Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Internet Programming

I actually spent days studying for my Internet Programming exam. You might not see the significance of this unless you've known me personally for years. The studious front is only a front. I've perfected last minute cramming through diligent practice. This augurs well for the actual writing of the exam, right?

The first problem comes up even before I start for college.
How do I carry the textbooks? We have a couple of hours before the exam starts in which we usually cram like crazy. Did I mention that I had three textbooks, each of which could have easily destroyed my poor, much abused college backpack?

To top it off, I had just changed bus routes. So I went to the bus stop 15 minutes earlier so I wouldn't miss the bus and stood there looking like a dork with my bulging backpack + a GRT Thanga Maligai plastic bag which threatened to split at any moment.

The college bus rolled to a stop about 15 minutes later. People eyed the plastic bag with misgiving and disapproval. The classmate I sat next to peeped at the contents and exhaled, "All foreign authors?" like I had just conquered Everest.
I told her I had been too lazy to go and buy a local author like every other sane person seemed to have done. I don't think she believed me though.

The morning was fresh and foggy. I watched people walk their dogs and a weak sun rise over the Koovam. Yep, good day.
I opened my DHTML textbook and started reading. After half an hour, I was still on line two. Giving up on the impossible, I tried sleeping till I got to college. This was again misinterpreted as a sign of having mugged every word in the book.

By the time I finished breakfast and settled down to cram, I was heartily sick I had bought all my books to college. The cramming went well because there was relatively less to cram than usual.

I briefly considered dumping all my textbooks somewhere after I was done but it didn't last. I've never yet unceremoniously dumped a book. Somehow it seems criminal.

I won't elaborate on the actual exam. Suffice to say that I knew most of everything they asked and still messed up.

Do you know how annoying it is when you know all the answers and still write the wrong ones because of a technicality or because you thought the people who set the question paper were wrong?

I even lugged all the monster books back home despite my grief and despair.

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