Devestated

Force Visit from the Tooth Fairy

2011-11-07T15:48:00.000+08:00

In my 27 years of existence, I had never had a fracture, surgery of any kind or hospitalized for even 10 mins. Touch wood...! So it came as a surprise when I came to know that my first ever surgery of any kind would be to extract a tooth. Now I believe tooth ache is the most unbearable pain which one can endure in his/her lifetime, but I never knew that there was something such as a tooth surgery until my dentist suggested I underwent one at the earliest in order to eradicate the pain and the infection on my last molar in the lower left of my teeth structure. I had heard about root canal procedure, extraction etc , but an actual tooth surgery was unheard off till date.

So I prepared my self for 2 weeks for the D-Day which was on 3rd Nov'11. The doctor saw my discomfort and apprehension and bought me to ease straight away saying that the procedure would take only 45 to 50 mins and the entire procedure would be painless.

So we get to work. I switch on the music on my phone and settle my self in the patient's chair as the Doc and her assistants get ready for work as usual. First up an anaesthesia injection in order to numb up the entire area of the surgery. Then started the ordeal. First up a mini driller to drill a hole through the centre in order to break down the tooth since we need to remove it through its roots. Once the drill started its work, if seemed to me as if an F1 car was zooming across inside my mouth. The sound of the drill was more frightening even though I could feel an pain whatsoever and with Lady Gaga and Black eyes Pea for company I was rather enjoying the music as well as the feeling of the F1 engine inside my mouth.

However after 20 minutes of on-off F1 drilling it was time to pull the teeth out. Now this was petrifying because 2 of the assistants held my head as the doc tried her mighty best to pull of the teeth from its well entreched roots. I could here the cracking of the roots and also the force exerted on it by the doc but it just refused to budge. No this was scary since I could see the amount of strength used by 3 women to get one tooth out of my mouth. With the operation light firmly pointed into my mouth and the faces of three masked women glaring into my mouth I couldn't help but think of the irony of having 3 women focus soley on me even if it was for a mere tooth.

So after an ordeal of 40 mins, the lower tooth was drilled, broken and pulled in installments. In the end the entire tooth was ruptured and extracted out in 11-12 bits and pieces. The cavity and the extent of rotting can be comprehended by just seeing that very little of the white calcium of the teeth was visible.

Now came the googly by the doc. Here I was listening to chamak chalo on my phone, and feeling secured within, thinking that I had passed my first surgery with flying colours. at this precise moment the doc asks one of her assistance to get the needle ready for another go. I was taken aback and completely clueless, until the doc comes up with the gem: - ek par ek free. We need to extract the upper molar too, since there is no supporting teeth for the same and it will create complications in the future. So there I was, sitted on the dentist's chair, as the clock read 11.45 am , readying myself for another nerve racking extraction.

Well the second time round, it was less of F! style drilling and more of plucking. I could hear my tooth crackling and been uprooted from its roots. The sound was very similar to when a tree is uprooted from its root.

Finally with both the teeth uprooted the doc finally starts with the stitches. Now I am completed numb and actually sleepy because of the anasthesia and also the ordeal of the last 1 hour. so my reaction was one of absolute disbelief when the doc started stictching the incisions she had done to get the lower molar uprooted.

It is absolutely bizarre to witness oneself getting stiched in side the mouth and getting to feel the thread and the needle through your gums. I have to give it to these docs. They really have steady hands and also the heart to actually put a needle inside someone's mouth and stich it up.

At the end of the day, after 1 hr and 15 mins, the ordeal was over with 2 of my teeth extracted from my gums and my left cheek looking as if I had just come second best after a round with Manny Pacquio.

Well the entire surgery was an experience to cherish and remember for a lifetime. Lets pray and hope that's the only surgery I ever endure.

Courage...

2011-06-20T21:34:00.000+08:00

Right from childhood I have been fed with stories of courage and sacrifice by the great Indian kings of old as well the freedom fighters and people who fought for India's freedom from the British.

Films depicting struggle and extreme adversities which in the end of the day is overcome by true grit and courage of the protangist has always done well at the BO, if provided the correct treatment by its makers.

Even after being exposed to stories of courage through stories, books, t.v, movies etc, I am still in a dillema as to the true meaning of courage.

Do only soldiers show courage in their day to day life? Or do sportsman show courage during a game? Well I am sure they are the most glorified of the lot...Or is courage something which social activists show while going against a corrupt minister or the government.

I believe every individual shows courage in their day to day life. For a kid it takes courage to go learn riding a bike for the first time. It takes courage for a mother to give birth to her children. It takes courage for a bachelor to change his status to married after 25 odd yrs of a carefree life.

In essense what I am saying is courage is needed in anything and everything we do...

Sometimes we need courage to go against the norm. To do what we feel is right. To go against established practises in order to bring a sense of existence in our own lives. So courage can sometime be seen as been prudent... It could be percieved as an act of arrogance by the person who exibits such courage...Or as a act of foolishness by others.

For e.g if you go against your parents, it is percieved as an act of disrespect towards them. Similarly if at work, you go against the set norms, you are considered to be an outcast. I could give numerous examples where an act of courage could be easily mistaken for a more negative adjective.

The biggest pridicament, I face right now is to decide between what I know is right for me and what people closest to me, think is right for me.

In the end I know its my decision, but the no. of people affected by that decision has an overbearing affect on me deciding on my decision. (Confusing isn't it)...

Well as of now I guess the courage lies in enduring the pain and going through the motions for a little while longer. In the end of the day, the tide has to turn sometime or the other.

The smarter thing would to wait for the tide to turn... The foolish and more courageous thing, would be to force the tide to change...

Well knowing myself, and the way things are panning out, it will be much sooner than latter that I decide on acting the fool all over again...

Bored To Death with mundane Existence

2011-02-11T17:43:00.004+08:00

Life's back to same old death knell like it was before I went to do my MBA...:(

Working life sucks...N when you are in a job for which you have no inclination or motivation to do well, it sucks even more... There is no doubt about that what so ever.
So what makes me go to the same work place 5 days a week for an average of 12 hrs everyday to bust my ass off. What motivates me to go through this ordeal day in - day out...
Well if I had the answer, I wouldn't have been blogging...right...:)

The 16 months at AIM had filled a sense of optimism in me, that post MBa I would be able to follow my dream and realize it easily. However the situation at ground level is completely different. Getting a job itself is an arduous task now a days, so one can imagine my plight trying to make a foray in to an industry in which I have no experience what so ever, though the determination and passion to do well knows no bound.

After 16 months of (I wouldn't say arduous) learning, strategizing, implementing and understanding different marketing jargons and models, I thought I was ready to jump into the word of marketing, branding and advertising and make a huge difference in the industry.
However, I couldn't have been farther from the truth. Not only getting a foot in a marketing job is difficult at the moment I am finding it difficult to get a toe nail in to this vertical.

I just don't understand these economical forecast made by different banks, publicationsand research companies saying that India is a growing economy and there is no stopping its progress. How can I believe this hog wash when I and my peers are struggling to get a job in an industry we prefer. The only industry willing to hire and is hiring at the moment is the ITELS industry. With most of my MBA-Engineering background batchmates have found themself getting into the same set up in an IT company as a Business Associate or a Project Manager I guess only IT is fuelling India's growth engine at present.

Going back to the question of what motivates to continue with this meaningless existence is the knowledge at the back of my mind that 30th of every month my bank account will be compensated for the frustration of the preceding 30 days with a good salary to boot.
However what's the use of getting money to spend when you don't have the time to spend it. After a 12 hr routine at the work place and an avg of 7 hrs of sleep, and counting around an hr for commuting to the workplace and back, I am left with a paltry 4 hrs.

Well atleast my parents seem to be reaping the benefits of my salary at long last. However the frustration within is quite visible to them too.

So what's the solution.... Pre-MBA I would have answered- Go get an MBA and switch industries.
During MBA - The MBA has taught me so many things and enabled me to look at things differently. I have a flair for marketing; it wouldn't be difficult to land a job of my choice. After all I am empowered to choose what I want to do...lol
Post MBA- Lag gayi re waat, zindagi main...Abhi kudh ka business karneka sochna padega...Afterall I have learnt a lot in the MBA; isn't it...

What's in a domain name?

2011-01-14T15:27:00.003+08:00

" What's in a name?" is a favourite quote from lore, that we know. However Facebook has gone a step further in order to prove us otherwise. While browsing the news I came across an article which highlighted the fact that Mark Zukerberg led company paid a whooping $ 8.5 million to American Farm Bureau Federation to own the domain name FB.com...

Well I know Facebook makes a lot of money but this is something else.$ 8.5 million on aquiring a domain name might seem like an insane investment for the risk averse but its one made with an eye on the future of the brand itself.

Just goes to show how companies in the 21st century are willing to spurge in order to uphold and enhance thier brand image at every given opportunity.

Well all I can say is that when most corporate are reacting to this news with awe, some Farm Federation in the U.S is laughing its way to the bank with this deal.

Just goes to show, money can buy you anything...Mr Obama is the recession still on in the US.
...Just checking...!!!

Death- A Reality

2010-12-06T19:31:00.002+08:00

Its after 5 years that I am back, living in the city which has been my home since birth. Mumbai the city of dreams for many, is just home for me...Nothing more or less...
However the familiar faces which were a constant fixture in my childhood and teens are slowly but surely fading away. In the past 2 years, the faces which adorned my childhood and were a constant distraction then, have perished to the wishes of Yama (Death-God in Indian Mythology).
As a kid, I was always apprehensive of growing older. As time went by and I progressed from being a school kid to a teenager and then a engineering student and then a professional, and till date, I have this notion in my head that all of this is a dream and sooner or later I'll wake up from it and find myself playing cricket in school with my friends...wishful thinking right...
However at the same time when I was growing into a not so mature adult, my mom n dad, relatives, uncles n aunts etc were aging too... I am not sure if anyone has noticed this but we tend to disregard the ageing of people closest to us while we are growing.
I used to think that my mom n dad would never age and my dad will be the superman he was 12-15 years back...(not that he isn't now at 72...)
But with reality sinking in now, and the constant reminder of the near and dear ones losing their battles with life, it frightens me to even think of the future.
However it is destiny and when the time comes a person has to embrace it no matter what. I just wish all the souls who have left for a better place, a peaceful abode....

Chennai Likes n Dislikes

2010-10-08T01:56:00.010+08:00

Last weekend i.e from 1st Oct'10 to 6th Oct'10, I paid a short visit to my friends Sambit, Rajdeep, KK, Saumya, Amrita and Sid Das in Chennai... It was a fun weekend alright but I was actually smitten by Chennai and its greenery.

Here is my list of like n dislike for the city of Chennai...

Well the dislikes first...Actually not that many but still Chennai ain't perfect...(Sorry Chai but that's the fact)

1.] Lack of ice- a place which is known for its sweaty and humid conditions does not provide one of the basic commodities in its grocery shops. We roamed around the whole of Velachery to find ice but to no avail. Its definitely a business plan waiting to be explored...(Chai are u listening)

2.] Lack of quality and economical booze- The place where we were staying had only one liquor store in its vicinity and it provided only signature whiskey as a premium whiskey. Man Signature sucks especially without ice.

3.] Lack of eye candy- One criteria where Chennai lacks in comparison to other metros is in the paucity of good looking opposite sex. I didn't find a single good looking girl in my whole Chennai trip...Sorry for being a sexist here.

Now to the good part and there are many.

1.] Awesome roads- The roads is Chennai are 100 times better than what we have here in Mumbai. Traffic or no traffic at least the roads are ridable.

2.] Perfect setting for House party- The houses in which my friends were staying in Chennai were not only huge but well furnished too with Rajdeep's in particular a very wonderful place with a joint personal terrace. With the paucity of high rises in Chennai as of now the view is spectacular and the place can accommodate 20 people very easily. (Next to impossible thinking of having a house party for 20 in a house in Mumbai).

3.] Greenery- May be because I was staying away from the main city, that I felt that way about Chennai but it is still 100 times more greener than Mumbai. Plus the city also has its cover of greenery which is a rarity in Mumbai.

4.] Spacious trains and no crowd what so ever- The train which I caught from Velachery to Light house was actually bound to the Beach which was its last stop. No only were the trains spacious and clean but unlike Mumbai locals they were not at all crowded (according to Mumbai standards). The 23 minute trip from Velachery to Light house was a blissful journey where I saw the different colours of Chennai. (I was told later that that was one end of Chennai; so there is lot more to see and explore).

5,] Cheap South Indian food- Just like Mumbai is known for its sev puris, pani puris etc it was heaven to have dosas, medu wadas and Mysore filter coffee. A cheap and a wonderful cuisine.

6.] Long beautiful, clean and secluded beaches- Well the credit for showing me the beach in Chennai goes to Gokul (Kumi's engineering batchmate). The beach he took up to at 3 am in the night was not only beautiful, but it was pristine clean. We even found a dude you offered us a joint. What else could you ask for?

Here are a few pictures which for me symbolizes Chennai the way I like it...:)

Manila ---> Mumbai...Transition

2010-09-28T14:48:00.002+08:00

It's been close to 2 weeks since I have got back to Mumbai after completing my MBA from AIM. In those 2 weeks I have rarely missed AIM as much as a few of my batch mates. They still can't believe that the honeymoon period is over and we are back in reality. May be since I am enjoying a short holiday before I start work again, my feeling differ from my peers. I am in a way now happy to be back in Mumbai, and be with my parents after a gap of 5 years.

However the memories of AIM, and Philippines will endure in conscience for years to come. It has been a life changing experience for me. An opportunity to learn in a new country, embrace a new culture and make new friends.

I guess when I look back in hindsight, there was so much more which I could have done and achieved in Manila & The Philippines. There were so many more places which I could have visited, so many more friends I could have made etc.

Now back to reality, in the busy city of Mumbai, and I am starting to find my feet all over again in the city which has been my home for 25 odd years. Its difficult to get used to life here in Mumbai after having had lived such a carefree life in Manila.

The last few days in Manila went off in a blur, without me having an idea whether it was night or day even though during the last week alcohol consumption was still very low by our own set standards.

The last pool party was worth remembering and thanks to Megha, the last of the cohort 4 junta can remember & savor the last pool party of batch 4 at AIM by watching it on VLC...

It has been a memorable experience...

Heart Break End to a Great Finale...

2010-07-25T10:06:00.006+08:00

I had put my money on Netherlands at the start of the world cup itself and seeing them progress to the finals without losing a game was a wonderful and majestic feeling.

Holland have been one of the most exciting teams in Europe for years now, but due to the infighting in the team they have never been able to reach the lofty heights of success on the world stage.

On the other side of the equation were the "Golden Generation" of Spanish footballers who in the past 2-3 years had squashed every side in their path to the Euro-2008 championship.

The World Cup finals was as enthralling as any I have seen till date. It was more exciting since there were only 2 to 3 Dutch supporters in school against an army of Spanish renegades.

While viewing the finals in our small SSR t.v room, it seems like I was in a war zone, with the enemy waiting to slaughter me. Every action on the tele was accompanied by oohs and aahs from all around.

The game in itself was highly entertaining, with each team showcasing their strengths on the field. The Dutch midfield was resilient and organized and contained the Spanish mid field much better than the Germans.

The first half was punctuated with couple of easy scoring chances which were missed by Sergio Ramos, with 2 easy header.

The Dutch resorted to touch tackling and fouls in order to slow down the Spanish armada. They were successful to a large extend but had to offset the success with having more than half their team booked by the end of the 90 mins.

Robben and Sneider were the star performers for the Dutch in attack and the defence was well handled by Heintinga and Van De Weir.

The Spanish armada rolled as then had all through the tournament with Villa getting close to score on more than one occasion. the mid filed duo of Iniesta and Xavi kept creating sublime football in the middle of the park but the Dutch defence was at their their supreme best.

The 3 defining moments in the match for me were

1.] When Robben missed a simple chance to score in the 2nd half and his shot was well saved by Casillas. The ball by Sneider from mid field deserved a goal and Robben will be kicking himself for the rest of his life for the poor effort in front of goal.

2.] The save from Stekelenburg to keep out a Fabregas shot in the 2nd half of extra time was again a piece of brilliant keeping.

3.] The defining moment of the match was the red card to Dutch defender John Heitinga in the middle of the 2nd half of extra time which reduced Holland to 10 men.

Spain got the breathing place they wanted and as it seemed that the match would be heading for a repeat of World cup-2006 with the climax ending with penalties, in comes Iniesta with a goal in the 117th min of extra time. The man with the defining and all important cross being none other than "Fernando Torres" who till then had been a peripheral figure in the Spanish side in this WC.

It was a heart break to see Iniesta to score a goal so late in the game and the mad rush in the t.v room didn't help at all as all the Spanish supporters got together to hug each other as well as show their apathy towards the handful of Dutch supporters who were stunned to silence.

It was sheer joy to watch the final of the world cup with so many people and replicated the experience I had in 2006. However at that time I knew only a handful of the people around whereas this time, everyone present was known.

I still cannot believe that the Dutch lost the game and I can just imagine if I was feeling so bad after the game, how would the Dutch nations as well as the Dutch players feeling themselves.

I have been in the same situation myself when I was in engineering and lost the semis twice on penalties, but then I know that the experience just made me stronger. I guess the same goes with the Dutch squad.

I was the only one left in the T.V room after the final whistle and the presentation were done and I saw the last few minutes of the most magnificent world cup to date all on my own. The disappointment of defeat was balanced by a sumptuous breakfast at McDonald at 6 am in the morning and though I had class at 9.30 am, I chose to bury myself in the comfort of my bed.

Well for all my Spanish supporter friends...Congratulations...

You put your money on the right team...

South Africa 2010-You Beauty!!

2010-07-20T11:38:00.008+08:00

South Africa-2010 was the greatest spectacle on Earth till date. Agreed the quality of football on display as well as the drama quotient was at a level lower than what we experienced in Germany-2006; however South Africa as a host nation;TAKE A BOW...

The FIFA World Cup is the pinnacle of international football and as such the tournament offers fans the unique experience of seeing so many stars performing at the highest level.

What an extravaganza!!! Everything about the tournament was perfect, right from the stadiums, to the organizers, to the crowd. The action on the pitch could have been better but still the tournament saw it's glimpses of extraordinary skill and supernatural performers with the likes of Diego Forlan, Wesley Sneider, David Villa, Meuller, Messi lighting up the stage at every given opportunity.

The stadiums for the tournament were indeed a piece of art as far as infrastructure is concerned. Not only were they state of art but the buzz around each stadium was an experience to cherish. South Africa came alive in all its colour and splendor; especially because of its people who were instrumental in making the tourney a huge success...

The Soccer World Cup provided South Africa the opportunity to show case to the world that they are no longer a third world country and are more than ready to step into the limelight.

The World Cup in itself was a wonderful sporting spectacle capturing audiences world wide. The action on the pitch was wavering in terms of quality and drama. However the strong showing of countries like Ghana, Paraguay and Uruguay brought the element of uncertainty to the fore.

However countries like England, Brazil, Argentina,France & Italy failed to live up to the pre-tournament hype.

The World Cup however did throw up some new soccer powerhouses who were traditionally known to be big tournament chokers. Spain and Netherlands did their reputation no harm and showcased their pedigree all through the duration of the tournament, establishing themselves as best 2 teams in the tournament.

In it's 80th year since the inception of the tournament in 1930; World Cup-2010 bought forth a new holder of the trophy in the form of Spain. Spain became the 8th nation to have won the most prestigious tournament in the world.

To conclude, as I said earlier, World Cup 2010 will be etched in my memory for a long time to come. The month long extravaganza has been one of the most memorable event in my 26 years of existence.

Cartoon Anyone...

2010-07-01T14:54:00.003+08:00

In today's BEM class (BEM: - Brand Equity Management for the uninitiated), we were discussing about how brands are formed.

The discussion ranged from what are the do's & don't for brand formation, to the attributes and values which a brand name should symbolize.

During the class, we also discussed about the origins of some the world's most famous brands such as Rolex, McDonald's, Nike etc.

The most insightful learning from the session was the reason behind why cartoon characters have large heads with respect to their body size. any ideas why????

Well the logic behind the whole thing as stated by our prof was that since cartoon characters were catering to the target segment of children above 3 to 12, the characters had larger heads since the children also had larger heads w.r.t to their body size when they are young.

Hence the cartoon characters were replicating the physical form of their target segment...i.e children between age 3-12...Funny isn't it...

So next time you find yourself watching mickey mouse or tom & jerry on cartoon network, sit back and think for a minute about how much thought and strategy has gone into making the characters of your beloved cartoon shows.

Test of Patience...

2010-05-19T19:26:00.003+08:00

Monday, 17th May 2010 will have to go down as one of the most frustrating days of my life yet. The last month and a half has been nothing but useless in terms of work experience, or any experience for that matter. I started my summers at HUL on 5th April'2010 thinking that in the next 8 weeks I'll learn a lot, execute a lot and achieve a lot in terms of my individual development.

Well the only thing which I have learnt over the course of my internship has been the art of being "patient".

On Monday I arrived at office and my desk at exactly 9.30 am hopeing to meet up with my bosses and to discuss the status of my project which appears to be in tatters. I waited the whole day for my divisional head in order to brief him. The wait ended at 21.30 in the evening when my brand manager informed me that the meeting looked bleak for today and I should try my luck again tomorrow.

Can you believe that? Waiting 12 hours in office doing nothing but waiting for your boss in order to just meet him for 5-10 mins. Utter nonsense I say...

I have no respect for those who don't have respect for other people's time.

Well, there is more to this dreadful day that this. I reached home by 10 pm completed exhauted & frustrated. However my day was just going from bad to worse. As soon as I reached home, my moom started with her usual banter which I had no inclination to hear at that moment. She just over did her bit and I completed lost it...Period...

I guess at the end of the day, I come out on the losing side as far as testing my patience was concerned.

How Ironic Part II

2010-05-03T15:21:00.003+08:00

Well it seems it was a week of ironies for me. On Friday, at work as I was browsing through facebook (yeah that's a part of my J.D here at HUL), I came across a status message of one of my friend from engineering college.The guy has been in the U.S for the past 3 years and I hadn't communicated with him since then. I was very tempted to reply to his status message but decided against it in the end.
Well to my utter amazement I met the same guy, in the evening when I was on my way to Sambit's place to have a few rounds of beer.
The expression on my face said it all...It seemed as if I had seen a ghost...Well how ironic is that!!
Anyways this friend of mine is in Mumbai for a few months now & when I met him he was also on his way to grab a few drinks with his friends near Dadar...Hahaha...
Well isn't it funny that the status message which started this whole thing was the following: -
" Mixing drinks is never a good idea"...LoL

How Ironic!!

2010-04-30T20:20:00.003+08:00

I was watching a movie on T.V till late last night. The movie in question was "Iron Man " an action thriller. I was just remembering the time when I had seen the movie in the theater a few years back. However during one of the commercial breaks in between the movie as I was channel surfing, I was thinking in my mind about a hindi song which I hadn't seen for 8-9 years. The song in question was " Zanam Samjaa Karo" from the movie of the same title. I think the movie released sometime in May 1999 and I hadn't heard the song or seen the movie on T.V since then...That's 11 years back. Well to my surprise as I was channel surfing, I chanced upon the movie on one of the hindi movie channels and that's not all; with in minutes the song in my mind was playing on the screen...Talk about wishful thinking coming true.
However, it's sometime nice when something which is very insignificant in the larger schemes of things comes true even though you could easily do without it.
Well of all my wishes in the wish list God decided to grant me this one. Thank you God...!! It was worth its weight in gold in the circumstances

First Week Back in Mumbai...

2010-04-15T21:20:00.002+08:00

It feels so good to be back home…Back to my roots, back to my friends and family.
The last one week has gone in a blur. Everyday there is something or the other happening. So if one day I was busy getting my license at R.T.O, the same evening I found myself sitting at Sambit’s terrace having Chivas Regal. In between I have managed to play cricket & carom with my engineering friends too. The first venue was Sanket’s place where we tried our hand at both cricket and carom and then on the weekend it was Matka’s place.
It was fun catching the Man Utd and Chelsea match at a sports bar… (More details on the same in my previous blog entry)
In between all this I have also managed 3 trips in a span of 7 days to the now rechristened “Zeus Fanoos” to have hukka with friends. Reliving old times. Well it seems nothing has really changed here in Mumbai, but at the same time my life has changed a lot since I left the shores 11 months back.
The last week has also been good in terms of catching up with people who are back from the States for a while. I met up with Ruchi, Aditi and Aarti in the past 2 days too.
Well the only thing which I hadn’t been able to do yet in my first week was play squash at the club. I did manage a practise session with my coach but until yesterday I hadn’t played a game of squash for exactly 11 months now. Well my this wish was also fulfilled yesterday when I had the chance to lock horns with Mandar at the club yesterday. Though I was comprehensively beaten it was fun to be back at the court. We celebrated the game by having a couple of beers afterwards. Even Manpreet had come for a game after a long time. So it was kind of a reunion of sorts.
The first week of my short Mumbai trip has gone better than expected and as I enter my second week here; my internship at HUL is just about picking up steam. I guess from tomorrow all my time and effort will go into doing the project at HUL well in order to get a PPO. Anyways I am sure I’ll survive since the after work scenario now is much better and I have friends to catch up with every evening and play squash which is a welcome relief…

Sports Bar experience in Mumbai

2010-04-15T21:16:00.003+08:00

Venue: - Gamley’s, Phoenix Mills (Lower Parel)
Occasion: - Manchester United vs. Chelsea (EPL)
The experience of watching a football match at a sports bar far outweighs the experience of watching the same sporting spectacle at home.
The atmosphere in a sports bar is electrifying and watching the action as it unfolds on the big screen surrounded by fellow lovers of the game is just not the same as watching the game all by yourself in the comfort of your living room.
Well my first experience of watching a football match in India with friends at a sports bar, sadly fell a bit below expectations.
One of the reasons could be that I was comparing the experience at “Bowling Co” Phoenix Mills to the experiences I have had at “Heckles & Jeckles” in Manila.
Let’s dissect my experience piece by piece in order to fill up the puzzle.
First the good stuff…
The décor of the place was good and fitted the image of a sports bar quite well.
The cover charge for the game was Rs 700 per head (i.e. min expenditure of Rs. 700 per person was mandatory) which was quite acceptable given that the match being screened was between Manchester United & Chelsea (End of the season top 2 clash).
The menu was had enough varieties for both veggies and non veggies to keep the stomach happy.
The bar also provided with free tit bits during the entire duration of the match. Hence we had something to nib into all through the match.
The bad stuff…
The most depressing part of the place was the lack of understanding & homework on the part of the bar owners. They started showing the match just a few seconds before kick off. Hence the pre match reports and team news was missed in the process. By doing this the owners missed a trick since by getting the patrons involved early in to the game by broadcasting the pre match show would not only have increased the consumption of beer and food but also made the patrons more comfortable & involved. Since they started showing the game just before kick off, the anxiety and irritation was very much visible amongst the sports enthusiast who had come to watch the football match. I guess the saving grace for the owners was that the IPL match between CSK & RR was already showing on the numerous small screens.
Next, the picture quality and the sound quality of the big screening had much to be desired. I spent watching most of the match on the smaller LCD screen since it was much brighter and clearer.
The sitting was a bit to cramp to my liking but it is the case in most sports bar when you are watching a highly anticipated clash between table toppers.
The service was also not that great (May be I am influenced by the service provided by “Heckles & Jeckles” which is an all woman workforce compared to CO’s which had only male workforce). Well on a serious note the whole experience could have been better if the crew at the place was well informed. For e.g. During a pivotal moment of the match when there was a penalty appeal by Park for Manchester United, the waiter comes right in front of me and starts pouring beer and in the process I missed the part on the big screen. He did get a firing and we asked him to keep the beer pitcher and go.
All in all the experience was good even though the team I was supporting suffered a disappointing loss. As a marketer I see a lot of potential and improvement in this aspect of sports entertainment.
The dearth of good sports bar in the city is a wonderful opportunity worth exploring. Given that India is on a growth spree both in terms of economical growth as well as population the prospects of having sports bar though a costly affair is one worth venturing into.
My rating for Gamley’s on a scale of 1 to 5 would be 2.5… The ambience and location scored good points but the service and the overall experience was missing something.

Mumbai Calling!

2010-03-29T09:54:00.003+08:00

In less than 24 hours I'll be embarking on my trip back to India and aamchi Mumbai!! 11 months since I left the shores of India to come to the Philippines and start a new chapter of my life...Well in the truest terms it has been a new beginning.

Pursuing an MBA had been a long cherished dream which is seeing the light of the day.Along the way in the last 11 months I have made some wonderful friends, taken some harsh but really required decisions and partied like crazy...

I have fallen in my own eyes in more than one occasion but the past 11 months have taught me some really important lessons which I would do well to remember in life.

Life is ever changing.Don't fight it.
Time is the most precious.You will never know when you will run out of time.So enjoy it.
Respect the feeling of others.
Freedom of expression is a must.
Relationships are important but there is more to it in life.
Anger management is the most important virtue I can ever develop.

Well as I leave for Mumbai, I have this sinking feeling of leaving AIM and Manila but also this wonderful optimism within me to meet my friends and family back home.

It has been a wonderful 11 months which has taught me more about life than the 26 years which I have spent on the face of this earth.

I just can't wait to get back to Mumbai and indulge myself to the simple things in life such as a vada pao by the road side stall, or a walk through Lokandwala or just roam around school all by myself.

Well here's to Mumbai...Mumbai here I come...

Speed Test:- Typing...

2010-03-25T16:46:00.001+08:00

40 words

Speed Typing test

Term 3 comes to an end...

2010-03-20T19:57:00.003+08:00

What a whirlwind week I have had...This term just disappeared in front of my eyes. Can't believe that 10 weeks went by so quickly.I am almost done with my MBA.WOW!!!

The term started on 11th January'01 and though it was one of the shortest terms, I can't believe that it's all over.

I started this term completed rejuvenated from my trips to Banaue, Sagada and Boracay and was optimism personified as the term began.

All my personal problems seem to have been sorted and I was content with myself willing to take on the whole world.

One of the milestones which I set myself for this term was to try my very best to get into the so called "Deal List" for term 3. Hahaha....wishful thinking I say...

Well that plan fizzed out with in a week or so but I enjoyed every bit of the term and for once absorbed a lot of knowledge and wonderful take aways from the last 10 weeks.

I can actually be proud of the fact that in 2 of the electives I ended up with 100% attendance which is in itself a great achievement.

Also for the first time in my life I made a power point presentation all by myself making use of all the tit bits offered by office 2007.It sounds childish but I loved every moment of making it...

The term ended on a bitter/sweet note with the MR finals.A completely qualitative paper to decide whether I pass the subject or not.I had so much high hopes with the elective which actually stands for "Marketing Research" but it was taught by the worst professor that I have come across in my life as a student yet...

But the exam also bought back memories of engineering days where whenever we were not prepared for a exam or something we used to just write our name and leave.Well I took that practice on step further.Not only did I write gas on the whole paper but I actually started during the paper loudly and got the others to join me.Completely insane I tell you.Well I am sure to flunk that subject. Only God can help me get pass this one.

The end of the term was celebrated in true AIM fashion with a bash by the poolside and for once I saw all my classmates chilling and getting drunk together.What an experience.

It has been a good term overall...

Now MUMBAI... Here I come...

Lateral Thinking...

2010-03-20T03:14:00.002+08:00

I haven't cried since a long time but tonight I feel lonely.Not that I am alone but for once I feel like the whole world is against me.It has been a while since I felt like that n I thought I am strong enough to fight it but I was wrong. I really believe in what goes around comes around.

It has been since the start of the year that I have gone against norm and held my own against actual practice but tonight has triggered the worst in me.I don't care about anyone esle anymore.It has to be about me n my family from now.

I have had enough taking care of everyone.The end is here.It's now my choice and thought I have made my decision it doesn't matter anymore.

I have decided.Whatever I do I'll do for my own well being.I am done thinking about people.Ihave had enough on the back seat.It's my time and I am going to utilize it to my best advantage.

It's my life n I am gonna live it my way.

Mumbai here I come...

UCB exam...Term 3 (Once in a lifetime experience)

2010-03-17T15:46:00.003+08:00

After having waited for 48 hours in order to appear for my final UCB round table discussion which was also the final examination for this elective, the mood before entering the discussion was one of tiredness and despair.

However, the experience of going through the rigor of the round table conference, was one of the best experience of test taking I have had in my life (Micro economics exam in term 1 was another).

Even though most of us were dumbfounded and had no idea how to approach or initiate the discussion, once we got going with the help of the professor who kept prompting us all along the way, the entire exercise became a very stimulating experience.

I learnt more about Consumer Belief & Behavior in those 1.5 hours of discussion as compared to 18 sessions of class room teaching.

Even though, personally I am not happy with my effort during the discussion, the whole exchange of ideas was actually very stimulating.

For once I understood the significance and the importance of class room discussion and case based style of learning.

The product stimuli which we chose as a group was "Nike: - Sports shoes" and as we got involved in the discussion, it became clearer in my mind about the rationale behind the marketing strategy of Nike and how each and every effort on their part to allure customers in to buying their product followed the concepts of Consumer Behavior to the tilt.

The dissection of their marketing plan in terms of consumer behavior was an eye opener, and a wonderful example of using a practical example in order to learn and understand concepts which book learning will never be able to offer.

To sum it all up, kudos to Prof. Chua...You really know your subject and it has been a wonderful learning experience.

Another plus for my experience at AIM...:)

Economics of Friendship

2010-03-14T18:17:00.005+08:00

2.5 months...That's all it takes.. 2.5 months for me to actually understand how friendship works in AIM... At least for me...
Well this is no bitter post criticizing my friends or anything but the way things have been going for the past few weeks in particular, it seems that people make up their mindset very easily and quickly here.Well that explains how from being a good company I have been relegated to no company for no fault of my own.

The worst of it isn't that but the fact that none of them have the bloody guts to come and confront me with the real issue.

Well I have this simple philosophy in life that don't ever run behind anything.Everything in this world has a reason and I guess in the end it all works out to be all good.

The mantra now is to stay clear of all the negative energy and concentrate on all the good things happening in my life.

It really doesn't matter what people around me do.

I guess as we get older it becomes that much more difficult to make friends for that simple reason: - friendship...There has to be an ulterior motive for every association we build.

Well I am just glad that this term is coming to an end in a weeks time and hopefully I'll be back with my friends and family in Mumbai away from the lugubriousness of AIM...

I guess its time to invest in new things, new people and to newer beginnings...

Mirror Image...

2010-02-24T01:44:00.002+08:00

How does it feel when you have a person who is just like you in temperament as well as behaviour. In my case a loud mouth, with an in your face attitude, a noble to the core and a temper which when flares has no boundaries.

Well till date I thought I was the only one with this trait but after tonight the equations have altered. I used to feel angry at myself for letting loose which by the way always happens after a lot of instigation but after today I actually feel a bit sorry for myself as well as for my mirror image...Why you say? Well the reason being we both have the right idea and the right feeling about things just that we tend to show it is a different way for the other to gauge...

Too complicated...Well it is...Who said life was simple anyways...

Oblivion...

2010-02-23T21:13:00.002+08:00

It seems that I am in complete oblivion with myself. This feeling of helplessness as well as utter weakness isn't what I signed up for while taking my MBA... These last few weeks have been such a drab that it has taken the zest out of the MBA experience if there was any...

Well enough of cribbing now.I guess the worse thing I can do is to crib. It's time for some corrective action and the implementation requires to be swift and precise.

So what shall be my agenda for the next 1 month.Lets get down to making a list and see in a month's time what % of my listed work to do really gets done...

Start up on the MR project in all earnest as well as try my best to salvage the 2 credits hanging in balance as of now.
Start researching on the feasibility of having a sports marketing elective in the next term and prepare the ground work for the same.
Start searching for internship in India & here in all earnestness given the paucity of time.
Start on my CMDI paper on the Indian Financial Markets. (This would take the maximum time).
Read at least 2 more books before the month deadline approaches.
Travel at least twice in the next 2 weeks to some place else than Manila even if it's just for a day.
Try going for bowling at least once a week preferably in the afternoon.
Gym regularly.
To keep my temper in check and not get bothered by other people or situations what so ever. (Most difficult of the lot).
Talk to at least 1 friend from back home everyday. Either chat or call.
Start reading up on MRR reports in the library whenever I can afford myself free time.
Learn to use microsoft power point as a pro.

Well 12 items looks a lot of work but I guess I have enough time on my plate to be able to achieve atleast 9 out of the 12 listed items by the month end...

Wish me luck...

ps: - Following up on IPL, EPL and F 1 is not a chore to be considered. It is a full time job which I have to do never the less...:)

Time to kill

2010-02-22T22:11:00.003+08:00

There is so much time in my hand now a days that it actually scares me...I have like 2 lectures a day and absolutely no paper work for the time being. So most of my time now a days goes into catching up on some precious sleep but now even that seems to have become a overdose of sorts.

I guess this golden period of lukkagiri will be last of the lot once I am done with this MBA...It actually pains me to spend so much of time with myself. I guess there are so many things to do but I am not able to motivate myself to do half those things. I believe a change of environment is the need of the hour. Lets see if I can cook up something for the next few weekends.

I never knew that term 3 would be such a farce...It's so slow that it's not funny. The subjects are well interesting but insightful to say the least and the pressure on us is non existent and knowing myself I'll never work until and unless I am pressurized to work.

I guess this honeymoon period ain't gonna last forever but I can't wait for it to end so that I can get back to being busy and not so frustrated with the time in hand.

The only good thing about having so much time on hand is that this has given an oppurtunity for me to search the net and read up on new and interesting topics.

In the last few days I have read about the World War II in detail, seen a few movies on Hitler, saw "n" number of vidoes on Sachin Tendulkar, saw Stanford videos on Vinod Khosla and got myself abrest with the U.S stock market thanks to the virtual stock game run by the Fin club of the school.so not that bad at all...

But what I am really missing is on some quantity and quality time playing sports. The only game I can try my hand out here at AIM is basketball and table tennis but I would give my right arm if I can get to play football or squash somehow here in the Philippines.

For the time being I am content reading people's blog and in finding new ways to kill time. I know I am gonna miss this time very soon when it will seem that the onus of the entire world has come on my shoulder and I have to bear thr brunt in full force.

However till then the best I can do is to stop complaining and start living with what I have in my hand. It could have been worse you know...:)

Note to Self

2010-02-10T15:56:00.002+08:00

Not a good week at all...Bad news everywhere...I guess I need to shut off from the world & snuggle back into my sweet little world for a while.
The weekend should be good though...High hopes and fingers crossed...

By the way on the sporting front...Reliance planning to bid for Liverpool...Wow...India coming of age...
Indian hockey on a new low again...This time on the issue of captaincy...
A bad week for Indian Cricket...What will happen when the likes of SRT,RD and VVS eventually retire...Wow I am depressed already...
Manchester United: - back to their best fighting for the top summit...playing the attacking game.
Arsenal: - still playing the beautiful game without the desired results...
Chelsea: - take a bow...Playing the effective game...
Liverpool: - surviving by winning ugly...Never the less winning lately...

Human Behavior

2010-02-08T15:46:00.003+08:00

It's so apparent that when you do something for a person to make them feel special or go out of your way to care for them they completely adore you and think well of you.

Reverse the circumstances and if you by chance annoy they same set of persons or do something which they don't like and even though they have/have not done something similar to you, they act like complete strangers oblivious to the fact that you care and feel for them.

And as it is when I go through these random thoughts the few most important people in my life seem to be the ones acting that way.

I guess in the end you should just take a stand. Give as much as you are liable to receive...

And I have always believed that "Expectation" is the worst you can expect from anyone except yourself...

Understanding Consumer Behaviour

2010-02-02T13:24:00.002+08:00

Well that's one of the electives I have enrolled for in the 3rd semester. The subject sounds very interesting at first glance but as I dwell more into it, I can just find jargon galore and nothing else...

So don't be alarmed if you see me using words like semiotics, anthroposmiotic, triadic etc. in my future blogs...

Well my understanding of Consumer behaviour from the point of a marketing executive is "To Create Desire" in the hearts and minds of the consumer...

How you got about doing that is where Understanding the present/past consumer behaviour and marketing research comes in to the picture.

My biggest take away yet from this class has been how to segment a brand or a product based on the three important criteria's of Categorization, Prioritization & Placement with the aid of a tag line & a positioning statement for the consumer.

At the end of the day the best one can do is to place himself/herself in the shoes of the consumer and then drive home the point...Worse comes to worse...You will be wrong in your hypothesis...Well one anyways learn's from one's mistake.

Life and it's unexpected/unpredictable ways...

2010-01-21T14:33:00.003+08:00

I wrote the title of this blog a few days back but since coming up with the title I just left the page blank...That's how unpredictable life has become.I plan to do something and end of doing something else & completed different from what was originally planned.. I work towards something and achieve something completely opposite. I strive for peace and end up with violent reactions.

Too many variables have been changing in my life now a days and I am not able to figure out what variable to keep constant and what variable to allow to float.

I guess in this complicated equation called life I need to let go of all the variables for a while and just rely on the simple addition and subtraction of my own experiences.

The way my life has mapped out so far has been so unpredictable that I cannot begin to fathom about it. The fact that I have already endured and seen my share of life and its pain that I sometimes treble with trepidation about my future.

But then on the other side the unexpected sweet returns which life seems to offer once in a while completed by surprise leads me to think and believe that life can't be that bad after all...

In the end it's I who decides what I want to do with my life and no one else...So the fear of not getting a good job after MBA is not going to govern how I lead my life...(Just an example).

Term 3 @ AIM

2010-01-14T14:17:00.003+08:00

As I reach the end of my first week of term 3 at AIM, I am compelled to glance at my time table for this term and shudder at the amount of free time I have been afforded by the curriculum.

After 8 months of hyper activity and packed daily schedule it seems an antithesis coming into term 3. On top of that it is such a far cry and a departure from the norm to be attending classes where there are only 12-13 students for a course.A month back we were a group of 45 strong...

Before I joined AIM, I was aware about the dichotomy of the first and the second year.My friends from engineering who were lucky or smart enough to get through to a B-School straight after engineering told me about their vellapan (absolute laziness and time wasting) in their second years in a B-School.

Well now that I am there in the same position and experiencing the same I can finally relate to what they meant.

Are my parents spending so much money so that I can blog in the middle of the day on a weekday instead of studying and attending classes...Well going by the look of things it seems so...

The school has seem to have lost it's buzz now a days...There seems to be a lack of activity around and even we guys are slacking a bit in our endeavor to liven up the atmosphere...

I guess now that most of my friends are back from India after a well deserved breather, we guys can go back to our old ways of enjoying by the poolside or at the beer garden chatting and drinking by the night to glory...

Also as much as term 3 affords so much spare time for me, it is also one of the more important semesters in terms of learning and honing up my skill sets...Also since the class size has shrunk to such a small number ranging from 11 to 32 in a class, I guess it's time I put my best foot forward academically too...

Here's to another eventful and memorable term at AIM...Hope it turns out to be the best of the lot...

Cheers...

Old Ties...

2010-01-14T13:29:00.002+08:00

It feels so good when you talk to a school friend or someone whom you have known since school after a long hiatus. You don't need to explain them about your actions nor give them clarifications.

Also it so important to have friends from school since they are the one who actually know you when you were completely unspoiled and uncorrupted.

I am lucky to have at least a few friends from my school days with whom I can confide and actually discuss whatever is on my mind.

It feels so nice to relive those younger days even if through memory, but truly school days were really the "Wonder Years" of my life...

Chatted with Sambit today after a long while and as we discussed each others life, we could easily relate to what the other was trying to say.It was as if we didn't need to say anything to one another.I was understood...:)

Well now that's what I call friendship...

2010...

2010-01-02T12:33:00.005+08:00

The run up to the 31st of Dec 2009 was nothing but awesome. I spent the last 4 days of 2009 with awesome company at a beautiful beach. The venue been "Boracay"...Party capital of Philippines...

The place is beautiful and is filled with foreign tourist looking to have a good time. Now I know why most of my Filipino classmates don't like Boracay that mush.You'll find more foreigners there than localites.

Well coming back to my trip...Well the beach is beautiful but commercialized beyond scope. The sea water is clear blue and green mixture and the best part is you can go deep into the waters and still keep standing...It was the farthest I have been into sea water in my life.

The mornings were spent on the beach swimming,soaking up the sun and enjoying the views around and the evening were spent having a good time by the beach. The food was exquisite though expensive and the company I had was awesome.

The whole trip we just traveled a single length of road from our resort to the beach and back. Funny because I spend 5k for a to and fro trip and in the end managed to travel a patch of road to a beach.

Surprisingly this time the amount of alcohol intake was very less by my standards even though the alcohol prices were very reasonable considering the new year period.

The place itself was oozing with party atmosphere and where ever you looked people were genuinely happy...

Funny enough it was my first new years away from Mumbai and family and friends.I guess life has come a full circle with this year. It was the first time in 9 years that I celebrated a new year without even one of my D.J batch mates. Well I guess all good things in life come to and end sometime or the other.

The year 2009 has been a mixed bag with first having to deal with leaving Infosys, the football team and then Pune one by one.

Then came the best part of the year when I finally embarked on my long cherished dream of doing a MBA that too in a foreign country...

The time spent here in AIM has been one of the best in my life and will be forever a cherished memory.

My break up was ugly and I felt sorry for the whole thing to date but now I have realized people have their own ways of handling life and one can't be stuck up with the past or the future. I guess in 2010 I should leave behind all the bitter memories and just live life the way I know "care free" and be my own man.

The last 2 months of the year have been special and awesome thanks to my friends and Meg...
The trip to Baguio and then Boracay have been special to say the least and as the new semester approaches I look forward to giving my best in everything...

I guess the way to look is forward and not backwards...

So let 2010 be the year where what ever I do I'll do without either regret or guilt...

May this year bring all the happiness and success for one and all...

Serene Peace

2009-12-17T17:16:00.002+08:00

For the first time in eight months since I landed in Manila, I went to the Power bookstores in Green Belt. Well not many know of my love for books and the fact that I love reading though I am not a voracious reader like many of my friends back home.

However back to the main topic. The Power bookstore brought back memories of Crosswords back in Mumbai and Pune.

The 2nd floor of the store had ample of place for people to sit and read as well as reference the books. Oh what a peaceful experience...
I have been craving for such peace and quiet where I could just spend a few hours going through books and enjoy the surroundings. Well now I know where to go...:)

However the books in this country are really expensive, though the collection at Power was quite impressive but looking at the prices of the books gave me an instant heart attack.

It's been such a long time since I actually went and splurged on books. I remember in Pune I used to pick up books every 20-25 days even if I had a backlog to read already.

Actually I already have a backlog of 5 books here in AIM since Harsh & Nash as well as Nishant n Shubho gave me books to read.

Well so in the next 20 days I plan to finish at least 3 of these books so that my backlog for the new year would be kept to a minimum...

End of an Era...

2009-12-15T12:12:00.003+08:00

Well no one loves good byes least of all me. However all my life I have been one of the last ones to say goodbye to everything be it while leaving school, engineering college or my organization.

Seeing off people has become like a second occupation for me...It was never easy when I went off to see most of my friends from engineering to the airport every other nite. However saying goodbye to friends whom I met not even 8 months ago has been a difficult experience here at AIM...

They have been my family for the past 8 months and we have practically shared all our happiness and sorrows with each other...Every other night has been made memorable thanks to the late night drinking sessions or just the b.S sessions which we would indulge in whenever not drinking.

The last 8 months are fresh in my mind and each day has been a special one.

For the last few days cohort 3 guys have been consoling me and telling me that there will be another set of friends which will make the remaining journey more exciting that what has been till date. I don't repudiate that...However there is an uneasiness at the back of my mind about how the next 8 months will span out...

I know I am surrounded by wonderful people around me and the next 8 months will be a beautiful experience in the MBA institute but my mind and more importantly heart is not willing to accept the inevitable.

The realization will dawn during the next pool party whenever it is, since the usual faces will be missing and new faces will surface to take up the mantle and the onus of carrying the torch will fall on the new batch of students from cohort 5.

Well cohort 3 as I have said before, it has been a absolute pleasure...You have been the best kind of seniors any incoming batch would have prayed for.

To my set of friends, the life and times that we have shared with each other will be remembered for a long time. The secrets we shared, the BS by the poolside, the insightful CP and the drunken revelry will all be cherished...

As I look into the future, I know I'll not find friends like the ones who have left but I am still excited by the next 8 months of my AIM life and beyond.

As KK and Shubho told me not so long back..."Tera MBA toh aab shuru hoga...Term 3, AC period and term 4...Aish karega tu abhi"...

Well cheers to each member of the legendary cohort 3...Wish you guys all the very best...And once again it has been an absolute pleasure...

Vanilla Twilight...

2009-12-06T15:26:00.001+08:00

The stars lean down to kiss you
And I lie awake and miss you
Poor me a heavy dose of atmosphere
Cause I'll dose off safe and soundly
But I'll miss your arms around me
I'd sent a postcard to you dear
Cause I wish you were here

I'll watch the night turn light blue
But It's not the same without you
Because it takes two to whisper quietly
The silence isn't so bad
'Til I look at my hands and feel sad
Cause the spaces between my finger are
Right where yours fit perfectly

I'll find a pose in new ways
For I haven't slept in two days
Cause cold nastalgia chills me to the bone
But drenched in vanilla twilight
I'll sit on the front porch all night
Waist deep in thought because when I think of you
I don't feel so alone
I don't feel so alone
I don't feel so alone

As many times as I blink
I'll think of you
Tonight
I'll think of you tonight

When violet eyes
Get brighter
And heavy wings
Grow lighter
I'll taste the sky and feel alive again
And I'll forget the world
When I do
But I swear I won't forget you
Oh, if my voice could reach back to the past
I'd whisper in your ear
Oh darling,
I wish you were here.

-Owl City...

Music

2009-12-06T13:29:00.002+08:00

Well after all the depressing post I have written in the last few days I want to pen down some happy thoughts...

Well I would like to talk about the music I am listening to now a days...

"Owl City" is the latest band I am listening to now a days and I love their music and mixing. Just in love with the music, voice and the lyrics of most of their songs...

Just a short background on them:-

Owl City is an American synthpop musical project. It consists of Adam Young and his backing band. The name comes from Adam's hometown Owatonna, Minnesota. Young started out making music in his parents' basement,which he claims is a result of his insomnia.

Well so much for the background...

Now to the crux of the matter...

I love their single " fireflies" Don't know why but I just love the music and the lyrics of that song...It seems to be favorite song now a days. I tend to listen to it at least 3-4 times everyday...

Thanks to groove shark, I have a play list of only their songs and the minute I am back in my dorm room the music is blasting full on on my earphones listening to them non stop...

Here is how the lyrics of the song go...

You would not believe your eyes,
If ten million fireflies,
Lit up the world
As I fell asleep.

'Cause they fill the open air,
And leave teardrops everywhere,
You think me rude,
But I would just stand and stare.

I'd like to make myself believe,
That planet Earth turns slowly,
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep,
'Cause everything is never as it seems...

'Cause I'd get a thousand hugs,
From ten thousand lightning bugs,
As they tried to teach me
How to dance.

A foxtrot above my head,
A sockhop beneath my bed,
A disco ball is just hanging by a thread. (Thread, thread)

I'd like to make myself believe,
That planet Earth turns slowly,
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep,
'Cause everything is never as it seems... (When I fall asleep)

Leave my door open just a crack. (Please take me away from here)
'Cause I feel like such an insomniac. (Please take me away from here)
Why do I tire of counting sheep? (Please take me away from here)
When I'm far too tired to fall asleep. (Please take me away from here)

To ten million fireflies,
I'm weird 'cause I hate good-byes,
I got misty eyes when they said "Farewell",

But I'll know where several are,
If my dreams get real bizarre,
Cuz I saved a few and I keep them in a jar.

I'd like to make myself believe,
That planet Earth turns slowly,
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep,
'Cause everything is never as it seems...

(When I fall asleep)

I'd like to make myself believe,
That planet Earth turns slowly,
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep,
'Cause everything is never as it seems...

(When I fall asleep)

I'd like to make myself believe,
That planet Earth turns slowly,
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep,
Because my dreams are bursting at the seams...

Impasse...

2009-12-06T12:02:00.002+08:00

Impasse...Dictionary meaning...

–noun

1.	a position or situation from which there is no escape; deadlock.

2.	a road or way that has no outlet; cul-de-sac.

How apt...I find myself in a situation where there is no escape.Whichever path I choose, I am already in trouble with a capital "T"...

I have not slept a wink all night...Read nothing nor studied...Just whiled away my time waiting for this impasse to end...Well happy waiting Mr. Das...

I so wished I had a squash racket and a court to play at the moment...Even a football will do but playing that alone wouldn't be fun...:)...

Well the only solace I can find is through music and blogging and I am at it, full on...

Was good talking to dad back home.Though we spoke about business as usual, but it was such a nice feeling listening to a voice which never judges me or my actions...

Knowing myself, I know for sure that things with in me have changed in the last few months...What has changed n why I am still not able to zero in on...But yeah there is definitely something amiss here...Anyways that will take care of itself...

Coming back to my favorite situation now a days the impasse situation doesn't cease to end...

Well I guess I'll just have to fight my way back from this situation just the way I have done till now in my life...

Best Pool side party ever...

2009-12-06T05:19:00.002+08:00

I never ever in my dreams thought that a poolside party at AIM without music would be so much fun...Well now I know...

Thanks to Shiva n Deepti tonight has been one of the most forgettable nites for me in my short but sweet stint in AIM history...

For the first time in a long time I laughed my guts out for close to 4 hours listening to anecdotes of Shiva and Deepti and their marriage as well as their love affair which is going strong since college.

It brought back memories of my engineering college days and the dreams and aspirations I had then...However none the less tonight was made special by this dynamic couple who understood each other very well and had no inhibition in sharing their life with us...

Cheers to you both...One of the most hilarious nites and also the most fun filled night in my AIM history...

I have to admit I never really thought that I was going to laugh so much tonight but I guess god has his own way with his people and after a somewhat frustrating day where I tried to do everything to please people around me I still fell short. Though my efforts were genuine the end result was far from satisfactory.

However after going through the physical as well as mental agony about the whole thing God blessed with me these 3 hrs where I was all over in love with the concept of loving n feeling...

The kinds of joke which Shiva easily narrated about his father in law as well as his father and also about his impending wedding were too hilarious not to laugh...

He had all of us in split and I am glad to have come across such people who make our day a bit more bearable and reasonable...

All in all a wonderful experience and one of the best poolside parties ever in AIM sans music...

Cheers...

Mindfucked...

2009-12-05T23:40:00.002+08:00

Disclaimer:- If you want a happy post to read and feel good...turn away from this page...Ain't happening today...:(

Freaking pissed off in life right now.With myself, with my life, with my surroundings...Every second day I feel like running out of this place and go to my safe abode. I am fed up putting up a happy demeanor for everyone around me...Seriously man!!

Bloody I am suppose to understand everyone's problem (n by this I don't mean you Meg so don't draw any conclusions here...plz...) but when it comes to myslef I am left to fend it off for myself. Agreed I prefer it that way n I can even handle it but atleast give me my space.

I hate this stifling life I am leading...I guess one of the reasons could be the amount of free time I am affording myself... I really need to get busy again n invest my time intelligently and into more productive things.

On top of that, most people here are preoccupied with their own things, I don't even know whom to run to...I the one person I could run to, I can't because of my own insecurities...

I know this blog is going to piss a lot of people but I am taking the chance because it's the only way I can get this frustration out of my system...

It really pisses me off when people say that they know me really well and know the reason behind my every action. Cmon... Even I don't know what I am going to do the very next moment and then you tell me that you know me... plz give me a break here...

I kind of remember my college days where I practically spent my whole day wiling away my time just to wait for evening when I could get to Sambit's building to play football and express myself completely...

It been such a long time since I have expressed myself completely. First there was football in Pune to do that, but then I quit the company. Then I had squash to rout out my frustration and express myself completely. But what now... Alcohol doesn't work for me cause that will be like too saddistic...I don't like the gym that much to exhaust all my energy over there and with blogs it leads to unneccesary confusion and mindless squabbles.

Well then what am I suppose to do... I can't let this affect me anymore...I need to take control of my life and it begins right now...

I have been wiling away time for the past 4-5 years doing nothing productive and its high time I repay my parents for their love, devotion and trust.

I hear where you coming from now Divya... May be I am neglecting the major things in life for the not so major frills of life at the moment.

And yeah, the temper is flaring up again...I guess this MBA experience is really testing my patience in anger management. I remember losing my cool before too but now days I am on such a short fuse that I don't know what n why am I doing?

N on top of that, I hate people crying and especially because of me... There are already a few people who have cried because of me and I hate it... I don't think I am ever going to forgive myself for making people in my life crying...People who care for me and really love me , end of crying too...I just don't get the drift...

Anyways enough of rambling...This one could open up another pandora box tomorrow but I really don't care anymore...My sentiments are pouring out and I am liking it...

Whatever happens next, it will take care of itself...

Last of the WAC's...

2009-12-03T13:25:00.002+08:00

Time:- 4.34 am
Date:- 3rd-Dec-09
Occasion:- Submission of my last WAC...

6 months back I submitted by 1st WAC amidst a lot of fan fare and enthusiasm all around.
Today after having completed the last of the 8 official WAC's which we are suppose to submit in order to receive a grade in WAC; there was a sense of relief and nostalgia rather than happiness and fulfillment.

The fact that this was our 3rd WAC in lest than a week also eroded me of my enthusiasm for the last WAC. However all things said and done another important part of AIM has ended for better or worse.

It has been so much fun writing these WAC's and it has been made even more fun due to the company which I have during these WACs.

Hence as I remember the list of the WACs written over the last 6 months ranging from HBO to marketing to economics to OM to FM to GM and last but not the least ABS, the nostalgic feeling resurfaces again and all the fond memories of those WAC nights come flowing into my mind.

I remember going through some ex-AIM student's blog before coming here and one thing he didn't fail to highlight was the excitement as well as the agony and tension of the WACs.
After having read that post I was dreading whether I will ever be able to do justice to these cases but after having survived the first half of my MBA without any major blip I can now safety say that it has been a pleasure taking on those WACs in the last 6 months and pouring out my B.S. as well as WACkiness on each one of them.

I close one more chapter in my AIM life, which is diminishing at an alarming rate.

Should I be happy or sad...that is the question ?...

Marriages Galore

2009-12-01T23:28:00.002+08:00

It's really the season of weddings back home in India. There are so many of my friends from engineering who are getting hitched this December and a lot many more who tie the knot in the first few months of 2010...

I can't believe that it's already 4.5 years since I passed engineering and here I am sitting in a B-School and blogging about my friends from college getting married. Well time surely flies by quickly.

I remember Sweta's wedding, when me and Hitesh had an interesting conversation about who in our batch will get married next and when.Well as far as that prediction is concerned, I am happy that 70% of that has come true. Hence good job Hitesh...We really should have opened a marriage bureau then...

Well for all the couples set to get hitched in the next few months...My best wishes and I wish you guys have a blast in your new innings with your new batting and life partners.

Hence Irwan-Megha (the love story of college to see through till the end); Rushil-Krishna; Saunil-Ami; Mansi-Chirag; Niti-Abhisek; Sanjay-Surabhi; Rounak-Kriti (only love story from school to see the light at the end of the tunnel :) ) and last but not the least Arpit-Sheetal...Add to the list Mahesh-Rashmi from Infy...and a lot many more who are on their way to be hitched in the coming year.

Take a bow and wish you all the very best for a bright future.

As for the remaining bachelors in the group and there are still many...Keep hitting and pitching...

Cheers...

Achilles' Heel

2009-11-22T19:46:00.003+08:00

Every individual comes with his own set of strength and weakness in this world. It's an advantage if one is able to hide his/her weaknesses and leverage their strengths.
It's a big advantage if one can hide his/her major "Achilles Heel".

Well in my case the biggest blunder is my strength and weakness actually complement each other in most occasions. Given that I am such an extrovert and a friendly person , helps me to break ice with most people easily however at the same time my loud voice and my temper which seems to flare up at the most innocuous times and is something to be wary of.

However people close to me and who know me very well, know that it's just me being me and there is no malice in my actions what so ever when I am angry.Just that sometimes I am not able to control my emotions and the worst thing I can do at that time and which I try my best to control on most occasions is to have an outburst if not on any particular person, then just on myself.

I know sometimes it gets really scary, and I do have an idea about that too but I don't know why but since I have got to AIM, these bouts of sudden anger has really increased. There was a time where I had shut myself out from people just so as to not get into further trouble.

Is it because I am feeling uncomfortable in this environment or is it just a phase. Well it doesn't look like a phase to me given the fact that it's already been 7 months here in Manila. I have got used to life here and am comfortable in this surrounding. Then why is that at times I tend to just lose it even if it is just for a few seconds.

The biggest problem here is not the actual outburst but the aftermath of these outbursts. Apologizing to people was never a problem and I am most genuine about it but explaining them why I acted that way is a pain. Trust me if I knew why I do that I would have put a stop to that.

The only advantage of this problem which I can see is that my anger actually sometimes triggers me to do things which I would normally never think about doing. It motivates me to prove people wrong and challenge my own limits. However this advantage is far outweighed by the repercussions which this weakness of my tends to generate.

Checking Wikipedia the actual meaning of Achilles' Heel came up to be this:-

An Achilles’ heel is a fatal weakness in spite of overall strength, that can actually or potentially lead to downfall.

How true this seems in my case, more now than ever. I guess to some extent mom is also right. I have inherited my dad's anger. At least he has learnt with age to sober down but with me the only way I can actually not this affect my day to day life is by exerting myself more and more by playing. May be this is one reason I am so edgy here in AIM.

I try my hand in so many games but may be I am missing football and squash a lot. Well playing football now even after AIM is going to be a very difficult proposition, however I hope I get back to squash as soon as I get back home.

Well I guess this will be an open ended blog given the fact that I still haven't figured a solution to this problem. The only good thing as of now is that I know it is manageable. I guess I have to just take it easy and stop deciding on what I want n how I want things around me and let life decide the same for me for a while...

Week of unneccessary fights and confusion...

2009-11-22T06:15:00.002+08:00

Is it something to do with the timing or is it just my plain bad luck. After having come to be in peace with myself over different issues in life, when everything seem to have settled down finally the events of unnecessary confusions and trouble seems to have surfaced.

What am I suppose to do when I get a bit agitated. Everybody has their own ways of letting out and I guess it's with in a person's right to handle the situation as and how he deems it to be.

Not that I am not trying or that I am angry and over the edge at all times but yeah when I am edgy, I am really edgy.

Anyways I guess, enough has been said and written about this before so I'll just let it be the way it is...

Well from now 1 thing is clear, no more planning and no more compromises. If things have to smoothen out they will else I'll run the tide.

As far as expectations are concerned I guess everyone around just says that they know me well and have figured me out completely inside out...Well I guess they are missing the whole point then. Figuring me out might seem very easy for most people but understanding me is a very difficult thing because sometimes I myself am not able to do so...

Well as I am anyways rambling about random stuff, another very important thing which I completely agree with is never to expect anything from anyone...That's the worse you can do...for yourself as well as for others. I guess I had that thing figured out in life already but lately I am myself realizing that I have been demanding a lot from people around me and this is now pissing me off more than anything else.

I guess a few days away from everything n everyone will help in a big way to deal with this situation and also to reassess.

Well I guess enough of pouring out my shitty thoughts at this time of the hour.Though I am not at all sleepy and as is the case I can never really sleep with unpleasant thoughts in my mind the best thing to do could be to watch a movie.

I'll contemplate on that and a lot other things.

Last Call fo CP...

2009-11-21T18:41:00.002+08:00

3 cheers for Cohort 3.

Seriously, one the best batches of seniors I have seen in my life. Not that they are any older or younger than me but the love and adulation they showed us, the guys from cohort 4 since the day we landed up in Manila and AIM has been beyond description.

Yesterday was a wonderful grand finale for these guys and hats off to the organizers for throwing a fantabulous party for cohort 3. Looking at people getting drunk and enjoying themselves made me realize that within the next 20 days the faces which I so got used to seeing everyday wouldn't be around anymore. The voices which I have been hearing since the past 7 months will cease to chatter.

However what will remain are the memories of these wonderful times with these marvelous human beings.

The first nite of drinking transcended to every nite of drunken revelry first by the pool side then the beer garden and then finally at H2C and then to other parts of Manila...:)

The poker nights, the birthday party celebrations, those drinking sessions before an exam, watching cricket matches together will all be the memories left behind by C-3...Not to forget the cricket matches we played over the weekend or the table tennis games which are now a days in full flow...

To all my friends in Cohort 3...Once again thank you for making us a part of the family and guiding us through all the rough times here in AIM...

It has been an absolute pleasure to have been a junior to you guys...Cheers...

Fun at Table Tennis

2009-11-21T18:18:00.002+08:00

For the past few days my evenings are spent playing incessant amount of table tennis here at AIM. The game which I learnt and honed during my engineering has really come in as a wonderful stress buster here in AIM even though there ain't any stress now a days at all...

The amount of fun which I have been having these days playing table tennis is beyond description. It's just the feeling of competition and the feeling of going back to being kids which makes this exercise such a wonderful experience in itself.

Hence for the past few weeks from 7 in the evening to 11 in the nite you'll find the small kids of AIM fighting it out at the table tennis area in full view of the adults trying to study around us.

The last few days at the game have been hilarious to say the least. It's more of a fun exercise than a competition but that doesn't mean that the games aren't serious. Each and every point is played with all seriousness but not without forgetting the fact that in the end we are here to enjoy the moment.

Also this being the last few days for cohort 3 guys it gives me more time with my friends to enjoy these moments.

The revelry will continue even without them but it will not be the same again...

Till then lets fight for each and every point...

Birthday Done!!

2009-11-15T20:44:00.002+08:00

So many things in life is happening at the same time.Well I have realized that thinking doesn't help at all...The last few weeks have been a blur as far a education is concerned. I guess the priorities have changed all of a sudden and that's not a good thing at all...But given that the next 9 months will be the last of my so called education I guess I'll just live it up...

The birthday celebration was slow to start with but when the alcohol kicked into the system for everyone, it turned out to be a really unforgettable night for everyone I guess...Can't believe that a handful of us could consume 18 bottles of hardcore alcohol...Insane...

Also the fact that we have been drinking continuously for more than a forthnight now doesn't augur well for my liver and health in general. However it is a known fact that once cohort 3 goes back in Dec the party scene will also disappear along with them. I guess we'll just make up most of what we have for the next 20 days or so...

Well though I have turned 26, I still believe and think like an 11 year old in most aspects of life...If only I could survive doing that for the rest of my life...Wishful thinking...

However as another year passes and as I look back on the year gone by I have nothing but happy memories...It has been a bitter sweet symphony...

Lets see what's in store for me as 26 year old MBA graduate in the coming year....

Happy 26th birthday!!

2009-11-14T21:22:00.003+08:00

It's T-30 mins to go for the party to commence and I just don't feel like joining in the revelry tonight.Dunno why?

May be it's from the drinking from last night or from the incessant partying that we have been doing for the past couple of weeks or may be because of the hype surrounding my birthday celebrations.

I guess this will be the first time I'll be celebrating my birthday on such a large scale.Can't believe that I am going to be 26 at the turn of the clock today.

Well will be missing out on celebrating my birthday with friends back home, but at the same time I am also looking forward to enjoying my birthday here with some really true and good friends.

I just hope this turns out to be a very good night for all of us...

Cheers...

Happy Finally...

2009-10-28T11:24:00.003+08:00

Is it the lack of sleep from yesterday or the grueling 2 hour basketball match yesterday evening but I kind of feel happy today...Been a while since I could say that with full on conviction...

Well, I guess the tides are changing again...Well the best time of the year for me arrives in a month and I can't wait to experience the Christmas celebrations in this country.One of my life long dreams to experience the true spirit of Christmas and here is my chance.

Given the situation I find myself every now and often, it is amazing how I have kept my cool through most part during the past few weeks.

I guess I have made it a habit to blog during lectures now a days...I am actually entering this during an ABS lecture...Can you beat that...Am I paying 1500 pesos a class to do this...? I hope not...

By the way term 2 has been a drag as compared to term 1...Apart from GM classes which though interesting still can't get my full attention the rest of the classes are just crass and full of bs cp...

I have never been so disinterested in studies as I have been in this term...

Well I am looking forward to the 3 day weekend break to recharge my batteries , get a fresh perspective in life and enjoy some kick ass sports activity as well as find some time to party...

Given the amount of stress I have been taking these past few weeks, it makes sense for me to just step back and look at the bigger picture and relax myself for the struggles ahead...

Well enough said...I have rambled enough already...Now it's time for some Fifa for the next 20 mins before this class ends...

May be my next post will be more meaningful...

Football - My first love...

2009-10-27T11:47:00.002+08:00

Thank God for football...I have no idea what I would have done without this sport...Since the first time I touched a football during my school days till date, I get such an adrenalin rush just watching a game of football that I can't put the feeling of how it feels to actually play it in words here.

My best time playing football were definitely after Xth std when I used to play football every night for at least 2 hrs. Sambit's building ground was my "Theater of Dreams" and it seemed that I owned the place...Wow I get goosebumps thinking about that time when playing football was the simplest thing I could do and at that time I was never had to be apprehensive about keeping my place in the team.I was always one of the first names on the team sheet.

This continued uptill my first and second year in engineering and I'll never ever forget the summer of 2002 when as part of the D.J.S.C.O.E team we won the the TSEc tourney for the first time...Wow what a tourney...I remember each and every game so vividly and it was so much fun playing with the seniors.Being the youngest in the team I was pampered so much by my teammates that I can't even comprehend.Year 2 was fun too but without any success...

3rd year of engineering was the most stressful as well as the most successful campain for me personally.It didn't help that I got injured before the start of the season but it was more diffucult to sit out in the sidelines after being fully fit.Not that the team wasn't doing well and that I wasn't getting game time but just sitting on the sidelines for 2/3rd of the game didn't really help me pshcologically. However as luck would have it I got my chance again in the TSEC tournament and I lead the attack scoring 4 goals in the tournament.However the season ended with a heartbreak as we lost our final match of the seaon on penalties and I was the one who scwered up the final penalty kick.

Well 4th year came and went and though we played a lot of matches in the final year, the feeling of camaradie amongst the teammates had dissappeared. It didn't feel like I was part of the team anymore.

Anyways the 4 years in D.J.S.C.O.E were the best as far as playing football and cricket went.Playing with classmates & friends was always fun and my whole engineering life revolved arounf the black and white ball...All I can say for that is I am happy with the memories.

Infosys Football Team:-

Enough said...The 3 years in Pune couldn't have been better as far as football was concerned.Though I never cemented my place in the final 11 till the end, it was pleasure knowing the guys and playing football with them when ever the oppurtunity presented itself. The fact that it was one of the most successful teams in the Pune IT circuit really helped keeping the dissappointment of not making the playing 11 consistently at bearable proportions but the fun I had in practice with the guys was something I'll always cherish.What a gang we had there...Oh boy...It brings a tear to my eye when I think about the batch of footballers we had in our group and the way we practised and the way we played and after winning more importantly the way we partied.

Well it's been 6 months here in the Phillipines and I have played the beautiful sport only twice now. However I have high hopes for this weekend.Hopefully I'll be able to enjoy the game the way I want and let myself go...Oh boy what would I do without football...

Plain and Simple...

2009-10-27T11:36:00.004+08:00

Thanks Bindi for the scolding in the comment.I guess I don't have to complicate my life anymore...It's too complicated anyways to even think about getting it more complicated further.

I guess the best advice I have got and that's from you Bindi, is to just go on with life and enjoy each moment as it comes. Time will be the healer for everything I guess...

I am too young anyways to stress too much in life and bullocks to the world...

Understood loud and clear...I guess it's time to move on and experience new things along the way as well as think more intently about life after MBA...

So from today, the agenda each day is to do only simple things & enjoy the small moments in life...

That means playing football this weekend becomes the biggest priority and traveling the country as the second most important priority as of now.

Also I have to start focusing on studying in term 2 else I would be in a big ditch come term end.

Well I always plan things properly but never ever seem to be able to implement it till the end...
Lets hope this plan lasts at least a forth night.

Cheers...

Thank god I have people who actually know me well enough not to really judge me for my actions...

It's my life...Give me a break!!

2009-10-25T19:43:00.002+08:00

Alright, agreed for the first time in my life I have gone ahead and done something which is very wrong in people's eye but for once I did something which I wanted to do...Something which felt right...Something which was there at the back of my head all the time, but which never ever came to the fore...

All my life I have been making sacrifices for people, be it my parents, friends, girl friends but in all this melee I always seem to forget about one important person---"Myself".

Okay agreed I have a lot of fun in life and can't actually complain about anything in my life, but does anyone around me ever realize how I manage to keep up with all the things around myself and still keep smiling most times.

I agree with people's view that I have a short fuse and that for the last 6 months here in AIM, I had had a few short fuses already but does anyone ever ask me why is it that I react that way to situations. Nobody see's when that when I make a mistake I'll be the first one to owe upto it and apologize without any ego involved but when it comes to judging people the knives are already sharpening.

Everybody seems to be such an expert in figuring out the kind of person I am but, I just wish ask one question to those people who believe they know me inside out..."How do you know me when I myself haven't yet figured that out yet?"...

I guess in this world the moment you forget about what people thing about you and just do what's important to you, that's the moment when everything starts making sense.

I know this senseless rambling isn't making any sense right now nor will it make anytime soon, but the minute I get this thing into my head that as hard as I try to please people around me and try to be in good books of everyone, the more stress and problems I am forcing onto my own life.

The fact that all through my life I have tried to keep everyone around me comfortable has been in the end my own bane. In the end of the day I know that there are a very few people who would never judge me for the decisions I take in life nor the choices I make but will stand blindly besides me even if I am on a course to self destruction.

ps:- Chai...Chill Maddi...Thanks for at least letting me know the general feeling around.I know it's difficult for people to digest but in the end it's my life...I don't want any approvals from anyone.Just live n let live...

Not that difficult to ask for...

The twisted way of fate...

2009-10-22T17:04:00.002+08:00

How twisted can one get...? Is there really anything called fate in this world or is it just our imagination.Does God really have a path carved out for all of us or is it that we just keep walking on untrodden snow leaving our footprints behind not knowing where we are heading.

Is fate a reality or a figment of one's imagination.Everyone around says that "Naseeb main jo hota hai milega". but who is it that decides this "Naseeb" (fate). Is it us on our own or the environment around us, our parents or our friends or is it the mighty lord above us.

Sometimes I feel that there is nothing like fate at all.It's all in the mind. A human has his brain and mind to carve out his own destiny.All he needs is some luck and some sign for him to go ahead and get the job done.

As it is if fate had such an important role to play in everyone's life then wouldn't it been that every human would have just lazed around and let fate play it's part to perfection.

Given that there is a saying that " A man makes his own destiny" but is it really true? Is it really that a man can alone shape his own destiny without any guidance, sign or help.

I believe every successful and rich person in this world would have had one godfather or godmother whom he/she would like to thank from the bottom of his heart.

And for the rest there is the almighty?

I have no idea why am I writing about such an abstract topic.
I was thinking of putting down something else actually...

Anyways may be sometime later, when the times are better and I have finally settled in my own cocoon.

GM class on Coporate Ethics and Social Responsibilities

2009-10-22T07:01:00.005+08:00

Today's class of General Management on Social corporate Ethics and Responsibilities was something which I could have done without. It was like a deja vu of all my feeling for the past few weeks and the unrest around me with my friends all screaming back at me.

The discussion on one's character, upbringing, moral sensitivity, ethical conduct etc was too much for me to handle. Wasn't it enough for me to be fighting my own demons that the universe conspires against me to this extend.

Well one thing which I did agree with during our discussion in class today was " the cost to be ethical could be both personal as well as generic". It's how you handle the stress which comes along with it.

I am done with all this shit of doing what is right and what is wrong.Agreed I have hurt someone really badly in this process but I have gone through the same thing sometime in my life and that's life in the end of it all...I am not pardoning myself from what I had done but the point is the problem was always there, just that the manner of it coming out could have been much better handled but well it wasn't to be...

I believe in " What goes around, comes around"...and I believe someday in life I'll be a deserved recipient of this saying and it's going to hurt like a bitch but till then, I should do what I feel like...

All said and done, nothing in this world is fair in most people's eye...It's just how you deal with the whole thing yourself, that's the most important thing...

In the end it really doesn't matter who was right and who was wrong, but what we gained and lost in the bargain...

Irony of life...

2009-10-19T17:40:00.002+08:00

Why is that the human mind is never happy with what's on his plate at present.Why is it that he either wants what was there in the past or something which someone else has but he knows can't be had in the future.Then there are cases where he knows he has something great at the moment but not willing to acknowledge it at all...

Sometimes it easier to appreciate something when you have lost it rather than when we had it with us. The most appropriate example will be that of our childhood. When we were kids the only thing we wanted was to grow up quickly into teenagers and enjoy the thrill of reckless living. In the process we lost out on our childhood and also on the innocence of it all.

One of the biggest irony of life is you never get what u want, when u want. It's always either too soon or too late.Never perfectly timed. And by any chance if we do get to a situation which feels just right, we go ahead and ruin it by our stupid and idiotic behavior.

I guess, I have now mastered the act of jeopardizing my life. Whenever I feel relaxed and settled in life, I just tend to create a avalanche or a storm around me to disrupt my life altogether again.

Well I just hope at the end of this crossroad I'll be able to pick up the pieces...

Barely Breathing!

2009-10-16T16:09:00.003+08:00

The aimless manner in which I have lived the past few weeks brings me to a very important question: Is it all worth it?...

I am barely enjoying life...
Barely surviving...
Barely thinking it over...
Barely sleeping...
Barely living...
n most importantly,

Barely thinking...

The clock keeps ticking and all I have to show for the last few days is more confusion and frustration.

Now I make the rules of the game simpler...It's either my way or the highway...

As one more Diwali away from home beckons, it's time to come out of all this turmoil and confusion and take a stand on all aspects of life...

Game on as far as I am concerned...

The crux of the situation still remains that:- it's my life...

Room no:-208

2009-10-15T08:08:00.004+08:00

On a day when I had already decided at 5 am in the morning to bunk the first class of the day, my seemingly innocuous roommates decided to do exactly the same thing for the first time since I got to AIM 6 months back.

It's 8.16 am precisely and it's been 16 min since the class started and the last of my roommates from the adjoining condo just left the room for the lecture.The left side of 208 is still at it in their shorts and pajamas thinking about what to do for the next hour and a half.

As for me this morning has not at all been productive apart from the fact that this is my 3rd blog in the last 3 hrs...:)

Sometimes I feel that my life should have been confined just within these 4 walls of 208 with my fellow roommates. Life would have been so much easier to cope. Plus that would have meant that I only had to communicate with 5 more individuals apart from myself.I think I could have handled that in a much manner than the way I am handling the world at the moment.

Anyways there is exactly an hour to go for MCS and I am still stuck on the 3rd page of an 8 page case which has been lying open in front of me since 5.30 am...I better get going else the practice of waking up early in the morning will also not provide any perceivable advantage...

Mindless Rambling

2009-10-15T06:32:00.002+08:00

Sometimes I wish, how I would have loved to have a command of the English language and write in an eloquent and polished manner using all the words and more which I learnt during my GRE days.

Then again, I beg to differ and feel nice about myself just because I am at least able to get words together to string sentences and progress to build paragraphs after paragraphs of crap.

I know a lot of people around me who hate the concept of blogging and don't like putting their viewpoints in front of the entire world but in my case I just don't care.I love doing this and blogging seems to sooth my mind and get me closer to myself. It kind of gets me all relaxed and happy even if I am not.

It also helps when most of the blogs I write is read by like only 2 people and that too occasionally. :)

But for me to reflect back and read my own blogs gets me all nostalgic as well as happy about the days I have spent and how I had reacted to those situations and circumstances.

I remember getting pretty excited in school whenever we used to have the annual essay writing competition.I only won a prize there like twice out of 6 years of participation but I used to love rambling off whatever I felt even if I didn't have what so ever idea about the topic.hee hee

I guess as I have grown up the situation hasn't changed much.I still don't know much about stuff and just ramble along what ever comes to my mind.

Well I guess now that I can't get my hands on a football on a regular basis here in AIM, nor can I play squash daily the best stress buster for me is to continue with blogging and writing crap load of shit to feed my underused brain.

How to alienate friends...

2009-10-15T06:21:00.002+08:00

I am getting depressed now.The last few blogs are just a reflection of the amount of frustration I am going through...Yesterday after having one of the best 20-30 mins of a laugh riot of a conversation with my friends, the seemingly light hearted conversation had to turn nastly and full of tension because of just one micro second of my anger.

Now how do I make people believe that it's not something I do offhand and I have no fun getting heated up the wrong way. I agree with Nash and Nishant when they spoke to me yesterday night.This has been happening too often and with too many different people for me to even comprehend.

For the last 2 months I have been on a path of self restrain from anything which is both mentally and emotionally draining but as is the irony of life at this crossroad in life I find myself right in between this situation from where I have been trying to run away from.

In hindsight I have never found myself so aggressive and short tempered before in my life.I don't know what's wrong with me but these kind of outburst are one day going to land me in a soup from which I wouldn't be able to recover.

I guess now I need to just start avoiding people and get away from this whole thing and stay out of sight.Though I know how much I hate doing this but I have done it before and it did me a world of good so why not once again.

God for once I was thinking I'll have a blog which truly reflects me the way I am, but the way the last few weeks have gone I guess I can't even document 20-30 mins of my best times here in AIM with (alienated) friends.

Life and it's complications...

2009-10-08T04:03:00.003+08:00

After being through a lot emotionally today, one thing I have realized is that the only thing I should really care about are my parents...After all in the end of the day it's not my friends nor my girl friend who are responsible for me to be at the position I am...

The video on u-tube which Patrick posted today really brought a tear in my eye because I could relate to that video wholeheartedly....

After having spend the last 8 years of my life building and trying to sustain relationships, I have now realized the most important thing in my life is not the women in my life but my parents.I have been neglecting them for a while thinking that they think I am fine but at the end of the day I am answerable to them than anyone else...

God knows what he has projected for me but from where i am looking at the moment it seems that I am really screwed up in the wrong places.All I want is my own space and my own freedom to think...

I only hope that i get the required sanity and peace in the next few days so that I can at least keep in check my emotions.

Life has never been really fair to me and though I never ever had any grudge as yet i do understand why life has taken a turn for the worse...Given the way I have lived my life happily ever after I guess in the end of the day God has given up patience and set up his own agenda which is to be followed....

I hate the fact that I find myself like this...In my 26 years of existence I have always found myself to be alone when most needed and the only one I could go to at these times has been me itself...

I remember when I was around 19-20 and crave to be in a relationship with someone but since I have got to that stage I guess I have lost all innocence and zeal in life.I agree it is really nice to be in a relationship but the fact that it takes out so much from you as a person, sometimes I feel it would have been better if I was single for all my life...

Well in the end you learn from experiences and one thing I have learnt after today is to be frank and true irrespective of what the other person thinks...

Sorry dodo but this is what I really feel about the whole situation...:(

Sleep at last!!

2009-10-07T00:33:00.002+08:00

After having operated the last few days practically as a zombie, the afternoon siesta of 4-5 hrs has rejuvenated me to such an extend that, I jogged and then went to gym for close to 2 hrs today.

After all the drunken revelry for the past month or two, I have taken a conscious decision to reduce the amount of alcohol intake into my body.

Also, the zeal to study has reappeared from nowhere and though I am still a long way away from full throttle, at least the beginning signs are good.

As for all the confusion and tensions in life, I have just decided to keep things as uncomplicated as I can. Period...

Clueless...n sleepy...

2009-10-05T19:42:00.003+08:00

First things first...Mr Chaitanya, Mr deep and Mr Anton congratulations on winning the seat to the SA committee.

Secondly kudos yours truly that after so many weeks of lofty promises I finally did something I had planned to do in class.

Over the weekend I had decided that the "Infosys case" for GM would be creamed by me come Monday.However the weekend went in a blur and then after the frustration and self examination period of today morning where I indeed finished up on this reading, the lecture went exactly as I had imagined sans some small aberrations.

Well today has been a very funny day.Starting with MCS where I was caught by the prof (of all the prof's it had to be Prof.Bolante...What luck) playing on my cell and he perceived that I was sleeping in class.

Then in GM class after I had identified the crux of the matter for the case and creamed the CP point for the day, I ruined it all by first getting caught off guard during the discussion and then just before the end of the lecture when I was just logging in to my lappie, the pointer turned to me and I was caught off guard and clueless in class.Not a good thing to end with given the blazing start I had in the class today....

Well today I also soo wanted to go to the gym and work out till I died so that I would at least catch up on some sleep tonite.However given the way things things are going with me, my luck seems to have ran out.The gym still closed today and I am hoping it will be functional from tomorrow.

The run at the park was a good stress buster and gave me lot of time to myself and contemplate on a few things.

Only the next few days will show how well the planning and implementation goes as far as my thinking is concerned...

Right now I have too much on my plate.Have to go to "Gilligans" to celebrate Chai's and Deep's success as well as then come back and play ball with the guys (Cohort 4)...

Chalo tackle em one by one...:)

What the *#$%!!!

2009-10-05T06:52:00.001+08:00

It's 6.50 am in the morning, I haven't slept a wink the whole of last night, my brain is blank and I have this uneasy feeling right now for what rhyme and reason I have no idea.

The fact that why am I putting my thoughts down here right now is a mystery to me...

After reading about Infosys in one of our GM reading for today, I am compelled to think about my time in Infosys...Those 3.5 yrs...Were they worth it? Did I have any value add? Was it beneficial to me in any way? Could I have done things differently?

The answer to all the above questions and many more is yes...There is so much regret in the way things went with me in Infosys and the way I handled the different situations.

True I had awesome fun and made some truly remarkable friends, but in hindsight I spent my time in Infosys not leveraging my thoughts and abilities.

There was soo much that could have been done and so much which sshould have been done...

Now that I am doing my MBA, I can find a parallel to the whole thing.

The trouble is with me.I set plans and then instead of following them to completion, keep changing it to my whims and wishes.Though I potray that I am only enjoying even in AIM, I
have learnt a lot in the past 4.5 months but it is now time to implement some of the plans which I intented to do during my MBA...for e.g.:- Market analysis on the sports sector in Asia and a few paper presentations for different college competition.

Well the countdown begin then and this time I intend to see it through the end.

Though I still don't understand why the hell am I so frustrated and edgy today morning...

Finance WAC nite...

2009-10-03T19:09:00.002+08:00

What do you call a nite when the worst and the best of all happens with you..?

Where one moment you are enjoying what you are doing and the very next moment you hate everything in sight...When you feel like being in heavens and the very next moment find yourself in hell!!!

Something like this captures my feelings about the Finance WAC which we finished yesterday.
The gang as usual included the usual suspects of Amrita,Saumya,Chai,Aseem n me with intermittent appearances by Sup's and the ever presence of Cathy and Joanne.

The fact that it was a Finance WAC was in itself a big turn off to begin with and on top of that the calculations which accompanied the WAC were though quite easy but really time consuming....
Amrita helped me out with the calculations and I was on my way...But this where the twist in this story comes.Thanks to 2 of my friends (Chai n Saumya) who had no inclination to write their own WAC's there was a delay or should I say stoppage in the process of WACing when these 2 came and joined us.Chai specially was at his best, getting food for everyone and making them eat and then giving running commentary as events unfolded on my facebook page...

As for the DE project me and Chai had, I think after yesterday that will also wind up since we gave away free popcorns to almost everyone.

Well this being the frustrating and at the same time the most enjoyable time during the WAC.
Now to the best part.We had started the WAC at 9 pm...(me and Amrita)...And as the WAC progressed I was also helping myself to the drinks being offered outside.

Well by the time it was striking 2 am I had already given up on my WAC.The fact that I was the one who gave the calculations to Saumya and Chai bears no significance here but that they were way ahead of me by the time we completed the calculations was testimony to the excelsheet skills or should I specify the lack of those skills.
I hate the fact that I am not as good as the others atleast with these softwares n all...How the hell am I gonna fight this in the real world only time will tell...

Ok back to the WAC.So at 2 am when I was so zoned out to do nothing but either drink or sleep, Joy and Tarun appear from nowhere and after the evaluation for the WAC was written by Chai ,Tarun formatted the whole thing and Joy got it printed out and passed it in to WAC hole.

Had it not being for them I am sure I would have stuck around for another 2 hrs doing nothing but just day dreaming at night....Irony...:)

Anyways thanks for the memories guys...This WAC has been as I said one of the best and worst that I can remember in this short stint in this MBA...

Luv this batch...Cohort 4 rocks...:)

Choices...

2009-10-03T16:57:00.003+08:00

Since the time I had been a little kid or should I say since the day I was born life has been all about choices.Sometimes I sit alone n wonder if there are parallel universe in existence where one can live out all the choice one makes one at a time.

Say for e.g if I hadn't been in the school I went to, how different would my life would have been now? Or for e.g. (& I so believe in this one) had I not done so well in my 10th then would I have taken science ever and gone on to being an engineer which I eventually did?
Or what if I was allowed to take the college of my choice during my junior college days?

There are so many if's & buts here that I can't even imagine the different possibilities and choices in life I have made and also let go of...

The irony of life is you never regret your decision at the time of making them but later when there is no point regretting...I mean come on, how can life get so complicated just because of a few decisions and choices.

When I reflect back in my life, it seems it wasn't the lack of choices that I had but the lack of enthusiasm to exercise the choices which I really wanted to make.Though whenever I have really gone beyond the threshold and made a choice I have stuck to it...So at least 1 brownie point for me there.

Given the fast paced life we are living in, every moment we make a choice regardless of whether we are aware of it or not...

My only wish is by the end of it all, I just hope I don't let go of so many choices that when I really wanna decide there are no choices left at all...:(...

Diving at Subic...

2009-09-11T17:39:00.002+08:00

Water...Swimming...My waterloo...

My apprehension for swimming has been well known amongst my close friends especially if it is deeper than 6 feet so one can understand when I went ahead with my friends for a weekend trip to Subic to try out diving...

Subic Bay is part of Luzon sea on the west coast of the island of Luzon in Zambales, Philippines, about 100 kms northwest of Manila Bay.Its shores were formerly the site of a major U.S Navy facility.

The experience of diving was mind blowing and something that has to be done atleast once in life irrespective of the fear for the sea.

It was a whole new world down there at the sea bed and though we just dived in to about 5 mts deep, it seemed much more than that in the claustrophobic attire in which we were. However the sights and life at the sea bed was beautiful.

At the start when I was on my way down to the sea bed, it felt as if I was dying a slow death. However that all changed once I got aclimatized to my surrounding and overcame my fear and dislike of water.

Within the first 30 seconds due to the change in air pressure, my ear drums started paining like hell, and the concept of equalizing which we learnt in one of our diving sessions prior to the dive was well exercised.

However once at the sea bed and at peace with my surroundings, it was time to appreciate the blue world at the bottom. I had seen so many diving videos, but the actual visual was just something different.

It was difficult roaming around in the water, with all the diving equipment tucked to me, and it even difficult to walk on the sea bed because of the diving flippers we were given to wear.

For me and my friends who were first timers just like me, it was an experience of a lifetime and something we plan to do more often, now that we have been bitten by the diving bug.

Emile was our man of the hour who planned and executed the entire trip and was also the one who took care of us during the entire trip.

The guys from "Boardwalk dive centre" were phenomenol and taught us everything that was needed to know in the water as well as saw to it that we survived our first experience of diving and came back alive from the short adventure.

All in all an awesome weekend, well spent with friends, drinking, eating, sleeping and doing new things.

Watching "Live" basketball match in the Phillippines

2009-09-07T08:41:00.011+08:00

I have been dying to post this entry for close to a month now but because of the time constraints, I had to let the urge to blog prolong for a while longer. (Finally doing it during FM lecture @ the start of term 2 in class...Can you beat that)... :)

The game I am talking about here is one of the most important games in the calender year for an average Filipino basketball supporter.

La Salle vs. Ateneo (Green vs. Blue) on paper might just seem to be a normal college basketball match, but in reality and by looking in to the history of these schools, the game is the biggest night for the school, it's players and more importantly it's fans.

For the first time in my life I realized how big a deal it is and how huge a business is "college sports". Having seen college level sports in U.S on television as a kid, having the privilege to watch one here in Manila has been an experience worth it's weight in gold.

A special thanks to Aina (my classmate) for forgoing the chance to go for the game herself and letting me and Harsh to go in her place instead. (She is a die-hard fan of La Salle and the one who told me about the games during the first few weeks of our MBA).

Now to the game...

Date:- 16th August'09.
Time:- 1700 hrs.
Venue:- Araneta Coliseum @ Cubao in Quezon City

The coliseum was filled with sea of blue and green; the official colors of the two teams.There were more than 4000 people for a college basketball game.This goes to show the popularity of the sport in this country.

The upper tier of the stadium housed the two school bands on either side of the coliseum blasting their drums and equipments to the raptures of the crowd below.

It seemed as if as the players sweated out on the court, the two bands sweated, competing against each other for the entire duration of the game and creating an amazing atmosphere within the stadium.

The fans of the two teams where phenomenal, with one side of the stadium depicting a sea of blue and the other side showcasing the floral color of green.

The entire set up was so electrifying and by the end of it all, it was not about the two teams or the score and who won and who lost, but the experience of being there.
The cacophony which the two school bands created in the coliseum was to be seen to be believed. They just electrified the entire arena with their drum wars and the fans were at it too.

All in all, a wonderful experience, and one to cherish for a long time to come.Thanks to Aina...

ps:- For anyone and everyone , if ever you guys are in Manila in during July-August,and have an opportunity to watch an Ateneo vs La Salle game, go for it...It's worth it...Trust me on this one.

Study Smart and Party Harder...

2009-08-12T05:14:00.003+08:00

It's exactly 3 months since college has started for me here in AIM.3 months of awesome fun sans responsibilities; enjoying life to full marginal utility so to speak.After another awesome drinking session with friends, I am back in my room and with classes just 2 hrs away, I guess it's the perfect time to retrospect.

Given the mindset with which I had left India to do my MBA, I can easily say that those dreams were too lofty at best to fulfill.After just a week into the MBA I realized that hard work was one virtue that someone doing an MBA can't overlook or under emphasize.Few of my batch mates have defined new standards of handwork in context of an MBA and I am no one to compete with them.
With this rule imprinted on my mind n body there was only one thing to do and that was to enjoy life at Manila and party harder than ever.

The past 3 months have been a blur and though I did keep a track of each day as it happened (Something for which Amrita has already given me a hard time), the past few weeks have just rolled by like a supersonic train.

All my aspirations as an MBA student have evaporated and just like I did in engineering my main aim now has transcended to be able to just clear off each subject with a min grade of "P" or "P+"...:)...Well there goes my ambition...

But over the last three months I have realized that one of the important virtues which I need to develop is "patience" and to "control my anger" in public.The last few days have been suicidal to say the least picking fights with best of friends for no rhyme or reason.On top of that, I have been really lax towards my assignments and studying.Not that it matters much in the current scenario but yes looking at the way I am going, it could be very soon before I take a tumble for the worse.

Anyways with just 17 official days left before the dreaded term 1 ends all eyes are on the 6 day break and everyone has already starting planning for the trip out of town during that period.Hopefully I land up in a beautiful beach with friends sipping on beer all day long.

Well 3 months since AIM started and after numerous occasions of attending lectures I am in a dilemma to whether attend prof. LT's next FM-1 lecture which begins precisely in an hr and thirty mins without having had a wink of sleep.Well this should be a new experience which I am very excited to experience, so wish me luck...

I guess the success rate of surviving today's 2 lectures will go a long way in deciding whether my current lifestyle will help me stay just under the learning curve for the rest of the term.
Wish me luck...

Best exam ever...

2009-08-11T21:27:00.003+08:00

It's been a while since I last blogged.I already have two post which I haven't published just because after having started on them, I left them midway, incomplete.Not that I have really been busy these past 2 weeks.However I haven't really managed my time that well to sit and blog for a substantial time up until now.

Well I am already on my 14th week in MBA @ AIM & with just about 17 days more to go for the term to end.It has been a roller coaster of ride up until now & I guess it will continue till the term ends...

Today we had our microeconomics final exam & it was one of the best exam taking experience I have encountered in my student life. Not only did our economics teacher ( Ms Patricia Lontoc), change the format of the paper an hour before the exam but it was one of the most interactive exams I have ever had and one which I would not forget in a hurry.

Finally after 3 months, the dreaded subject of economics is behind us.
Knowing that we would not be having anymore economics classes in the coming week is such a relief.

Right now I need to be by the pool side to go and celebrate Saumya's birthday and Chai is already by my side coaxing me to shut off my lappie and get going...
So Adios...

Up All Night...

2009-07-27T05:35:00.003+08:00

I cannot fathom this...Actually I am astonished at myself...It's precisely 5.32 am on a Monday morning and I haven't slept a wink the whole night.

I guess this is one of the lowest points in my life as in I have never ever compromised my sleep so much for the sake of studies but the circumstances leading to Sunday night have led me to do this godforsaken sin of not sleeping at all.

I wasted the entire Saturday and 2/3rd of Sunday before actually kick starting my chores of assignments which are due in exactly 2.5 hrs.

Hence after spending a good part of 3 hrs doing MCP, and then giving equal amount of time for the OM assignment and wasting my afternoon doing an MM case for which I still haven't found a solution, I find myself in front of my laptop screen blogging at an hour when the whole of Philippines is sleeping or just about waking up from a good night's sleep...:(

On top of that, this was the first weekend when I haven't had a single drop of alcohol go into my system. All this because I wanted to test my self restrain...What a moron I am...

Plus the fact that I have played this up so much compels me to abstain or try to abstain from touching alcohol till Aug 15th...i.e. a good 19 days away...

How the hell am I gonna survive, god only knows...

The only good thing about this weekend has been playing cricket for a good 2 hours on Saturday afternoon (Aseem also had a good day with the bat...surprise surprise...:)) and enjoying myself and then spending quality time with close friends on the beer pub chatting the time away.

Our plan was to end by 2 am but as is the case with me and Chai in particular, we ended up sitting and chatting with Nishant n all till 5 am in the morning.

Thus, because of these small atrocities which I committed during the weekend, the end result has been that I had to compensate the time spend with my precious Sunday night sleep.

I have no idea how I am going to survive the 3 hard core lectures tomorrow.
I just hope I retain my sanity till 12.20 pm...

Good morning people...:)

Btw this Day 46 @ AIM main...and day 56 in total...

Cheers...

QA exam # 3 in less than 8 hrs...

2009-07-25T01:11:00.003+08:00

Can't believe how lethargic and irresponsible I have become.I have started taking this MBA course very lightly...

I have an exam in less than 8hrs and instead of sitting and solving I am right now blogging this shit...

On top of that though I started in earnest at 7 pm but till 10 pm, I had no idea that I can't creata an ANNOVA table on my excel sheet on my comp...

Then started the process of getting hold of another laptop where I could use Excel 07 to get the desired software and hence the desired table...

Thanks to Harsh I at least now know what I have to do tomorrow for the problems which are to come in the exam, but this would be like the first Math or Quant exam where I will be going without having practiced even one sum or problem on my own.

Plus for the last one hour I have been listening to Indian Ocean and downloaded "n" no. of gadgets from Windows live to use on my comp.Talk about wasting time and I think I am the king today.

Hopefully with God's grace I'll clear tomorrow and get the much needed exemption and hope I don't make such a mistake again...

Anyways fingers crossed and back to problem no. 4 of group problem set for me...

Yellow!!

2009-07-22T11:11:00.003+08:00

Why is that I am seeing yellow everywhere today...
First for breakfast I got a really yellow colored scramble egg...:)
Then I saw Cherry in a nice yellow tee and then a female who was smoking near the pool side was wearing this really nice full on yellow high heels and to top that even Cathy has a yellow top today.

I know this sounds really girlie but then what is it with yellow today.
Plus right now I am listening to yellow- coldplay...

One more observation...The Juventus jersey I am wearing today has the name of its sponsor " New Holland" also in yellow...

Plus in QA class today there was a yellow colored Wendy's cold drink container...Talk about yellow...

I feel so yellow already...

Haha...

9.5 hr struggle...

2009-07-22T10:48:00.005+08:00

Date: 21st July'09
Venue: SGV case-room
Occasion: LOB final exam...

The mother of all final exams...
I can easily say that without any second thoughts...

The pain started at 8.30 am in the morning and finished at precisely 6.10 pm for me...Can you beat that...
I have never even stayed in office for so long...:)

It was one harrowing experience which I actually enjoyed...well most parts of it...

After a while I had sat down trying to solve something from scratch on my own and that felt good...However the lack of knowledge with ratios and the lack of financial insights were enough to put me off the entire thing within the starting few hrs.

In the end I finished off with 4 pages of excel sheet full of ratios, balance sheets, income statements and numbers and 8 pages of analysis and recommendation for which I myself will not give a dime to anyone...

It was an experience I'll never forget and also the people with whom I was subjected to this torture...

So to all who were present with me for the god forsaken exam....Cheers...

(Maxi,Bea,Mac,Veron,Aina,Preeti,Mary,Sups,Mukul,Manish,Saurabh,
Anton,James,Jimmy,Preetesh,Saumya,Vivek Golhar & yours truly)

ps:- the guys of our batch are a really sweethearts..actually everyone is...They got us Pizza for lunch from Yellow Cab...Actually there are the ones also to be blamed for my reduced efficiency since after lunch I was so full with pizza that I wanted to doze off on Mr. Porter Lumber Company Inc* ratios...

Dead End

2009-07-19T12:17:00.001+08:00

I have no idea how, why and when but I kind of find myself in situations where I have to decide on a issue from either point of view.

It's been a trait since I have been in college that I find friends on opposite sides with different agendas and I am the one knowing what each one is thinking about the other but powerless to intervene because at the end of the day it's not my prerogative nor issue to barge into someone else's life.

However knowing myself I can't just stand aside and see people self destruct or in most cases make a bad decision they might regret later.

All said and done, I am not saying that I am always right and that my word is the final word but then sometimes the things are so visible but still difficult to figure.

Anyways the way I look at it, it's been like this with since I was a kid, I get really frustrated when I know I don't have a control over the situation when I very well know that where is the problem...Weird isn't it?

Well now lets get to the nice part. Yesterday after struggling the whole evening to get my system to respond to FM 1, I finally gave at 12 midnight and headed to Malate with Saurabh in tow to join Aseem, Akshel and Kosy (Akshel's friend).

The place :- "Penguin" was full of energy with a live band churning out jazzy version of some nice songs all through the night.

Their cover of Enter Sandman blew my mind away and then the covers of Flintstone & Pink Panther were sweet. All in all the place was high on energy and very much like Leopold's back home though the atmosphere here was 1000 notches up than the one back in Leo's.

After the place shut down at 2 am we headed back to the campus and to Kosy's condo where we planned to drink up on screw-drivers and have some mcdonald's breakfast...Nash & Hesh also joined us there and as the night grew longer the house party grew wilder...:)

Anyways I had to retire out by 4.30 am since I have a LOB exam on Tuesday where as the rest of the fuckers have a holiday...

Curse myself for playing the nice guy again...When will I understand that "Last guys always finish last".

Well I'll still try proving the above sentence wrong.For the time being for sure...

Cheers...

A WAC on Economics...Beat that...

2009-07-17T16:40:00.002+08:00

WAC- acronym for Written analysis of Cases.

After a week which started with the disastrous macro-economics exams which I am so gonna flunk the institute comes up another ace up their sleeve on a Friday with a WAC on Economics...*$&$%$#...

3 hrs in the afternoon from 1.30 to 4.30 pm for a case which was 10 page long with more than 10 exhibits was not a way to start a weekend or end a school week.

Anyways after crapping for 1200 words of which not even 10 made sense I finished the WAC well before time thanks to my state of mind which is really messed up.

On top of that, the impending LOB main exam which is slated for the whole of Tuesday is freezing my brain to death. 5 more quiz marks and I would have been one my way to a trip this weekend with Harsh and Akshel. Instead I'll have to struggle with LOB for today and QA and FM and MCP for the rest of the weekend before another gruesome week starts at AIM.

Man am I fed up with this life already? No time to breathe or contemplate for even a moment what am I doing, why am I doing it and for whom am I doing it?

I really hope I get through the next whole week somehow the other.
Life is turning out not the way I envisioned and I guess it's time to take stringent measures before some thing gives way.

Well for now I can feel happy that I did well in the first WAC and also our Learning team stood for each other during the meeting with prof Larry Tan...

Time to unwind and recharge the batteries for another week in AIM... :)

Walk in the rain!!!

2009-07-16T12:36:00.002+08:00

Since the past 2 days I was having this insatiable urge of going for a jog in the rain. Today finally I was able to exercise my wish.

After the OM lecture got concluded at 11 a.m in the morning, I had a quick breakfast and then hit the road in my jogging track to enjoy the mid day heavy rain which was so similar to the one encountered back home in Mumbai.

The jog cum walk was a blissful experience with music in tow.I have no idea where I went I just followed the my mind and just started running where ever the road lead me.

This used to be my favorite past time back home. However due to the lack of physical activity as a part of my curriculum in AIM, I have been feeling a bit low for the past few days. There is nothing interesting to do here at the institute and to roam around the city I need company which is difficult because people have their own priorities plus there are the cases to be done too...

However back to jogging.I saw so many streets and their names but now when I try to recollect I can't even remember one...:)
But yeah it was fun finally venturing out near the institute and seeing first hand what all is there around AIM.

So now I know that I have a flower shop around the corner, a coffee shop which is open till late night, a pub which gives 3 beer for 100 pesos till 12 in the night and there is a pawn shop just behind the park where we plan frees-bee in the evenings.

All in all a perfect way to spend a lazy rainy day.Now I need to get ready for my HBO lecture which is scheduled in the next 35 mins. A hot shower ought to be great...

Game on...

2009-07-15T21:15:00.002+08:00

Let the games begin...It's been two weeks since I have done anything constructive and it seems this whole week is going to be like this too.

I am so missing people back home...

Why is it that a person is never happy with his present, always aspiring for his future to come to reality today or go back to the past and redo most things.

I have been aspiring to do my MBA ever since I got out of engineering and now when I am finally doing one, it seems as if I am not making the most out of it.

Life has become so monotonous now that I don't even feel like going to classes now a days.
It's the same old voices doing cp in class and a few helpless souls like me wandering around hoping to get a hint of things from somewhere or the other so as to improve our own cp grade.

I have never been a firm believer of grade based learning and more so in an MBA where every person is inherently different with different perspectives and experiences. How can one be judged by how one does in a particular subject.What if a person doesn't know accounting or is not good with numbers or flowcharts , but is very good with people skills and leadership.
Do you just flunk a person because he can't balance an account sheet....

I agree you need minimum skills in every subject but to procrastinate someone for a single failure is unfair in my opinion.

However right now I can't be angry at the situation.
I just need to find the inspiration to get myself by the next few weeks and hope that I get my mojo back, so that I can survive the next few weeks before the most awaited break comes knocking on the door.

:) :) :)

Rambling...

2009-07-14T13:11:00.003+08:00

She will be loved-Maroon 5...
That's what I am listening to right now...

What a beautiful song...
I know people perceive me as an extrovert, aggressive, happy go lucky guy and I am not denying that...
However there is another part of me which even I really don't know about...??? (To be discussed later...)

Btw I saw Ice Age again yesterday...And this time I memorized the 3 rules.So here it goes...

Rule no 1:- Always listen to Buck.

Rule no 2:- Always walk in the middle of the trail.

Rule no 3:- The one who leaks gas walks last... :)

Well I feel like just going to Goa right now.Just walk around on the beach of Candolim...enjoying the serene beauty the place has to offer and enjoy the sea...

I remember when back in Mumbai, I used have theses phases when I used to wake up at 5 am in the morning and drive my car all around south Mumbai and then head to Juhu beach or Rock beach around 6.30 am to enjoy the sea breeze and the energy the place provided.

those were the days when there was no responsibility on my shoulders, when all I had to worry about was when is the next match scheduled and whom I am playing...

Fast forward to the present and now I am really wondering if this is what I want. Is it all worth it...?

Separation from friends back home...? Family...?

p.s:- I really need to start controlling my anger.Went off twice yesterday...I think I should go back to my resolution...
Starts from right now...Lets see how long can I go this time...

I really don't know why I am even putting this up, but I have this urge now to just write so here it is...:)

Proactive or Reactive...

2009-07-13T11:54:00.004+08:00

Yesterday I wrote about trade-offs and compromises.
Now I am thinking about "is it worth it?"...
Should I think like an economist and plan to save for tomorrow and consume less today (read consume for me is to have more recreation and fun)...

Should I study more, socialize less, reduce sleeping time and enjoy the MBA experience as a vagabond or should I stress myself and study as hard as I can, ace the classes and quizzes and trade-off on my personal "me" time i.e. sports, fun and friends.

Or should I take the middle path and be smart about my work as our mentor advised us during our session with him.Prioritize your work follow a schedule and come prepared to class as well as allow yourself enough free time to enjoy the MBA experience as well as the sights n beauties of this country.

Now prioritize is another new concept which is alien to me unless and until it is applied to sports...:)

For the past few days I have been in this conundrum of whether I should exert more of myself in studies and gain the most out of this classroom teaching or should I continue as always and just stay above the bell curve.

I spent 4 years of engineering telling myself that I was good enough for the course and I don't need to prove myself to anyone...I used to tell myself that I have the capability as well as the will power and intellect to beat the best when I wanted.

But that was then and I don't see myself coming out of that wave of thought even now. I am doing the same damn mistake which I did during my engineering of giving up even before trying.

So where is the dilemma?

Is it that I should work n study at my full potential or should I just rest back and wait for a shock to hit be before I react to it...

Well as of now, as I get ready to take another exam in this roller coaster of a ride called MBA in AIM ( I have my macro-Eco main paper is precisely 45 mins), I guess I'll leave the decision to react or to be pro reactive to a later date/time.

However I plan to solve this puzzle in my head with in the next few days and then not look back at it for a very long time.

I just hope I come to a decision very soon, because I don't like to be indecisive...Period...

Childhood Memories...

2009-07-12T13:13:00.004+08:00

Just a short list of things I loved when I was a kid...

1.] The wonder years...

2.] Playing cricket all by myself in the bedroom bouncing the ball off the wall along with scoreboards and stuff...( Full 50 over matches at that)...

3.] Playing chess alone...(That's the reason I got better at the game although I still don't have the patience to play chess with someone who ponders on his/her every move)...Rapid chess rocks...

4.] Spending time on my terrace, looking at the high rises of Lokandwala every morning and evening...

5.] I loved cycling...Used to cycle during the summer vacation to the rock beaches in Versova...Bliss...

6.] Dekh Bhai Dekh...Another killer show I loved...

7.] I loved doing math when I was a kid...The reason being it was the only subject for which I was allowed to listen to music while studying.

8.] I was & am a very huge Asterix & Obelix fan.I used to take a new book from the library every week to read.Ditto with the Tintin collection.

9.] Boyzone was my favorite band while at school...

10.] I used to love walking on the streets of Lokandwala with my friends.There were so many occasions during the rainy season when I would trot off alone.

11.] Playing cricket in the colony every Sunday afternoon was a ritual which I followed till like last year.(I guess since most of my building folks are already married this recreation was bound to end).

12.] I used to love roaming around Christmas and Diwali in Lokandwala because the streets would be lighted up and decorated and there used be a buzz around the place.

13.] I regret the fact that I didn't start playing football serious when I was still at school.

14.] The highlight of my school life was when I became the house captain for my house.(It was completely unexpected since I was pitted against some very well known scholars but my little cousin sis did the publicity for me and asked the juniors to vote for me, and so I was the captain for the last yr of my school) :)...Thanks a lot Neha...

15.] I used to love watching Fun time from 12 pm to 1pm everyday during the summer vacations.

16.] I enjoyed watching Telematches on T.V and thought one day I would too compete in it...

17.] The small wonder...Viki Lawson et all...

18.] GI-Joe, tom & Jerry and He-man...Favorite animation series...

19.] I used to love watching "Lassie..." the series as well as "The Black Stallion".

20.] Loved reading the "Hardy Boys". Had a whole collection of it...

Compromises...

2009-07-12T10:41:00.002+08:00

Trade-off...That's a new word which has enriched my vocabulary in these past few months.

The concept of trade-off has become the integral part of my life here at AIM...Not that I still give overdue importance to the concept yet but looking around me, people are trading off sleep,recreation,fun & friends for the sake of surviving the rigors of the MBA.

I have heard from various people and on numerous occasions that the first 4 months of the term are the most taxing and after that it's bliss and feeling of living in paradise.

Well my point of argument is that life can't be that bad, that we can't find a few hours everyday to invest in ourselves, in building new relationships, in keeping old relationships intact and in general unwinding.

It's been so long since I had a nice conversation with anyone.The last time I remember it was with Divya at the Dadar barista where we spent 2 hrs just talking about life in general.And how can I forget the overwhelming bakaar sessions which I used to have at E-17, Chaitraban with my roomies (Saurabh,Namit n Annshul).

Yesterday I was talking about how friendships fade away and loses significance as time passes by.How different priorities of people change their mindset ,their tastes and their behavior.

I still wonder, when I was back in Mumbai, I used to pass back my engineering college at least twice a week and every time I came across it I used to wonder what has changed around it... n the answer was /is nothing except the people around it.

The xerox shop is still there, the best bus stop, jhunkabakar, the pan shop...Everything is still there as was when I was in college.The only variable that has changed are the people...

Compromises:- "Life's full of compromises" is a very popular saying...

My take is that "life is full of compromises only if you bow to life and are dictated by it...Just do what you feel like doing, when you feel like doing and how you feel like doing"...In the end of the day, at the end of the road you are answerable to only one person...YOURSELF...

Random...

2009-07-11T13:16:00.000+08:00

Top 3 things to do of the top of my mind...

1.] Start working out again.Have to exert myself more...
2.] Cut down on my drinking...(Yeah as if that is possible, yet will try).
3.] Have to get serious about life now.This is the last bastion.I have no excuses after MBA to not succeed.

Well there r a few more but at least I have 2 short term and 1 long term goal in mind...

With this thought in mind I go back to gearing up for my game in an hour.

LOB Quiz V...Day 35 @ AIM

2009-07-10T16:34:00.000+08:00

I just came back after submitting the quiz paper for the 5th and the final LOB quiz and I have this unyielding urge to just pour my mind out here on this forum...

So here it goes...

Have you ever thought how a rat who is used as a lab experiment or a honey bee which has accidentally got lost with in your apartment...Well I had this uneasy feeling during the quiz today...
40 questions in 2hrs sounds relatively easy that too with the assurance of having a cheat sheet in which you can write whatever you feel like putting...(formulas, definitions,ratios,rules and whatever you feel like putting on the god damn sheet of paper so as to at least appease yourself that you are fully prepared for the battle of wits)...

Well for the first time in many years I felt helpless while solving a paper with problems on it.I used to pride myself at been good with numbers and problem questions but today's quiz has brought me face to face with another reality...

I know I'll scrap through the quiz as well as LOB, but the helplessness which I experienced during these torturous last 2 hrs have really let in lot of steam into my head and I am raring to go at anyone and everyone at the moment.

Thank god this nightmare is over, though there lot many frightening and more challenging subjects on it's way...

I guess I am happy that with the amount of preparation and effort that I put into these past few quizzes the returns have not really disappointed me yet...

Time to play frees bee and enjoy the evening sun...

Ice Age III- Dawn of the Dinosaurs

2009-07-07T11:26:00.001+08:00

Saturday, 5th July'09

show time:- 3.45 pm...

I am not really good at being a critic for any movie review, neither have I ever done this before.
However after having watched the movie (my first in the Philippines) over the weekend I couldn't hold myself back from documenting my views on the same.

Well for the movie as a whole...Incredible...I thought Ice Age II was fantabulous but boy oh boy was I wrong...

"Scrat" the squirrel who for me was the star in the 2nd Ice Age movie was joined by his better half "Scratte" and the two were hilarious throughout the movie.

Sid is at his best looking for trouble and after seeing Manny & Ellie having a baby of their own, Sid goes and get's himself 3 dinosaur eggs and actually mothers the three dinosaur kids for precisely one day before mommy dinosaur comes looking for her kids.

What ensues after this is just about one character...a weasel named Buckminster, or Buck...He seems to be direct replica of Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy and really breathe a new life into the movie.

The 3-D graphics are amazing and contrary to many critics I think the movie is a must watch for any one who likes animated movies.

The rivalry between Buck & Rudy (a huge white Suchomimus) is another nice facet of the movie and the way Buck describes his tryst or battle with Rudy is really a gem part of the movie.

All in all the movie which runs for just over 1 and a 1/2 hrs is worth the money spent.

As for my me I am just bowled over by the song in the credit which goes something like this in chorus...

Open the door, Get on the floor
Everybody walk the dinosaur...

My classmates are already fed up because I have been singing that non stop...

Cheers...

Just Thoughts

2009-07-03T00:21:00.000+08:00

I always give importance to friends in most aspects of my life and have been blessed with some great friends back home in India.
However I never imagined I'll be bestowed with the same kind of gems here in the Philippines.

Life has been great since the time I have come here.I have enjoyed every moment here till now.

Today was a new high for me since we played Frisbee at the park.After having been introduced to the game over the last weekend, a few of us decided to try our luck with the game at the nearby park.It was an awesome experience and the 1 hr we spent diving around, jumping around just like the show dogs who compete in the Frisbee competitions shown on t.v.

Well as for friends the group of Indian and Filipino friends which I have made since I have come here are a gem...

I wish I could write more about it right now,but thought my mind wants to write more my body is striving for some much needed sleep...

RIP MJ...You are a legend...

2009-06-27T07:17:00.000+08:00

1st, Nov 1996, Friday...
I still remember that day.
Michael Jackson was suppose to perform in India and Mumbai for the first time at the Andheri Sports Complex...a stone throw away from my school.

I remember the frenzy surrounding the entire event.The place which depicted a somber look for most part of the year, was lighted up magnanimously, though it did help that Diwali was also around that time. The streets were cleared and cleaned and barricades were installed in matter of few nights running 5-8 kms in length.The entire look and feel of the place had changed & the Mumbai crowd were excited to catch a glimpse of "The King of Pop".

Sadly for me, I didn't attend that concert because as a 13 year old kid it was to much to ask my dad to buy me Rs 3k worth of concert tickets when I couldn't even string a line of lyrics the guy sang.However I remember very well that on 1st Nov of 1996 it was around 9 pm when I was coming back from school after having spent the entire afternoon decorating my class for the diwali party celebration which was to be held on the next day in school.

I remember walking all the way to home that day because of the traffic on the way and I could also hear the sound blasting from the complex where the concert was going on.

I remember hearing " the way you make me feel" while walking home followed by " black or white" as the music faded away.

My first memories were of the previous summer when I had saved money to buy my first M.J cassette i.e Dangerous...I also saved up for his History album which I used to listen religiously every time I studied.

Also during the same time,I was part of the school choir and the first song we performed for our annual day was " Heal the World" by who else but " the king of Pop".

With his death, I believe a part of my childhood has also died forever. I remember dancing to his tunes of Black n White, Dangerous, Smooth criminal trying to ape his moon walk with no success what so ever.

My school friend Vijay was our desi Michael Jackson for the way he danced.He was a sure shot performer in any function in school.

I guess as I grew up, I started growing out of the influence of M.J and graduated to different genre of music but for every kid of that decade I guess the king of pop was the first performer who got their interest into the world of music.

Thank you sir for your contribution to world music and also for making the small difference in my life...

RIP...The Legend of Pop...

WAC done n dusted with!!

2009-06-19T22:30:00.000+08:00

Just completed my WAC (written analysis of cases) a few hours back.
It is suppose to be a big event in AIM...The first WAC of your AIM tenure, but if you ask me, after the initial humdrum about the whole thing it seemed a very exaggerated affair.

We got our WAC topic as scheduled at 5 pm. After having fretted the whole afternoon on which topic will the WAC be on, it was a welcome relief to see the case pertaining to MC & HBO rather than the more threatening subjects like QA or LOB...

I started in earnest at 5.30pm and was well on my way to acing it by 8.45pm.But since then I have wasted 2 hrs of my time doing nothing but bc/bs with a whole lot of different people.

Though with the postponement of the LOB test from Monday to Wednesday, the pressure for the weekend has relaxed and I am looking forward to partying and enjoying myself tonight. May be a game of basketball followed by a night out with the boys.

Tomorrow I plan to do a bit of QA and the remaining part of the day is devoted to LOB (Liabilities).Let's see how well the plan works.

Well right now is the time to party.The music is blaring loudly outside near the pool and the party vibes are all around...

MC speech on 18th June'09

2009-06-19T09:57:00.000+08:00

After having spent the night before my speech roaming around town in Manila and having a sumptuous meal at Fort, I came back late in the night and got working on my speech and ppt presentation way past midnight.

Thanks to Harsh and Supriya I was able to conjure up a decent ppt on my topic which was "Who was Henry VIII?"

It was fascinating to know about King Henry VIII, thanks to Wikipedia and Google search but my predicament was how to present the speech in front of my class.The amount of data which I wanted to share was not easily compressible into a 5 min speech.

Well, D-day was to prove my worst fears true.I started off on the wrong not with some technical glitch while getting my presentation onto the projector.After the delay and the anticipation of the audience already over the hill, I began my speech the only way I could...Fast and Furious...Hee hee.

Well whatever planning I had done the previous night, all went up in smoke since as soon as I reached the podium and began my speech I had forgotten about all the ground rules I had set for myself and just began blabbering whatever came to my mind in those 4 minutes at the podium.

Thankfully the audience was appreciative of my effort and I saved face by at least having had good enough content to go with my blabbering self.

I guess next time, I'll have to recite my speech at least twice beforehand before going live.Avinash was the most impressive speaker of the day and his hard work of preparing and reciting beforehand really paid off well for him.

Well I just completed my assignment of writing on my reflection paper for the same speech and now since I have completed the unofficial reflection too, I am off to class again.

ps:- Today is a very highly anticipated day.First WAC (Written Analysis of cases) is to be held @ 5pm in Meralco casestudy room...:)

Day 15 @ AIM

2009-06-13T04:02:00.000+08:00

I had a early day today with LOB as the first lecture followed by OM & after having survived our Prof Larry Tan in the morning lecture it was time to finish up LOB for the Monday quiz.I slept for a while in the afternoon and then had a mini beer party at the pool side with Mac,Nash,Ervine,Emile & Preetesh and then followed that up with a swim.

After having done all the tp I could have afforded for the day,I sat back in my dorm room and proceeded to finish the remaining chapters of LOB which are suppose to be a part of the quiz on Monday.This was from 8.30 pm to 11.30 in the night.

Harsh,Aseem and Akshel had already left for Mindenou in the afternoon and Nash & Emile had gone out for dinner with the Ganguli brother's as well as Jo-Anne, mukul,Preetesh and Vishal.

I was on the court @ 11.30 pm playing basketball for close to 1 hour alone before the Gadoo's joined me and it was not long before the entire entourage got back from their dinner party around 12.30 am in the night.

After 4 rounds of 1 on 1 with Emile,in which I gave a valiant fight before drawing the series 2-2 (quite an achievement for me) I went back to the room & savored some delicious Chinese which Jo-Anne,Emile & Nash got for me.

After that the five of us i.e Emile,Nash,Jo-Anne, Aina and yours truly set off at 1 am in the night to roam around and see the sight of Manila's night life.We roamed around a lot's of places and even tried the Filipinos specialty:- balut that is essentially boiled pre-hatched poultry eggs, usually duck or chicken.It was much similar to a fied egg if you ask me ,but never the less an experience to cherish.

Our final destination for the night was Padi's point (the original one which was the first one in Manila to be opened.I have already mentioned about it's franchise which I visited during my MOA visit).It was a beautiful night with friends, drinking beer, relaxing away from the tension of MBA, chilling out with each other, trying know each other better and in general enjoying the free time in hand.

Emile showed a loads of snaps & I am actually jealous of him because of the amount of things he has already done in his life like, snorkeling, flying, sky diving etc and on the other hand the max I can boost about is playing different kinds of sport (though that's not bad either still I would love doing the stuff he has already done).

Well we finally reached back @ AIM precisely an hour back i.e 3.35 am and after another wonderful & eventful days it's again back to sleep for me.

It was a fun night and thank you, Emile,Jo-Anne,Aina & Nash for making it all the more special.
I am already cherishing the friends I have made here in AIM.Cheer's to my batch:- Cohort 4, AIM batch 0f 2010...I guess pretty soon I'll come up with a blog with something about each one of them.

Till then adios...Good night...

Day 12 @ AIM

2009-06-09T14:23:00.000+08:00

9th June'09...

First of all Happy Birthday Ankit...(Pariekh for the uninitiated; friend from DJ)...It's been 5 years since his last birthday celebrated here in India and to think of it; it's also been 5 years since my group of friends from engineering went off to the U.S for their masters.

However, back to AIM... Life is becoming a struggle each passing day, with time being a premium and sleep an unknown entity in itself.After having appeared for the QA quiz on Saturday, I let my self unwind completely in the night @ Mohit Gaurier's birthday by the pool side.It was a amazing fun night,with drinks flowing throughout the night and music blaring full blast till 6 am in the morning when we finally called it a night...

However each nice thing in life comes with a price and I had to pay for the night out partying by sacrificing on my sleep as the very next day I had my CAN/Learning team meet @ 1 pm.

CAN/Learning team:- It's a concept here in AIM wherein the entire class batch of 45 students have been divided in to 8 groups of 5-6 members each which are known as CAN group or learning teams.We are suppose to prepare for cases in our CAN group and present it in class as a group.It is aimed at improving our team work dynamics and analytical skills as well as giving us a real life experience of solving cases...

Well after a rather nice weekend, yesterday was really a awakening call after I gave my first official LOB quiz and it is safe to say that it was a disaster.For the first time in a long time, I was clueless as to when taking an exam.Well I guess my time to chillax and take it as it comes needs to cease immediately if I wish to extend my stay in the Philippines beyond September'09.

However today, has gone rather well.After a boring lecture of SMA, things look good with OM and then MC was the highlight of the day where we had to simulate an actual press conference as part of our learning & it is safe to say that CAN group 8 fared quite well as compared to most other groups.Right now I am sitting in the last lecture of the day i.e. QA and blogging myself to glory.

ps:- Happy anniversary Mom n Dad...& happy birthday once again Ankit...

All set for QA...

2009-06-06T02:05:00.000+08:00

It's 2.05 am in the night & my plans to call it a early night i.e 12.30 am went kaput because of the amount of things I found out to be done for tomorrow's QA paper at 9 am.

However, after 4 hours of relentless bc and hard work; well more of bc and a bit of hard work I can finally say that I am all set to conquer tomorrow's exam provided our prof. doesn't come up with a surprise twist in the quiz.

So, finally tomorrow or rather within the next 6 hrs I'll be appearing for my first official paper in AIM...Butterflies in the stomach...Nay.
Just that I have already got bored of the rigors of daily life at AIM.

Well Roger Federer is right now fighting with Del Porto for a spot in the french open final & though I really want to watch the match, better sense seems to prevail and I plan to call it quits for the night after a game of football on Fifa 2009.

Let's see what happens in the test tomorrow.

2009-06-04T00:52:00.000+08:00

Sitting right now, down at the dorm lobby studying QA with my classmates.Reminds me of my engineering days where the entire gang used to settle down on the college corridors and study collectively for the semester exams.

I remember studying binomial,Poisson,Z-normal and stuff for my Vth sem exams and actually did well in them.However, at this very moment the same concepts seem to allude me and I find myself in a strange world of stats, maths and random variables & distribution not knowing what fits where & why?

I guess the 4 yrs of working and not using my brain even .001% seems to have taken a toll and I guess it will take a monumental effort on my part to invoke the Grey cells in my brain to start processing overtime if I have to succeed in this B-school...

Why does study have to be so challenging?
Lets just get back to learning a,b,c,d and 1,2,3... for a change...

Karaoke @ Red Box (Videoke)

2009-05-30T19:33:00.000+08:00

29th May'09...

After may be like 11 years,I think I must have sang in front of a crowd (if you can call an audience of 7 that). After having seen the Filipinos have a karaoke night every Friday, I and my friends thought about experiencing the pleasure of the same ourselves.After having criticized and ostracized the people who sang by the pool side on Friday evening's it was time to evaluate our own performance in front of the mike.

The evening actually started with a short trip to McDonald's for our daily filling of burgers and fries after which the gang headed to Grappa's (in Greenbelt 3).

After quite a few rounds of beer (Weiz) which was really good and a welcome relief from the San Migel which I have been consuming relentlessly for the past 2 weeks it was time for us to head to Red Box which was only a few restaurants away from where we actually were.

Hence after having consumed enough alcohol which helped us shed our inhibitions of singing, we i.e Harsh,Nash,Aseem,Kuru,Mac,Anna & Emile headed in to Cubicle no 32 of red box videoke.It was my first experience of a karaoke and one of the best one's of my short life yet.

After the initial trouble of understanding the video system and the mike and equipments placed in the cubicle our dj's/vj's for the night (Nash & Aseem) churned out some wonderful tracks to which the entire group sang their heart and lungs out...Ok I was the only one singing my lungs out...:)

The night was fun and I didn't even need a mike to compete with Nash and Aseem who had the control of the mike for most of our 4 hour singing session.

Mac was the truly outstanding performer of the night along with Nash and both of them set the place on fire.

Those 4 hours inside cube 32 really felt liberating as every one just let go of themselves and enjoyed the music and the fun assciated with it.

As for me after having last sung during the annual days in school with the choir group it was my first time since and I had fun, though not at singing but shouting my lungs out and jumping around with joy.

Barcelona vs Manchester United.UEFA CL finals-Afterthough...

2009-05-29T18:52:00.000+08:00

Heart broken,frustrated, horrified and sad...These were my emotions right after the match ended in favor of Barcelona on Wednesday night.
Not that they didn't deserve to win, but the manner of Manchester United's defeat was a bitter pill to swallow.
People deserved a better final than the one at display.Barcelona were magnificent on the night and on the other side Manchester United struggled to put in a semblance of a fight.

I saw the real Manchester United play the way they do only for the first 9 mins 33 secs in which they bombarded the Barcelona goal with chance after chance and nearly scored twice in that period.

However the 10th minute goal by Samuel Etoo finished off the attacking intend of Man Utd and Barcelona dictated terms all over the pitch after that goal.

The disappointment stems from the fact that a team which had prided itself on having a great defense made a few glaring mistakes which took the game out of their own hands.

Barcelona really played like men possessed keeping the possession of the ball for long duration of time which in turn frustrated the United player's who after having eventually won the possession of the ball looked for long balls and quick attacks instead of slowing the game to their own pace.

I haven't seen a Manchester United team fare so miserably in a final ever since the time I started following the team.

I have taken a lot of shit from my friends & classmates for this defeat but after the initial disappointment, I am quite sure that Sir Alex Ferguson will rebuild this team to go on and beat the crap out of even this amazing Barcelona side next year.

Well played Barcelona...You deserved it but the Red Devil's will be back next year to fight you guys for the ultimate prize in Europe once again.
Glory,glory Man United...

Manchester United vs Barcelona...UEFA Champions League Final 09...

2009-05-28T01:09:00.000+08:00

What a match up!!! The two giants of world football meet up in a few hours from now, to fight for the greatest glory in club football all over Europe.
The way these two great teams have played this season, their match up tonight at Rome, hopefully will be one of the best in the history of the CL in the same lines as the famous Man Utd vs Bayern Munich epic battle at Nou camp in 1999 or the match up between AC Milan & Liverpool in 2005 which Liverpool won on penalties.

Hopefully tonight's match up surpasses all these matches and the rest of the final's in the long history of UEFA champions League and sets a new standard in terms of entertainment, drama and quality of both attaching and defensive football.

However, after having watched most of the UEFA CL finals since 1999 with either my friends, colleagues or dad, tonight's match seems to be first for me which I'll be watching alone at my college's dorm at 3 in the night.
The reason being nobody here @ AIM seems to follow football that much and the game of soccer is unheard of in these parts of the world (read Philippines).

I really don't care if Manchester Unitted scrap through to a win in this one or blast their opponents off the pitch today; the bottom line should be that they win their 4th Champions League crown at Rome and complete the quadruple for the season; another first for SAF.

I just hope that all this sacrifice of my sleeping and study time at a juncture in my life when both seem to be at a high premium pays off at the End of the game...

Exactly an hour to go for the game and I am feeling the butterflies in my stomach already...

Best of luck Manchester United.Please beat the crap out of Barcelona...

Cheers...

Week 1 of MBA (main) @ AIM in progress...

2009-05-27T13:54:00.000+08:00

After 2 weeks of pre-MBA , I thought we might get some respite over the weekend before we embark on our journey of acquiring knowledge to become managers for the future.However after the festivities of Friday nite when the bunch of us went to have a nice,quite evening at Mall of Asia (MOA), the events which unfolded during the nite more or less ruined the weekend that was to follow.Not that I didn't enjoy myself at Hoopster's and then later at Pandi's Point along with Akshel,Aseem,Nash,Harsh & Emile; however the festivities went so late into the nite that it ate into my day on Saturday.However, I couldn't have asked for a better way to unwind after a gruesome week in pre-MBA.

Another development which has taken place in the last few days is the formation of our "CAN group"...A kind of study group which will be part of my life @ AIM for the next 8 months.
Well my group consists of Dr. Preeti (our CP), Mukul ( a really chilled guy),Vivek G.(experience hand at work), Emile ( the wizard as I like to call him since he is awesome with presentations and analytical thinking) & last but not the least Mikko(Our own financial & accounting wizard).
I am quite satisfied with my CAN group (No. 8), and am looking forward to the next few terms where our collective effort will define how we perform individually in this highly competitive & demanding MBA course @ AIM.

p.s: I don't understand the fuss everyone is creating about the lack of time or the high tension & anxiety everyone in my batch is facing already.:) :) :).I guess my time still has to come...

Week 1of (pre-MBA) @ AIM...Barely survived...

2009-05-15T17:07:00.000+08:00

Week 1 started on 11th May'09, with my first blush with a subject known as "Language of Business" or LOB for short.As I have progressed along the week, it seems more and more certain that my survival in this fiercest of college (AIM) in terms of happiness and peace of mind depends on my grasp and comfort level in this subject.
Our Professor (Hilario Tan), one of the best I have encountered till date in my short and sweet educational career has sent the shiver wave across the batch about the perils of not understanding LOB.

Next comes Economics in our pre-MBA course of 2 weeks.Our prof in economics Mr. Federico M. Macaranas is one of the most remarkable man I have met in my life yet.His insight and understanding of economics is par excellence and his way of teaching has really changed my outlook towards economics completely.The way he provides real life examples for different concepts in economics is quite remarkable.I just wonder what would have happened if my professors back home in India, were half as good as the ones here in AIM.

The 3rd and the last subject to be undertaken in the pre-MBA course is the QA, one of the few subjects I have had a prior idea about before I joined up this course.Our professor for this subject is also our program director going by the name Wilfred S. Jr. Manuela, PhD.A relative young man and one of the most friendliest professors of this college.

Well this entire week has gone within a blink of a eyesight.The daily time table has started with lectures early in the morning at 8 am till afternoon 3.30 - 4 pm. A short nap of 45-50 mins followed by self study and reading for the next day.The night ends around 4 a.m in the morning,after having spend the entire night figuring out why I have invested close to 15 lakhs for all this hardship and tension.The only saving grace in my opinion is that once and if I survive these grueling 16 months in AIM, I am sure to come out of here, a better man in every respect of the way.

Well I am off for the Friday festivities. A beer pub has been organized for us, Student of MBA cohort 4.The first official get together of our group.

Cheers...

P.S:- Have to crack LOB over the weekend + I believe the Ambani's should not pay any player in the MI team for this year's IPL. How can you loose the plot when one needs 5 runs off 7 balls with 4 wickets in hand and ends up being all out with a ball to spare losing by 3 runs.(APPALLING)

Manila Here I Am...

2009-05-12T02:19:00.000+08:00

So finally after 25 yrs and 6 months, I finally got the chance to realize the pleasure of traveling to a foreign country.On 6th May'09 I bid adieu to my folks in India and embarked on a new journey in the pursuit of enlightenment (read a MBA degree).
So a night after I saw Manchester United butcher the Arsenal defense in the 2nd leg of the UCL semi-final at the Emirates, I was on my way to the airport and within 16 hrs was in another country.
My first impression of Manila and that of my college i.e AIM was WOW...Where the hell have I landed...This place is beautiful.
The first thing that strikes anyone who visit's this country for the first time is the smile on the faces of the Filipinos.The people of this country are extremely friendly and always with a smile on their face.
The malls are huge, bigger than any I have seen or imagined back in India.
The college is awesome & the first few days have gone down with me going of to sleep as the sun rises,having no idea what time it is...
As the first official day @ AIM comes to an end at 2.39 am (now), I am still lagging behind the schedule and work left for tomorrow morning's lecture which actually occurs in the next 6 hrs.
Anyways updates about the weekend and the first day is still to come...Hope I get the time within the next few days.
Cheers...

Passport blues revisited...

2009-04-08T17:32:00.000+08:00

In June 2004, I had applied for my passport hoping that I'll like many others from my engineering batch,too shall crack the GRE exam and pursue my future in the United States of America...Alas, what I didn't know was that getting my passport in hand would be a adventure in itself.Let me explain...

I had registered 14th September'04 (Tuesday) as my GRE test taking date.However till 7th September'04, I received no news of my passport and also went to the passport office to inquire for the same.After all the traveling and meeting different people in the end I decided to postpone my exam to the 28th of the same month.

My passport finally reached my house on 15th Sept'04;a day later than my first GRE date.Since I wasn't home to receive the passport myself the postman left a chit and I had to go to the local post office the next morning to take my passport on my way to college.

This is where the actual bad luck starts.I went to the post office early in the morning (8.00 am) of the 15th-Sept'04 and took my brand new passport from the post office and went to college as usual in my car.

Around 11 am I went to Vile Parle and left my bag with the passport in it inside the car to run some chore.By the time I returned i.e within 5 mins, the bag in the backseat of my car was nowhere to be seen...Can you believe it!!! The day I get hands on my passport the very same day I lose it...
Since I lost my passport I had to cancel my GRE exam taking date.Well the story doesn't end here.
In mid October'04 I get a call from my local post office informing that they have a parcel for me with my passport in it.Now I was surprised.It was already a month or so since I had lost the passport but luckily for me my passport was in the envelope in which it was posted to me by the RPO. So I guess the guy who stole my bag did the nicest bit of thing by posting the envelope back. So finally I got hold my passport for good.

Fast forward to mid 2006 and I am caught in a rainy day at office with the same passport in my bag. God knows why I chose to take the passport from my office locker to my house in Pune on the same day when it was raining the heaviest.Well as one could imagine, my bag got wet and my passport also got a bit wet and damaged at the edges.However I didn't thing too much about it because all the vital pages were unaffected.

Back to the present and in 2009. Since I am planning to travel to Manilla for my MBA in May first week, I made another trip to the old passport office to get my PCC (police clearance certificate) done.The procedure was simple and the work was done in a matter of a few hours.

However, I needed to make one final trip to the RPO, to get my ECNR done too.I went for the same on 2nd April'09 and to my utter shock was told that my passport was damaged and it would be difficult to get an ECNR stamp on the passport because a few of the pages were smudged due to water.
One can just imagine the shock which was there on my face at that precise moment when the madam at the counter blankly told me to apply for a new passport in tatkal and do the entire procedure for PCC & ECNR again.The same lady who a forthnight ago had taken my application for PCC and passed it in a eye blink.Well I composed myself and tried to reason with the maam at the counter and then on her insistence wrote a letter addressed to the chief of RPO Mumbai, who would be the one to sign on my ECNR in the passport, explaining him/here my circumstances.
I was told to come back on Monday, a good three days later at 4.30 pm and collect my passport from the new passport office in Worli.

To get my mind off the tension, I left for Pune the same day and returned only on Sunday morning.

Monday evening I was there at the passport office sharp at 4.30 pm, with my heart in my mouth and the thought of having to go through the entire passport application process again creating havoc to my piece of mind.

Thankfully, when my chance came and I showed the guy my receipt, instead of telling me that my ECNR was not done, I was pleasantly surprised when he asked me to sign on the form and check my passport for the ECNR stamp.It was done. They didn't raise any objectionand my passport was good to go.

Finally, now I guess there wouldn't be any hindrance for me to get my first visa stamped on my passport. After 5 years of waiting, I can look forward to my first trip outside India.

Thank you god and fingered crossed for my visa application...:)

AIM Batch meet...

2009-03-25T18:10:00.000+08:00

Date:- 22nd March'09
Time:- 16.00 hrs
Place:- CCD at Carter Road,Bandra
Occassion:- First meet up with my AIM batchmates.

Finally, after a 6 month wait, I came to know in the 3rd week of March about my future classmates who were going to accompany and become my friends in AIM,Manilla.

A few of us met up to get to know each other on 22nd March'09, on a glorious sunday afternoon.

The five of us i.e Harsh,Avinash,Gouri,Agin and your truly met for a chat...
It was a fascinating meet and the diversity within the five of us has just whetted my appetite to know the rest of my batch asap.

A small profile of the guys I met,

Harsh- The entrepreneur
Gouri- The judo master & fitness instructor
Avinash- The gold banker
Agin- The software and finance expert.

With such a diverse group of people I can imagine that my time in AIM is going to be an interesting one with different viewpoints on different issues from various quarters.

A welcome change from my time as a S.E. where everyone had the same opinion about things (Life sucks unless onsite comes calling...).

Squash...A new favourite !!

2009-03-25T17:41:00.000+08:00

It's been 3 months now,since I left Infosys and Pune. It's also the same time period for which I haven't touched a football.Going by my time in Infosys where we used to play every alternate day and at least on every weekend, the present scenario seems to be unthinkable.

However to keep myself busy and more importantly fit, I have taken squash in a big way since coming back to Mumbai. Not that I didn't play squash in Infosys, but then I used just play the game not knowing anything about technique, strategy or game sense.I just played the game hitting the ball well and trying to return everything which came my way.

However,from the time I have started training with my marker(coach is known as marker)since the start of February, I have found a new zeal as well as enthusiasm for the game.Not that I was bad at the game, but I could never give a good account of myself due to the inconsistencies and the wrong technique I had inherited in my time playing the sport at Infosys.

Back to the present & now I am more confident about my own game,more aware about my opponent's skills and my position around the court.Though I need to learn a lot more to become a really good player,still I am happy with the progress I have made in the last few months and the way I have taken a liking for the game.

Finally,I have a sport which I can look forward to play for the rest of my adult life,given that continuing to play football regularly is going to be very difficult task.

Retrospect of the second half of 2008.

2009-03-18T19:40:00.000+08:00

The second half of 2008 brought with it new challenges and loads of great news…

June: - As I had stated in the previous blog (retrospect of 1st half of 2008) about my football with team Infosys; June started off with the first 11 a side tourney of the year in the form of the Deccan Gymkhana Football tournament. After having practised for close to 4 months on the lush green ground of Infosys Pune; the team was confident about a good showing in the new season and I donned a new role as the first choice keeper of the team. June went by and we qualified for the final of the tournament.

July: - July was one of the most happening months for me in 2008. First there was a small case of playing against Kanbay in the final of the Deccan IT tournament which took place on the 5th of that month. We won the tournament beating them by a score line of 1-0. The game was more significant for me since it was supposed to be my last game for Infosys Pune, since I had got transferred to Mysore for the next 6 months. My team-mates gave me a guard of honour and I also came up with a MOM kind of performance during the game. We had a blast the same night partying our heart out at Veer Da Dhaba (not the highway one) till the wee hours of the night.

The next agenda on the list for July was to travel to Mysore, since my project had got transferred to the city of Tipu Sultan. I left on 10th of July and set foot in the Infosys Mysore campus on the 11th. The period in Mysore with the ABN AMRO team was one of my best times professionally as a software engineer. I lead a team of 7 to gather KT on the entire debitcards application and won myself an award for the same.
On the AIM front, I got the news that Aug08 batch was not happening for me and that I might be considered for the May09 intake. The decision would be known by September end.

July and August was spent working in the beautiful Mysore campus. I was joined by Gagan and Shruti at the Infosys hostel and the 2 weeks I spent with them were awesome fun. We worked hard during the day and went partying every night to the different restaurants and pubs in Mysore.
Along the way I also made a trip to Bangalore along with Shruti and we partied at the Hard Rock Café, Bengaluru (my first experience of the renowned HRC franchise).
It was an amazing experience and the night was unbelievable.
I also caught the Indian women team in action at the Mysore campus where they were having their annual training camp. It was exciting to catch glimpse of the eves of Indian cricket and the sights of Mithali Raj, Anjum Chopra, Julan Goswami got the adrenaline pumping.
During this period I also bought my own Dell laptop which was my second significant purchase during my Infosys tenure after the Bajaj Pulsar 180 which I had got in Nov’06.

The second half of August, I shifted out from the campus hostel and moved in with Gaurav, Siddharth and Arun. This was an altogether different experience since I was staying outside the campus now and got more opportunities to roam around the city with these guys. On the work front I was relishing the responsibility of leading a team and was enjoying the experience thoroughly. I even got a chance to represent the Infosys Mysore Football team and won a trophy with them too.
I also made one more trip to Bangalore to meet up with Divya and Abhinav (school friends).

September: - I finished off my project during this month and took a much deserved vacation with my family. Mom n dad travelled to Mysore and we embarked on having a family vacation after a gap of 7 years. First stop was Mysore. After a few days we went off to Bangalore to spend the second leg of our vacation. The city of Bangalore didn’t really appeal to me since it was too crowded and there was lot of traffic on the roads. The city itself was very vibrant seeming to be a modern and sophisticated version of Mumbai.

One of the important things to have happened in the end of September was, first the bursting of bubble of Lehmann Brothers which ushered in the era of economic downturn which subsequently meant the end of my dreams of travelling onsite to Amsterdam since the project was cancelled. However with this sad news came another piece of news which made my entire year memorable. AIM got back to me, offering me an admit in their May’09 session.
Finally after 3.5 years my dream of securing an admission to a good MBA college saw the light of the day. Also during this period I was fighting with the management to send me back to Pune since they didn’t have any work for me in Mysore

October started off with me travelling back to Pune after a 3 month stint in Mysore. Since the project was cancelled, there was nothing for me in Mysore and I came back to Pune and back to my old life.
Partying with roomies became a ritual of sorts and we had a blast for the rest of the year.
November was made special by my girlfriend (Divya), friends and family who made my Bday a memorable one.
In Dec, I won two major tournaments with Infosys, while captaining the side.
The most tragic incident of the year also happened in Dec. Arvind & Ankit (my roomies) met with a bike accident and Ankit was seriously injured. He was hospitalised for 3 weeks or so and had to undergo 3 operations.

The year which had promised so much and which had been great otherwise ended on a sombre note.
The mood towards the last week of 2008 was one of despair and tension as we all were really worried about Ankit’s well being.

However all’s well that end’s well and as I finish the summary of my year I am pleased to inform that Ankit is back in Pune after a nice rest of 3 months in his hometown of Meerut.