Weekend nostalgia + 650 on the KAP diag test...

TRIP TO FORT COCHIN – Needless nostalgia?
Wasted the morning with an old colleague who had come in from Coimbatore. Went to Fort Cochin – the older island of Cochin where the Dutchmen had their cannons, churches and cemeteries. There’s this point at Fort Cochin where all ships have to pass through to reach Cochin harbour-one of those places you can see the Chinese fishing nets. Also a place where you can choose any fresh seafood (even exotica like small sharks/octopuses/tiger prawns/clams etc) and get it cooked at a shack – am told that its’ as best as seafood can get.

Also dropped into the Kashi art café – a neat joint if you are into those arty farty joints – L’art meets le coffee meets les snax meets les firangis. Popped out in 5 mts and took a walk down the shore.

By the weirdest of coincidences, saw the white “MV BHARAT SEEMA” passing by – a ship that Dad had captained for a couple of years before he died. Seeing her triggered off a flood of memories… Dad in pristine white sailor’s uniform, us climbing a swaying rope ladder and trying very hard not to look at the long drop to the water, my bros head getting stuck under the cupboard in the ship, my dad showing us around the navigating cabins and the engine rooms…Trying very hard not to lose control, I quickly pretended to take some snaps of the ship. I guess, more than his death, it’s the way that life (or was it he himself?) unmade him in his last days, that was (is) agonizing… read an article in The Week by Mahesh Dattani about the time when he admits his aged mom in a hospital and she dies all alone in the middle of IV tubes, a sterile room, hospital machines and similar inanimate objects...Talk about weird coincidences…too many reminders in one day…why does this bother me so much? Why can’t I get over this? Again the best answer remains…42. And life remains a nasty bitch.

Well, the best part about having someone around you is that you get distracted from all these bigger questions and move on with the flotsam…drifting into the day. Had lunch at home after some time-pass shopping at Fabindia and saw him off to Coimbax. Then hit the office for…

GMAT Prep for the day
By now have come up with a fairly decent idea of  
How to go about prep:

1. Read PR for speed solving strategies


2. Depend on KAP & OG for the basics - Math review/ SC/ Grammar


3. Check PR/the net and come up with templates for AWA – practice with the actual GMAT topic list


4. Do/ Redo problems for KAP 800 & the OG and check the wordings of what the problems mean

Did the KAP Diagnostic test…scored a 650 – which is quite a decent score to start with. Very weak at DS and pacing is way off in Math – Missed out a couple of questions at the end. However some important takeouts are:

• This seems to be a very workable score at the beginning of prep


• Methinks I can hit a 720 if prep schedule is on course – so help me, God!


• Have to practice timing of Math problems- verbal was a breeze through, but got whacked by the Math


• Understanding the English on some of the problems was quite tough (my standards;-) – all the “positive distinct integer factors” – or some similar crap got me all twisted up! Then went on and confused a cube in a question for a sphere and chuckling for 45 seconds about how a sphere can have a base. Estupido, that’s me!


• Quite weak at Geometry – have to make flash cards for formulae and start practicing


• Don’t know how tough perm/combo/probability is going to be since I didn’t even get a single problem on the KAP diag test.


• Every section of the diag test had only ½ the number of qns as the actual GMAT – so if I falter under volume-pressure, it will become apparent in the next FLT that I take-lets see…

Checked out a prep schedule on the KAP CD – have finished most of the Math sections – have to go and start off the OG at home.

Tomorrow’s plans…

• Wake up early and reach office by 0730


• Finish off all review sections in the KAP practice CD


• Church sometime here…then breakfast.


• Finish off some office work- pending product launch plans/ analysis by around 11am


• Finish all KAP practice problems; start off on all PR practice problems in the evening – if I finish these, then start off on OG problems.

Another major area of indecision is whether to go in for the new 11th edition of the OG and the new quant/ verbal reviews released by GMAC. But lets worry about that later…going to feast on a hot Lasoon Masala Dosa at Pai! ;-) Ramen