Recycling

An old article written for the college mag last year. For my college friends..:)..those times were good.

10 WAYS TO KILL TIME IN MANIT

Bored? Not knowing what to do after the drab routine of college lectures, painful submissions ( ohhh yes..that is the right adjective),the never ending lab classes and personal studies (okk..sometimes atleast).Do you often find yourself exasperated, clueless as to how to while away the time in hand.
If the answer to any of the above questions is “Haan bhai haan” then worry no more my dear friend. Team Excelsior to the rescue. We have all the solutions to your “How do I kill time here in MANIT” problems. Here we go.

1) BAKAR
Hey!! What happened today? When,why,who,where and herein lies the beginning of the endless bakar sessions. Just get few of your friends together and talk away to timeless nirvana with a mind boggling diversity of topics ranging from cows to aliens with the college ongoings thrown somewhere in between. Doing the same on the phone is a tad bit expensive but you can still go for it in times of desperation (nobody else to talk to) and abundance (of money).

2) ORKUTTING / CHATTING
No better a pastime than prying on the lives of your acquaintances and unknown people. Who has scrapped whom and what perhaps gives you more information than you may get in person. (Why so?? Umm maybe people for some strange reason don’t really like others pushing their noses into their business..just a wild guess).Reading others/your own scraps (only when really really bored),making weird community posts, creating even weirder profiles you will find your minutes disappearing into hours(thankfully the MANIT junta hasn’t reached the days stage here).And then of course there is gtalk and yahoo messenger, thank God for them. Else how would you be able to chat with your classmates, wing mates or even your next room neighbour??

3) TV SERIES, PC GAMES AND MOVIES
This one is pretty simple. Step one: find a TV series to get hooked onto. Heroes, 24, Dexter, Prison Break and well FRIENDS (yeah we know you have seen it like a zillion times but its still fun right!!).Step two: Get hooked on. How??. Spend days downloading it from the net and when its done call over some fellow enthusiasts and have a screening in your room. And with the advent of LAN in the hostel mass killing was never this much fun..mass killing of time that is..AOE, DOTA, CS the list goes on and on. Add to that the recent English, Hindi and Korean blockbusters (pirated versions bought at 1/10th of the ticket prices..keeping the Cineplex rates as standard) and see the time just fly by.
p.s we seriously suggest you to give art movies a try (15th Park Avenue, Kaalpurush are classics..one dekho atleast)..comedy redefinedJ

4) PLAYING AND WATCHING SPORTS
Sports..the nation’s favourite pastime. Don’t feel any less than the Dhoni’s and the Mirza’s..its time you showed it too. Just arrange for the sports gear (the beg borrow or steal theory may work here) and some friends. With the sports complex, floodlights, proper ground facilities on, it’s the best time to bring out your sporty side. Also dedicating an entire day (the one-dayers and its younger cousin T20) or even days( the tests) for watching cricket matches in the mess (consider yourself blessed if you get them on Doordarshan. Where else would you find a bumbling Maninder Singh who screams 'Sundar stroke !' as the batsman is clean bowled )and the nights for the EPL and Champions League one( this ones for the videshis amongst us) helps too.

5) BIRDWATCHING
It is the observation and study of birds with the naked eye or through a visual enhancement device like binoculars. Birding often involves a significant auditory component, as many bird species are more readily detected and identified by ear than by eye. Most birders and birdwatchers pursue this activity for recreational or social reasons. (Source:Wikipedia)
Not such a viable option for the female species for the lack of quality and quantity of attractive options (males forgive the author for being a tad biased.)

6) GT’s
Calling a meeting to discuss whether to put a gt or not. If yes, then for how many periods (or even days if your branch is IT) and the possibility of getting attendance in case the CR goes and informs the teacher in charge. Elaborate plans to inform all-fellow hostellers, the dayscis(have to separately tell the ttnis, the bhelis and the batchouts) so that no one turns up the next day. Then getting up early morning and going all the way to the classroom to check for any gtbreakers. If the gt has infact been broken again informing all the above. Need we explain why this is on the list???

7) WEARING THE DHOBI HAT
Just keep on piling your dirty clothes and utensils in one corner of your room. Its pretty easy.. just play on the “I am too lazy for my shirt” credo. Then ofcourse when you start running out of stuff to wear and things to cook in..take them all in and start with the washing ceremony. You’ll need the necessary detergents and soaps so just make sure your friends keep them on their grocery lists. Then leave the rest to the washing machine (to all the shell shocked guys YES..the girls hostel does have these little helpful devices).And for the guys…well a little bit of muscle building activity never hurts (it sure saves the gym costs).



8) GETTING PERMISSION LETTER SIGNED FROM ADMINISTRATION
The best of the lot. Whether you have to get the letter signed for attending IIT techfests (which have become quite the fad nowadays), conducting an event or a simple leave application (you take permission for that???) the red tape gets you. You just keep running round and round in circles..from one office to another trying to find the elusive dignitaries, waiting for them, then being told to come the next day and then the other one and so on. But why????..even we don’t know.

9) SEARCHING FOR MOBILE SIGNALS IN CAMPUS
Total network guaranteed.Yeah right. Well all the Ambanis, Tatas and Mittals didn’t know our campus walls it seems when they made these tall claims with their networks. These walls can block any signal in a jiffy. But never give up O’ brave Manitian. Just keep on running turning left right and centre and who knows..lady luck may finally smile on you and you may get that 1 extra bar to atleast get one message across. Fun suggestion- try signal hunting in groups.

10) SLEEPING
As they say save the best for last. The most blissful time killing activity known to mankind.2 am,2 pm, in the hostel, on the terrace, in the mess, on the bike, on the classroom bench( front one for the bold and beautiful, back for the sensible),in the canteen..place and time is immaterial. Just make sure you switch off your cell because it may so happen that your friend may have found the network somewhere in the campus.(Hardwork does pay off..atleast sometimes)

Well folks there you have it…but there were some, which almost made it to the list. Writing on benches, breaking the benches, splashing water on each other (never heard of it..but can give it a try..sure does sound fun),being surveyed by Ed board members, carrying out the surveys( for the Ed board members) etc etc.

As for time..may you rest in peace.