In the studio, after the last show of NEWSBEAT!!! 

Amanda's Party! 

End of BBC...

The BBC course got over day before yesterday. Got our certificates or 'bits of paper' as Amanda calls them. She also wrote personal notes to all of us. Sweet of her to do that. I secured a 75% which is good (not great - just good). Piyu got the highest - 78%. We had a photo session in the studio after the last show.
Then last night, we had a party at Amanda's place. Had a nice time. After that we went to 'Sparks' thinking we'll dance but the place was quite dead. They were to have 'Hip hop Nite' from 11:30p.m. but that would mean waiting for an hour and in addition, there were cover charges for men. So then we decided to go to 'Bikes n barrels'. It was nice and lively there (unlike sparks)...so danced a lot...mostly good music too...danced till 12:15-12:30am...then it was shut down time...all pubs and discs in Chennai shut by then ever since the Stephanie case. All in all it was a fun evening.
Don't feel like it's holi today...probably only the second time when I'm not playing...otherwise I just looooooooove the festival. Let's hope next year is better. Ok, I should be finishing my article on supernovae now. Ciao.
-M:)

Dissertation Done!!!!

:) :) :) :) :)
My dissertation is done! Wow! It's a wonderful feeling. I remember reading the college prospectus before joining ACJ and wondering -"If I get into this college, how the hell will I write a dissertation?"
But I enjoyed doing my dissertation...it's called -"The Bulletin Boom: The growth of television news channels in India". I had fun researching it and believe it or not I managed to write more than 6000 words on it (that seemed slightly impossible to me at the beginning!)
Anyhow, right now I'm overwhelmed by a sense of joblessness...so I'm chatting and blogging and doing all the forbidden things. This week we'll finish off with the BBC course and then we'll just have to work on the Investigative Project. Then there'll be that test in the Business elective and the global warming debate in the science elective and there's also that photojournalism assignment that's to be done...bah..so much for feeling jobless! Got a call from Ruby last night - a junior from hostel..asking me for tips to get into ACJ..HAHA! For some reason it really amused me:) The new prospectus is out and I like it better (not just for the fact that it has a lot of my snaps!) because the colour scheme is more appealing in my opinion. Ok, I wanna eat now..haven't eaten all morning 'coz of the dissertation. Ciao!
-M:)

In the studio...handling the camera! 

Work, work and more work...

Just about a month left for the course to end and needless to say that we are overburdened with work (not that we weren't throughout the year!). The dissertation deadline is approaching at the speed of light...21st March, which also happens to be the deadline for the special report. After that we'll have the investigative documentary to do. We have one week to film and edit the special report. We're doing ours on the money spinning activity of private tutors and the over-stressed kids! Went to shoot outside Vidya Mandir yesterday. It was so damn hot man. Interviewed a few parents, teachers etc. Am feeling overwhelmed by work at the moment. Have just completed about 2,500 words of my dissertation (the minimum is 5,000) so that leaves me about halfway...and a week's time is too less in my opinion..I think the labs should be open 24*7 now and I should be banned from playing Pacman and Jardinians! Ok, I think I should also be banned from blogging. Let's begin sunday morning - with the dissertation of course! Ciao.
-M.

Is there a 31st of Feb?

Hehe..good one this...
It all started when I was chatting with a school friend and wished him for his birthday..he was surprised that I remembered his birthday after all these years.So anyways, he asked me about mine (said that he'll definitely remember to wish me)...so I said "It's on 31st Feb". It was my usual poor joke (well, not so poor anymore!) and I expected him to say -"Come on, stop kidding..tell me when is it?". Instead, what he said was - "Ok, I'll definitely wish you!" I thought, ok let's see when he realises that there's no 31st in February. No no, that's not the end of the story.
I met him online yesterday and he says - "I'm so sorry, I forgot to wish you on your birthday. It was on 31st na? I've been remembering it every morning since the 31st but just couldn't wish you!" This was unbelieveable. I thought he's pulling my leg or something. So I just played along and said - "That's ok, not a problem!" I was kinda surprised that he still didn't realise that February had only 28 days. Anyhow, I couldn't stop laughing and finally said - "Congratulations! You are the only person on the face of this earth who's experienced a 31st in February!" Poor boy - needless to say how embarrassed he is about the whole issue and I feel bad that he'll have to suffer this for the rest of my lifetime! Hehehe! I haven't laughed this much at anything in a long, long time!
Ciao,
M:)

Contemplation....

I've just been wondering...should one be in touch with things that have long been a part of life just because they've been there that long? I agree that it's tough to move on and give up stuff. But does that mean that you still carry on with stuff that's rapidly deteriorating and has few chances of survival? Do you wait for it to die or do you just give it an instant death? Or do you (yet again) give it that one last chance - hoping that it'll make it this time? Can you ever give up on trying to make things work? Can't make up my mind...
-M.

Trying to host a photo...

Lunch at Queens, Bangalore.

Radio Docu creating waves!

Well well...our radio documentary seems to have made it into The Chicago Sun-Times..pretty cool I'd say. Check it out at http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-radio15.html
-M.

Reiteration..

Just want to reiterate what I said in my last post..it's definitely true that NOTHING is permanent...I sort of reconsidered my previous post over the last two weeks but I definitely believe what I wrote is 100% true. That's all I have to say. Ciao!
-M.

Nothing is permanent...

Yes, it's true. Nothing, absolutely NOTHING is permanent in life. Don't want to say anything more. Ciao.
-M.

Third term begins...

Wow! It's unbelievable. Only 3 more months for the course to finish. Time really does fly - even when you're away from home and longing to go back. Third term began today. We started the day with the science elective. The woman - Vijaya Swaminath is awesome. She's a scientist as well as a science writer. She's wonderfully organised and is simply brilliant. She expects a lot of work from us. We'll be giving in weekly assignments. Thankfully, she does not believe in exams. Am I glad or what? Ok, following the science class, we had the covering deprivation test which went off ok....nothing too good or bad about it. After that, we began our BBC training with Amanda Harper (or 'Harps' as she's called in BBC). I quite liked her actually. She's a perfectionist and I really like that 'coz I don't believe that there's any other way to do it! She has a decent sense of humour too. We were handed over our BBC goodies-a folder, keychain, bookmark, a pen and her visiting card. Today being the first class, it was more or less an introduction and 'getting to know one another' session. By the way, I have finally managed to hand in my Art and Culture assignment (applause)! I'm not really happy with what I wrote 'coz it was done under the pressure of juggling too many things. Next on agenda is - viewing the covering deprivation documentary footage and logging in shots. Apart from that, the next few weeks are going to be pretty relaxed because Harps doesn't usually teach beyond 5p.m. Believe me, that's a relief! I sent a long mail to Ruchi. She's moved out of the hostel 'coz of her internship in Gurgaon. Oh, the good news - Bhau has got a call from MDI-Gurgaon and Toni has got a call from IIFT-Delhi. Isn't that too cool? I hope both of them get through and then Ruch and I also work in Delhi! It'll be awesome to be back together again! It's my favourite dream at the moment!
Okie dokie..ciao then!
-M:)

Phew!

Well, so we managed the radio documentary. We managed to show them one finished product-the media coverage angle-the one for which I did the script and narration...and Rob loved my script!!! I was on cloud#9. He appreciated loads of stuff on it and know what the high point was? He didn't take out a single mistake! That's very very unlike Rob. He's very fair and straightforward about our work-says the positive and negative things on the face. So we were basically thrilled and me more so, 'coz I wrote the script and did the narration! I had an attachment with the feature. Will get it burnt on to a cd on monday. Rob has left for Chicago. We'll all miss him. It was a blast working for him. Nishat Sir got a 5kg cake for us after the radio programme. We had a small party. Rob and his wife- Lori, cut the cake. Oh ya, forgot to mention that I got an A+ - that's first class with distinction for my radio journalism course. I was thrilled till I discovered that most people had got that and it's really not that big a deal! Well, there's a covering deprivation test on monday and I am just about to go to Meenakshi's to do combined studies. We also start BBC training with Amanda Harper from monday which means that third term begins. I also have to submit that stupid art and culture assignment on monday-there's no escaping it. Another thing happening on monday is the start of my science elective followed by business and photojournalism through the week! Then there's work to be done on the dissertation...is this life or what? Anyhow, that's about it for now...I shall make a move to Meenakshi's place now. Goodnight. Ciao!
-M:)

Grrrrrrrr...

I am soooooooooooooooooooo irritated! We have to have to have to finish the radio documentary..there are too many hurdles...we have only 2 machines with the software and 5 teams working...and a deadline of one day. It's crazy. How do they expect us to give in a polished product at the end of it? We just need time to edit man. We've been working days as well as nights...but it's just not possible for 3 teams to work on one machine! The time slots are too short. I am doing the media coverage of the tsunami disaster - basically the sensitivity (or the lack of it) of the media towards tsunami victims. Another angle also being covered by our group is the early warning system. They are excellent topics but we need the damn time to edit. Most of it is done. But there's still work left and it's unlikely that the other teams will give us machines now. God help! Just need like an hour on the machine. The presentation is at 2:00p.m. I am irritated especially since Rob has very high expectations of us and I know that we can meet them if onle we get some time on the machine. Grrrrrrr.....
-M:(

Can I gloat a bit?

Hellllllllllooooooo....:)
Guess what? Our radio feature on the INPUT film screening has been adjudged the best! There were 5 teams and each had to create a five-minute radio feature on the film screening that took place in our college from 7th to 9th January.I was the narrator for our feature. Our story came out superb! Rob Quicke said that if he had to broadcast it, there isn't a thing that he'll change about it.He said my voice is crisp and clear!:) Please allow me to gloat a bit..can't help it right now! He also said,"I wouldn't be too happy right now if I were in your team"..when we asked, "Why?" he said- "'Coz my teacher would have very high expectations from me then!" Wow...that's flattering but scary too. I hope we live up to his expectations. He's gonna take our features to Chicago and broadcast them from his radio station. It's so cool. The radio workshop is awesome. I love it and I really respect Rob. He's an amazing teacher. Right now we're working on the tsunami feature. We are making a thirty minute radio documentary on the tsunami and it's aftermath. It's going to be submitted to a competition in the State of Illinois and we'll be competing against all American Universities. This will also be the first ever student produced Indian radio documentary! So, we're basically creating radio history here! Ok, I gotta go and work on the tsunami feature. Ciao.
-M:)

Chennai Blues...

Well well well...I don't believe it..the holiday is already over and I am back in Chennai. What a pain. I had such a ball of a time in Delhi. I didn't want to come back at all. The weather was so cool-not all that cold! I like the new house at Najafgarh. It's great except that I wish I could get a crane to move it to some place in south Delhi. I shopped lots and met up with Ruchi, Toni and Ankur. Couldn't meet Rish though:( New year's was ok...a little low key as compared to other years and understandably so. We spent the night at Kash aunty's place. I really hope 2005 will be a better year and a nightmare of this magnitude would never repeat itself. I visited the Marina beach yesterday. You can still see the signs of devastation. It's been 8 days and the sand is still damp. All the barricades are broken. The coastline has come closer and sand has been scooped out in many places. Marina, which is usually abuzz with activity-hawkers, friends, families...was quite the opposite yesterday. All you could hear were the sounds of the sea. I went there to record the sounds of the beach for a radio journalism assignment and returned with the sounds of the winds and the waves...nothing else. It was quite a depressing sight because I have seen Marina at other happier times and it's not at all like this. Anyhow, gotta get to my art and culture assignment now. Ciao!
-M.

Disaster

Unbelieveable...it's absolutely unbelieveable. Who would have thought that a disaster of such magnitude could take place? I think it's the first time that half the world has heard the word 'tsunami'. Imagine going out for a morning walk or a sunday morning beach ritual and never coming back or worse still, coming back without your loved ones. I can only imagine myself sitting there-enjoying the waves and marvelling at the size of a big, huge wave approaching and the next moment being taken away with it. It sends shivers down my spine. The magnitude of the loss of lives (estimated at 1,50,000 world over) seems to be out of a fiction novel. The Indian Air Force base at Car Nicobar has been completely wiped out. First it was the base at Bhuj during the Gujarat earthquake and now Nicobar. I know that in time life will be back to normal in terms of infrastructure and loss of property but what about all the lives lost and the people who are left behind to cry? God help them deal with it.
-M.

Well, what to say?

Well, what to say early morning?
Had a looooong chat with Ruch last evening. It was real good fun. I was missing her a lot. She has forgotten her password and also the answer to her secret question and I found that REALLY funny. I laughed my head off! By the way, only 12 more days to go home!Yippppeeeeeee!
Well, we had our dissertation discussion yesterday-so I can't enjoy my holidays in peace(as I had suspected). I'll have to work out my topic and start my research over the vacation. What a pain man! Then there's that stupid Art and Culture assignment to do. Grrrrrr...I hate all this man.
Chatting with Milind at the moment-he's busy with his year end reports and is enjoying the Christmas decorations in New Zealand. Spoke to Ankur last evening-he has his practical exams going on. Then, what else?
I think I basically don't have much to say. I'm just passing time. I think I should go and do something more constructive! So, ciao for now!:)
-M.

My new column...

I happened to send in an article to www.sawf.org and as it turns out, I have a regular column there now. It's called "In Focus". The direct link is http://sawf.org/newedit/edit12062004/infocus.asp
Right now the website has not been updated and there is only one article on it. I have sent in a few others too. Let's see when they get published. I really wanted to write a short story for this competition that's on....but am just not able to find the time. It has to begin with-"It was impossible to take a walk that evening." I can think of things I'd like to write to make it into an interesting story but I just can't find the time to do it. The last date is 10th Dec which also happens to be the last date for our documentary submission...so, that's the scene.
The irritating thing is that Yahoo Messenger has disappeared from our college computers. Ok, we're not supposed to chat in college but obviously we all had downloaded messengers and almost all the machines had it. Suddenly, they've all disappeared. I think the faculty has been at work!
Now I'll have to download it all over again (sigh)!
I just remembered, I have given a camera roll for developing. I need to go and collect it. So ciao then.:)
-M.