Mid-Terms Side Effects!

There's always that one week each semester when I find myself fighting the frustrations that college occasionally brings. This also gets aggravated when I get sick and have 3 exams, 5 quizzes and 1 paper to submit all in a week. Midterms at this time of the year are no fun. It would have been nice if I could get done with weeks like these and move on as if all was well. However, over the past couple of semesters I've noticed an interesting pattern, which I chose to call - midterm side effects.

So usually I know ahead of time that week B will be pretty bad with lots of exams and final submissions. So I start working on things during week A. With the load of work I usually have, I often prioritize to complete all that is due during week B and side line week C for the time being. So then comes week B which is coupled with sleepless nights and Red Bull overdoses (figuratively). Sometimes I skip a couple of classes in week B so I can prepare well for exams in the others. When week B comes to an end on Friday, the feeling of accomplishment is so exciting that the weekend after week B becomes highly unproductive. Now that would have been fine except, week C, although not midterm week, also has lots of papers and homework due. Since I skipped one classes in week B, I end up knowing little on those assignments and I feel lost in class. So essentially week C ( and sometimes D) is spent playing catch-up in all my classes that didn't have an exam during week B and completing all the work I had sidelined since week A.

So the saga continues. Although subtle, there are side-effects to midterms.

New Apartments on Campus

I can officially announce that I’m going to be a Community Manager at the New Housing Apartment Complex on 10th street starting in the fall. The complex is yet to be named so I’ll call it Union Street housing for now. With 7 buildings spread from building A on 10th street to building G on 7th street. The complex is the first time a new residential housing build in 40 years.

The concept of on-campus apartments is extremely new. We’re a 8 member staff and have already started working on the logistics of how we’ll function next year. Being a part of the inaugural staff is not only an honor but it’s also very exciting! I had the opportunity to take a tour of a sample apartment last week and absolutely loved it. It’s going to be challenging to be on call for all 7 buildings at once as opposed to 5 RAs on duty for 2 buildings. My position bestows upon me the responsibility of making sure the building keeps rolling all year long, every day, all night. Our team of 6 other students and 1 professional staff member is simply amazing. I can already tell I’ll love working with them. We all have very different backgrounds. Some of them are from Indiana, some out of state and International! We’re all pursuing a range of majors. So we’re definatelly bringing in lots of diversity!

Next year is going to be exciting. I can already see myself running from one building to another responding to calls. But I can also see myself working out in our own gym and have hot soup from our own c-store on a cold winter night. I’m glad I’ve stuck with RPS all these years and I’m hoping next year with them is going to bring a completely new experience my way!

7 Weeks In!

I just got done with my mid-terms today and I realized that 7 weeks of this semester are already over. It's March and I feel like January was only yesterday. Time flies and it's awfully scary to see it go by so quickly. The last couple of weeks have been extremely interesting and tiresome. I officially concluded that I preferred last fall semester doing I-Core. Pre-Icore classes are fun, demanding, challenging, but they have a stint of hope in them, that makes getting desired grades possible.

As I sit in my classes post I-core, they are fun, demanding, challenging, with little hope to achieve desired goals without sipping dropping all other life activities. The classes themselves are not impossible, but combining both Accounting and Finance ones with 18credits is a nightmare. Which would also conclude why I haven't been updating my blog as often. So what keeps me going?? Spring Break 2010 and Little 500. Spring break is a week away and Little 500 is approaching fast! These two events are always the highlight of my spring semesters at IU!

Here's what I have done these past 7 weeks:
1. Got First-Aid and CPR certified through the Office of Risk Management at IU!
2. Was officially appointed as the Community Manager at the new housing on Union Street.It's a step up from my RA responsibilities and I get to live in a sweet apartment.
3. Went ice-skating and fell countless times. Woke up the next morning with a soar back. But it was worth it.
4. Started working on IUDM 2010 with some amazing committee members on the team. We've started fund-raising so if you want to help me reach my goal visit: http://www.helpmakemiracles.org/participant/nikhilnanda
5. Met my adviser and vented about my classes [Actually this is still on my to-do list]

There's always so much going on at IU! I'll be sure to write while on Spring Break!

Spring Semester So Far!

So whoever said that I-Core is the worst semester and life only goes uphill from there was incorrect. I have 18 credit-hours this semester and work seems to end and even if does, I realize I have something else to do! My week's been unevenly divided between my 7 classes, IUDM (ftk!) and RA stuff. It's great to be running around this campus navigating my way through the accumulated inches of snow that never seems to melt away. The constant flurries in the sky, the constant buzz of my iPhone's new email tone, and people slipping on ice pretty much describes my walk from one class to another everyday.

Here's a weather update - It's snowed over 10 inches in the last 24 hours, but it's not a foot of snow. It's enough to make walking to class or rather just getting to class, quite an ordeal. However, it isn't enough for snow day. That's unfortunate. The constant weather warnings would be fun if they would lead to snow day. But no. No snow day for us. Walk to class. Fall. Watch other people falling. Repeat!

It's so nice to be back on this campus! All this work only adds to the stress and fun of college. So much is going on that I want to write all about it. Since I have 3 mid-term's this week, I'm going to defer that until the weekend. But for those of you reading this, stay tuned because I'll be writing about a whole lot of exciting stuff!

Goodbye 2000s

We're just a day away from the end of another decade. I was all of 9 years old when the new millennium came around and now as I turn 20 soon, I look back and realize that I will be tagged as the 2000s kid. My entire teenage was spent in the first decade of the new millennium. A lot has happened in the past ten years and looking back, I wonder what will the 2000s be most remembered for.

The world welcomed the new millennium with lots of panache and open arms. Almost no one knew what lay ahead of 31st December 1999. Who knew 9/11 in 2001 would make aviation and the US targets of the worlds biggest terrorist groups. No one thought we would be fighting a war in retaliation which wouldn't end even at the turn of the century. The best of the Wall Street didn't know Enron would default two years later in 2001, stirring a series of modifications in Accounting and Reporting standards. Lots of other significant events took place these past 10 years, but we all know what happened and the video sums it up pretty well.

What lies ahead for my generation is very intriguing . Will there be jobs for us when we graduate? Will we be safe when we travel across the world, or will political differences create barriers that make tourism risky business? Will we be able to afford healthcare regardless of which income bracket we fall in? Will we have any savings after all the taxes and insurance premiums we will pay? Most importantly, will we end up following our passions or will the need for bread and butter impede upon our pursuit of happiness?

I've had many ups and downs these past 10 years. I graduated from high school despite all my efforts to freeze time and stay there forever. I've moved to another country and met some amazing people. I've traveled across the Europe, Asia and North America in an effort to pursue my passion for seeing new places and learning about new cultures. I'm excited to bid farewell to the 2000s which take with it many memories of high school friends and my first couple of college years. They've been great and I've learnt a lot. I've grown up. The turn of the decade marks the end of my teenage. Most people say the fun stops here. I say, it's only started.

IU vs Purdue, The Battle Continues

Indiana Unversity plays Purdue at a home football game tomorrow. The spirit of this football weekend comes from the long standing athletic competition between the two schools. Usually when I bring up IU football with people here, everyone seems to know how many games we lost while few know the IU fanfare and other songs. So in preparation for November the 21st, 2009, I decided to word the two most important IU Songs in this blog. Go Hoosiers!

Indiana, Our Indiana

Indiana, Our Indiana

Indiana, we're all for you

We will fight for

the Cream & Crimson,

For the glory of Old IU - (I U)

Never daunted, we cannot falter

In the battle, we're tried and true

Indiana, Our Indiana

Indiana, we're all for you!

Our Cream and Crimson School... (I U)

Indiana Fight!

Fight for the Cream and Crimson,

Loyal sons of our old IU

Fight for your Alma Mater,

and the school you love so true.

Fight for old Indiana,

See her victories safely through,

GO! IU! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!

For the glory of old IU.