Funny Exam Stories: Part 1

Since it is exam (not Christmas) season for most university/college students, I thought I’d share a funny exam story that I experienced back in my second year of university, around the end of 2008. It’s interesting looking back at it, but it was obviously not very humorous at the time.

I was in my second year, and as per program requirements, I had to take a compulsory language course. I chose to take French, believing that I could do well in it without decreasing my GPA too much (language courses are hard unless you have a genuine interest in the language).

I was very wrong.

Not to make excuses, but it was my second year, and since it was an online course, I found myself caring less and less as the semester went on. To date, that semester was my worst in all of undergrad, and ultimately served as my “what the fuck are you doing?!” moment. Any university student who reads this has had that same exact moment at least once in their undergrad years.

Anyway, I need to mention three things before I continue the story. First, the exam was held at 9 AM in a packed gymnasium. Second, I am NOT a morning person and need to sleep at least 10 hours if I haven’t slept properly. And lastly, I had a 57 coming into the exam (tsk tsk, I know), and the professor had designated that students MUST pass the final exam to pass the course.

I remember having a very hectic exam schedule that year, so naturally, I didn’t get to start studying for the exam until there were about 2 days left. I will say that my time-management skills were horrendous till I got to about third year, so that may have factored into this situation as well. Either way, I blame myself for it.

For some reason, there I was at the library starting at 6 pm, planning to pull an all-nighter and yes, cram for the exam. And I did. I literally studied from 6 pm – 6 am (12 hours!) at our school library, DC.

On a side note: yes, there were plenty of other people who also pulled that all-nighter at DC with me, though I’m quite sure they were all in engineering.

Nevertheless, after pulling 12 hours of studying with no sleep, and stubbornly refusing to consume caffeine, I was absolutely exhausted by 6 am. I think I stopped retaining information after 3 am, so I’m not sure what I did or what I learned for those 3 hours before leaving the library. I decided that the best thing to do at this time (around 6:10 am) was to go home, eat, and study till my exam started.

I somehow found my way home and stumbled into my room.

Now, if you’ve ever pulled an all-nighter knowing you had a test/exam in the morning, you should know that sleeping/”napping” is absolutely forbidden under these circumstances.

And if you didn’t know that, then you will know why in a second.

I entered my room, put everything down, and saw my comfy, comfy bed. In retrospect, this is how I know now that I was delusional from studying - my bed was simply two mattresses stacked on the floor and was not exactly luxurious. I decided that at 7 AM on the morning after an all-nighter, the best option for me was to take a “15 minute nap”.

My exam was 2 hours away.

I set about 3 alarm clocks, and plopped on to my (not so) comfy bed, and just passed out.

An accurate depiction of how I looked when I decided to nap at 7 AM.

All of a sudden, I woke up, and it wasn't even because of the 3 alarm clocks. I felt light headed and my eyes were burning – the obvious result of not sleeping all night, not consuming caffeine, not eating properly, and deciding to nap. 

With my insides feeling queasy, and with only one eye awake, I looked at the time.

9:20 am.

My exam started at 9.

I was fucked.

- Gaurav P.

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Note: For those of you interested in finishing the story, here is part 2.

Are athletes role models?

Kobe's mugshot, 2003

“I am not a role model” – Charles Barkley

Sir Charles uttered that simple statement in a famous 1993 Nike commercial (watch it here) and managed to generate controversy with seemingly every North American parent over the age of 35. Basically, it forced Americans (and I guess Canadians too) to look at themselves and ask whether or not athletes should take the responsibility of being role models to their kids.

My perception is that if people outraged by the commercial really believed in their hearts that multimillionaires paid to play a sport (a ball through a damn hoop!) are supposed to be raising what is in actuality their responsibilities, then they are simply lazy parents, or the kids themselves are not in the right frame of mind.

Everyone who is reading this likely knows that I am a die-hard fan of Kobe Bryant. I can recite his statistics from his 2003 season without looking it up. I can tell you I watched the game where he dropped 33 points in the second half to lead a 20 point comeback win against the Orlando Magic in 1998/1999. I can tell you I still have a VHS recording of him getting booed when he received his first All-Star MVP award in 2002. I bleed Kobe Bryant as a sports fan. But he’s not my role model, nor is he ever going to be. You want to know my role model(s)? 

My family. My parents. My dad.

Without getting into it too much, I’ll just say that the difference between an athlete and someone in your immediate life is straight forward. One can give you life lessons, pass on wisdom, and teach you the little intricacies of getting through life; the other can score baskets, film cheesy “NBA Cares” commercials, and show up on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Athletes are not role models.

What they are, however, are prime examples of the talent blended in with the perfect mindset for success. And this is why I look up to Kobe Bryant.

If you look at all the most successful athletes in their respective fields (currently, guys like Kobe Bryant, Sidney Crosby, and Tom Brady come to mind), you will see a common thread in all of their lives. They were all talented to begin with, sure, but to mold that talent and rise out of (literally) the millions of people trying to get where they currently are is something to admire. I don’t admire them as people - how can I when I don’t know them personally? But what I do admire is their mental fortitude; their work ethic; their determination.

This is why Kobe Bryant is my favourite player. I look up to him as someone possessing the ideal mental characteristics needed to reach the top, no matter what field you are in. This is, of course, a post in itself for the future (note to self: write a future post about why he's your favourite player).

However, my basic premise is that if you approach whatever it is that you want to do with the same fire, intensity, dedication, and work ethic that he approaches the game of basketball, then you will be successful. I truly believe that, and I try to apply that mentality every moment that I can in my life. Of course, not everyone can have that level of mental dedication or single-mindedness to succeed, but it is definitely something to try and emulate.

Ultimately, this is what the transcendent athletes should be revered for – their dedication, their will, their ability to rise under pressure, their work ethic, and their passion for the sport.

Looking up to them for any other reason means you’re simply setting yourself up for a role model who disappoints you.

- G.P

The Concept of Education

Note: This post is supposed to be neither preachy nor pretentious. These are just my thoughts on the subject, so take it however you want it.

As far as I can remember, I was destined for university. I don’t mean that in the sense that I lived my childhood years knowing I was going to get into university; rather, I understood that it was absolutely necessary for me to use it as a stepping stone to get to where I should want to be.

“If you want to get ahead, LEARN.” 

This was the message that was pushed in my head from an early age. I guess everyone has their own calling in life, and ever since I was little, I always understood mine to be about valuing the concept of education, rather than repressing it. Education in itself means different things to different people – some see it (in its institutionalized form) as a burden on creativity, and a path towards the 9-5 routine - a dip into that “average” lifestyle that everyone wants to avoid. To me, I saw education as a form of liberation, something that would separate me from the average individual. I don’t mean this in the sense of earning potential - you can be stupid but still earn millions (see celebrities like Paris Hilton, Lebron James, etc). What I’m trying to state is that education liberates your mind by expanding your mind more than the next person, and that’s its function in the struggle that is life.

Since when is having more knowledge (about anything) than the person next to you a bad thing? As long as you’re not pretentious and/or obnoxious about it, education is a beautiful talent.

I strictly view life as a competition. Firstly, you’re racing against time, but you’re also racing against everyone else in the same field as you to get ahead. By field, I'm referring to people in the same age bracket as you, or perhaps even the same job-field as you. Basically, those people you creep on Facebook every once in a while to see what they've been doing since the last time you saw them 5 years ago.

Therefore, the best ways to defeat your competition - regardless of what field it is – is through education. Think about it. Even if you’re a musician or an athlete - the ones who reach the top and stay at the top are the ones who educate themselves. Let me give you a prime example of this. Guys like Will Smith and Kobe Bryant are both clearly successful individuals in their respected fields. The reason why both of them are at the top of the list in their profession is, by their own accounts, through learning from the greats of the past, and seeking out  knowledge about what has worked for the people before them and by figuring out new ways to improve themselves, year after year. And that’s what I’m trying to conceptualize in your heads: education as a necessity for success beyond monetary means.

I know people in my life who never took education seriously, ones who always saw it as a burden. Even worse, they never made the effort to learn on their own. Never wanted to educate themselves on the world, on themselves. How much can you really know about yourself when you’re not willing to push your mind and see its capabilities?

My point is: education doesn’t mean having to hit the books in an institutionalized setting. People think that just because they go to University, it makes them smart.

No.

I know plenty of people who are in University but still perceive life through the eyes of a teenager. To me, education means constantly improving and finding new and more ingenious ways to reinvent yourself as a person. If you think the same way, or are completely rigid in your views about a concept about (i.e. – say, religion) today as you were 5 years ago, you haven’t learned shit.

- G.P

Allow me to re-introduce myself...

If you're reading this blog, its likely that you're creeping my profile picture on Facebook (females: feel free to creep as long as your hearts desire), or you somehow stumbled on to this page because it was obviously fate.

The aim of my blog is simple: I want to write about the observations that I make about the world both culturally and socially, and share some life lessons that I've learned along the way. I may even rant about a particular subject or add in some posts regarding sports as well, if necessary. Basically, this blog is an insight into my mind, and how I perceive the world around me.

Plus, I love writing, and firmly believe in my ability to open up the minds of others, so it can't be all that bad ;)

Here's to hoping this won't be the last post you read.

- G.P