It all happened on Graduation eve...

It all happened that evening… my graduation eve was a reflection of the whole year I spent at Cornell in a perfect way.

The day was as a beautiful as a winter day could be. It had snowed a LOT the night before, but there was no wind at all. The views were simply breathtaking. The afternoon was nice, sunny and warm.

Afternoon: I toil hard walking all over the campus to get my cap and gown. The place is closed for lunch, I wait. After a trip to ATM in the snow, I finally have it.
‘We’re going to King Kong’ says my friend.  ‘I don’t wanna go, it’s  loooonng movie’. I say. But he successfully convinces me to come to the movie at 8PM.

6PM: I’m still in the office, completing my research paper. Darn, the remaining 20% always takes 80% of the time… it’s really been such a drag to complete this last piece of work required to graduate. I do manage to finish it though.

7PM: I start my ‘handover’ presentation to my fellow researcher. All right, this really is the final step.

7:30PM: I keep pinching myself – hurray, I’m done, I’m done. Hop on to TCAT for the mall.

8PM-11PM: It was a loooonnngg movie as expected but I enjoyed it. Great graphics. Some of the scenes were ‘made’ funny by Makhu’s and Swati’s untimely laughter. I can never forget the scene where Ann comes in front of Kong in NYC for the first time… both Makhu and Swati burst out laughing so badly, I couldn’t stop laughing myself. (That nothing was funny in the scene was reminded by the glares of those in the audience)

11-somethingish: We are returning, and after almost all the people have unboarded the bus, Makhu tells me one of his great ideas: it’s graduation tomorrow yaar, and we must drink. I’m the one who’s always more than eager to latch on to these ideas. We try to get everyone, but no one turns up. Only me and Makhu are drinking. Swati is a nice girl, she agrees to give us company by having hot chocolate. Venue: CTB of course!

1AM: Makhu doesn’t like beer, and whatever we had, we finish it in amazing bottom-ups. So we  decide to move on to Rulloff’s or Stella’s. Darn Tompkins county, it’s illegal to sell alcohol after 1 AM! ( So be it, today nobody can stop us from having fun. Let’s go to Ithaca Falls, we decide.
We embark on a treacherous journey through snow down gun hill to Ithaca falls. Mid-way Makhu feels the urge to relieve himself. I start getting that beer-effect too. Darn, all the dorms are also closed. No way, buddy. Let’s keep going down.
While going down, Makhu reminds us that we will actually have to walk all the way up after we reach down. We end up cancelling the plan of going down. We decide to watch the falls from above, i.e. from North Willard Way and begin our journey up the slope.

2AM-ish: Ahhhh! The scene is superb! So much snow glistening in the night and the sound of water. Ithaca is Gorges!! After some time and escaping from a violently barking dog, we resume our journey homewards (driven by our bladders). Murphy’s law being what it is, we somehow manage to not follow Stewart Ave and instead end up on Univ ave, way below. Imagine the condition, bladder full since long, heart full of the hope of reaching home soon and relieving ourselves, we find ourselves almost at the foot of Buffalo St. Darn, there’s no way we can continue without going to the loo, we both decide. But hey, there’s a park here! (Imagine the rest).

3AM – ish: After the steep climb, we are finally at my place. And as hungry as a grad student can be. I have some rice and stuff – nothing tastes as great as a very late night snack! After the food, Swati calls it a day (pun intended!). So it’s me and Makhu trudging up Buffalo St, carrying my laptop.

4AM – ish: we are in a classroom, with the projector on. Wow, we are watching a movie full screen in a classroom at Cornell at 4:30AM….!! Close to 5AM we both find each other sleeping and decide to go home. After an uneventful journey home, we put our bodies to rest not knowing if we will be able to wake up for the graduation ceremony the next day..