Out of touch, out of reach yeah
You could try to get closer to me
I’m in luck
I’m in deep, yeah
Hypnotized, I’m shakin’ to my knees

I gotta know tonight, if you’re alone tonight
Can’t stop this feeling
Can’t stop this fire
Oh, I get hysterical, hysteria, oh can you feel it?

Last week has been the most enriching Christmas week, I've ever had.

Last sunday, the church youth ( which includes yours truly) organized the games stalls for the Annual Church Fete. I had never organized a fete before, so this was one of those learning opportunities I was looking forward to. When it came to the fete, the priority was very clear - we were all gonna have a FUN time.

However, if success could be quantified, nothing like it. And what better way to quantify it than to see how much money we could make out of this.

Some of the considerations that came in while making our estimates of what we could earn were:

- No. of game stalls reqd
- Total no. of games played
- Price/game
- Costs - esp for the prizes
- Probability of winning for each game


The above 5 were key in deciding the profits we were going to make. Another important consideration was that no prizes should be leftover with us after the fete. The "inventory" of prizes should move, else the amount spent in buying these prizes and cost of transportation would be a waste. Moreover, this leftover inventory would not be serving its purpose - making the prizewinners happy.

Clearly, a situation emerged where we had balance multiple objectives of more participation ( and therefore suitable pricing), profits, no leftover inventory, and so on.


I made my own model prior to the fete, and from a profits point of view was anticipating only break even ( I overestimated the chances of winning,and underestimated number of games played).


I was wrong.


The Fete was a whopping success, not just in terms of numbers but in several softer aspects such as participant satisfaction, winner satisfaction, stall management, crowd control and so on. In money terms our profits were 40% of revenues.Not bad! ( beat my estimate atleast).



So that was Sunday. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were adventures in themselves. The youth planned for door to door carol singing on these days, when we would visit most of the youth member's families. Fortunately for me, being the year-end, closing was around the corner and so workload was somewhat thanda. Didnt waste this window of opportunity and so joined the choir every evening.


I have been part of 3 official church choirs ( including the current one). The current by far was the most fun choir ever! ( although our singing skills could use a little help!!. Special thanks for Mr. Sebastian for taking time out of his work and transporting us guys from house to house.

Of course, after 3 days of roaming around in the chilly weather, I caught hold of something that was inevitable - the common cold.


Thursday and Friday was a break ( kind felt low after the 4 days of excitement - something like withdrawal symptoms). Saturday, headed of to church to help fix the giant Christmas star on the roof. The actual star was done, but help was needed in hoisting the star to the roof top and in giving the electrical connections. The latter I enjoyed doing the most, cos I could finally use some electronics engineering I had picked up at our Lab Classes at NIT, Calicut.


Went for Christmas mass at midnight and the choir was lovely.


And that's the story of this Christmas week.

I'm thinking about my New year Plans...

Didnt think abt this until yesterday when both Aditi and Ron wanted to know what I was doing for New year.

Ron asked me to come down to Mumbai.

Upside: its gonna be fun meeting up with the gang once again and of course...new years at Mumbai is no doubt, fun!

Downside: Cash flows are fast approaching zero and tending to negative. Check fares could save the day though. Also going down just for 2 days...it dont feel right.


Aditi has invited me over to her place for a bash she's planning (atleast on paper)

Upside: Wont have to spend peanuts and I might have a good time.

Downside: Wouldnt know the crowd too well.



Other options include going to for a midnight mass or hanging out at home ( ie. sleeping)

I guess I'll only know on the 30th what I'm doing gonna be doin...

Since the blasts in Delhi, I've been thinking about security. Post-blasts, there's been a lot of hype in the papers about a lack of security. The public is angry with the authorities for not having forseen this, for their lack of intelligence on militant activties, ...for being reactive rather than proactive.

Post-blasts, however, you can "see" that security has been increased in several parts in the NCR region. Police personnel have been deployed to several areas, including malls,movie halls, and other places where people gather in large numbers.

But I cant help asking myself..."Is this all just being to done CONVINCE the public?"

I visit, metro mall almost every sunday. Post-blasts, if were to carry my bag into the mall, the guard at the entrance would frisk my bag to check if I were carrying an explosive or something. At almost the same time I'm thinking, "Do you think someone who actuals wants to carry an explosive would walk in through the front door of the mall?!!".

I get bugged each time they ask me to show me the contents of my bag. So now I get into Mcdonald's (which has an entry from outside) and then get into the mall through the backdoor. No one notices, no frisking, no questions asked. So much for the security !


There was an article in the TOI about the detectors kept at Pallika Bazaar. The article says they are metal detectors. But guess what? If someone were to walk into Pallika bazaar with RDX strapped all over him , the detector cant detect it. Cos RDX can only be detected by a benzene detector. Oh! oh!


My concept of excellent security is when the people dont know that they are being checked,frisked or monitored. In good airports for example, my guess is that the metal detectors at the security check point are all kept for "show" - to convince the passengers that they are doing some checking! My guess, is that the passenger often travels through several detectors innocously placed in different points of the airport - but he/she is never aware of this!

For example, the passenger would probably never know, that when he enters a duty-free shop, he/she has already passed through a detector. The passenger will never know that the beautiful and friendly woman at the cashier counter is actually a member of the security staff,highly trained to detect psychological signs given by a trouble maker.

When I was at the KL airport, I simply didnt have to go through the frisking by security or anything like that. My guess is, I might have been "frisked" by a hundred cameras already (some of them probably see-through! )


I'm not sure if a metro mall or a pallika bazaar has this concept of an invisible "security cloak" established. If they have, I havent seen it yet - and that's a good thing. If they havent, well ...all i can say is ...Oh!oh!

Time for some self-praise.

I passed out of NITIE :)

...With an 8.23 CGPA :))

..and in the top 1/3rd of the Class :)


Its over at last.... :)

"So go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because that's where you will find success. On the far side of failure."
- Thomas J. Watson, Sr.

"Take chances, make mistakes. That's how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave."
- Mary Tyler Moore

Finished Liar's Poker. This is one book I should have finished at B-School. But then again, its better late than never. Loved the way money markets , esp the Bond and Mortgage markets functioned (or mis-functioned) in the 1980s. The author takes us through his time at Salomon Brothers, while sarcastically commenting on the madness that was the money market. Since he was fresh out of B-school when he joined SB, his initial experiences at work was something I could relate to.

In other news, Arul and moi finally moved out of our shell ( read Malls) in Gurgaon and into the heat and hustle-bustle of Delhi, to meet Meril. The trip was memorable in more ways than one. As I said earlier, we finally decided to stop being lazy and actually take a 1-hour ride bus ride to Delhi. So it was our first foray into Delhi together. That's the first reason why it was a memorable trip.

The other reason as to why the trip was memorable can be found in Arul's Blog. Arul, millions of my Blog's readers will now log on to your blog to see what you have written about our trip. So please...dont disappoint them....

30 minutes ....



Date: 8th October
Time: 9.15 am

Woke up in the morning..around 9.15. Done with the ablutions, I reach out for the newspaper and take my seat on the sofa. I reach the sports page, when I feel myself moving about on the sofa....I was thinking.."Why the crap am I moving about, when I dont want to? "...2 secs later, I realise its the sofa under me that's moving...


Time: about 9.35 am

I rush into the room where Thangi, sloshed over from last night, was sleeping like a log.... "Get up Thangi, the building is shaking....WE GOTTA GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE!!! GET UP!!!"



Time: about 9.37 am


I am making my way down the stairs, as are all the other inhabitants of the building. I hear a "Dont Panic" being shouted by someone. Somehow, that seemed to have a calming effect on people. The last thing you wanted was people rushing down the stairs like mad.


Time: about 9.40am

I just get out of the building and look behind...Thangi aint there. "I did see him following me...may be he's on his way down" -..................................................."Heck! I better go up there and get his ass down!"


Time: 9.45 am

Excitement and a sense of fear was thick in the air. Thangi, Kallu and Myself and a large number of tenants....standing in front of the building....discussing, the possibility of yet another tremor.


Epilogue:
An Earthquake measuring about 7.8 on the Richter Scale hit several cities in Pakistan in the morning of October 8th . The impact was felt throughout Afghanistan and Northern India. Delhi and cities around it felt the tremors at 9.30 am in the morning. High rise buildings were left particularly shaken by the tremor lasting for about minutes in Delhi.

I'm back on the blogosphere ...at last! Its been a whirlwind of travelling, adventure and tons of fun the last few weeks. It began with Chennai (as mentioned in my last blog), then Goa happened out of nowhere, followed by a week's trip to Penang in Malaysia, rounding it off with trips to Raipur and Nagpur.

First stop - Goa

The trip was an outcome of a 4-month sales contest. Some non-sales guys including yours truly was invited for the event, since we had in our own ways, directly or indirectly contributed to the success of the sales contest, acheived the targets,increased distribution etc etc - bottom line being, our company just got a lot stronger and richer :)

The trip was 3 day one, spread over the weekend. Being my first trip to Goa ( I didnt do it in engineering or in b-school!! I know....I'm a loser!), I was looking forward the one place my friends couldn't stop glorifying. And I wasn't disappointed.

3 days we partied on like crazy dudes on LSD (its a similie...i didnt do drugs!....and i'm not being defensive either!! ). The most enjoyable part was when 6 of us, took 3 bikes and rode off to Palolem Beach.

Here are some pics from the trip...


With friends just before the evening cruise


The amazing Goa beach backdrop...and me :)














On our way to Palolem Beach



On the Experience Rating Scale..I'd rate this trip AWESOME!

Arul wants me to blog on my trip to Chennai. So Arul, I shall oblige :)

The business aspect of the trip was so to say....an eye opener :o. Its career experiences like these that I've always wanted :) And I'm getting more than I expected!


The fun part of the trip was meeting up with Arul, Meril and Joseph. Joseph, who of course has familial obligations, could not spend much time with us, as he had to get back home. Aaaah....marriage, and the way it changes one's life :)


Meril had bought a hamburger that was bigger than her (so what isnt ?....just kidding dude!!) And by the end of the day, she was totally stuffed,and was left catching a half eaten burger, wondering what to do with it. (The last I heard, she ended up eating it anyways)


Arul broke down, complaining that TCS didnt have enough chicks. And how he missed NITIE and all his "friends" ;). He also couldnt take his eyes of a certain....ok, I think I shouldn't delve into the details here. :)


Joseph joined us for a bit. Though he didnt have anything to eat with us, I think his stomach was already full with the truckload of work he was handling.



I had a great time guys! Danke!

Arul, looking forward to your Delhi visit...we shall party like crazy!! :))

I did it!! I finally did it! :))

I have always wanted to perform a perfectly choregraphed, explosive group dance number in front of a rocking crowd. Never got the chance in school, or college.

And I never thought I'd fulfill this dream at work!!

The theme for the dance was Bollywood. The entire dance sequence built itself with hindi film music from the 60s right upto the 2000s. Our group performed to a dance number from the latest era in Bollywood.

Here are some snaps of our group rocking to "Dus Bahane.." at our company's Mid Year conference/party

Taking a cue from Shubam, I too have developed my own quiz

Go on to take the "Do you know your Alex" queez.

And then Check out the Scoreboard!

Well, here's something I cooked up last sunday at the office. This is done in MS-paint and hence the amatuerish look. Wish I had good ol' Adobe Photoshop out here.
I'm still thinking of titles for the strip though. Some that came along my way include:
Desperate Alex - sounds too desperate
Alex and the city - I smell a lawsuit...


Guess i'll wait till inspiration strikes...

Sarkar Rules!

War of the Worlds...WoW!

Fanstastic four...Fantastic bore!







What would I do without movies.... :))

Water. Paani. Vellam. ( I'd like to go on in other languages, but i think we get the point).The right quantity of this liquid, at the right temperature when drunk when one is most thirsty, produces a sense of enlightenment. I have been experiencing this nirvana every single day in the last week.


Market visits can be fun...in winter. In summer, it gets bad. It becomes inhuman, when you are sent to a remote village in interior haryana and asked to walk, walk and walk with the salesman selling blades, brushes and gels to very "friendly" retailers.


The temperatures out there are bad enough. The hot and dusty winds ( or squalls as they are called) make you wish you were born near the artic circle. One can only guess why water therefore, becomes a source of Nirvana almost every hour.


Below is a snapshot of the market visit I made to Samalkha in Haryana. Along with me is one of the best salesman in the business, Joginder Singh.

Was reading Buffet:The making of an American Capitalist. On visits to B-schools for giving guest lectures, he often plays a game with students so as to help them better understand his methodology in picking up the right stocks in the stock market.


The proposition he makes to the students is:
Given the guarantee that you would be entitled to 10% of any one of your classmates earnings for life, which of your classmates would you choose?

...obviously most of us wouldnt pick someone just based on a CGPA. A person's energy, intergrity, capability, etc would come into the picture. And these again cannot be quantified.

So while numbers, betas and alphas may help...Buffet would look beyond.

Sometimes we simply know. We simply know what is to be done to handle a situation. We are completely in sync and are fully aware of another person. How did we know that we know?....we may or may not know.

A person's Insightful, Intuitive or the Innate understanding of a certain situation/scenario/person - Conceptuality - as I would like to call it.

A person's conceptuality on someone or something is function of his or her experience and/or genetics.

Clearly, if you have spend a great deal of time with someone, after a point in time you begin to sense how that person might react to certain stimuli. In conversation you end up completing his/her sentences even before he/she does. This is in essence conceptuality as a result of experience. So while you may not be born salesman, if you have spend about 5-8years in the field, at the end of it, you intuitively know how to sell, what clicks, what works and what doesnt.


Conceptuality as a function of genetics is debatable. We have all, based on empirical observation, at some point of time or the other would have observed certain people having a command over certain subjects and situations for as long as we've known them. Some are born mathematicians. Some by nature are very good at handling people. Some we've felt are born sportsmen/women. In several cases I have observed that either or both parents or ancestors have to some extent been involved in the field where the person is seen to be displaying conceptuality. Perhaps either or both parents or his/her ancestors themselves would have displayed conceptuality in the field.

Conceptuality in a person is not binary in nature. One has to develop one's conceptuality. First one must recognise one has it. On recognition, one may choose to develop it. What helps a person develop his/her conceptuality is a function of genetics, environment and self. You may realise you are a good sportsman. You may want to develop it. But your parents may not agree, your academic pressure takes away most of your time etc. Clearly, the environment here will not allow you to develop your conceptuality.

A superior example that comes to my mind in illustrating conceptuality in a person and the role of genetics, experience and environment is the case of Donald Trump.

Donald J. Trump is the very definition of the American success story, continually setting the standards of excellence while expanding his interests in real estate, gaming, sports, and entertainment.

If you go through the hyperlink above, one can clearly see that part of his conceptuality was inherited from his father who too was into small time real estate. But it was the experential learning and the conducive enviroment throughout this younger years that enabled him to develop his conceptuality to a level that was unsurpassed.


At the end of the day it is important to understand what one is conceptual at. Whether one chooses to develop it or not is one's prerogative. Atleast choice made should be an informed one.

The last days at any place has a way of bringing out the author/writer in most people. Today, being my last day at NITIE, I too have succumbed.

2 of my most fulfilling years I have spent at this place. No doubt I've learnt a lot about "business and management". But the takeaways have been, great friends, lots of fun memories, digital photos/mp3s/movies, and of course...a job :)

[Neo thinks I should add pizzas to the above list..sigh..if only they were indeed a takeaway :) ]

Having paused and pondered...I must, as Neo, Anjan, Ron and Rohith would agree,...Keep Walking.

Ever since she came into existence, Coo knew she had an independence most would envy. She could move,float, almost dance around without a care in the world. But she also knew that her existence was not without purpose. A purpose she knew, could snatch away her freedom...but for a good cause.

Coo belonged to a specie which consisted of only 0.03 percent of the population. Yet, life without them was unthinkable. Coo knew this. As she floated about in careless abandon, the sense of duty - of following the path her ancestors set for her - never felt stronger.

Destiny had other plans.


---------------------------

John had always been a loner. He had few friends. He liked it this way.

Ever since his childhood John had been fascinated with the idea of conjuring up things with chemicals, liquids etc using all of the laboratory paraphernlia. His father would always regale young John with stories of alchemists and wizards of the old days. Wide-eyed John would eagerly listen, secretly wishing that one day he too would become a powerful wizard who could conjure up magic spells and potions.

John grew up went on earn his degree in Pharmacy and went to making medicines and tonics for local pharmaceuticals. While he enjoyed his job, he was still looking forward to conjuring that one elusive elixir that would change everything.

One spring day morning, John woke with a startle. Half naked he ran into his lab and shut the door from within.


-------------------------


John and Coo met for the first time on the warm evening of 8th May, 1886 - a meeting that would change Coo's destiny forever , a meeting that would materialise John's life ambition.

While Coo was blissfully unaware of John, John always knew about Coo. He never thougt to much about her though. Ok, so she was an important specie but he couldnt care less - until that night when she came into his dream. She unravelled herself in ways unimaginable to John. Her destiny, John realised, was inexplicably linked to his.


---------------------------

BIRTH OF A REFRESHING IDEA

The product that has given the world its best-known taste was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 8, 1886. Dr. John Stith Pemberton, a local pharmacist, produced the syrup for Coca-Cola®, and carried a jug of the new product down the street to Jacobs' Pharmacy, where it was sampled, pronounced "excellent" and placed on sale for five cents a glass as a soda fountain drink. For the first time, Carbonated water was teamed with the new syrup to produce a drink that was at once "Delicious and Refreshing," a theme that continues to echo today wherever Coca-Cola is enjoyed.

Back in Mumbai atlast! Humid as hell and traffic's never been worse..man, I love this place.

Last week, was my first public and international vocal performance. Yup, you heard correct...I actually broke into a song in front of all the respective Gillette Key account managers from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Maldives.

The whole thing started when my roomie, JKC, had the audacity to give me a call while I was attending the offsite training class. I, of course, had no clue that if your phone were to ring during class, you would automatically inducted into the "Gillette Choir".

At the end of the class, I was forced to take centrestage.Took a deep breath, started off with "Look into my eyes...."

I lasted 30 seconds I think. My audience sadly didnt. At the end of it all, my instructor had only one thing to say, "Dont leave your day job for a singing career".

12 other heads nodded vigourously, in agreement.


Recommended listening:

Akon - Lonely, Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway, Nitty - Nasty Girl and
Udhyananu Tharam - Karale

My four month internhsip with Gillette is coming to a close. Just a week left ( which I will be spending offsite ) and I hope to be in Mumbai. Terribly miss the place. A mandatory project presentation at NITIE, loads of movies(and hangin' out hopefully), and 10 days later, I hope to be in Trivandrum chilling at home...eating, sleeping, driving. 5 days later and I'll back in Gillette, this time as an MT ( the corporate caterpillar )

15 days is all I get...supposedly the longest "vacation" I can hope for in the next 5 years.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!!

Must...make the effort....to...freak...out.......

Anna...movies with a vengeance we shall watch. (as Yoda would put it)

I saw a mallu move last sunday called Udayananu Tharam. There are sensible movies and then there are ourtright entertainers. This movie is both - a sensible entertainer.

Mohanlal comes back into a role that suits him best - that which relates to the common man (and not the super hero persona which he had right from Aaram Thampuran and Narasimham to other flop movies). He plays the role of Udayan, struggling assistant director trying to make his mark in the south film industry.

I think the entire credit for this movie should go the Srinivasan who not only wrote the brilliant script(yet again) but did an amazing job in the acting department, enacting the role of the struggling Rajappan aka 'superstar' Saroj kumar.


An original and tight script, the Mohanlal-Srinivasan duo, and a great soundtrack is a sure recipe for success. And that is exactly what this movie is...a success and a tremendous one at that.

What struck me about this movie was the message it had for the Malyalam film industry, which has been struggling for survival for the past several years. Scripts have gone from bad to worse. Flops have become to norm. And to think this is in stark contrast to the Mallu movies of the early 90s, where hits were taken for granted thanks to some great original screenplays and comedies. This movie in some way tries to recreate the lost magic and is largely sucessful in doing so. The movie is a humourous take on the pathetic creative vacuum that exists in the Malayalam movie industry and drives home the message in no uncertain terms.

All in all, if you aint seen this movie yet...you are missing something :)

(non-mallus can expect a hindi remake) ;)

Firstly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Smokin Joes for having catered to my craving for pizzas on weekdays. You guys did an impeccable job of delivery-to-home, when i had no option for alternative dinner.

Having said that, while i appreciate your service...I think your actual product..namely the pizza, has lots of scope for improvement. True, you charge less...for less. But i dont belong to that category, as far as pizzas are concerned.

Home delivery by Pizza corner was discovered by me last week. I have therefore changed my service provider...and am a more satisfied customer. Product wise, there is a 100% improvement. Service wise, about a 30% improvement. But the corresponding Price increase in only about 40%. And that's not a bad deal :) I think variety is something PC can work on a bit more.



And now...more useless reading for people who have nothing better to do....

Personally, I've got nothing against rickshawallas. Its just that, when they overcharge me for a ride...I can't meekly accept it and I sure dont want to waste my time and energy arguing over the right fare. So the following discussion, is intended for people like me who believe in the saying...Dont get mean, Get even.

I have a theory, based on which I firmly believe you can outsmart any overcharging taxi/rickshaw guy 8 times out of 10. ( a little improvisation could make that 10 on 10)

My theory is as follows:

" The Extra amount charged over and above the correct fare is inversely proportional to the distance travelled"

So typically, it is seen that for short distances, the taxi guy tends to overcharge. But for longer distances, his fare tends to come closer to the actual. This is an empirical observation, not just for Taxis but almost for any service.

I decided to test this theory. I wanted to go to destination A (actual fare Rs.10).
I know that destination B( which is further from A ) has an actual fare of Rs.15

I walk upto the rickshaw guy and ask him if he would take me to destination B and what his fare will be. He says Rs. 15 (he has not overcharged, as it is a far destination and has charged the correct amount)

Then I ask him, what he charges for destination A. He cant say Rs. 15 again. So he was forced to say the right fare of Rs.10.

Assumption: You know the actual fares to different destinations.

So the idea is to work backward on the fares.

In short, no meek acceptance, no arguments...just plain intelligence.....(moderate pause)....BU-HA-HA-HA!

Happy May Day :)

Been buried in inhuman amounts of work. I hope to dig myself out of it by the end of this month. But for now....a breather.

Here's something useless to ponder on:
Ever wanted to know how RICH you look. When I say RICH I mean in monetary terms. I've always noticed that some people, although just about financially sound, "look" quite rich. While some really rich people look just about financially sound. Perhaps among other things, its that certain individual's choice in the way he or she projects himself/herself.

I for one, dont really care...looking rich or looking poor is hardly I ever even want to be concerned with....So why this discussion?

Apparently, Rickshaw guys in Gurgaon do care - abt how rich one looks.

The flashback:

I take the same route often to my office in a cycle rickshaw, for which I've always been charged 10Rs.

Back to the future:

Unlike other days, when I dress up in dull office attire, today I was in my casuals -Reebook, levis...whatever. And so I walk up to the rickshaw guy and ask him the fare and he looks at my shoe... and says 20Rs.

I was amused...


So if you ever wanted to know what rickshaw guys think about your financial
status...you now know what to do.

PS: The above writing is a mere creative discontinuity resulting after the author spend 12hours of viewing excel sheets, making insane computations and reaching new levels of amalgation with his chair.

PPS: On a more serious note, I am thoroughly impressed with the RAGAM 2005 t-shirt (check it out at the RAGAM 2005 website ).

Kuttz and I had done the RAGAM 2000(?) T-shirt....but this tee is leagues beyond what I could ever come up with. Well done DOOD!

Attended a Gillette marketing program launch yesterday, at The Grand, Delhi. To be honest, I was looking forward to the lunch and desserts at a 5 star Hotel more than anything else. However, I was in for a pleasant surprise. The launch was quite an event. They had beautful models on stage, doing a choreo. They had a life-size model of an F1 car on the stage...a precursor to the new product Gillette is going launch in June( sorry ....cant tell! )Lots of interesting ads and presentations, etc. Of course, the food was YUMMY! And I could go on and on about the desserts. I couldnt get enough....

At the end of the launch I asked one of the guys I work with at the CFA how he liked the party. He was like,

"Are you kidding me?...This is hardly even a sample of what Gillette does, when a new PRODUCT launch happens"


He then proceeded to tell me about the amazing launch party Gillette had for Mach3 Turbo... Lots of food, even more models, dances, glamour and of course you get Gillette freebies.

Man, I'm lookin' forward to June already!!!

Started skipping today. The reason for my latest endeavour is Hillary Swank. Saw Million Dollar Baby the other day and was very inspired watching her skip with such amazing speed and skill.( and its also because Kalyan my flat-mate does it everyday ).

Woke up at 7.00am and it was drizzling outside. That didnt stop me from putting on my tracksuit, and walking over to the lawn outside my building , skipping rope in one hand and well, nothing else in the other.

And then I began. Only to be stopped by the rope getting tangled between by feet.At a distance I could see a couple of "morning walk" grannies giggling, as if by watching me they were reminded of their first time with a skipping rope.

I continued, only to get all "knotted up" again. Occasionally, I did manage to pass the rope under my feet. But then the occasional passes were only... occasional. Nevertheless, Hillary did it. And therefore, there's no reason why I shouldnt be able to.

But as Newton once hypothesised, "All men must tire after work", I too, after abt 30 odd attempts,had aching leg muscles (yeah, I happen to have some of those too) get the better of me.

Tommorrow ....will be a better day.

Well here I am sitting at my office reporting from Gurgaon, the land of call centres, malls and low-rent housing ( relatively speaking ). Project has started off, which is going fine save for the problem that I have to travel all the way to Okhla in Delhi to work. This means spending 3 hours each day in a rickety bus ( DTC buses- the less said about them the better).

On the upside, I really dont have to worry too much about food like I used in NITIE. I can dig into all the junk food I want to here in Gurgaon and there are plenty of options available.

Switching over to a different topic, this is the time when most students who have given CAT are researching their B-school options at a more granular level, trying to find out as much as they can about potential B-schools they have applied to ( especially unofficial info about the school which you do not find on the official websites ). I know I did. Some talk to alumni, some prefer the grapewine but smart people use Google( and of course talk to alumni).And if some did use google to find out abt NITIE, I'm guessing my blog would show up on the Google listings.

And so I figured I'd do my part and post a brief round up about NITIE, Mumbai.

Life@NITIE :Most B-schoolers claim that they are being pushed to the edge each day, having to stay up till 6 am doing assignments everyday, quizes and cases everyday, etc etc everyday.

The above statements are all true except it does not happen everyday. There are times when the profs bombard you with work, quizes, cases etc or when you are part of a certain organizing committee for a certain event. And during these times, you literally get screwed. But then are also times, when you are lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling wondering what to do next.

The same holds at NITIE. What I personally have seen ( and experienced) is that in a B-school a person can be as busy as HE/SHE wants to be. He/She can set the pace of his/her life. One may chose to just stick to acads and focus on CGPAs ( in which case there isnt much stress). But if you want to get into extra currics and still want to maintain your CG then it becomes a tough juggling act. And believe me, if you cant manage both well, you'll be screwed.

The above was general myth-busting stuff. Coming back to the topic of life@NITIE. Officially Class starts 9.00 am and ends by 4.30pm. Obviously, there's nothing offcial about classes at NITIE. Most guest lectures/extra classes start at 7.00 pm and may go on till 12 midnight. Classes could also start early morning 7.00am.

At NITIE, very few stick to acads alone and most of them alternative interests. We have several Committees at NITIE such as Placecom, PMG( Prerana mgmt group - Prerana being our B-school fest), CyberCom ( the IT committee - of which I was a part of :) ) and Rotaract and several others. Entry into most of these committees is vry competitive and of course one is expected to work like crazy for the committee if one is a member.

For a place like Mumbai, NITIE is an unbelievably scenic place, nestled in between two lakes and there are several spots most of us hang out to chill. THere is the NITIE pond, the MDP terrace( my personal fav) and loads of trekking tracks. So if you wanna chill or take a break after a rough day, NITIE's the place to be.


Of course, we do have loads of masti otherwise - whether it be watching movies (enabled by a robust LAN and a movie server), playing networked games, or partying away to glory at the Sports complex, etc etc...the list is endless - its all there.


And this sums of life at NITIE in a nutshell.


Now that i'm feeling hungry( so what's new? ), i'm gonna pester Demand Planner Kalyan ( my senior/roomie ) to give me company for lunch.

Watched The Aviator yesterday. It was released here the day after they announced that this film got 11 oscar nominations. So I anticipated a huge turnout for the first show and went there 3 hours in advance. But I was wrong. Not only did I get the tickets comfortably, I even got the seat I wanted :) (And the hall was almost empty!! )

The movie was well-made. I liked it a lot. I had read about Howard Hughes earlier on and I had a picture in my mind of him as this driven, crazy millionaire guy. This movie however, brought those facets of this man much better than I had imagined and in a much more sensitive way. And throughout the movie, the director maintains this unflinching focus on the protagonist, relegating everything else to the background. Leornado Di Caprio has done an awesome job and has come a long way as an actor. Cate Blanchett has given a wonderful performance as Kate Hepburn.

On the whole, this film has the grandeur and the sensitivity to make it a classic in its own right.

Whatta ride!!

I was at the Global village in Dubai, the day before yesterday. Went with my folks and man, the place was TOTALLY ROCKING!!

There were abt 40 odd countries participating and each of them had their uniquely(and magnificiently) designed pavilions where they showcase their goods and culture. I couldnt visit all of them but some of favs were the Iranian and the Czech Republic pavilion. The Iranian pavlion had some excellent stone-carved handicrafts, but what i liked best was the live performance of this Iranian music troupe. I along with my parents walk into the centre of the pavilion (the pavilion being arranged in a unique concentric design) and we see this group of four taking the stage. 2 guys were playing Korg, one guy was on percussion( bongo like instrument) and one guy on the guitar. And then they began...and I was hypnotised. The guitarist was AMAZING!!! I've never in my 25 years heard such amazing guitaring....the strings were moving so fast...his fingers were floating in effortless motion....a masterpiece..and Iranian music has found itself yet another ardent fan.

And to top it all, since all pavilions had to have their local people manning the stalls, I got to see beautiful women from abt 20 different countries... :))

After the pavilion visit, we headed to the amusement rides. I was feeling particularly adventurous so decided to try the dare-devil rides. Man were they OSSUM!!! Adrenaline rush to the MAX! Couldn't try quite a few rides though cos the queues for some of these rides were unbelievable.

I definitely need more time in Dubai...there's just too much out here to see and explore.

17 days simply ain't enough.

Well I did it. It was kinda irritating to see a couple running into the sea...I promised myself that I'd change the template someday..so here it is- my brand new, navy blue(i think),eye-friendly, subtle polka dot design based template...I'm lovin' it!

As with all code, there seems to be some bug with the HTML script for this template. Somehow, my blogs dont appear right on top and I have to scroll all the way to the bottom. So calling fellow bretheren blessed with the knowledge of HTML (or is it DHTML ?) to help me out here...would appreciate it (cos that's all i can do :) )

Been here in Dubai a little over a week now. If progress were a place on earth, it would be in Dubai. I somehow still find it hard to believe the breakneck pace at which Dubai has been flourishing. Whats more astonishing is that, the pace has been maintained for more than a decade and there seems to be no signs of slowing down.


While the city has been moving ahead furiously, I've been chilling here for the past week ( the weather is kinda cold here). Been stuffing myself with food and more food (havent gained a kilo yet though :( ),teaching my sister algebra and exploring Dubai.

Been reading The Penguin History of the World by JM Roberts. Bought this book last week at Abu Dhabi Duty Free while on transit. This book elaborates upon world history from the ancient civilisations until 9/11 and upto present day and serves to satisfy my longstanding to read and own a book which details the entire world history. Hope to finish this book over a long period of time.

Got placed...(atlast!) with the Gillette Company (Yeah, they make razor blades too ;) ). Moi will be working with International Operations. ( sounds good, i know...it ALWAYS sounds good :) )

Placements are looking very good this year, and there's no doubt about that across B-school campuses in India. At NITIE, its been outta this world!(well a few jobs ARE out of the country).

This week would, for all practical purposes, be my last at NITIE.

Like most mortals, I too have the urge to recap my time spent here at this college.

Unlike most mortals, I would like bring out moments and incidents that are unusual and capture the spirit of my life here and hence....lets hear it for...

Top 10 TRIVIA of MY LIFE at NITIE

#1 The first person I talked to in our batch when I joined NITIE - Vijay Singh, ma former neighbour and currently placed with IBM.

#2 I nearly got kicked out of college due to attendance shortage. It was for DataComm. Back then i was naive and didnt know that only 3 bunks are allowed for a 2 credit course. Fortunately, Prof had mercy and so I could write this blog today.

#3 I must have drank atleast 300 million tonnes of soft drinks at NITIE. Coke send me a certificate of appreciation recently, for being the single largest contributor to their revenues in the last 2 years. ( I hear Pepsi is planning to name their next drink after me)

#4 In continuation to the previous trivia..I'm the reason Bhaskar introduced soft drinks in our mess :)

#5 Without Pizza I would not have survived...Pizza Hut, Smokin Joes, and the company of Neel, Dikshit and an unwilling Ron take credit for it.

#6 I'm NOT creative. period!

#7 I'm also very modest. :p

#8 My first "paper" was on Globalisation for a contest at IIT-B. I had partnered with Samoj. The results were not upto the mark ( meaning our paper never got selected). That was the beginning of the end as far as paper writing for me was concerned.

#9 My ad for prerana (our b-school fest) got published in a national newspaper and magazine.( No more free creatives now...will charge fees...rates are negotiable).

and finally #10:

There was only one thing in NITIE that always gave me a high( literally!) and that was time spend on top of the water tank on the terrace of the tallest building in NITIE ( and perhaps one of the tallest points in in Powai by virtue of it being on a hill)...the MDP Hostel. I can never forget the AMAZING view I used to get from there, especially Hiranandani, and particularly of the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport ( I could actually see planes touching down on the runway!!). Damn! i'll miss the place.