The last few months have been some of the most exciting months in my life. After a semester full of preparations – be it placements or CAT – full of constant unrest about the future, worrying about leaving no stone unturned - December was a God sent gift. The culmination of all the hard work bore fruit in December. I got a job I dreamed about. A job that I had set my sights on since the 2^nd year. A chance to work in ITC. OF course there are some better jobs available – monetarily and qualitatively – but this is what I wanted. Can't miss the feeling of Dec 5^th. Placed on the first day, despite not being from the placement friendly departments – in fact I am from the department dreaded by every company. Not an easy feat I guess. The feeling of immense happiness and relaxation - the feeling of "peace" as per KGP lingo. Going home with a head proudly held high, meeting up relatives and friends who constantly shower praises – definitely a time to remember and keep as a motivator for future - keep achieving and such times will continue.

Then came the surprise. I must say I did prepare for CAT. But it wasn't close to the best I could give. Took two test series – fared badly in one of them, and did reasonable good in the other. Even after sacrificing the DP holidays, course completion was nowhere to be seen. My calculation speed had increased only marginally, so DI was always a weak spot. Quant wasn't a strength area either, I guess. English – all the movie watching and novel reading ensured that this section would not betray ever. After CAT I didn't calculate marks – I never do it for any exam. Thought that I'll manage one two calls based on CGPA and IIT. And what a surprise was in store – calls from all the IIMs. At a time when all IITians fared badly! Becoming a so called CAT-phodu! Another dream come true.

This part was the best of times.

"Saari duniya mauj main, Main akela fauj main" - a sentence that can sum up the feeling I've had for quite some time. Post placement semester is supposed to be the most fun of all. It's like one party after another. A kind of no-load zone. Nothing to worry about. But apart from the vacations at home, such time really wasn't in store for me. Calls from IIMs meant lots of preparations. GD/PI sessions in Calcutta every weekend, coupled with infinite syllabus to study has made my schedule pretty tight, to speak the least. I couldn't attend my favorite event in Kharagpur – Spring Fest. The fest I love above all else – the fest I'll cherish all my life. Everyone else seems to have the max fun of their lives after placement. And they can have this fun with no worries or qualms. Going to gangtok, sundebans, deegha – all such plans seem to vanish in front of the interview schedule. People have concluded that my life will always be like this – something to keep me busy will always find a way to encroach my time. And with the disastrous attendance record I'll probably not be able to miss any more classes in the rest of the semester. Sometimes I feel if IIMs are worth this, If I really want to clear them, or is it just to make some people happy. I'm still pretty torn on the job v/s MBA issue still. And the worst part – I'm not preparing well for the IIMs either, after all this hue and cry. Even at the time of writing this blog, I should supposedly be studying for IIM-A.

This part was the worst of the times.

So what kind of time am I really living in? Best? Worst? Somewhere in the middle? Are these achievements enough to call it the best? Or am I making too much of the preparations? Should I really care about if everyone else is partying their way through? Should I be more focused on the bigger picture here? Or should I just stop worrying and enjoy my stay here in KGP in the best way I can? Should I leave it all, as this time will never come back? Or should I stop pondering about these questions, and devote my time for the prepaprations? To be frank, I don't know!