags! :-<
PS8: AKON's Konvicted is not bad. And why is it that I am not able to go to bed? Might again get back to the insomniac routine.. :(
PS9: Naruto Shippuden ROCKS!! :D :D GTO is not bad either.
PS10: Thank you to all those who wished me for this interview.. it meant a lot to me. :D One of the weaknesses that I wrote in my IIM-K form was "I am always relaxed and people mistake it for casualness" And I was relaxed throughout the interview.. at least I made such an impression! :D
PS11: INDIA WON THE SERIES 2-1 AGAINST SRI LANKA. AND YUVI ROCKED! :D
PS12: Tell me whether based on this interview, you'd be selecting me or not. Not that its going to affect me.. :D But just for the heck of it! :-j
PS13: A very, very, very, very longgg post. :-< My interview was only for 20-25 minutes though.

Random Ramblings..

Yes. I am done with my first IIM interview. It was IIM Kozhikode. And I must say I was pretty impressed with the interview panel. 10 minutes into the interview, they realised that academics was not my forte and so moved on to "other" things. Even I was quite relieved when they moved on. I'll be blogging about my interview once I get green signal from my CL faculty. Hopefully I make it through.

My second IIM interview is on the day after tomorrow. For IIM-Lucknow. I heard that they have air-conditioned rooms at Lucknow! Now wouldn't that go very well with my coldness. yes, of late I've been very cold and sarcy to loads of people.. lets just say I am venting out my frustration arising out of my technical incompetence.. :D So, I am motivating myself with the fact that I'd get to live in AC rooms if I clear the interview!! Please pray for me.. [-o< I cannot think of IIM education without AC rooms.

Moving on to some non-IIM news, I restarted my private blog. There was a time when I used to blog. In private. I absolutely loved that blog. It had a 6-year old's touch to the posts which of course is relatively more mature than this blog of mine. But then I deleted it sometime during the last summer. However suddenly I've found lot more things to write about and so am blogging again. It's kind of nice to blog in oblivion. In fact, I remember making this point in one of my primitive posts.. hmm.. :-?

And I spent my valentine's day writing two very inconsequential exams. Now how pathetic can one get! Anyways, as usual I screwed up both the exams. No surprises there. And also people here have found better ways to spend their idle time. Like playing badminton. And playing badminton. And some also play badminton. It's somewhat freaky when you wake up early in the morning some time at four and see T3 playing badminton. But then it's fun watching them play. But somehow, badminton 24x7 is something hard to digest.. :-< Even CS 24x7 is acceptable! :((

Speaking of which, this time around they have the same prize money for CS. This seriously sucks. Not that we are confident of winning, but for the sake of pride at least, we should have increased the prize money.. kinda sucks. And people are still stuck in we-wanna-play-dotA mode [-(

PS1: Happy valentine's day for all those readers who believe in love. For others, HAIL BAL THACKERAY! :D
PS2: I know.. my blog caters to all kinds of readers.. :D
PS3: Satish got screwed big time when he tried messing with us. Poor fellow.. :P :P :D
PS4: It's fun. Blogging in oblivion. :)
PS5: How can team India time and again snatch defeat from the jaws of victory? :(
PS6: Exams over! <:-p

CAT and placements

On January 2nd, when I checked my CAT score, (which incidentally happens to be 99.89 percentile) I was not elated. Nor was there any sense of achievement. Frankly speaking, I was just plain relieved. Relieved that I need not offer excuses to anyone for not getting any calls.. relieved that I need not be answerable to people for my thrash talk.. relieved that I cleared all the individual cut-offs! :D I've got calls from 5 of the 6 IIMs, the lucky exception being IIM B'lore. Bangalore, I'm happy for ya! :D

Now that everything is out of the way, and things are slowly settling into place, I think its high time to face the reality. I am not ready for IIMs yet! I am not ready to put in hours of hard work.. I am not ready to sleep for only four hours a day. Please note that I am just plain nocturnal and not an insomniac as maintained earlier because I get my share of sleep in classes like Data compression and Globalization. And neither did I work hard for CAT. It was just a slightly planned effort and luckily everything fell in place. And believe me, I am NOT modest! But then, there is quite a lot of pressure from various quarters (not as much as dada is facing) and I am not very sure if I'll be able to pitch in with the kind of effort I put in for my EAMCET exam. Lets just hope that once I get in, I become one of THEM.

Attended a few Group Discussions sessions. Some tips on how to be more effective at GDs for some of the other B-school aspirants:

1. Speak. Opening the mouth and getting the words out is the biggest hurdle one tends to face in his/her first few GDs. The saying "Don't speak unless you're spoken to" doesn't apply in GDs. In fact, no one is going to offer you a chance to speak. So stand up, face your fears, and talk whatever crap comes in your mind.
2. If people start fighting in the GD, or the sound levels reach an all-time high, it is better to sit back and enjoy the situation instead of getting into the GD. Because you wont be listened to, if you enter the discussion at such a juncture. And you get extra points for not contributing to the already-high sound decibel levels :D
3. Read a lot! You need to have some kind of content to speak. If one were to ask you to talk on SEZs, you need to know what an SEZ is. Unless you're really good at taking someone's points, repackaging it with examples and sharing it with the group, it is advisable that you start taking in as much content as possible by reading a few business magazines and some general magazines.
4. Never start the discussion if you know very little about the topic. And if you're going to start the topic, its better to have a structure in place so that its easy to retrace one's path, if your group digresses from the topic.
5. Always make sure your voice reaches the other end of the room i.e you're audible clearly. But also it is important to keep in mind the fact that when no one else is talking and everyone is listening to you for a change, you need not shout! It kinda gets annoying.

Now that I am done highlighting the mistakes I've committed in my past few GDs, lets move on to the placements front.

How the optimist aced the test, got shortlisted but did not get placed!

Personally, its been quite fruitful as I got shortlisted for the interviews twice from the 4 tests I've written, the unlucky companies being Infosys SET labs and DELL. I was pretty confident of making it to DELL. But I guess when I showed reluctance of coding for four years on the trot, they decided not to select me. Sid tells me I came second in the IBM ISL test and cleared all the cut offs. I just don't friggin' understand why I didn't get shortlisted if I cleared all cut offs! Anyways, getting a job is just a backup option for me, so I don't care if I get placed at Wells Fargo (my dream company :D) or IBM global services. I just want to get placed!

The DELL interview was purely HR based and it was fun :D Thought of blogging about it, but I've forgotten how it went :( Anyways, lotsa friends are getting placed and everyday we've got something to celebrate.. :D Placements are fun.. Rumours tell me placements for our juniors are going to start after their 4-2!! :o For their sake, lets hope they are JUST rumours.

PS1: India LOST to SA.. a golden chance of winning a series abroad floored! No comments. x(
PS2: Classes have started again. Still in holiday mood.. :-<
PS3: Of late, GAG has been bearable.
PS4: Preparation for the GDs and PIs has been a pain in the a-r-s-e. My first GD/PI is on Feb 1st - IIFT. My second GD/PI is on Feb 5th - IIM K. So two back-to-back GDs.. am gonna get screwed BIG time!!

For the majority of CAT aspirants who thought that I did not post because I might have screwed up my CAT, please stop celebrating :P Because I think I have belled the CAT successfully! :D And I'd like to thank ALL (yes the handful of em) my readers for ALL their wishes. yay! I'm halfway there! :D And the quote of the day is (Don't ask me who said it)

A guy who cannot believe in himself is wasting his hard work.

CAT '06 - Expect the unexpected

And so.. as the nation works itself into another CAT frenzy, speculations are rife.. particularly among freshers on the pattern of this years exam. Last time around, apart from a more logic-based DI section, there were only 90 questions as opposed to 123 questions in CAT 04. Also it was explicitly mentioned that wrong answers will carry a negative marking of one-third of the marks allotted to the question. The only thing constant about every CAT paper is change. So what can one expect from this year's paper?

DO NOT expect any set pattern of the paper. Be prepared for anything and everything. Do not lose your composure during the exam and start panicking. Some of the changes which might figure in this year's paper, according to me, are:

1. Since its a 2.5 hour paper, there might be an increase in the number of questions. However over the past few years, the number of questions has gradually decreased. Hence be prepared for even a 75-question paper. However I find it unlikely.
2. If they do decide to give a 75 question paper, then there's a mighty chance of 1-mark, 2-mark and 3-mark questions figuring in the paper as well. If that is the case, choose your questions carefully. Do not go into aggressive mode and start attempting 3 mark questions like crazy. At the same time, do not play it safe by sticking only to 1 mark questions. CAT is all about making choices. Good ones.
3. They might give 5 options for every question. However there is very little chance for a question having multiple correct answers. STILL one cannot eliminate any possibility.
4. There is a very good chance of progressive negative marking figuring in the scheme of things. Hence it might be necessary, in such cases, to keep the number of attempts lesser instead try increasing his/her accuracy percentage.
5. More importantly, do not waste time in questioning whether the paper was the right type or not. This is very, very important!
6. There is a chance that we might have sections of 1-mark,2-mark and maybe 3-mark questions instead of the customary sections on Quant, DI and Verbal.
7. More number of RCs might figure in the verbal section. For those who are not very good at RCs, try maximising your score by attempting other questions. And for those who are not good at either RC or Vocab (like me) attempt as many as you can and keep your fingers crossed.
8. DI might be more logic-oriented compared to last time. If you dont know what I am talking about, check out TIME's mock tests. Horrifying!
9. Can't think of anything else.

So once again do not waste time in questioning whether the changes in the paper are justified or not. Be flexible. Do not enter the exam hall with a fixed mindset. Do not panic on seeing the changes. If it is difficult for you, it will be difficult for the majority of CAT aspirants. Believe in yourself. Nothing is better than a good dose of self-belief! And do not get stuck on any question. And most importantly.. do not forget your admit card.

All the best for CAT 06. This is the optimist signing off.. adios.

Quote of the day:

One who said winning does not matter, must have lost.

PS1: Rocking in CS now a days. I cant seem to understand how?
PS2: Got 99.87 percentile in the last mock. Pretty cool :D Hope I dint peak too early :P Got lotsa flukes right in verbal :D
PS3: All ye blog readers, wish me luck! :D

Template modifications, CAT classes and chicks

I am going home today!! *yay!!* Yes, so I wont be blogging for another day or two. Anyways can't think of any topic to blog about. Affy!! hmmm.. Also I have made a few minor changes in the template. Lotsa people were changing the look of their blogs, so I also decided to experimant a li'l bit. So tell me whether you guys like it or not?

Moving on, I woke up at 5:15 am today (No, no dont get your eyes checked.. it is 5:15 am) because I had to attend CAT classes.. dammit.. It was freezing outside. Must have been 7-8 degree celsius. So much for CAT coaching. So had this very boring lecture on DI and I think I outperformed everyone. So the lecturer was just ignoring me and concentrating on the gals. The gals didn't look bad either in this new batch, although only 4 came today. So no regrets, coz in the words of metallica, Nothing else matters!! Incidentally me listening to the same song right now.. :D

Sayonara people.. c ya guys after da weekend.. and please DO voice your opinions about the template changes. If you are too lazy to comment, at least shout your opinions in the shoutbox. Yes, my dormant shoutbox. This was how my blog looked before.. Just in case you took enough pains to compare them :D (can't help it.. I'm an optimist)
And of course the funny quote of the day is :D

The average pencil is seven inches long, with just a half-inch eraser - in case you thought optimism was dead.

---Robert Brault