Saturday, August 26, 2006

sheesh!

hmmm.. there are just these times when you wish you were dreaming.. or you just wish you could go back in time.. and when you are studying in a b-school, these thoughts tend to occur a bit too often. read on..
some 13 hours ago (2.30am), i went to bed.. peacefully. pretty early for my standards. the reason: i had a major math exam this morning and i wanted to get sufficient sleep before it. 6 hours was enough i predicted... i'd probably get up before hand and revise a bit before entering the dreaded exam hall. (rather, i was clueless as to what i was studying and i needed an excuse to get away from my books last night). as the alarm started screaming in my ear this morning, i got up dazed and thought to myself "2 and a half hours to go, i dont have that much to study.. i need more sleep, lest i sleep during the exam". and i dozed off again.
the next time i saw daylight was 11.35!! some 35 mins after the exam started! damn!!!! i just woke up.. shocked!!! out of my senses.. this was probably the most important subject of the term. i had messed up my previous quizzes and this was my last chance to make up. ah, forget about the marks, i just had to attend the exam.
well at that time, none of these thoughts actually entered my head. i was just shell shocked. hoping that this was a dream. i jumped out of bed and yanked my door open. and i tentatively peeped out.. hoping for some sign of life.. hoping that some other idiot on my floor had overslept and had got up at precisely the same time.. hoping that she too was looking for company in distress, like i was.. tough luck.. the others in my hostel were sensible enough to get up on time.
i screamed out loud! somebody should hear me. and i then realized that there were girls on my floor who had not taken this suibject. i barged into one of their rooms. and there she was.. sleeping! i tried to wake her up. but i had no voice. i shook her and she woke up with a start, and i just started blabbering. "i missed the QT quiz.. i missed QT.. it started at 11, and i'm still here!!" she probably took a second to comprehend what was happening, then she looked at me from top to bottom. exam at 11 - its 11.35 - i'm wearing pajamas - i'm hysterical! ...and then it dawned to her!!! uh oh!!
"why dont you just go to the exam now?" she shouted.
"now? i overslept QT!!"
"just go now!!!!!"
"NO!!"
"Common.. just go!"
"But then, i probably could go now.."i realized. i had no clue how the examiner would react, but it was worth the try... she dragged me to my room, thrust the calculator in my hand and pushed me out..
and then i ran.. ran.. ran.. the exam hall just seemed so far off! and bewildered seniors were giving me questioning looks. "why would a junior be in her night clothes, running like a freak, when she's supposed to be writing an exam!"
and then i barged in to the hall and tried to look as calm as possible... i went straight to my lecturer and admitted the truth (with a sprinkling of "not so true"s).
"Sir, i wasnt feeling well (nst).. and i kinda overslept....."
"do you want to write the exam now?" he asked.
he was actually considering letting me write. i was pleasantly shocked.
"of course, can i?" i asked.
"well, yes. take your seat..." he replied.
heaving a sigh of relief i dropped into the nearest empty chair and i looked around. everywhere people were peeping into their notes and trying fervently to make some sense of their notes. and then it hit me.. 'this was an open book exam, i had no books to look into!!'
"Sir.." i started again. "well i forgot to get my notes..."
"how could you not get your notes to the exam?" he yelled.
"Sir, i got up at 1130 and i freaked. i didnt get your notes." (exact words spoken)
"well...." he considered..
"Sir, can i please go get my material? i will take just two minutes." i prodded.
before he could reply, i was running out of the exam hall again. and then the marathon... back to my hostel, the run up to the second floor, grabbed the books that were fortunately visible and the run back again. except for a few trips here and there i was still in one piece. as i entered the hall breathless (within 2 mins), my classmates lifted up their heads.. wondering what i was upto. and hour and a half was not enough for his paper. what the hell was i doing, running around with just over half an hour left.
i ignored all their scary facial expressions and sat down again, thinking "this is it!" how the next 45 mins went (he gave me extra time) i have no clue. i just did what i could, thinking all the while "how could i oversleep QT, how could i oversleep QT!!" i dont remember what my shivering hands managed to write when my brain was clearly out of place, but as i returned my scribbled answer sheet i felt relieved and yet all alone. well, that was obvious, everyone else had left 15 mins ago...
as i walked out of the exam hall questions came pouring in from all directions. where the hell was i? why was i given extra time? why did i look like i had just gotten out of bed? (some people consider such a look to be sexy, but in my case it was just out of context). as i explained my situation to my friends they gave me reactions which was completely unexpected.
i was suddenly the heroine of the moment. i actually got up late and i had the courage to walk into a QT quiz 45 mins late, then leave and enter again, all this in my crumpled t shirt, chappals and stinky mouth. man, that did require guts!!!
i walked out and stood in front of my hostel. and while people were running helter skelter, i drenched in the rain, just stood there hoping that the rain would wash off my stupidity. hoping that the situation would just wipe itself off, hoping that people would stop staring at me (either with disgust or with admiration). just hoping that it would all end!!
i managed to get back to my room, think about the whole thing again and consider what went wrong... and then this sly smile just materialized on face.. "damn! these are the things that i'm going to take along with me for the rest of my life! ah, these stupid, but unforgettable moments..."

P.S.
1. my lecturer just rocks! and i'm giving him roses this Teachers' Day.
2. thanks to my floormate who managed to put some thought in my head.
3. KITAs to all my friends who were too worried about their paper, to realze i wasnt there at 11 and hence did not bother to wake me up. (KITA: kick in the ass)
4. life rocks!!!!!