Now, the danger with these nostalgia posts is that they can become very very very long. So, I’ll try and keep it to 3 points each – so as to remember the 3 biggest learnings..
Just as background – When I landed in Singapore on the 21st of July, 2006, I –
-> Had never used YouTube..
-> Did not know what buffering a video meant..
-> Had used the internet primarily for a few google searches, downloading and chatting..
-> Had never stayed up beyond 2am for 2 nights in a row – the thought was unimaginable..
Anyway.. that changed..
3 things I will remember from my first few months..
1) The Admission and the excitement: 7 close friends had made it together – all of us knew on the same day that we were getting together. NUS seemed like a picnic of sorts – we did our medicals together, got stuff for university together.. the excitement was crazy..
I had a bit of an issue getting my 1 day visa and could not fly with the other scholars(which was bloody disappointing then!) and reached 2 days late. Though my heart fell a bit when I first turned into PGP (the residence looked run-down then), I thought the place was, in one word, wizard!
The first few days were crazy – no cell phones meant you never know whether you’d meet again. And thanks to forgetting to set an alarm, I ALMOST missed my QET (or qualifying english test), but hey, no harm done.. Apart from getting frozen at the ‘exam hall’.. all went well..
Learning: Some things are worth working hard for. That feeling of excitement was worth slogging the entire year at DAV Boys Gopalapuram..
2)Orientation: So, here I was, a rather insecure(and hence egoistic to cover up) 17 year old kid who thought I had achieved a lot just making it into NUS when we were supposed to stick to tradition and make a fool of ourselves in front of our seniors.
Now, that was obviously extremely hard for someone like me.. I mean, what about my big ego? Haha..
Anyway, I did survive.. erstwhile pissing a few circles off thanks to not agreeing to certain lines being crossed.. but all in all.. I made a couple of senior friends that changed the course of the rest of my university life and that was worth it!
Learning: Some experiences are worth it just for the people we gain from them..
3) The jobless days: Few lectures into the semester and I was certain Electrical Engineering was not for me. Now, I had some pretty big plans for university and I was now actively on the lookout for something else..
Since studies was not going to be it, I tried my hand at CCA’s and soon the enthusiasm wore out. The excitement at excessive freedom turned to a complacency.. And soon I was up until 5 or 6AM every morning doing god knows what..
A few goofs came and went – like leaving my windows open in my lovely 7th floor room resulting in my IBM dripping in water etc etc.. All in all.. the best thing that happened was that I was looking for something to do..
And that led to the next phase – the Nineo days.. coming up tomorrow!
Learning: It’s only when we are in the brink that we do something to bring about change.. :)
A Learning a Day 