Crossed the Line : CAT 2010

It was Nov 16, the day for my long wait CAT 2010... Before we get to the final part, lets begin how the day began on this fateful day for me.. Upon reaching home from office at around 5 AM, i sat with my laptop browsing through the Archives of my best TV episodes of 24. Later had a quick breakfast ( Roasted bread with Orange Jam ) and clock showed 6:25 AM. In all this while, i didn't notice my phone where around 15 missed calls listed from my dad to make sure i am not still lousy on bed for Blue day.( I used this as its my fav color, who cares anyway)

Me not attending to his calls,led my neighbor to ring the alarm bells to wake me up.. But managed to hear in the middle of a covert operation between Jack Bauer and Kingsley (from the 24 Season II). Well said, its time for me to hit the road and give this 150 min exam. So by 6:45 AM i turned on my Pulsar 200cc Engine with print outs of Google Maps to reach Saveetha Engineering College in Thandalam, my allegedly CAT test center. What i foresee is a journey covering 30.1 KM (as per Google Map Search Results) and report before 8 AM. Although the exam begins at 10 AM, we were supposed to reach early to process our biometric & other stuff.

There you go, with a half filled tank i embarked the mission amidst cloudy weather ( rain god is mercy on me, there are incessant rains since 2 days in Chennai) and reached the By Pass road in less than 20 min. Now en route i missed out a junction where i need to get down from the highway until one gentleman pointed me which made me drive some 14KM to and fro crossing the dividers with some trouble. Upon traveling below 20Km/hr on a bumpy clumsy road filled with rainwater from last night, i managed to reach the end of the tunnel and slipped onto the Darkar Road. Things looks better at this juncture as i am halfway and a drive of around 15 Km should make me stand at the entrance gates of this Engineering College.

Still the search continues!

I was hesitant to look at the watch as i don't want to be turned down from giving CAT this year after this pathetic journey along the county side. Without any name board in sight i drove alone till i reached a Chow-Rastra which dabbled me as this was on the Google Map.( Hell! I got screwed now) I don't have a GPS on my phone and have no idea where i stand as many failed to give directions to my destination. One person provided relief by speaking in English and guided me through to the Chennai- Bangalore Highway via Poonamallee. Without a second guess, i changed gears as quickly as possible only to be halted by the Red Signal on the Highway. With courage, i glanced at the clock, and compass pointed to 7:50 AM (Quite excited as a kid with his new doll at the prospect of making it in time)

Two College graduates confirmed that Saveetha College is a mile away and at last my search comes to an end. The smile on my face faded  at the sight of that old architectural structure stood front of me which read "Saveetha Medical College". Jesus! there is no time to wait and some medical students helped me to identify the my destination which is roughly 15-20 min away in the opposite direction. That yet provided little comfort rather being lost in middle of an ocean. Looking at the Speedometer moving close to 90Km/hr i happened to notice that i covered 67KM from my house til now. ( Never trust on Google Maps to analyze such facts!)
Now with creeping thoughts lingering my mind on my rejection to even attempt CAT 2010, pushed me ahead where i went pass around 5 other Engineering colleges and 3 Medical colleges in this stretch. Lastly one guy standing on the highway (Not sure what he is doing there) confirmed that within a 1KM i should be able to reach my destination. Raced on my bike like a hungry cheetah, my hunger was satiated after i turned off the engine and ran into the Exam Hall with a helmet in one hand along with my Jansport bag. The Clock read 8:40AM and luckily i was allowed inside on the prospect of my valid reasons and daunting course i took to reach this place from Gowrivakkam without GPS support..

Things set in place quite smoothly after i deposited my belongings to two college officials and handed over a label 30 for reference to collect them later. Stepped into the waiting hall after a brief visit to rest room, i settled in a comfortable bench where i fell nostalgic of my engineering days where we give proxy attendance & spend time more on SMS text-ing rather than on the textbook titles. After around idle 45 min, was called into ProMetric Lab for biometric scan and settled to a spot (S41) in IILC5 Lab. Still 30 min to while til the exam begins and all i can stare is the wall ahead and a girl next to me which i hardly could see where we were indoctrinated on the audio & video surveillance in that closed lab.Read thoroughly the instructions and after a 10 slide tutorial, the time has come for the alarm to sound!

Its Over at last !

From 10 AM to 12:30PM, i was exposed to various questions which tested and challenged my thoughts.. And with a sole motive to complete the test in a gentleman's way, attempted all 60 questions using necessary insights. God forbid, i will score a 100 Percentile if all my choices are correct ha ha ha! While i was amidst  of this CAT marathon where these questions pop till i hit on the Quit Test button , Chennai experienced the wrath of the cyclone which open the flood gates for almost 2 hours causing havoc outside our soundproof lab. As time goes on, the test came to an end and after a brief talk with my parents and sister bout the exam, i put on my jacket to escape from being wet in the rain.(which calmed since i collected my belongings) Now while i was about to turn on the 200cc powerhouse, i realized my job is only half done and no clue on how to return back. With no help i was stranded in this scenic college campus til another test taker working with CTS managed to give some clue on my way back. Somehow things look clear than they were, as i took the road with limited ken where it leads to and then all of a sudden came across a signboard which read " Way to Guindy". (something i am familiar with)  From there after around 1 hour drive and covering another 55KM i reach my house and this day ended with another ride to my office at night.

A day to remember not for its significance but for its complexity! i hope everything in life is as simple as it looks and no matter how twisty it may sound ultimately we cross the finish line in colors. Today is one such day and a great experience to leave behind for yet to come in near future...