Thanksgiving weekend!

This year was my first Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. For this holiday, I flew down to Miami to meet my Uncle, his wife, and his parents. I was very excited about going to Miami as all I wanted to do was get away from Georgia Tech and the immense workload!

I flew to Fort Lauderdale from Atlanta on the 25th of November (Wednesday) at 8:00pm. I bought a ticket to Fort Lauderdale as the place where I was staying was closer to the Fort Lauderdale airport than the Miami one. I arrived at Fort Lauderdale around 10:00pm and was picked up by my Uncle and his father. I was very excited when I got into the car as I knew that Miami was a beautiful city and I was very eager to see it! I had been to Miami five years ago and remembered it quite well; although, the recent

developments within the city threw off my memory a little bit.

As soon as I reached my grandparents house in Halandale Beach I was treated to a nice Indian meal for dinner. Indian food never tasted so good! After a wholesome dinner, I went straight to bed, eager to go to the beach the next morning.

On Thursday morning, I woke up at around 11:00am and hit the beach. The beach is very

close to where my grandparents live and hence the drive there was very short. As soon as I got to the beach, I started smiling as I had been waiting for this day ever since I got my first math

grade back from Georgia Tech! I was finally in paradise. The beach was beautiful, with a nice cool breeze and sharp sun light. I love photographing the beach. I spent around forty five minutes walking up and down the beach taking pictures. I spent the rest of the time laying down on a beach chair and listening to music. I was relaxed and calm. A perfect afternoon. After the beach, I went to my Uncle's house with the whole family and started to cook the turkey. It was done in about two hours and then the feast began! The food was delicious (I love Thanksgiving food! Who doesn't?). I eat two dinners that night, and I was stuffed and ready

for bed at the end of it.

Friday morning was spent shopping for clothes at an out door mall. The prices were so low it was unbelievable! After a lot of shopping, I went down to South Beach with my Uncle and he showed me around. There were so many people all around! It was very different from Atlanta and a lot of fun!

Saturday called for more shopping. I realized that I had not got all the things that I needed so I went back to the mall. I had a nice Indian lunch at home and then went to Palm Island where my Uncle's best friend lives. He has a beautiful house on the canal. After spending some time there, I went to Lincoln road, another party hot spot. It was nice to see all the different people at this place. The atmosphere was very lively and happy.

I had to come back on Sunday, but not before driving around downtown Miami and Miami

beach. We drove around and looked at all the huge ships that were docked at the harbor. These mega cruise ships were preparing to leave at around 5:00pm for their destination (mostly The Bahama's). My flight was at 5:30pm from Fort Lauderdale so we had to get back across town so that I don't miss my flight. I got to the airport in time, said my thank you's and good bye's and before I knew it, I was on a flight back to Georgia Tech and FINALS WEEK.

Clean old fashioned hate

On November 28th, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets took on the Georgia Bulldogs. The game was very important to both teams as the game resides on a historic rivalry between the two Universities. This rivalry has been going on since 1893. Georgia Tech is on it's way to winning the ACC championship on December 5th, whereas the Georgia Bulldogs did terribly throughout the entire season. Hence, understandably, we thought we would win this encounter. Last year, GT beat U(sic)GA at the U(sic)GA campus. The entire campus was buzzing with excitement as GT fans all over were determined to win and get a two streak win against U(sic)GA.

The game started off balanced with both teams playing well. The Bulldogs took the lead by scoring a touchdown. GT's defense was not doing too well. The first half saw a lot of injuries towards GT. The game itself was not going well for GT. We were losing, badly, but there was still hope. That hope was ignited in the fourth quarter when a GT player scored an amazing touchdown to bring U(sic)GA's lead down to only 6 points. All we needed was one touchdown and the game would have been ours by one point. We managed to stop the Bulldogs in four downs and their kicker missed the field goal, this game seemed to be ours! We had possession of the football and there was ample time on the clock for a late comeback. After three unsuccessful passing tries, Coach Paul Johnson decided that we should go for it and try another throw on 4th and 10. Nesbitt, our quarterback threw the ball perfectly to number 8 on our team. Everyone thought that he had made the catch and that we were on 1st down, but to our utter shock and dismay, the player fumbled the ball and the game was lost. U(sic)GA had possession of the ball and they just wasted time on the field.

We were so close to an amazing comeback at Bobby Dodd Stadium but unfortunately, luck was not on our side. We must pick up what we learnt from our mistakes this game and make sure that we win the ACC championship.

"What's the good word!?"

"To HELL with Georgia!"

"What's the good word!?"

"To HELL with Georgia!"

"What's the good word!?"

"To HELL with Georgia!"

"How bout em DOGS!?"

"Piss on em!"

Parties and Riots

Although parties can reduce students' stress, parties more likely harm the environment. Once students get into college, they earn freedom. That freedom, however, could turn out to be detrimental if not handled properly. Specifically, fraternities and sororities host parties during weekends and students become unstoppable whenever there is a football game. It can affect students' grade and can probably affect their whole life.

Penn State is notorious for parties and students go crazy when it comes to parties. The day before the football game, they get together and have parties. They drink, smoke, dance, have intercourse, and even more. Then on the game day, dressed in blue and white, tens and thousands of students start walking to the stadium filling up downtown and campus. In 2005, Penn State beat rival Ohio State and that night 20,000 students filled downtown and campus. They started breaking cars, windows, doors, lamp posts, and anything that was in their way. Then Police started seizing them and fined the students who were involved in the riot.
Some people may think that it is not bad to have parties because it reduces students' stress, but the parties are really harmful to the neighbors and the environment. The biggest problem is beer. According to National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, around 88% of college students including students under 21 have used alcohol. This percentage may not sound so big, but thinking about thousands of students drinking underage or drinking and driving in college really shocks all of us. Another problem is violence. When students get drunk, they tend to get violent and it leads to riots. They have fights with each other and start breaking windows and doors, so many business owners are affected. One small action leads to a greater action that requires greater responsibility. Hence parties should be reduced in college, no matter what, to make the campus a better place to live and study.

Storm that field!

On October 17th, Georgia Tech took down Virginia Tech in an epic battle at Bobby Dodd Stadium. The stadium was packed with 50,000 enthusiastic Georgia Tech fans, the air was filled with excitement throughout the game and the students (as well as the alumni) could not hold their joy. The game took place over homecoming weekend; therefore, there were thousands of people present who had studied at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The game in itself was a very important one. What made the game more enjoyable and interesting was that Virginia Tech was ranked 4th in the country while Georgia Tech was ranked 19th! Hence, Georgia Tech was considered as the underdogs, and all the pre-game shows predicted that Virginia Tech would beat us. Well, everyone was proved wrong, and the Yellow Jackets showed the country the spirit of the university-success!

The game was top quality, with both teams struggling to lead during the first half. I am very happy to say that Georgia Tech demolished Virginia Tech in the second half (although there were a few scares from Virginia Tech during the game). As soon as the final whistle was blown, Yellow Jacket fans jumped over the stands and onto the field, I was one of those people. The experience has been one of the most exhilarating moments in my life! Jumping onto the field, hugging and high fiving random people, shouting and screaming and just being so happy that your team proved that they are worthy for the title of THE CHAMPIONS OF THE ACC is one of the best feelings one can ever imagine! I was somehow dragged by the crowd into the centre of the field where all the fans were cheering the players and Coach Paul Johnson. I joined in the singing and the jumping, it was such a memorable moment…

After about twenty minutes of celebrating, the crowd of ecstatic supporters went to take down the goal post, a tradition when the field has been stormed. At first I thought everyone around me was joking when they said that the goal post was going to be taken down! Soon enough, there were people trying to get onto the goalpost in order to break it. It took a while for the students to bend the goal post enough to make it snap, but eventually, the goal post was broken! All the students and the other visitors who stormed the field helped carry the goalpost around. I helped as well! We carried the massive piece of metal outside the stadium and all the way to President Bud Peterson’s back yard! There, we cut up the goal posts into pieces and everyone took a piece home. It was an amazing a exciting adventure that brought all of the students at Georgia Tech together. It was one of my favorite freshman year college moments!

Who does'nt welcome Fall Break?

The last two weeks at Georgia Tech have been, in one word, intense. The amount of work, the assignments, the exams, the classes and life in general, keep weighing you down and push you that much closer to the ground. It is a hard university to survive in academically, but the professors, friends, atmosphere, and everything else Georgia Tech gives you enough support to make it through this prestigious college successfully.

In the last two weeks, I have had two exams, have had to submit two project proposals, raise funds for AIDS Walk Atlanta, complete at least two homework’s for classes (everyday), do two full lab reports (extremely long) and manage my life, all at the same time. This is not me complaining about the work load that I have taken on; this is me reflecting on all the work I somehow managed to complete on time! Georgia Tech challenges you along every step of the way. It will beat you down, but then give you enough opportunity to get back up on your feet. This college is truly a dream. The challenges that face us everyday seem to be mountains (and are almost always interesting); what is so great about this university is that it understands its students so well. After an immense workload, Tech gives us so many opportunities to relax, reflect, and enjoy. These opportunities include events like the Georgia Tech Night at the World of Coca-Cola, Georgia Tech Night at Six Flags, various concerts (like Third Eye Blind), and peaceful, enjoyable breaks, like fall break.

Fall Break is a 4 day weekend in which students can do whatever they want. I chose to relax and catch up on some sleep this fall break. I cannot describe how good it feels to sleep without being woken up in the morning by your noisy alarm clock for your 9am class of Chemistry 1310. Friday night was spent watching movies with friends, listening to the newest music, and just relaxing in my dorm room. I slept till 8pm on Saturday! I got 16 good (might I say, well earned) hours of sleep. Saturday was pretty much the same as Friday. I got to watch all the latest movies that I had missed in theatres! It was a lot of fun. Just sitting down in a chair, knowing that you are free for the whole day, and you can do whatever you want, is a superb feeling. However, come Tuesday, I will need to get my act together, as classes start on Wednesday! Another example of Georgia Tech’s understanding of its students- Homecoming is next weekend! Everything is perfectly planned. Thank you Georgia Tech.

The horror!

This was what she used to look like...

It was a nice sunny September Sunday at Georgia Tech, and I was happy. After a good weekend of fun with my friends, I was relaxing, listening to music, and planning out my homework schedule for the day. In the middle of my happy day dream, I felt something sliding out of my pocket. The feeling was followed by the most horrific sound I have ever heard; yes, it was my phone, and it had just broken.

Alas! It has been proved (to my despair), that the "invincibility of the iPhone", that people brag about is bogus. Turns out that you are going to have a terrible day if you drop this nifty device on any of its four corners. Apple has released a statement about this (that many iPhone users do not know about). The statement says that if the iPhone impacts at a point where the pressures are too much for the glass to sustain, the screen can get damaged. This is quite obvious, and I have no idea why I did not think of this (but then again, I did not intentionally smash my phone towards earth). It obviously is my fault for not taking care of my phone, but it is almost impossible for me not to be a little angry with Apple. I bought this phone on a contract with AT&T (as I do not have a Social Security Number, I had to pay a deposit), and hence, I am stranded when it comes to warranty issues.

The first thing I did when I realized that my phone was damaged was look up solutions on the internet. Then I proceeded to call Apple's customer care service. It is understandable that this kind of damage does not come under regular warranty. What I found displeasing about this episode was that Apple's monopoly in the cell phone and music industry has created a situation where they can price their products (or repairs) at any amount and get away with it! Consumers are going to pay that price to keep their products in good shape (this excludes third party companies that will fix your product for you at a better price, which, by the way, I feel is not a very good idea as this will render it impossible for you to ever send your product to Apple again if there are any future issue). This monopoly is terrible for consumers, and exponentially amazing for Apple. If only there was a company that could rival these entertainment gods, we would all be happy, and left with a lot more money in our pockets.

Now I sit here, depressed and sad, that my beautiful iPhone has lost its charm. Nostalgia engulfs my thoughts; about the good times when I would look at my phone and smile, as she was indeed, beautiful…

(You can pay your respects and condolences at: http://db.tidbits.com/resources/2009-06/iphonescreen_cracked.jpg)

Football!

September 5th, 2009. I attended and watched my first American Football game. It was Georgia Tech vs. Jacksonville State University. Honestly, I was quite disappointed with the sport and the overall game play. This was the first time I had watched an entire football game. I am a soccer fan, and hence was expecting some fast paced action from the sport. My friends tried to explain to me that the game was boring only because our opponents were not good enough; they promised that I would love our next game against Clemson: The White Out. Truthfully, I was not looking forward to it. My first impression of the sport corrupted my mind into thinking that the sport was utterly pointless and boring. During the week between the two games, one of my friends introduced me to Madden 2009, a virtual football game for the XBOX 360. Soon enough, I got a hang of the game and started understanding the various rules and the plays. A day before the game, I was quite sure that I would understand what was happening on the field.

September 10th, 2009. It was GAMEDAY. The air was buzzing (quite literally) with excitement, people were pumping themselves up for the evening game, families were tail-gating all over campus, and I was waiting for my math class to end. I had everything, the white t-shirt, white shorts, white shoes, white socks; I even wore a white turban! The white out was about to begin. I was lucky enough to get front row seats near the south end zone, in a stadium with 55,000 football crazy fans. To my surprise, I enjoyed the game thoroughly. It was entertaining, fast paced, exciting and overall: fun. All I could talk and think about was the game and how great football is. The sport caught me by surprise and now I am looking forward to the next game!

This situation made me realize that I should not trust first impressions, and that everything in life should be given a second chance.