Thursday, February 28, 2008

The Barber Shop

Yes, I do go to the barber for hair cuts, which means i obviously have hair on my head, though i have seen quite a few bald men visiting barbers. Maybe they go to him in remembrance of the time they had hair.
Moving on, a thing i have noticed is that barbers have the weirdest choice of movies and songs. The only thing that i feel they watch like normal people is a cricket match. For e.g. the only place i have ever heard the song TUM TOH THEHEREY PARDESI in the last 5 years is at the barber's shop. Today [28th Feb] i had another visit to my barber's shop. As i waited and he worked on my carefully grown and comber hair, i had to face the ordeal of watching a movie called Kiska Suhaag. Some crappy 80's movie with dialogues like 'haraamzaadey', 'dusht paapi' and so on and so forth. None of the customers liked it, but the barber was enjoying the show. Also the host of barbers-in-the-making types of people who you always see lurking around in the corner were enjoying the show a lot.
I guess barbers in that sense are arrogant, they have every right to be. Because they know for sure, that as long as you are alive and not bald, you just have to show up every now and then. Next time i visit a barber's shop i will pray that there's some match going on or else.... it's Altaaf Raja!!!

Saturday, February 16, 2008

The Extent Of Copying I Deem Hazardous

It's not too often that one can say he has given 6 exams in 7 days and has another 4 more to go in the next 7 days. But hey, a lot of us from college today can say that!
The weird part about the last 7 days has been that irrespective of how much i have studied [or haven't] i've been able to secure decent marks in all the tests.
I've been doing all sorts of non-academic things. For example, i've been online 90% of the time i am awake! I've downloaded almost 3 GB of videos in a span of 4 days, which includes That 70's Show, The Good The Bad and The Ugly, The Omen, loads of songs and other stuff.

The Extent Of Copying I Deem Hazardous:

Since the relative grading system has started in COEP, instead of increasing competition to dangerous levels, it has increased cooperation to unbelievable limits. People distribute their answers in class tests like they were sharing holy water. New friendships have been created, new alliances forged! Few, of course still remain who feel that high marks are the poison only they are burdened to drink and wouldn't bear to see their brothers and sisters feel the pain of getting an EX!
I believe in conformity and thus have no qualms in helping people in class tests. Help thy neighbour and thy neighbour shall help you.
However once during an EXAM [not a class test], i happened to notice a gentleman who had brought a sheet of paper filled with complex diagrams with him inside his pocket. He seemed to have got the concept of an 'exam' wrong. He felt that it was actually a hide and seek game with the invigilator, because that's what he was doing all along. I applaud his courage in playing such a high risk game, because if he ever were to get caught he certainly wouldn't get to stay in the game for another game. Having said that i do not agree with what he was doing in the overall sense.

An EXAM is the one time 90% of the class decide to study [to different capacities] and come. A few whispers here and there is fine, but a whole unit on a secret page! That's pushing it a bit too far. What most of my friends believe is that in the class tests, its just the marks that count, but in the exam... well, we should show some respect to a tradition we have followed since childhood and one that was created by some god forsaken ancestor of ours, which is called 'studying'.

Nevertheless the gentleman lost his game during one of the EXAMs and unfortunately was thrown out of the class. Pity, that his discreet sheet also left with him!