Civil Service mains 2018

Lost opportunity,

Essay: was ok but left some key points

Paper 1: bad time management,didn't answer well the most scoring questions, society

Paper 2: Forgot constitutional provisions

Paper 3: Science and tech Achilles heals

Paper4: 1 question almost blank

Chemistry paper 1 : ruined. Attempted less. Extremely bad time management

Chemistry paper2: Ok but left 1 or 2 juicy questions

Verdict: Can't say mch abt interview call, much better performance then last year

West MP east

19th Oct:Bhopal-Mandsaur: Train around 8 hours
20th: Pashupatinath temple at Mandsaur
Off to Neemuch: Sanvaliji Seth. Closes around 12pm
By 3pm: Udaipur, frh in front of Fateh Sagar, visited Udaipur fort. Dinner at Natraj restaurant
21st: Morning 2hour run and walk around Fateh Sagar. Nice place to run
Departure around 10pm to Mt Abu, East-West Corridor: one of the best roads I have seen, from the main road 25km to haldighati, reached Mt Abu by 5 pm

Stayed at government cottage, visited gurushikhar 1722metres, panoramic view

Dinner circuit house Rajasthan

22nd:Morning trek, bears on prowl,beaware, Dilwara temple camera not allowed. No words to describe the interacies of architecture

Around 200km to Nathwara. On Udaipur Ajmer route. Devotees of Krishna. Baal avtaar, throng mostly from Gujarat

Drive to Chittaurgarh via Maveli. Victory tower at Chittaurgarh but too dark to enjoy the architecture, took only pic on a horse

60km to Neemuch: Night halt at mp tourism guest house

23rd: Off to Gandhisagar dam, boundary between mp and RJ. Crocs. Vultures nesting. Prehestoric caves beside a beautiful stream, lunch at guesthouse, dinner Neemuch. Awesome desi chicken to windoff trip, LHB rake Jp- Hyd

Driver : Nitin ,NK Selvi

People: DFO, Shri Vishwakarma, Mayank Chandiwal, Range officers. Sharmaji,Gehlotji Bhargavji at gandhisagar

Passing away of Stalwart, Atal Bihari Vajpayeeji

RIP Atal Bihari Vajpayeeji, passed away an hour back, one of the tallest leaders of Indian politics. He was one the one who made beloved Dr Kalam the prez. In a matter of 15 days , 2 heavy weight leaders( Karunanidhi) pass away.

Mains 18 approaching

Seriously frustrated with life, vision marks came and there is hardly any improvement from last year's performance. Was ranked 442 from among 650 candidates. Chemistry has already proved to be a time sucker leech, killed me in 2017 and looks like 2018 won't be any different. Time table is not being followed, internet being misused, answers not written, infact wrote practice test for chemistry and it seems a chimpanzee would have got more questions correct. They say only way out is through, but wayout seems to be too long. Time to take a job or ta ship and prepare, passing time at home is becoming difficult day by day.
Its not that I have a habit of wasting time on internet, it's just that there is a strange kind of lonliness which forces me divert my attention and net seems the easiest way out. Ayush's death has also made me fidgety,  forced me to ponder over my life , this exam has deprived me of the quality time which I could have spent with my closest ones, 2 of whom are no longer in this world. How many more years? Atleast the silver lining is I am getting time to spend time with my parents, which is a previlege in such uncertain world.

Preparing for UPSC has taught me to respect my competitors, while preparing for IIT JEE I did not have much sympathetic attitude towards my class mates, but here it's different, I feel for brilliant candidates who are not getting in, sincere candidates failing prelims, is also painful to see. Somewhere I know I may be one of them , what's happening with them now is in store for me in the future.

Wimbledon semifinals :Anderson vs Isner, what a match!!!

Anderson has been fighting since 2nd round,with this match going till 6 hr 36 min, pic says all. "It was a draw but unfortunately one of us had to go through, I know him since 14 years, he has helped me to push my limits  "- Anderson on Isner after the match. A reminder of Isner vs Mahut match , 8 years back, which went for more than 11 hours.

Brazil loses

Missed chances , own goal, brilliant Belgium defence except for few lapses at last+Courtois!! For Brazil Douglas Costa was superb, missed chances Neymar, Thiago Silva, Coutinho, lack lustre performance by Gabriel Jesus.

It's unfair to have Brazil, france , Belgium on same half, next match i.e. France vs Belgium is a virtual final.

Neymar, Coutinho, Marcelo, Thiago Silva, Douglas Costa, Paulinho... With such a fine team it's a pity Brazil is going home early. I wish Dani Alves was there..With Argentina, Germany, Spain already out, Brazil could have capitalised better this opportunity. Neymar misses a chance to get hold of Ballon d OR and world cup, which could have brought him little closer to Messi, Ronaldo, till nw except the match against Mexico he hasn't proved himself to be a match winner..

France vs Belgium, I think France will go through.

World Cup 2018

WC 2018 is eating my time, have been watching all high profile matches including Argentina-France, Portugal-Uruguay, but the time seems to be well spent as all the matches are going so close. Yesterday watched Croatia almost losing out to defiant Denmark (Denmark's goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel almost snatched the game), but thanks to our Barcelona man, Rakitic, Croatia survived. Sad to see Senegal out of tournament, inspite of brilliant performance(out because of fair play :p). I vivdly remember stellar performance of Senegal in 2002 World cup where they even beat defending champion France. The world cup fever had engulfed many in FRI, Dehradun and many kids including me had joined Soccer coaching.(I joined in 2006 too). 2002 world cup was the reason I started following soccer and eventually FC Barcelona all thanks  to  Ronaldinho. :)

I just hope this world cup doesn't become World Cup 2010 for me, where I wasted a lot of time and a crucial month of IIT JEE preparation. Final damage was done by 2011 Cricket world cup which was happening during my board exams, and still regret leaving the English exam early (in excitement I forgot to attempt a book which I found out after reaching home) to watch India vs South Africa match, to my shock when I reached home, I found out the match was the next day( which India lost). My performance in English killed my result and till date, which ever interview I go , I fear interviewer asking me about how I managed to go down from 95.4% in class 10th to 74% in 12th( has already happened in 4 interviews). Final nail in coffin was final India vs Sri Lanka, a week before IIT JEE 2011. This cummulation of errors was finally paid with below potential performance in IIT JEE and ruining my 2 years of painful hardwork ultimately costing me a year.

Watching a match is fine, but I analyzing it ,watching post match discussion is not fine, because it takes the focus away from real purpose, i.e. Civil services. I better mend my ways lest I pay a price in this year's mains, it will be dejavu experience.

                                            As cool as cucumber, Ivan Rakitic ☺☺