Life, Laughter and Everything Else

The show was a bit like the Indian Top Gear. The presenter was decked in a white shirt with pink and blue stripes, and faded jeans. He wore non-reflective shades that covered his whole eye. He physique indicated that he was well fed. Most importantly, he had an aura of affluence and style that reflected the aspirations of the modern Indian, the image that the show's Producer was trying to portray. Next to him was the product he was endorsing, a BMW 4 series. He stood by its side, near the front. My mother had the volume on mute so I had to decipher what he was saying from his gestures and which part of the car the camera was focusing on. The camera on its part never stayed still. It focused on the headlights, slowly moving from right to left, trying to highlight the streamlined design and deliberately trying to bring out the craftmanship that went into designing it. The the camera switched to the presenter, who carried on talking from the same location, leg still, but palms sw...

It was meant to be just a poster showcase, an event to display our efforts working with an external industrial collaborator, but it was still a milestone, one of the final milestones of what was once purported to be the most fun periods of our life; university. Once all the excitement from the innumerable selfies, the last taupok in uni, all died down and I made my way back home, I was overcome by a huge surge of sorrow, a dawning realisation that it was all going to be over.  Out of nowhere, there was a gaping hole in me that needed filling. Not that I have any regrets about university, similar to the one I had about college. I entered uni with the intention that the rigorous academic life I imposed on myself would not be repeated, but I would take the opportunity to try my hand at anything and everything. Though I struggled initially, I eventually achieved that goal, learning some valuable lessons about life along the way.  However, the greatest achievement abou...