Hey guys! It’s comforting in a weird way to start my posts with an address to you all (“Hey guys!”), but like I said…it helps me speak a little more casually like I would when talking to a population. So…yeah. 😛

Anyways, it’s been almost an year since I posted something here. I started this portal initially to share my overwhelming experience of coming to a new city and living on my own; but one of the secondary aims was to share all the creative stuff I came up with as a designer and an art practitioner.
But well, turns out my college provides ample scope to work and explore, hence I wasn’t left with much time to…well….come up with creative stuff. 😛

Anyhow, now that I have this platform in the coming weeks I’ll use it to share all the projects I’ve attempted throughout this year.

I know this almost renders this blog a portfolio sorts nature, but well…as they say,

“Great dreamers’ dreams are never fulfilled, they are always transcended” : Alfred North Headwhite

so let’s hope for the best. *fingers crossed*

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Ohk, so it turns out I was indeed able to gather sufficient material to write the second post….and well, that is why you’re here reading this! 😛

Now before I go ahead I’d like to pass a small notice that the following text might be slightly against the popular opinion and in some cases you might perhaps find yourself as one of those being subjected to my *cough* anger *cough*. 😛 So umm, apologies beforehand.

So the thing is; as you start your ‘new life’ in college, you’ll realize that there exists an acute dearth of familiar friendly faces you were used to in your school. The “annoying” friends you’d grown so accustomed to are suddenly replaced with annoying [yes…no quotes(” “) 😛 ] ones.

Now I hope not everyone is as unlucky as me, but the grim realization will soon fall upon you that all folks around you (besides you) will almost instantaneously and naturally “fit in” and make a hoard of friends. Just everyone except you will find individuals galore with the same set of interests and hobbies; and will start existing as if they were all just meant to be together here.

Now I don’t have a general solution for all of you ( much like all the other times 😛 ), but I sure will share what worked me.

And it starts with accepting all your “I don’t…”s ! ( Yup, I’m finally getting to the titular thing. 😛 ). So here is my set of all ‘ I don’t ‘s, I have, for all the “merry” people around me.

“

‘I don’t’ …love everything; I’m not overly excited about something just because you like it. I have my own sets of likes and dislikes that I won’t change just for the trivial benefit of being in your company.

‘I don’t’…know how to fit in. Apologies if it bothers you, but fitting in is NOT one of my stronger suites; ever since…ever….I have only been taught to stand apart, doing things that no one else does and thinking stuff that no one else wonders about.

‘I don’t’….find the compulsive need to party and have fun all the time. I have burdened myself with a strong purpose that need be fulfilled; and to actually see it to the end I have to devote each fraction of my time to it. My purpose is what remains at the top of my priority list and my purpose is what satisfies all my “fun” needs. Unlike the human population, I’m sure my purpose won’t betray me because the only significant factor that can make ‘that’ possible is me myself, and I trust myself that I won’t betray my purpose. It’s my purpose that drives me, motivates me, instills in me to keep working and forces me to keep pushing my limits.

And finally….and the most importantly….. ‘I don’t’….care what you think about my ‘I don’t’ s. My ‘I don’t’ s have kept me happy all this time and I don’t give a ‘Rattus Norgevicus Gluteus Maximus’ about what you say!

“

Pheww….Man I get quite absurd at times. 😛

Anyways guys, I’m not here to persuade you against making friends. I’m merely trying to get you to understand that it’s OK if you don’t have an amazing group spontaneously. I understand that the modern Hollywood and Bollywood movies have only proved good to heighten your expectations of college and I promise they will eventually be fulfilled. But you have to stay wary not to change your own self just to have that dream social community you’ve always wanted!

As for me, all the while staying true to my principles, I’ve made some extremely amazing friends, people with the same thinking process as mine and almost similar decision making abilities. So on the cost of the initial rough patch I had to witness, I’ve made sure that now at least I have some people I can talk to, be with and work & collaborate with, without any hiccups; which is a great thing. 🙂

I guess I’ll end this two part series here; I wish all the people reading this a very best of luck for the future. “I can’t promise life will be easy, but I promise it’ll be worth it! ” 🙂

PS : ‘Rattus Norgevicus Gluteus Maximus’ is the scientific name for *cough* rat’s ass *cough* 😛

PPS : The following link is a piece of advice my mentor, Tarun Bhalla, gave me when I started college a few weeks back, I believe everyone else should read it too. 🙂

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1BPJeuCN_otjVO-Exh3UyAXrzs_XHGBIewUphz66I9GE

PPPS ( Man I’m running out of ‘P’s 😛 )  : As for those who did ( and also those who did not ) ask for it; below are some of the pictures of my new “home” in bangalore.

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Hello guys; so after a slight(ly huge) break, I’m back (not that anyone was anxious :P) with another post.

Since most of my readers are travelers of the same journey I am, they will find it somewhat relate-able when i write about the humongous hell we students go through securing admission in a “good” college.

It all starts with understanding the definition of what a “good” college is. Is it the one with a good campus placement? or the one with a good curriculum and infrastructure? The one with a course of your choice? or the one with a course of the public choice? 😛

Well, there is no single correct answer!  😛

In any case, I am not writing to enlighten you with philosophies; I mean social service is an aim of this post but I’m merely hoping to get people to understand they’re not alone. 🙂

No matter what your choice of studies maybe, “bars made of hopelessness and three square meals of shame ” (that is a kung fu panda 2 reference :P) will become a staple for the four months from April to July. 😛

The competition changes from the forty in your class to a nation full of desperate students.

The school toppers are battling the …well….other school toppers. And as for us….we just salvage what’s left after their war. 😛

But that’s fine, your sanctum still lies in the fact that you’re not alone and your struggle is for something extremely important.

“So, when you were laying around on your trust fund, doing nothing every day, having other people scrub your toilet, you could hold your head up high? But now that you support yourself by earning your own money, that’s somehow shameful? “

(“2 broke girls” : season 1_episode 5) (I don’t need any comments on why i’m watching a sitcom with female protagonists :P)

Yes…you’re not giving up because giving up is not an option for you; the high talks of self-dependence extremely attract you and you’re adventurous enough to go through it, all the while knowing it is deep s**t.

People, the college doesn’t really matter; a good college won’t get you a 7 figure package if you won’t work but an average one just might be able to do it if you do. So I hope you’re smart enough to understand the significant factor here….it’s your…well…’own work!’ 😛

Anyways, to keep in sync with the “my journey” part of the post, well I personally decided to apply for the most reputed design colleges in India (NID, DSK, MIT Pune, Srishti Bangalore); I wanted to study animation abroad but well…things really didn’t work my way, and speaking from the point of view of where I presently am, I’m glad they didn’t. 😛

I’ll probably end this here before it gets too lethargic and uncontrollably cheesy ( 😛 )…and hope that if not exactly helping, it was at least worth a read. 😛

Take care. see you next time. 🙂

PS :  There are high chances there might not be a “next time”, i’m planning this to be a series but not entirely sure if I actually have sufficient material for another post. 😛