Bored To Death with mundane Existence

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?

" 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

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

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

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...

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!!

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.