My Galaxy

The different rules of Planet Mars & Venus

2012-01-31T22:32:00.004+05:30

Excerpts from the Transcript of the speech Sheryl Sandberg, the current COO, FB gave in her commencement speech to Barnard Class of 2011.

The next step is you’re going to have to believe in yourself potentially more than you do today. Studies also show that compared to men, women underestimate their performance. If you ask men and women questions about completely objective criteria such as GPAs or sales goals, men get it wrong slightly high; women get it wrong slightly low. More importantly, if you ask men why they succeeded, men attribute that success to themselves; and women, they attribute it to other factors like working harder, help from others. Ask a woman why she did well on something, and she’ll say, “I got lucky. All of these great people helped me. I worked really hard.” Ask a man and he’ll say or think, “What a dumb question. I’m awesome.” So women need to take a page from men and own their own success.

That’s much easier to say than to do. I know this from my own experience. All along the way, I’ve had all of those moments, not just some of the time; I would say most of the time, where I haven’t felt that I owned my success. I got into college and thought about how much my parents helped me on my essays. I went to the Treasury Department because I was lucky to take the right professor’s class who took me to Treasury. Google, I boarded a rocket ship that took me up with everyone else.

Even to this day, I have those moments. I have those moments all the time, probably far more than you can imagine I would. I know I need to make the adjustments. I know I need to believe in myself and raise my hand, because I’m sitting next to some guy and he thinks he’s awesome. So, to all of you, if you remember nothing else today, remember this: You are awesome. I’m not suggesting you be boastful. No one likes that in men or women. But I am suggesting that believing in yourself is the first necessary step to coming even close to achieving your potential.

The Complete Speech:

Now that is what I would call a refreshing speech, just like any other of her expertise!

God save the Dork

2012-01-10T21:25:00.009+05:30

So instead of updating my blog, I found myself laughing while reading the most perfect & apt book one can finish while sitting in an office cubicle! (that is of course when tons of the work finally gets over, in case you are from my office & reading this ;)) Interestingly, for a change, I came to know about the author here first before the book itself, thanks to 'cricinfo.com' & 'twitter' where I have been following Sidin Vadukut's tweets until he mentioned about his coming book, 2nd of the 'Dork' -trilogy called "God Save the Dork". With no idea of what that title meant, without any reviews or reading his 1st book, I pre-ordered it & as you see, I don't regret it!

The story continues to narrate the life of Robin 'Einstein' Varghese, through his humorous diary entries as he works as a management consultant & strategy guru at Dufresne Partners, dealing with his 'efficient' co-workers, building 'smart' strategies for his partners, cultural changes at London, his long-distant girlfriend in India Gouri (not to forget her long mails), his tummy upsets & handling public embarrassments, saving from the hotel bills etc!

What I liked the most about Varghese's character is the way it connects to any of us, the way he reacts to the everyday situations, how we all have our bad days of which we have no control of, the little narcissists which we all have in different quantities in us, & the way he enjoys it all.

My Take: Do grab it, if you have a boring journey to take or if you want to take a break from serious stuffs!

Happy New Yeary!

2012-01-03T23:14:00.005+05:30

A lot happens again. I get a new laptop. I inch closer towards at least one 'Indian Institute' (Indian Institute of Foreign Trade here!) & well, a whole new though not much eventful yet important 'learning' year comes to an.

As this happens to be the 1st blog post in 2012, Happy New Year!! :D

Meanwhile, I did write an analysis @IdeasMakeMarket, about Booming Businesses for 2012 check out my article here.

Faith or Fake?

2011-12-11T18:24:00.017+05:30

Watch this Video.It is one of the shortlisted entries in a Times Of India organized competition back this year - A day in the life of India, that as the name suggests, collected photographs, videos etc which defined this theme & awarded the best.

Holy Cow - Now Packaged(HD) from UnCommonSense Films on Vimeo.

You notice how a jobless guy makes an Indian custom, which considers 'cow' as a holy animal, works for him! And it is not only him but also how the cow gets all fed & worshiped, which otherwise was feeding itself near the garbage dump.This video is not just a creative competition entry but indeed a very true fact.

India is undergoing a transformation in many ways. A crucial phase where, while developing itself & facing numerous problems concerning the politics, economy etc around it, it has to protect its 'well-known-rich' culture. As a youth of the country, I have nothing against it & in fact take pride for the same.However, I wish people would understand that thin line between the culture & myth, blindly following just anything! I mean like in this video, why do they have to queue up & pay to feed the cow? Where was this queue when the cow was feeding itself near the garbage dump? But no it is blind following which we have more trust on.

This reminds me of well something called 'Inter-caste marriages'. In this new India , growing job market, inter-state/region traveling has led to a mix culture youth.This of course has a great silent impact which perhaps we still don't understand & am afraid would take another generation to even accept.Not restricting just to marriages, but using the faith in politics, the minority quota, Mayawati's so called Dalit vote bank etc just exploit people's faith for the interests of those selfish few who simply bank upon this 'blind-faith' for their own motives. At the end it is people themselves who suffer, be it marrying the person of their choice or unable to secure admission in one of the coveted institutions coz of the so-called minority quota which when based on caste definitely makes no sense. The worse is this is not even a tangible problem that could be fought for like corruption which has seen a mass uproar recently for a better change of the country.

I would conclude, 'now-outdated' customs & cultures are something we got to change with time. People in a NYtimes article would sympathize with an under-age girl in Afghanistan being forced to marry a man twice her age in the comments section but would also comment in the same section that it is their culture & they are no one to interfere with. So there is no one else who is going to deal with these delicate matter but just us by being more accepting & participating.

Reconnecting People

2011-11-30T23:35:00.001+05:30

So nothing lasts forever.Neither highs nor the lows.However getting up from its recent low seems to be a little difficult for Nokia.Or does it?

From being world's largest smartphone maker in 2010 to everyone talking about its downfall after its Q2 results in July this year (when it suffered an operating loss of €487m!), it was a big roller coaster ride for this Finnish firm & its rides continues(in the direction it hopes to of course) as the CEO Stephen Elop announced the beginning of the windows phase era for Nokia this October with Nokia Lumia 800 being on everyone's next-to-look-for radar.

Thanks to its biggest rival Apple which taught it a lesson on the importance of marketing, the company's Marketing Strategy has seen a complete makeover which now includes more focus on Digital & Social Media.So here we have the new Nokia,which this time believed in creating a market for its product first before the product launch.

Charmaine Eggberry, Nokia’s senior vice-president of marketing focuses on Wow - Ways of Working which is about creating a market based on a particular local needs, empowering the local marketing team while keeping true the brand principles alive. A concept I could really relate to when I visited a local famous market at Udaipur in September & I saw Nokia’s Dual Sim Phone being flashed on an elephant with a drum blowing along.Trust me that was the first time I got to know about that particular handset!

Another concept it is banking upon is the Revamping of its stores towards being more customer friendly & interactive all throughout the Globe as it prepared for the launch of the Lumia 800 worldwide.As the experts say it definitely is focusing on the retail part of the advertising this way.The 'Connecting people' slogan finds a literal significance here as Nokia focuses more on building focus on the youth, useful specially in growing countries like India where the under 25 age group bracket provides a great opportunity, something its rivals like Motorola & Apple have long back taken care of.

Overall,with a move to bring back its lost shining position number one, Nokia has its eye fixed on the response Lumia gets as it looks forwards to a brighter new year.

C - Day Brief

2011-11-15T00:25:00.009+05:30

Long time no see.October literally runs outta my blog post list as I gave my 4th & last attempt of CAT. I would have never given it, thanks to the almost nil amount of motivation & faith I have in the online CAT but then thank you God for the lovely friends (A Big Good Luck to them if they are reading this :)) who have more faith in you than you have yourself on your own at times! & phew had I not given it, I would have missed it coz as PC says, you may forget about your passion once & suppress it divert yourself to other things but deep down inside your heart reminds of your passion & all is not so well then.And so here it goes my experience of the C - Day copy-pasted from my debrief at PG.

CAT Centre, Date and Slot: Prometric, Hyderabad, 4th Nov, 3:15 pm

1) How many attempts you have made?
QA/DI-28 (1 last moment guess), VA/LR-29 ; OA 57

2) How was your experience of the test?
I always found the complete "online CAT" experience similar to taking a flight, right from check-in,starting the test at 3:15 & finishing exactly at 5:45 pm .But seriously a smooth experience.

3) What was the surprise element for you?
I was prepared for any changes (or surprises) in my slot even after reading the experiences of the previous slots, coz' last year I gave my test on 16th Nov, 2nd slot & there was a vast difference in difficulty level in QA even in the morning & afternoon slot which really took a toll on my final result.
& the surprise was QA again this year which was full of sitters.

4) Any tips to handle the computer based exam better?
Just make sure you don't miss out with any sitters which unlike in the paper based patterns are a little difficult to identify.

5) Your overall analysis of the exam. Toughness, new topics, sections etc.
QA as said above was full of sitters.A few hiccups in between which can be dealt with.
DI I found a set lot more calculative than the other two moderate ones.
Overall in Section 1, keep an eye on the clock!

VA was the most awaited one specially after reading the reviews here.Being prepared helped.RCs were difficult-moderate-easy I would say a mix bag.Other questions too were on the same lines.
LR totally doable.

6) Any other query or something you would like to share.
Be prepared for any changes in the difficulty levels of the sections.

Just my 2 cents.

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Hey! By the way did I tell you what I actually discovered about the so-called exam.It just re-affirmed by belief, what papa had told me long back - the longer & harder you worry about something, the more it makes you worry about it. My Post CAT partying can never match the Pre-CAT relaxers (read as - 3 movies & 2 novels at the last week of CAT! my fastest ever ;) )

Shiva Trilogy - Part 2

2011-09-29T01:30:00.003+05:30

As the Shiva trilogy goes on, Amish continues to weave the magic of mixing the fiction with his words.The story of the great Mahadev takes further turns as he discovers not only new things from his journey but also leaves many thoughts for the reader to pick up along the read.The enlightening conversations with the different Vasudevs which Shiva has all along show how a person discovers the good among himself & most importantly the fact that there is no absolute evil or good but a balance of good & evil in everyone.All this in the most intriguing way.

However, the catch of the book is not just its mighty protagonist but the characters associated with it.The valiant Sati & her intelligence which so wonderfully complements the lord is delightful & inspiring in her own way.The faith of Nandi, Bhagirath & Parvateshwar & many more whom the lord befriends on the way is simply worth knowing about.The secrets which keep opening one after the other are just enough to keep one engrossed to the book till the end, until a yet another to be continued which starts the wait for the last part of the book because the secret of the Nagas very well remains just uncovered.

As an author Amish completely does justice to the second part too unlike other sequels which usually get shadowed by its main book.The pace & the description very well matches with the part one & hoping the same for the last part of the trilogy too.

P.S. 4 Years of My Galaxy :)

Gratitude

2011-09-22T02:27:00.000+05:30

Alok was too lost in his thoughts & may be that is why he didn't notice that his flight was about to land.It was only when the otherwise noticeable Air hostess asked him to tie his seat belt, he shifted his attention from the clouds ,which as always had a unique soothing formation of their own, outside his window that he came back to the present. The journey had given him the time he so badly wanted.A time with himself, alone or rather as they say in the "neutral grounds".It was the journey between his source & the destination, between the two parts of his life he had been struggling with. Alok just wanted to stay there wished this moment could stay.It was a rare peace he felt during that short flight when his thoughts didn't have to fight among themselves.
As they say, present is where you live! but the bad thing about present is that it flies away too soon specially when it is so good & specifically here when it is so peaceful because Alok could soon see the beautiful city,where his flight was about to land, just below him.And then to his surprise he felt a teardrop trickle down his cheeks, a smile which touched his lips & a relief that his heart actually showed some emotions. It was that view of the city which he recognized really well, like some amateur pilot.It was a view which had always filled him with extreme emotions.View of this city which had too many memories to give him.Memories of the joy he had by the mere sight of this view rushed him.

Alok thanked God that that things were still the same. Even though if it was for the last time.He closed his eyes as he cherished this moment with gratitude.

Among the good reads

2011-09-19T13:09:00.005+05:30

I just completed an Indian fiction "The Immortals of Meluha" - the book 1 of the Shiva Trilogy series by Amish & the first thing I did after completing it was ordering the book 2. I never expected it to be so intriguing given that I had not given much try to such topics as spiritualism specially the one concerning the Great Indian God Shiva, whom we don't find as friendly as the other Gods in the numerous story books or TV series we all grew reading/watching up. Though its cover itself attracts many a reader to the different kind that it is. And as for me ,it definitely has opened a vast genre of the mythological fiction yet again.

Must say the author had done a wonderful job of carving out a beautiful story from his imagination as he started with a simple human yet a courageous tribe leader called Shiva who goes on through tough decisions concerning his tribe & its well-being & takes us through any normal human emotions as Shiva & his group accept the invitation and immigrate to Meluha. The author then beautifully carries forward the story of Shiva, as he discovers Meluha, understands its people, finds his soul-mate & most importantly discovers his abilities while protecting Meluhans who as their legend said had waited for him since years.The ability which ultimately makes him find the Mahadev in him as others had expected in their neelkanth (Blue-throat).

A must read for anyone who has the patience to wait for the 3rd part, as of me, would have loved to read its all the 3 parts together had I known it before.. Can't Wait! :)

A Sunday well spent

2011-09-13T10:31:00.004+05:30

[Edited]

Since the last post a lot has happened! I have turned a year older, gave my big exam, have traveled to my family & met people who have again made me introspect what am I really running after.

Traveling indeed teaches & I have already learnt a lot last two days.So on my way back home, thanks to the delayed AI Flight, I happened to come across a defense personnel.I was lucky enough to have talked to him, as he shared his experience, his professional challenges & how it has taught him to live his life to the fullest.Hearing him, my respect for him & his profession not only grew by leaps and bounds but also made me respect mine as I saw it from his views.I would rather think it in this way that such things are not mere coincidences but small doses from the universe it would like to give us.

Right! Now before the label of this post switches to 'Philosophical me' let me continue with the Travelogue part.

Reaching home after months is simply so beautiful & specially when the coming Sunday has been planned by moma! :)

So here we were through the beautiful country-side of Udaipur, the city of lakes as it is popularly known as with its rich Rajputana history which gives it the royal touch. Add to it the the clouds weaving their magic in this amazing weather as it turned the complete place into nothing less than a hill station as we discovered.

We started on our way to Kumbhalgargh & the route itself had some worth-stopping-your-car & running off to trek scenic places like this one :

Yes! I know far away from the office/routines & blah blah, straight to the nature's lap.

As we reached the Kumbhalgarh fort, another surprise awaited us.The clouds! Forget about trying to get a view of the 36 Kms long fort wall, the place is famous of.(It is supposed to be the longest wall in the world after the China wall! ) All we could manage was a wall infront as the visibility had reduced to its minimum but I wouldn't complain.It is not everyday you get to walk amidst the clouds that too just a few hours drive away from home! :D

By evening we started back towards the city & with still good time left with us & mood & spirits all freshened up even after the complete day's trekking, courtesy the weather gods, we turned towards Sajjangarh, or as it is better known as The hilltop Monsoon Palace which as can be seen gave a wonderful aerial view of the city, its lakes full with water & the mountains under the green velvet around it.

One of the many aerial views from Sajjangarh fort

Trying to focus on the lake palace in the Lake Pichola for sis!

P.S. Nothing beats an amazing family Sunday trip after what seems like ages.Yes am home!! :D

& I thought strategies are taught only in B-Schools!

2011-08-31T02:53:00.011+05:30

In any B-School Interview, one of the most asked question remains "Why MBA?" Interestingly enough, as it seems even the interviewers, on the other side of the panel would like to know the same! coz' management seems more to be of when & how to apply common sense than anything else, at least this is what as it seems sitting on the other side & watching people around apply their so-called fundas!
Well, even the little Calvin seems to have a lot of 'gyan' but in his own simpler terms :

How to eliminate competition ?

Right strategy! What & when ?

Effective Communication - Knowing when to speak & when to shut up ?!

& many more!!

P.S. Try googling "MBA is" & lol, here is what you get :

P.S.S I still have better reasons to do an MBA :D

What's Next ?

2011-08-09T15:19:00.006+05:30

Things gradually change & before we realize it, they become the new in-things & few are history already.A friend recently updated on FB that "We are the generation who prefer texting/calling while standing in front of door to let you know that we have arrived instead of actually ringing the bell at that time", couldn't agree less.With almost everything just a click away from friends, discussions, books, games, shopping portals, to "you name it!" things at business of course need to change & the early bird definitely catches the worm here too.

A similar change was very well noticed by marketers & was well identified by Google's MD & leader in advertising business, Jim Lecinski who published an e-book on ZMOT - Zero Moment of Truth. In his book, Lecinski identifies how a customer decides on for his product even before he visits the store. A step ahead of FMOT (First moment of truth), where the brands fight each other on the shelf of a store.

We all are familiar with this.We all have been there, googled for the reviews of the latest flick released at Rotten Tomatoes before booking the tickets , or compared bikes, electronic products, even hairstyles etcetera at Naaptol or Mouthsut & finalized things on CNET Review before we even have a look at the actual thing at the stores & guess what our experience says it works even better this way, especially when the choices with the consumers are never ending.

Looking at all this, it definitely makes sense for the marketers to shift their focus at this side of the ground where their products now compete. In his very well written book Lecinski perfectly describes this concept & clears many misconceptions like how ZMOT can be applicable to any industry, or any segment of people, or from start-ups to the well established houses & many more such things which makes it an intriguing read.

Click here for the pdf of the book "ZMOT".

Rescheduling

2011-07-31T00:26:00.006+05:30

The previous post couldn't be more misleading.With 8 days away from GMAT & almost 1.5 months still away from my next home visit after months, the word vacation seems nowhere near.

This was what I found in my draft when I logged in today. Things have changed since then (except the vacation part!)

Test Day is a month away, yet again.I decided I can push my scores further up by giving more to verbal.From my experience with the GMAT or rather the GMAT 'preparation' till now, I think it is always better to be confident that there is nothing more you can give from your end to your score & then face the exam then to take any chance.Of course, this advice is for people like me, who believe more on target specific preparation (I took a GMAT date first before starting my preparations).Moreover, the fact that CAT this year tends to be more like that of GMAT - pattern helped me decide the same & even made me decide to give another chance to this so-assumed luck game.

Anyway, the game begins all over again with raised expectations & target & hopefully for good.

Meanwhile, a nice, can-totally-relate-to poem from a blog related to GMAT prep I have been following :

Source : http://knowingthepathandwalkingthepath.blogspot.com/

I am coming Soon!

2011-07-18T21:37:00.001+05:30

Vacation

Source : http://www.zadan.nl/pics/weallneed/wealldo.jpg

Two years later

2011-07-03T14:57:00.007+05:30

It has been 2 years now that am no more a college grad but a full time working professional.
This would have been hardly anything to ponder about, forget about writing, when a friend wished me just before I was leaving the office & made me actually think about it & even share with my family (Sis texted me a congs & I had to think for a sec, what it was for ..lol !)

Now this could mean a lot.

1. I can proudly boast, I have seen that life outside the campus (aka the Campus ke baahar, life humein nachaati hai waala part of the Aamir Khan's pet RDB Dialogue**)

2. School seems like a distant old memory & is now referred to as 'those golden days' !
*Sigh*

3. People around my parents have more things to be concerned of, apart from minding their own business :|

4. I now know what exactly is meant by Multi-Dimensions.Writing an exam was the highest level of tension we ever had till college, & now I feel away from life's all problems while I am in between an exam (lol..I know this didn't come out right) The actual exam begins when you come out of your hall & have 100s of real-life things to deal with !

But life isn't all that bad ! It is a lot more better too

1. To begin with it means, I am eligible to apply to ISB (lol) & can confidently go ahead with my GMAT, yes this means a lot to me after the stupidness the CAT (Indian MBA Entrance tests) has been showing.

2. I no longer sound/(appear) like some naive just college passed out.

3. I still write my My Galaxy & I hope to do so till I write about my kids & their kids or till the internet exists ! (or whatever comes 1st)

4. Being independent has been one of the good experiences one can have in life (in short knowing the aate-daal k bhaav!)

5. I have started equity trading & am loving it ! must mention a Courtesy Eccentric Expressor here :-)

& many small silly things, but I can think of just one thing right now :

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of the easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep

**College de Gate ke is Taraf hum life ko nachate hain.."tim lak lak te tim lak lak" aur colleg de gate ki dujji taraf life hamein nachati hai.."tim lak te tim lak lak" ;)

Look who is moving !

2011-06-24T00:18:00.001+05:30

So one day I return a little early from office and it is not the usual hot Hyderabadi Summer, but a pleasant 'here-comes-the-monsoon' windy evening and what I find is a moving stone !! Lol ! not exactly, but my landlords never mentioned about this pet of theirs :

Cute litte fat dude, also with a cuter smaller version (not in this pic).

So reminds me of my Bengali landlord with Cats at his place :) Isn't it good to have landlords with pets, you get to play with the pets,as they keep posing for you while they take care of the taking care part of the pets :D

Tee - Week !

2011-06-17T23:25:00.002+05:30

Disclaimer : Writer's go through a writer's bloc, a period in their writing life in which they loose ability to produce new work.Do we have something opposite to it too ? Writer's 'Unblock' when all they think of is to write something or the other.

Friday it is and this week has to be definitely called a Tee Week !

Tee Story 1
We got to witness something rare.The way a company celebrates its centenary year ! Something you don't get to see just any day. So here the Big Blue celebrates & we get a Blue Tee (along with a Mug & a good insightful book featuring the BIG Blue's Big journey) to spread the happiness ! I never knew myself that I would find myself all glorying in this moment. I mean, I am no way attached to the company I work for.It is a simple, professional give and take relationship (that too unbalanced towards the former :P ) but then I confess, I respect it for giving me an identity, which I am proud of :) So here is one of my fav centennial video.Do watch it till the end.You wouldn't agree less.

Tee Story 2 :
I won a Beat The Gmat Tee !! yayy :D
So they had a contest, we were supposed to earn badges while using the forum.I pretty much expected it the last week itself, but the silly me, didn't check my "GMAT Label" in my inbox & when I did, there it was David, the BTG CEO's mail :)

So that was this week's Tee story. Back to business.Period.

PS : I think writer's block as well as the so-called 'unblock' both lead to a decrease in the quality of their works, if it did exist at first place !

Seedhi baat, baaki sab bakwas !

2011-06-15T03:09:00.002+05:30

This is how a Blog looks like when ~

1. The rate at which people are getting married/ getting in B- Schools (specially the highly-idiotic crowd who doesn't even know why they are following the crowd)/ switching their jobs remains at an annual high.

2. There is less than a month to go for a BIG Exam.

3. One is still in a 80-20 Phase (80-not to postpone the dates & 20-to postpone the dates of the exam )

4. You backspace atleast 3 times before writing, deciding if a possessive pronoun is being used at the right place, unobstructed by the Subjunctive mood !

5. Some major planning keeps getting procrastinated (read planning a home trip & blah blah..)

All is truly well.Sarcasm Unintended.

PS: Topic Translation in English - Straight talks, rest all is irrelevant.

India Talks - 2

2011-05-31T11:08:00.002+05:30

The recovered US Markets seem to be promising as ever before, however what they can not neglect are large growing economies or as we would like to believe ignoring the 'bubble economy' remarks made by the west.Of course, towards the end of 2010 we did hear money flowing back to the developed nations but we have the numbers showing up better picture, specially when it comes to the growth rates, like :

GDP Real Growth rate : India (8.3%), 2nd highest after China & US (2.7%) following at 3rd position.

Industry Production Growth rate : India (9.7%) & US (3.3%)

Public Debt (as a % of GDP) : India (55.9) & US (58.9)

It is only when the Indian Economy curbs the Negative Factors hampering the economy like Inflation, still touching 8.66% (Apr '11), the rising Food Price Index or dropping Industrial Output & similar such factors we can think of maintaining our much needed growth rate which would induce other's faith in our economy & like a vicious circle further help us.The FIIs too have shown a fluctuating trend upto this year :

FII Activity for the Year so far

Month	Gross Purchase (Cr)	Gross Sale (Cr)	Net Investment (Cr)	Cummulative Investment ($Mn)
January 2011	57,949.90	64,280.10	-6,330.40	-1,387.15
February 2011	59,002.20	62,756.70	-3,754.30	-825.95
March 2011	59,205.90	48,151.90	11,054.40	2,471.09
April 2011	47,484.20	44,553.00	2,931.20	658.46
May 2011	48,770.60	55,190.10	-6,419.60	-1,436.49

Source : http://www.indiainfoline.com/MarketStatistics/FII-Activity

I would conclude it is still a long way to go.

India Talks - 1

2011-05-28T23:14:00.002+05:30

This man needs no introduction.Simple & smart are the words which go for him as shows his latest advice on his really popular FB page :

"Above all stick with what you know. Don't get too fancy.."

How true.

As I scrolled down the page to get some really more meaningful insights from this eminent personality, I happened to come across this

Warren Buffett
I think the West is going to do well. I'd rather be in the West than the East...

This was almost an year back, however, his last & actually his first to India showed something different.The reason for his visit being the launch of his firm,Berkshire Hathway Inc's Insurance selling portal, as it tied up as a corporate agent for India's Bajaj Allianz General Insurance.While he ventured into one of the fastest growing economy of Asia or rather world, a statement which really hit the headlines clearly stated how he regretted not coming to India a bit sooner.Undoubtedly, as Steve Forbes quotes, Global Billionaires reflect the Global Markets.But is India really Shining..? To be continued in the next post.

Idioms - 2

2011-05-18T17:59:00.005+05:30

Continuing the Idioms Post ...
Case :1.
I came across this Question with the 2 closest possible choices I had narrowed down to :
The gyrfalcon, an Arctic bird of prey, has survived a close brush with extinction; its numbers are now five times greater than when the use of DDT was sharply restricted in the early 1970’s.
A. extinction; its numbers are now five times greater than
B. extinction; its numbers are now five times more than

Now there has to be some pre-defined rule in English for this because without it, the Colloquial English has made both the answer choices equally probable specially to the non-native speakers like us.

Now, the rule book says - More than is for Quantity & Greater than is for Quality.As explained by the instructor herself here. In a set of 5 nos {1,2,3,4,5} if I add 6th no as 6 {1,2,3,4,5,6} I can say 2nd set has greater numbers than 1st.So greater is for - Number of Numbers, i.e to show/compare their Quantity.

So, in this case, as we clearly have to talk about the numbers of Birds, it has to be GREATER THAN.
You can find more discussions (official ones) about it here.

High Up

2011-05-15T04:48:00.002+05:30

So Blogger is back to work after 2 bad days & so is my Internet connection which has now officially joined my basic 'roti kapda & makaan' amenities list (lucky me to write that..given there are so many who have to struggle for the basic ones too)

Quoted :

if you are reading this you are lucky enough to have an ipod or computer or lap top but there are some kids out there who doesnt even have one meal a day. be thankful for what you have.

& here I sit sleepless thankfully to the 1st stupidest horror movie I watched today.No doubt, I knew such flicks are stupid but damn me ! I had to experiment it once & the last it is.(Lol No..am at my exaggeration best today ! )

However, there is one more reason for the nation to be sleepless & that can very well be the steepest Petrol Hike in our history & what could be worse then the fact that this game though being played by our so-called Politicians since long will just speed up for the bad of the common man.It is just Petrol prices as of now but shocks are yet to come in the other areas namely Cooking Gas, Kerosene oil & other oil products.

The long overdue reforms in the Oil Sector will now in turn show the bad consequences (thanks to the bad poltics), when consumers, the aam aadmi will start facing such hikes more steeply as if the inflation rates were not already worrisome.Of course, the govt waited for the auspicious after-poll-result-declaration planning like any smart businessman & couldn't delay the hikes any further even when the banks recently raised there lending rates, milk prices saw an increase all over the country & many similar rises being reported almost at the same time.And, this is not just about any ruling party.Coalition or not, things in our country now run this way & it seems like we Indians have already adjusted to it, sadly like everything else as the Petrol Pumps get crowded the day before the price-hike-day !

100 Truths

2011-05-10T18:55:00.006+05:30

I had this in my Draft long long longgg back,long enough that the friend who tagged has left blogging quite some time back & while cleaning the Dashboard,I thought to publish it finally.. with the latest answers of course :)

Your Job : If you are reading this.. Follow these steps :
> Consider Yourself Tagged > Answer these Questions > Post them in your Blog/FB/Office Communicator..anywhere ! ;) > Send me the linkk ! :D

Enjoy the read, the Questions atleast :D

1. Last beverage: Hot Chocolate Milk ..Umm..Bournvita to be more Precise :P

2. Last phone call: Home..Momma..!

3. Last text message: Sis

4. Last song you listened to: I had to ! A colleague was playing some Telugu Number in the next cubicle, even I don't know what song it was !

5. Last time you cried: A day Before.

HAVE YOU EVER:

6. Dated someone twice: No ? I didnt get the idea ?!

7. Been cheated on: Yep.. my x - room mate over some hostel food :P lol not food but yea the room mate part stays true & it sucked a big time :(

8. Kissed someone & regretted it: Nope.

9. Lost someone special: Scary.No. Touch wood !

10. Been depressed: Hmm.. not since long..but tending to..gotta be strong !

11. Been drunk and threw up: Never & will never.

12. Ran away from home: No..if we don't count the 'n' no of times I had to, to catch that early morning bus for school ! Else I dont like the idea of running away from Home Sweet Home :)

13. Played the stupid game 'spin the bottle' and regretted it: Yes, played it.No, didn't regret it.

14. Three favourite colours: Brown, White, Red !

THREEs:

15. Three favourite films: Hangover, Going the Distance, Braveheart

16. Three favourite singers/bands/musicians: Hmm

17. Three favourite books/ writers: Paulo Coelho, Jeffrey Archer, Nicholas Spark

THIS YEAR (2011) HAVE YOU:

18. Made new friends: Yes

19. Fallen out of love: No

20. Laughed until you cried: Yes Yes !

21. Met someone who changed you: Yes

22. Found out who your true friends were: Yes..totally.. I came to know what a friend used to gossip about me over 4 years ago..yuck !

23. Found out someone was talking about you: Yeah.. but the wrong way.. Sorry !

24. Kissed anyone on your friends list: :) (Am assuming FB we are talking about now !)

25. How many people on your friends list do you know in real life: All but 2

26. How many kids do you want to have: 2 Max.

27. Do you have any pets: No, & won't have them ever.

28. Do you want to change your name: No.

29. What time did you wake up today: 5 am.. ! Lol No.. slept again & got up at 9 am.

30. What were you doing at midnight last night: Eating

31. Name something you cannot wait for: A Permission

32. Last time you saw your Mother: around 20 Jan but am gonna meet her soon !!

33. What is the one thing you wish you could change about your life? Nothing, if you ask about one.. but I have another Big list too :P

34. What are you listening to right now: Irfan Khan Amplifier, a friend just pinged me the Video.

35. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: Yes :) Work related !

36. What's getting on your nerves right now: Staying in office & the dinner :(

37. Most visited webpage(s): Times of India, Gmail, FB (they need to be open during all my waking hours)

38. What’s your real name: You know it.

39. Hair colour: Black

40. Do you have a crush on someone? Yes.

41. What do you like about yourself? Being a good person.

42. Piercings: Very normal, will have more soon..!!

43. Tattoos: Will get one not-so-soon

44. Righty or Lefty: Righty

45. What did you get for your birthday? Last B'Day.. Hmm.. Clothes !

46. Anyone you wish you never met? Yes !

47. Health freak: Yes, & No.. the Health freakiness has its own mood swings.

48. Gone to the gym: Yep & liked it too.

FIRSTS :

49. First piercing: Ears

51. First school friend: Nupur Bhatnagar (Class KG) & we still talk on FB !!

46. First college/uni friend: Debashree Chatterjee.

47. First vacation: Need to ask Mom !

48. First crush: A 7th Grade Classmate.. :)

49. First relationship: :)

50. First Kiss: :)

51. First Concert: Pankaj Udhas, also added 2nd - KK , the very next day.. all at IIT B's MI

52. First Accident: Coming home from School with GrandPa ! Must be class 1st :(

RIGHT NOW

53. Eating: NA..am still in office !

54. Drinking: Same-as-above :/

55. Thinking of: GMAT :|

56. I'm about to: Post this note/rush back home from Work..!

FUTURE:

57. Want kids? Yes.

58. Get married? Yes but no soo soon.

59. Careers in mind? Bloody Yes !

WHICH IS BETTER(of the opposite sex):

60. Lips or eyes: Eyes

61. Hugs or kisses: Hugs

62. Shorter or taller: Taller

63. Romantic or spontaneous: Spontaneous.

64. Nice stomach or nice arms: Nice Arms.

65. Sensitive or loud: Sensitive anytime.

66. Hook-up or relationship: Relationship

67. One night stand? No.

---

HAVE YOU EVER:

68. Kissed a stranger:No

69. Drank hard liquor: Hmm..No

70. Lost glasses/contacts: So many times, loose them, break them, throw them..anything but can't take care of them

71. Kiss on first date: :D

72. Broken someone's heart: Yes :(

73. Had your own heart broken: Yes :x

74. Been arrested: Not Yet ;)

75. Turned someone down: Ya

76. Cried when someone died: :(

---

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:

77. Yourself: Totally ! Totally !!

78. Miracles: Yes ! I survive on Miracles..!!!

79. Love at first sight: Yes Yes !!

80. Heaven: Yes

81. Santa Claus: Yess !How else we get gifts on Christmas. :D

82. Kiss on the first date: Yep..believe karne mein kya hai :P

83. Angels: Yeaah

84. In God: Of course I do.

---

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY:

85. Is there one person you want to be with right now? Yes.

86. Had more than one boyfriend/girlfriend at one time? No

87. Did you sing today? No

88. If you could go back in time, how far would you go? 2 years & almost 3 months back. Yes.!

89. Are you afraid of falling in love? Not sure..

90. Favourite sport? Swimming

91. Favourite restaurant?

92. What are you wearing right now? Formals.

93. Where do you feel like going right now?

94. Do you use sarcasm? Oh c'mon you think I use it.. :P

95. Who do you miss the most?

96. What perfume are you wearing? Not Perfumo typo.. that too in Office .. A simple Deo would do.

97. Worst film you ever watched? Chalo Dilli..reached half an hour late too ..!

98. Do you still have your tonsils? I think.

99. All time favourite dish? Chole Bhature/ Maggie if that is considered a dish :D

100. Posting this as 100 truths? Yes.. Coz l 've nothing else to do.

Food for thought.

2011-05-02T00:29:00.001+05:30

Never cut a tree down in the wintertime.
Never make a negative decision in the low time.
Never make your most important decisions when you are in your worst moods.
Wait. Be patient. The storm will pass. The spring will come.
Robert H. Schuller

How inspiring ! So what would its corollary say..Don't make important decisions when you are too Happy or at an emotional high ?! Coz' important decisions taken when you are in your best of moods may turn out to be too good to be practical in the normal times.Now who defines this 'Normal' ? Isn't that just supposed to be a relative thing too. Like a pendulum, whenever its at neither of the extremes, it is tending towards this normal.How long would it stay at normal, what about all those moments when life is in between the normal & the extreme.Doesn't that defy many of the rules which states what is good or bad, when everything at the end is relative & with respect to each other !

Survival of the fittest

2011-04-29T02:33:00.003+05:30

When Charles Darwin used this term (it was actually coined by Herbert Spencer though), explaining nature's evolution from a single-celled Amoeba to such a highly complex species called Humans, he not only explained Nature's arcanum but one of the most Universal Laws which applies not just to evolution but comes down to basic simple things of life, a simple day, a job offer, a good idea, a startup or be it a big MNC.

Survival of the fittest, as the phrase finder describes as " The Idea that species adapt & change by natural selection with the best suited mutations becoming dominant" never meant that the best wins but it can be easily comprehended to a simple logic that whoever, understands the scenario, and acts accordingly by adapting himself/ his company to the same, not only wins the game but also takes the best ahead to evolve to the next level. The smartest instance I can quote here is of the FB Founder Mark Zuckerberg. The way he shaped his now most popular, an addiction-to-many social networking site makes him one of the smartest people on the planet.That is even after many controversies surrounding him.This shows that its not only the best talent which won but also the one which fitted the need of the hour the most.

A company would differentiate itself from the other by adapting to a market demand, faster than its competitor & definitely under a group of leaders who would think a step ahead which is no rocket-science though impossible without an in-depth domain knowledge.So now you know when a restaurant down the street runs much better than the other, it must have simply focused on these :

“The survival of the fittest is the ageless law of nature, but the fittest are rarely the strong.
The fittest are those endowed with the qualifications for adaptation, the ability to accept the
inevitable and conform to the unavoidable, to harmonize with existing or changing conditions.”

Life Ho to Aisi ?

2011-04-28T15:17:00.005+05:30

So 'My Galaxy' never talked so much of sense as it had been doing in my recent last few posts !
Anyway came across this quiz during one of those days where you Work-From-Home & sit around the internet & have nothing better to do (not even those FB Quizzes where the manager has all the chance to know the actual Work-from-home status !).So here I tried one :

This Is My Life, Rated
Life:	7.6
Mind:	6.7
Body:	7.5
Spirit:	6.3
Friends/Family:	5.6
Love:	7.7
Finance:	7.4
Take the Rate My Life Quiz

Looks good.. & looks more like the engineering CGPA's ! :D

So what do I conclude..?

Silly Quiz ! Need to get back to some sensible stuff aghain !

How the Pulitzer this year reminds of Animal Farm

2011-04-20T00:29:00.006+05:30

Politics, it seems like, is one of those few things which hardly changes irrespective of the era, location or any civilization.It remains the same & carries with itself the same flavors throughout the time.

Back in 1945, the famous Journalist & author Eric Arthur Blair, better known by his pen name George Orwell, described a Dystopian Society in his one of the famous works, Animal Farm.Inspired by the Stalin's era & being anti-soviet, it described how the rich exploit the so-called unfortunates through the games played by them for their own selfish benefits.He depicted this through a perfect analogy of politics in an animal farm, as how the powerful animals exploited the weaker ones, convincing them at every step, promising them benefits & in-return further making them weaker.

Coming back to the present.It wasn't surprising to find Wikileaks, which created some biggest international headlines & controversies last year, not even being considered for Pulitzer Prize (America's top Journalism Award). As informed by the officials, it came to notice that Wikileaks couldn't even submit its reportings because of a single reason that it did not belong to any location & was not registered anywhere on the globe.As can be understood from this Forbe's article here.

Quoted :

" Only American organizations are eligible for U.S. journalism’s top prize. So WikiLeaks, which is officially based nowhere in particular, couldn’t apply on its own."

Of course, at the end of the day, mightier keep getting mighty.It will give explanations & reasons & would convince in every possible manner to keep its Power.Animal Farm indeed !

Who is it Next ?

2011-04-14T16:54:00.010+05:30

Internal or external, younger or older, Indian or an outsider, these are some of the choices infront of the committees formed by the Tata Group as well as the IT giant Infosys, and generally many other firms in order to look out for the successors as the Leading man of these groups are all set to step down finishing off an inning full of great works which comprised not just of mere leadership but of changing the directions & steering ahead the major Indian Enterprises.Of course,these committees face an enormous task ahead.The decision can be nothing less than a complete branch of management.Mind you, it is not only the business which faces this situation, the same applies to any field.

For instance,
- the succession of Dalai Lama as a religious head,
- the entertainment indutry, where the star kid tries to carry his parent's legacy, or
- the same goes to even the sports field & as we see the bigger the legacy,
- the more the pressure it is for the successor as the comparisons are bound to happen.

Both the leader & the successor, who is all set to fill some really noteworthy positions, have to be comfortable with each other including a correct balance of trust & confidence apart from the knowledge & much needed practical experience required to head such a big firm with the same zeal & sense & to most of all the ability to fill in the shoes of someone being so looked upon by everyone from the stakeholders to board members & infact, even the competitors.

A peek into the history of some great companies includes how these firms handled the same scenario when faced with a question about Succession & how working on this eventually led to something called "Succession Management".

The idea of 'Succession Management', started when Walter Mahler helped to shape succession of General Electric back in the 1970s, himself inspired by Peter Drucker's (a famous consultant himelf) books. GE's succession procedure became the most widely followed one as GE managed to grow its leaders consistently.On the other hand, once competitor of GE, Westinghouse landed to bankruptcy due to a bad managed succession.Moreover, while considering the scenario in India, there is a thin line between family business & a global company.So overall, it is the safest bet to start the succession planning well in advance & follow certain fool-proof procedures with some intelligent innovations which might lead to a successful succession.In short have a good idea about the Succession Management & plan it well.

PS :
1. An amazing write-up on Succession Planning by A V Vedpuriswar (Warning : A pdf file)
2. Another good read for the Same (Warning : Again a pdf )

Idioms - 1

2011-04-13T20:15:00.003+05:30

As a part of GMAT SC preparations, am starting a kind of Super Week (Yep inspired from those silly ZooZoos & also someone's idea ! ) to jot down the basic Idioms, specially helpful to the non-native English speakers ! To begin with the following 1st list from Kaplan !

1. Regarded as ...& not regarded to be:

I regarded him as the most intelligent... & not

2. Considered a :

Considered to be is right but considered wordy by GMAT

Considered as a is Wrong

It is considered a major market leader...

3. as long as :

It too me 4 times as long as it would have taken me to complete the report...

& not long than XXXX

4.The Geneva Convention covers such Questions as (& not like) proper treatment

5. He plays Guitar as his father does. (& not like again !!)

6. at a rate of & not in a rate of

The GAs was being produced at the rate of...

7. prefer to & not over

I prefer Korean food to Japanese & not over (How to remember : GMAT avoids being wordy !)

8. from attending & not to attend (How to remember : You don't discourage someone to attend but from Attending !)

My Mom tried to discourage me from attending ,..

9. Between is used to choose to distinguish two things..& among is used for more than 4.

Ex : They divided the pie among themselves or among 4 of them

10. Fewer is used for countable things & less is used for abstract items & uncountable

Ex : Less milk/water .. Fewer Salary !

Experience maketh a leader

2011-04-06T00:35:00.004+05:30

You may be a child prodigy, you might have a great direction to focus & develop your thoughts, with a very fulfilling education or might be a holder of an attractive degree from one of those shiny coveted B Schools, but all that won't suffice when it comes to leadership.It needs that extra factor which may distinguish a leader from another & hence their actions & ways to lead.Experience it is.Nothing beats experience especially in a field like this where one's experience teaches him/her the best on how to react & handle a situation or a crisis and after reacting, manage it in a most efficient way.

Once bitten twice shy.An experience leaves a great mark on an individual & by this I mean in both positive & negative manner.It is obvious that while leading a leader will pass on his learning in some or the other way to his followers/team members.After all, that's what a leader does, leading the way forward by setting up examples learnt from his own.Take for an instance, a 30 year old recently passed out college grade into leadership role & a 50 years old gentleman in the same, working for a firm in a same team.When faced with an urgent crucial decision,involving matters of high financial concerns, it is undoubtedly the later who will be presenting forward the best advice for the company at that point of time.Now, you might argue, that at times, things get obsolete & hence the decisions made by the more experienced person in this case might appear to be irrelevant.However, this is not some technical stuff we are talking about.It is mostly dealing with people under given situations & circumstances we are talking about.These are the basic inherent rules of leading which we are talking about.The rules, which like common sense never change & only get better & what matters then is number of years of experience.They never go obsolete but keep on adding to a person's experience.In short, what I mean is that the names of the theories might change to make things appear more systematic & easier or rather I should say complex with more & more theories to remember for, but the universal rules in these cases remain the same.

Undoubtedly, a person's skill, knowledge, its brand value & the knack of applying the same matters but motivating people, understanding behaviors, all based on social learning.Be it a teacher, a sportsperson, or a CEO, or whatever field it might be,we all know what refines that leadership quality in a person with such a role to look towards to.

Sweetest Victory

2011-04-04T01:53:00.009+05:30

So India wins the ICC World Cup 2011, & Indians get to party the whole saturday night as the complete nation celebrates the Cup being brought back home again after big 28 years, a festival of its kind, celebrated from Wankhade, Mumbai to the streets of almost every Indian city & even outside India.

Nothing had united us recently as much as this big win has.Its only tricolors everywhere, tattooed Indian faces smiling, social media with the videos & pics of the moments of our glory & the teary-eyed happy Team India, tying us all with a sense of achievement & pride :) The first team to win the World Cup at its home ground & its winning moments :

As the game goes on..

2011-03-28T22:38:00.001+05:30

I was absolutely wrong in my previous post when the world cup had just started, but don't you sometimes just think a wrong thing happens though you wish it happens the other way round ? I know, so opposite to the law of attraction made popular by The Secret. but it does happen.Coming back to the point, when the World Cup started & how I assumed things & blamed the Oz for making the WC really boring by turning out to be a winner every time ! & look now ! when the game has moved on to the Semi Finals with the last 4 best teams (or really ?) remaining to compete without the 3 time defending champions.

Moreover, the epic India v/s Pakistan Semi-final has been something which has taken this world cup to the new heights.It is like a dream game for the cricketing fans of the 2 nations known for their rivalry since independence on different battle grounds.Sentiments are at their highest.I mean corporates declaring a day off, half-days, & work from home for their employees, are we really talking about just a sport here ?!? There are big screens being put up in cafes, restaurants & every where around ! The tickets being sold at the record-breaking prices of upto a lakh. As the country drenches itself in the festive mode, while the Pak PM accepts his Indian counterpart's invitation to watch the match at Mohali & cyberspace buzzes with the predictions, cartoons, mockery, fun & what not, it definitely is a highly-awaited national event.Let the records be broken & the winner comes out at its best !

Long time no read !

2011-03-22T20:07:00.001+05:30

Spoiler Alert !

The best way to spend a work-from-home lazy Monday is to complete a good book & here I was done with Aravind Adiga's debut & Man Booker Prize winner "The White Tiger".Named so in reference to the central character of the story Balram Halwai , a phrase used to signify one of its own kind among many in a generation.This was something he was told by any educational inspector during Balram's short stint (due to circumstances around him) at the local village school.

The story,as it proceeds from the point of view of Balram, just another person belonging to - 'darkness' or the other side of the not-shining-India, brings upon the harsh reality of the second India that exists, first being the 'Lightness'.Balram, as the narrator of the story, takes the reader through his own life story, how he saw his father suffer under the rich as a simple rickshaw puller just like his entire village under the rich landlords.He learns to drive, manages to get work in the city of Dhanbad under the landlords again (& so showing his 'The-White-Tigerness'), where he brings forth the description of the Lightness side, which is full of its own darkness like corruption, infidelity etc.

As the story proceeds with Balram moving to Delhi with his masters, he gets to know the tricks of the trade, and watches life from a bigger city's perspective, facing the harsh realities, and at the end, himself acting like a brutal, amoral person, murdering not only his master but being responsible for the death of his complete family just in order to break out of his Rooster Coop, a term defined in the book referring to the lower classes who are kept from rebelling against the society.

It is a gripping work by the author as the complete story is in the form of letters the character writes to a visiting Chinese Prime Minister, throwing light on the similarities & comparison of the two countries, focusing on Bangalore & the Outsourcing which has changed the face of Globalization, about entrepreneurship & most of all a very true reflection of the Indian society.

Moral Policing - The Censorship Issue

2011-03-21T14:19:00.003+05:30

Just like what a person reads reflects the taste of a person, & to a considerable extent of what he/she is like, similarly the social media of a country, especially the Television & Radio & the entertainment they provide reflects a great deal about the society.Keeping this in view some countries try to assume the role of a moral police & hence try to censor the offensive content of any program.

Now there are no hard & fast rules on which we rate these programs & in every such case as this there comes a point of conflict due to the difference of the opinions.A recent shift in the timings of a program,a reality show related to the adultery & relationships,on a famous Music channel to after 11 pm slot raised similar voices.The viewers of this particular show considered it a way too strict & an unnecessary move.However, authorities were right on their part considering that such programs though not adult-rated should have a restricted viewer ship. Exposing the children & the early-teens to such reality shows could proove to be a really bad example, as they still aren't in a position to judge the rights & wrongs specially related to such issues where they themselves are pretty premature to form any opinion of their own.This could have been the best possible solution favorable to all.

However,all doesn't seem well because even the authorities can at times make too strict a decision such that it infringes the rights of the viewers but Who is to decide that? I believe that the best deal is when we focus on how the censor-board is formed.It should be diverse in the important dimensions where the difference of opinions contradict the most like regional, gender-based & most importantly the age factor.This way the moral policing wouldn't be taking a bad role at all as it would cater to the views of the different verticals/groups removing any discrepancy related to the censorship issue.

Much ado about March

2011-03-10T01:32:00.004+05:30

Waking up late to the warmer morning,

as march wants to make its presence firmer..

the cool night breeze through my balcony flowing,

takes me back to the memories when I felt you nearer..

That was the time we couldn't believe our fates,

for it had set us for a beautiful game..

As we lived a life behind those dreamy college gates,

& the world just revolved around each other's name..

Waking up late to the warmer mornings,

as march wants to make its presence firmer..

The cool night breeze through my balcony flowing,

takes me back to the memories when I craved you nearer..

That was the time we hated our fates,

phone & flights & now all that seems so lame..

For when you get & don't get what you want,

Imperfections creeps in & spoil the game..

Waking up late to the warmer mornings,

as march wants to make its presence firmer..

The cool night breeze through my balcony flowing,

brings me back to this moment i will cherish forever..

Though this is the time we are confused about our fates,

& now before we start the blame game again..

For priorities will always keep on changing,

We know that like this poem,

though difficult & not perfect..

we can somehow & anyhow make our dreams possible !

PS : 1. Blame my No-work @ Work Mode

2. Sincere Apologies to my post.

3. I wish I could write faster than my mood swings, atleast the poem would have had a uniform tone !

To 'De Ghuma Ke' or Not !

2011-02-23T17:17:00.001+05:30

We are already very much into World Cup 2011 but there hardly seems to be much enthusiasm about it anywhere around me except the initial opening ceremony & all the 1st day fuzz around Bangladesh. Don't tell me WC 11 too is a victim of being too predictable with the same teams reaching the top & winning it too.Of course,I am among those group of believers that will consider WC interesting only if the Ozzie don't reach the top 4 or even better top 6. Or is it because of the crisper T20 version of the cricket which is spoiling the fun. Well, cant be as much the reason as the former one for sure because short or long, a movies can be equally entertaining. But about the same teams reaching & playing at the top, could be an appropriate guess.Flashback into the last year & remember how the FIFA WC 10 had every one glued to its matches as the big shots were already out in the preliminary rounds. Anyway, hope we see some real action & record breaking games this time with some unexpected results as the once appu now turns into stumpy for its cricket version ready to stump ! & also hopefully this world cup makes more news than just that of no of tickets being available for the finals !

It is Feb already !

2011-02-06T21:56:00.001+05:30

Here it goes, a beautiful write up from Paulo Coelho's Blog.

Read the book 3/4 years back, so good to re-read these lines again, wouldn't have made as much sense as they do now.

If one person really wants us, everyone does. But, if we’re alone, we become even more alone. Life is strange.
“Have you ever heard of the book called the I Ching?” I asked her.
“No, I haven’t.”
“It says that a city can be moved but not a well. It’s around the well that lovers find each other, satisfy their thirst, build homes, and raise their children. But if one of them decides to leave, the well cannot go with them. Love remains there, abandoned – even though it is filled with the same pure water as before.”

Love is always new. Regardless of whether we love once, twice or a dozen times in our life, we always face a brand-new situation.

Love can consign us to hell or to paradise, but it always takes us somewhere. We simply have to accept it, because it is what nourishes our existence. If we reject it, we die of hunger, because we lack courage to stretch out a hand and pluck the fruit from the branches of the tree of life.
We have to take love where we find it, even if it means hours, days, weeks of disappointments and sadness.

“You shouldn’t have asked,” I said. “Love doesn’t ask many questions, because if we stop to think we become fearful. It’s an inexplicable fear; it’s difficult even to describe it. Maybe it’s the fear of being scorned, of not being accepted, or of breaking the spell. It’s ridiculous, but that’s the way it is. That’s way you don’t ask-you act. As you’ve said many times, you have to take risks.”

Wait. This was the first lesson I learned about love. The day drags along, you make thousands of plans, you imagine every possible conversation, you promise to change your behaviour in certain ways – and you feel more and more anxious until your loved one arrives.
But by then, you don’t know what to say. The hours of waiting have been transformed into tension, the tension has become fear, and the fear makes you embrassed about showing affection.

Love is like a trap. When it appears, we see only light, not its shadows.

Happy New Year ?

2011-01-18T01:32:00.011+05:30

Dear 2011,

I knew you were going to be the difficult one.I mean, especially after the beautiful & dreamy (bed of roses & little thorny) 2009 & 2010, you had to be a practical one & you are not leaving any doubt about that but wasn't it getting too much.Of course, am not alone.Saurav Ganguly & the WWW - World Wide Weather (with excess snow, floods & extreme temperatures) in general too hold the same opinion about you & some similar feelings.

Well, after some major attacks on the Personal, Career & Health Front during the first 2 weeks, yours truly totally wanted to skip you completely & directly jump to the doomsday year & had even got it declared on FB with 12 instant supporting comments too ! but then.. she had luckily watched few movies like The Shawshank Redemption & fortunately enough remembered some lines as ~ "Hope is a good thing, may be the best of things , and no good thing ever dies" & soo wanted that the things would turn around & ...... voila ! you did surprise me on one of the most unexpected front - Yearly Office Ratings !! I mean my dear 2011 I liked it, your charms of surprising me, of course I deserve that & happily accept it.. but I wanted to use that at the Personal Front the most right now ! Not the ratings silly but the luck !!

Didin't get me ?

Alright, there is a funda.. you get it while reading a Paulo Coelho book. It says, we all have a fixed amount of luck with us given for a particular life or may be an year or month, I mean whatever the basis be, luck comes in a tight sealed fixed quantity bottles & the faster you use it, the faster it gets over ! Hence the emotions above..

In short, am not expecting much but please don't trouble me that much !

Yours Truly

Galaxian !

Anyway, if you have managed to read all this & reached here.. Wish you a great '18 days into the now-not-so-new' new year, with bottles full of luck :) Bad timings I know, even the new year resolutions must be long forgotten by now but again I can safely blame the delay to 2011 again.

PS : Self Realization : This year, I badly need to add few drops of luck into this Blog too !

Rapid Fire 2010

2010-12-31T20:52:00.004+05:30

Fun, lies & Adventure..
His Mom knows it too Moment !

Traveling Places..< including IIM C >
Hating Job & Searching Job..

Listening to your Heart & fighting to stick to it..

Living the dream...
Spending the 1st ever Job Bonus that day itself Completely, Flat, Straight, Insanely on expensive Flight tickets !
Moving into a Beautiful Flat, with a wonderful flatmate..

Leaving Kolkata..!!

Being back to Hyd..!!

New Project..

New Language which I didnt hate as much as the Prev one..

Clarifying things around !

Creating New Memories
Rejecting Calls..
Getting more addicted to Gmail/FB/etc etc..
Travelling in "Actual Chauffeur-Driven Cabs"
Reconnecting with friends..breaking a Bad ''must-break" Friendship !

Living the whole life in a single moment..
Realizing & accepting things.. B E A utiful things
Attending Weekend Classes after a Long Long time..

Remembering Kolkata days on a Bad day & feeling good about how present can't be worse than that :)
Eating a Lott & learning how to eatt MORE..!
Getting Admitted at Hospital for an infection..
Adding Manager on FB (oh did i miss adding papa on FB moment !)
Missing a really Good IIFT call by silly 1.5..
Being with mom on 31st Dec..
Still struggling for XAT on new year's eve !!
Eyes wide open for a very life changing first week & first month of 2011

& blogging as long as I can ! :D
in short living a no-regrets-year !

Wish you too a Happy No-Regrets-Successful-Smiling-2011 :D

A short Affair

2010-11-24T18:52:00.004+05:30

This so sums up my 3 year stint with CAT :

There are definitely better things in life to fall for.I ain't so naive now as I was 3 years back.Time Changes, People Change, & blah & blah & all that list with you it changes, so why not CAT ! Let it be.

PS: (yea I soo like PSes specially when the actual write up contains nothing :P)
1. Validity of the Post is only till this Jan, the results might change the opinion expressed above.
2. I now know the difference between CAT & MBA !
3. All geared up for the SSS (Super Six Sundays) !! Updates wanted/unwanted would follow soon.

This Day That Year !

2010-10-20T20:43:00.004+05:30

I always wondered, why do newspaper even have to put such a column every day, may be just to ostentate their old glory & heritage, as they say, like TOI even once boasting about their news published "this day that century" just to patronize its once considered rival DNA. Interesting as it turns out always, there indeed has to be something interesting that did happen at least in some of the years ago, but on that particular day !

I too had this small flashback of my life & woah any normal day like Today did have interesting things to flash !

An year back, on this day, I had just celebrated a first of its kind Diwali & had just shown first of its kind of courage (that too in tonss..!! another long story) & ahh.. how life was different at that time, back at Kolkata. Leaping back further an year, the bad old days of counting weeks and days to go home from college, back at Lakshmangarh !

Reflecting back at this rear view mirror,at least gives me one important insight "How life changes" (read changes drastically in the last 3 years) & how beautiful & "complicated" it keeps getting :)), & how every year what I wanted badly gets approved & granted the next year Lol & of course how unpredicatble it is for next years to come ! When next year some day I get some similar thought & make you read all this !

Disclaimer : Blame this post to my Monday Blues at work !!

The Story so far

2010-08-31T13:57:00.022+05:30

From clicking the scenic lakes & royal palaces at Udaipur while eating home cooked-mommie made bestest food & enjoying every bit of the deary-home's as always wonderful visit with all its comforts & no work within the radius of thousand miles , living the golden dream week and then back to work with cakes & celebrations, the month was aesthetically hectic enough to make me miss my dear blog - now having completed the 3rd year of its existence & comfortable company all through out :) Cheers to My Galaxy !! :)

View of the Udaipur City from City Palace

Lake view from the Palace again

City Palace - Its Beautiful Architecture

Something is cooking Yummy at Home !

Doodhtalay (another of the many B'ful Lakes at Udaipur)

While on walk with Mom n Dad

Pichola Lake side view

My B Day !! (back at work)

1 year + & 4.0 Beta :P

2010-07-12T18:39:00.002+05:30

Been there & done that.Being over 1 year at IT just made me realize how I have learnt the rules of the game.So here I am, sitting in my office, on one of those days when Manager is working-'hard'-from-home & the lead goes home early & I have nothing better to do than try the new Firefox version on my system (How Geeky !I know, but then this is after the nth round around the office building & cafeteria with another friend having a similar day & running outta games on Fb & annoying people & their timelines at twitter :P)

No doubt, Firefox had to come up soon with its newer version after the Browser cold war was almost declared with Chrome release & no doubt, the 4.0 version, scheduled to be released this November is no less attractive & efficient.Start with a fresh UI, which is so like a merge of Firefox, the original & latest Chrome.With many more similarities as chrome, like easier tabs in terms of readability & good to work on add-ons with there better management,good to sound the HD Video feature (which surely, I avoided to explore here) , Firefox surely it is eying for more Guinness World Records with its next release !

Image from : http://www.viritech.com/firefox-4-0-vs-google-chrome-browser.html

My favourite June

2010-06-30T23:32:00.015+05:30

I have backspaced, I have drafted my posts & have done all that could be on my blogger.com page except posting a new post.A lot has happened over 1 month & I still have to pinch myself to believe what is happening around.Feelings escape words & at this point of time,I wouldn't have loved this Alchemist saying more,When you really desire something all the Universe conspires to help you achieve it.

It is like dancing in the first awaited rain while feeling everything around smell heaven, or listening to your favorite tune again & again with headphones on & no one to disturb after dinner of a big day or like wanting to jump off the plane as you see the city lights approaching even as the attendant announces that the flight is about to land :) or jumping on your bare feet at a fresh morning on an exotic beach as the cold and clear waves make a relaxing splash as you feel with your closed eyes or able to afford a little more of that beautiful peaceful sleep in the morning as you snooze the alarm for over an hour on a Late-office Monday Morning ! It is like being alive again & living the definition of being Euphoric !Being thankful & so full of gratitude to be lucky enough to it.Touchwood !

Pondmates

2010-05-16T00:25:00.003+05:30

You stay protected in your small pond.You face your own set of difficulties, you overcome them, you move on. You say this is life.You have your own known set of people around you - your 'pondmates', you live with them, fight with them,love them & you conclude this is life,such is life.

And then you are taken outta your pond & thrown in a beautiful BIG BLUE & bad sea.

Life begins.Pond is far behind & you miss it.You are out in the sea facing the big changes around you where there are more people which are definitely not your pondmates & mind you there can be no seamates, I mean hullo..!! pondmates looked okay..but a word like seamate in itself sounds so-not-possible! coz' the so-called seamates are not your mates, they are unknown & can be anything from harsh to helpful to misleading.Imagine those underwater movies and Discovery videos and you exactly know what am talking about here.Its beautiful from outside, the pond's view but you never know what you are into when you just step in..Unpredictable is the word.Then you swim along & understand the sea rules & make your self known to sea coz now you are aware you might be into an ocean too,before you realize you are a sea creature yourself.
PS:
1. It has been exactly 1 year.On the very same day, last year, when I happily stepped out of my college, I was so sure then that am not gonna miss it.One year down, I fail my theory myself.
2.Any resemblance of my manager & seniors@work as a seamate is totally NOT a coincidence.
3.The BIG BLUE is in caps & bold, describes the sea I so gleefully jumped in a year back :|

Happy Hours :)

2010-05-05T18:46:00.000+05:30

Everybody gets their share of happy hour.Star World gets it & so do we, even if we are here at Cal.
So one fine day, on a Sunday evening, after doing nothing for almost the complete weekend, plans to come outta self-imposed house arrest get showered by although beautiful & highly-awaited rains :

Such is life.. soo many permutations & combinations of getting what you so wanted & your priorities.. coz when you get it your priorities are already changed.Though again.. it is all about hoping for those rare combinations when everything matches perfectly to happen, we all know they exist !

PS:

1.Snap taken from my bedroom balcony, trying to cover darky clouds but covered most of my neighbor's house & his reading chair (a sight, part of my beginning-the-day-moments !)

2. The previous post was a crap.. i still wanna get outta Kolkata ASAP !!

From the eyes of beholder !

2010-04-23T01:24:00.000+05:30

I remember when I was learning to swim, years back..& we had our turn to swim without any float after too many of those with-the-float practices.. I soo hated my trainer.It was scary, it was new, & I soo hated to be pushed to an area beyond my comfort.It was like being in the troubled waters ..literally ! 5 days later..things improved & 2 weeks later.. I could swim.That is what sums up the troubles of life and that is what sums up the under-rated word called 'patience'.You loose it for your own bad.Keep up the hopes & keep sailing through, coz as they say, the only way to get outta problem is to go through it & it will pass by quickly !

I thought I hated this city, but keeping aside all the cribbing, it has its own beauty -

Fingers Crossed

2010-03-24T13:50:00.006+05:30

There are many moments in life which change your life's course.. forever.

Your track changes before you realize the difference of what you anticipated & where you landed.Think of it & we know there are many such moments we knowingly or unknowingly had & there are many more to come for our own personalized life drama which is for each of us.

It is insanely annoying & nerve wracking when you Exactly-Know you are gonna have one soon & thats it, you know nothing beyond it.All you realize is the power of those conspiring forces around you & that world is more than a mere coincidence of some atoms revolving & colliding & similar 'fiction' you learnt in your 9th grade science books.

Fingers-crossed moments.

Heaven & Hell.

2010-03-09T22:45:00.004+05:30

Scene 1 - HELL:
Monday Morning.

Oasis plays loudly on a 5800 at 8:15 am & how I realize another weekend is over,& I gotta rushhh for my training as the schedule says its gonna be an important course today & even if it was not I have to go & also 1st need to dash to the stupid hostel too..!!How can a bed be soo awesomely cozy..

Scene 2 - HELL
Monday Afternoon

Gosh ! Whats wrong with my eyes.. my eyelids are crashing like my old System !! Why did my weekend had to have just 48 hrs :( & why the trainer had to give me such a look to warn me, am not the only one sleepy out here .. gimme a break.. am in office now.. Not any Stupid College..Ah where is my Cappuccino.. ??

Scene 3 - HELL
Thursday Evening

Damn ! Can't meet even today !?! :o I thought it was a test day & evening free.. I have to wait for 1 complete day now.. Urgh !I was waiting for Thursday since ages :( What a bad bad evening it is..

Scene 4 - HELL
Saturday Evening

Why do I have to eat soo much..I have my capacity..! & gotta go to the Hostel too again !& look at my dress..i need to change & wait I have an important call to make.

I never knew those HELL were such a HEAVEN,I WANT it BACK..am gonna GET IT BACK !!!!

Oh ! Calcutta

2010-02-10T11:48:00.005+05:30

Mood:
Just another day, when I was caught thinking about this highly productive city with simply superb infrastructure..[Gosh ! I had nothing better to do, for a change :P]

Snapshots (Part 1):

The Highly Productive kolkata ~ Everything here gets multiplied by 3, gets thrice on its own..Isn't this not magical enough about the place.Like 5 mins of 'speed-posting' job gets done in a good big 15 mins.This is when we consider the timer to start after reaching the counter, reaching there is another story all together..from a normal shopping, to basic amenities, to you-name-it.Its all the same.

& its Superb Infrastructure ~ The Metro line construction, evergoing since the mesozoic age has made it so possible for the auto-wallahs to present their driving skills.. making it so unbelievably convenient for the already stranded-in-a-big-sharing-auto-line office-goers.. a perfect start of the day.. & finally reaching office on time all you can think of is this :

Oh ! My dear, City of Joy,
I wonder how you got this name..
Coz in last 5 months I have met many a Mr. Joys,
but none being aware of the sarcasm behind the name !

Being to west, north & south,
I wanted a stint in the east this time..
but the silly me didn't get it right,
how regrets awaited me here all day & night..

From office to home to all the beauty in between,
this 'picturesque' city as widely acclaimed..
gets me to scribble such musings & proclaim !

Interes'IT'ng Day at Work !

2010-02-02T22:40:00.005+05:30

Work seldom gets interesting.But 'it' gets so even after you try hard to make it look bad.Everyone gets a chance & every dog has 'its' day & so does 'it' has.Lets accept 'it'.Yes 'it' is all criticized for the no of holidays, work-pressure, monotonicity ( & a whole lots of many separate posts on how bad 'it' is) but the fact remains.'It' will be taken down as one of the greatest revolution of our times !

So here we had our much talked about Client-meeting today.Didn't matter much to me & similar souls around me,except for however getting up early & realizing I can still reach office in the office timings (when actually you get to see the sharing-auto-to-office-line) & a couple of handshakes with our Swiss Clients & me smiling inside on my Swiss connection,the closest I could get to Roger Federer :D after the Diwali-time Swiss Chocolates of course :)

PS: 1. All gearing up for the 'royal' client dinner tomorrow.They definitely deserve it after trusting their software,devices & working on us :P

DISCLAIMER: All grammatical mistakes directly blamed to my roomie & her blaring TV :| :P

PhotoGenic Chap !

2010-01-29T17:49:00.003+05:30

PicTurE DiArY !

2010-01-21T11:45:00.000+05:30

My Twenty Ten Sundays are tunrning out to be more than just eventful !

3rd January 2010 :
St Xaviers, Mumbai.

10th January 2010 :
IIM C, Kolkata.

17th January 2010 :
:)

24th January 2010 :
Jagnath Temple, Puri.
(Scheduled)

PS: CopiedWrongly Pics !

Out of 'K(no)w'-where !

2010-01-11T00:40:00.009+05:30

oops !

now add to it..

A Little more P A T I E N C E

A Little more H O P E

A Little more Building C A S T L E S _ I N _ A I R

A little more of that (D)ILlogical F A I T H

=

you get to see How MIRACLES Work !

It is all about HOW BADLY YOU WANT IT !!

Back to Reality

2010-01-08T22:58:00.001+05:30

It is all over the newspapers, we see it happening around, we see it in our own lives usually when we find ourselves in one of those of our 'regret modes'.

Sab chalta hai - the well famous attitude of Indians which they are well 'labeled off' that too rightly.Even when it is they themselves who suffer the most later when all we get to hear is.. if only I did that or if I acted at the right time..or if I had it to overcome the inertia & blah blah.And what are we left with, blaming the so-called never-existent (okay..mostly never existing) Luck.

In short that one moment of courage, the chance given to us which fades in our own cowardliness & doubts about the future,the unsaid words to the loved ones, the unsaid sorry which could have saved good friendships,the never made phone calls which could have the power of changing the direction of one's life, the unfilled petitions against CAT 09 !Just name it & you find things aren't so out of control as we imagine it to be.But then again it is all about those life-changing twists in our lives.

I dont say, everything is gonna dance to your tunes or acting in the 'listening-to-your-heart' way puts the world around us in a perfect order but it helps.Seriously.

This was how 09 made me wise ! Coz' 10 days into this new year & already it looks like a prologue of a roller-coaster ride ahead.

PS:
1.Being back from a really good holiday,& back to reality have their own consequences like this post :P
2. You realize your importance when people around you welcome your return whole-heartedly be it office or "Shared responsibilities" !

In the Pic :
Portals of 'The Neighborhood Sabji Mandi', A perfect Back to Reality !

Home Coming

2009-12-30T10:57:00.007+05:30

Sun peeps into the window as I wake up after a peaceful, beautiful sleep I had since ages (considering it takes Sun a lot more time to peep in among the high rises around & it is well past 10 am :P ) & a look outta the window finds me noticing another of those new construct rising up which was supposedly not there the last time & I find mum announcing a yummy breakfast already awaiting me as I smell heaven around & I know the day has already started as sis starts pestering about that promised movie trip & so do all the discussions ranging from my newly learnt recipe & how I need to unlearn it, new year resolutions, shopping talks & plans & plans :)

Nothing beats Home Coming !

Gracias a la Vida

2009-12-21T21:41:00.009+05:30

Open the gate & kick it out.That is what is done every year in December when finally it is Sis's B day (which happens to be today) & it is time for Mommy-made Yummy Cake [& am not home !! :( ] & time for new hopes & resolutions for just another year.

But this year it is different.2009 was my wish list all summed up (almost) & hence the reason to cling to it like that bug in my code, as I wonder if 2010 is gonna compensate for the goodies bestowed or show me that life is it..the way you rock it! Whatever it be, it was a fairy tale year as many-a-long waits comes to an end, & new chapters begin with wonderful new colours (with all their bright & light shades to add).As this turns so like a farewell speech now, let this FB application just sum it up as the countdown for this highly awaited Winter break is just about to end !

PS: Click of the week ~ My Sunset & Dusk Fetish in this Sunrise city !

Office Diary

2009-12-02T22:30:00.005+05:30

The system clock displayed 4:59 PM.It is already turning dark outside & still 1 hour to go back.Checked my Gmail inbox, the mail count didn't seem to increase much today,confirming a boring day.The office inbox as usual active(unwanted & undoubtedly making the day boring).Pagalguy still full of discussions about everything & anything from online to paper-based CAT,useful & useless arguments & blah-blah which maketh me glued to it,as I find myself minimizing & restoring the application window & codes running at the background,& a nearby group loud enough to bring me back occasionally to my workplace(okay..the word is some real discussion as I found everyone around busy & actually working & not pretending).

& I just realize, November just disappeared(even in the blog) as I complete 3 months in this now not new city but then hardly there is a thing which has changed..of course apart from the fact that my observations of the Bengalis has increased drastically & dramatically(to add).In the last few months I have recalled almost all the Bengalis I have encountered previously,right from the 5th class sweet Roy crush in Mumbai,a class teacher in school at Indore,the neighbour Ghosh uncle back home,not forgetting all my Bengali friends in college & of course, the famous Saurav Ganguly.I have found & seen all of their 'Look-alikes' here at kolkata, at office to be more precise (how else do you expect me to pass time at work).The experiments with cooking which had taken a halt, excuse being the CAT prep is back as it seems a better considerable option,after looking at my this year's CAT performance(more importantly comparing it with last year !) & so have my experiments with the street food outside office,specially inspired by the scene of my Manager enjoying the Pakoras at the jalebi stall..the last thing to be found outside the MNC buildings :

PS:
1. The 1st para..I wrote in office & the 2nd one..in my room, listening to Sweet Child of mine & hence the difference & an end with no conclusion, if you could manage !
2.While having a usual mid-office stroll outside office,with a friend after our jalebi session ~
Me:Why do they have so many Ambassadors here in Kolkata?
Spandy(a friend):Hmm..May be coz it is backward.
Me:Ah..they have fiats in Mumbai..the old Mumbai Royal ride..you know.
No doubt britishers landed the wrong side & I talk about poor me !

Once Upon a Time

2009-10-26T22:00:00.005+05:30

Those were the good old days of 'My galaxy' when I just wanted to post anything,just for the sake of updating it..it didn't matter if the lines hardly made any sense,mattered to anyone or not but these few bytes lying in this big blogosphere just used to make my day,it just somehow got me those 'feely-goody' feelings.

A friend correctly remarked, just blame it to your location nothing else..Such was 'Lakshmangarh', slow & comfy zone far away from any maddening city & honestly boringly comfortable & monotonous..Looking at the pace of life now,& the drastic change the job brings in,all reminds me of those before and after hair-loss adds.Meeting new people, spending like I was born to spend,(pretending to)Work like am working since ages & Holidaying like never before,no doubt life comes in chapters of all types & at the end its all about being able to appreciate these flip of pages :)

One Life..Live it !

2009-10-04T20:05:00.009+05:30

Things are improving.Time does that.

I no longer need to log on to Wikimapia every time I hear about some landmark in Kolkata & calculate the distance & time to reach it.
I now understand the tricks & tips of waiting in the long shared auto line & have more excuses of reaching office late than I could ever think of while bunking lectures at college !
I think & plan less about how to run away from this city.
(I actually have a plan for it now to work upon)
I & people around me have more confidence in my culinary skills now.
I can actually understand all those alien-language-codes you we see while installing somethings.
I exit things which make me feel bad.
I click things if I like them even a little (Things Only !! :P)

This is the view outta my office window,that's where I stay mostly these days.. outta 'My Windows' :P

My 1st ever rented room's terrace Garden :)

My landlord's Meow,posing for me :D

The Calcutta Sunset during my Office break :)

I am proving myself to be a perfect hopeless optimist !

Book Gyan - 1

2009-09-22T22:27:00.006+05:30

There was a time when I read a couple of similar books all at once, back to back & understood them & loved them.Now I realize, they meant more then what I understood.Previously it was only a part & beginning of many more great understandings & would mean more as & when life goes on.

The Zahir, Paulo Coelho .. a book about 'Obsession'..would have loved to read it all over again, but all I do now is google it & read a few of it..

"It is always important to know when something has reached its end. Closing circles, shutting doors, finishing chapters, it doesn't matter what we call it; what matters is to leave in the past those moments in life that are over. Slowly, I began to realize that I could not go back and force things to be as they once were..."

"We need to forget who we are in order to become who we really are."

"God does not play dice with the universe; everything is interconnected and has a meaning. The meaning may remain hidden nearly all the time, but we always know we are close to our true mission on earth when what we are doing is touched with the energy of enthusiasm. If it is, then all is well. If not, then we better change direction."

"No one is alone in their troubles: there is always someone else thinking, rejoicing or suffering in the same way, and that gives us the strength to confront the challenge before us."

"The most satisfying encounters do not always happen around elegant tables in nice, warm restaurants."

"It is not life that matters, but the journey."

"The invisible world always manifests itself in the visible world."

"I’ve waited for you in so many ways."

At times,we usually don't realize how Lucky & Special we are & understanding that makes the difference, a lot of it !

My Birthday Gift.

2009-09-12T17:11:00.004+05:30

2 months & 2 new metros to live in far from home.. & damn I now know why they say answer your interviews seriously coz' I had no idea then, that when exactly an year back as I boasted in my HR interview how I love traveling, they will take it so seriously. So here I am in the supposed to be 'city of Joy', the land where the sun rises up so early & I reach my office almost around mid day.Landing to this totally new city on a day when I would have rather preferred celebrating turning 22 is again like what they say ' Bad Coincidence ' !

Yellow taxis & the howrah bridge, the sweet Rasogullas & the generous Bengalis, the old trams & the beautiful hooghly.A week in Kolkata & 4 months out of college,life is getting more adventurous than what I could have ever imagined..!It teaches me more lessons & I finally learn that there are more to learn.

My 2 cents !

2009-08-25T00:11:00.007+05:30

When I walk down the rainy road,with you by my side..
When I feel the cold breeze,in your cozy hug..

When I sleep by your side & feel the safest..
When I dine with you & it all tastes heaven..

When I can still hear you when you are not there..
When I think about you & smile like a fool..

When I look into your eyes & feel all yours..
When I try to rhyme poems like these..

It is when I know..that life is more beautiful than a dream !

To Sum Up

2009-08-21T15:14:00.005+05:30

& I know why 'Everyone loves Calvin !'.He sums it all perfectly..

Transitions & Blah blah !

2009-07-20T21:20:00.004+05:30

Two weeks into my first job & the last Cya Mumbai titled post already sounds like 'cya My galaxy'! Things seem to change pretty fast as life forces you to grow up & out of your comfy-zone cocoon only for you to discover the beautiful adventure called life..!

Now this part of my life being called 'transition' with things in life taking a complete turn as all this while I discovered how fun it can be translating Hindi for a Tamil colleague in this Telugu speaking metro where english finally rules as the universal language, or how this Nizam City is just blowing me away with the 'Hyderabadi Biryani', of all the new flavours & cuisines am experimenting here & the ever blowing wind which finally made me & my roomie aptly name Hyderabad as the 'Hawa Mahal' of its own kind ;)

The sense of achievement of working & that call me later am in office feels so great(like all those newy,shiny things)..Understanding things & that growing & evolving..a transition into this corporate jungle & managing life by own terms..So far so good.. enjoying the 2 lives, weekdays & weekends (they finally make a sense now !)

Cya मुंबई :)

2009-06-30T09:41:00.004+05:30

Wonder how a city keeps evolving & grows beautiful.

Nostalgic Moments

2009-06-02T15:01:00.006+05:30

I still remember.. how 4 years ago,sitting in the same place in front of my home PC I refreshed my then would-be College website(problematic thingy then!)..for admission & stuff.

4 years hence

Its the same place, the PC of course got changed & am refreshing my "Alma Matter's" website(problematic thingy still !)..for result & stuff..Alma Matter.. an amazing word which I am now officially allowed to use..I 'rigorously'(sarcasm intended :P) earned the right to use & with it a lot many things which have influenced the person sitting in front of this not so same-looking PC :)

The Nostalgic Flashback moments !

NH-11,Beautiful campus,Rural Rajasthan,Freshers & Ragging,First year & all those firsts,Seniors & stuff,Electronics Labs & those amazing looking components (which eventually proved to be a headache they could be),from short circuit to wrong circuits to you can never understand a simple circuit !!Comp Labs,Faculty Password,Cut-copy-paste,Net Lab,Proxy websites..Never-ending & sleepy Lectures,Attendance & proxies & get out of the class stories..sleepless just-a-day before exam night,Photostats & do-u-know the syllabus talks to all those electrons,holes & all about networking..the forced talks..

Hostel corridor & never ending phone calls,Truth & Dares,Crushes & tales & those never ending stories,Pyjama parties,Water fights,Cake fights & those wonderful instant Birthday Bashes..next fine morning..reaching the class & discovering it to be the assignment submission deadline,Surprise Quizzes ,Postponed & 'Surprise' Lab Vivas,Exam date sheets,so few Holi/Diwali breaks,Library Fine...College fests & organizing & celebrating.. Movie Exchange,Gtalk pinging to next-door friend..PG talks,CAT & GRE & similar serious sounding stuff,Pre-placement talks,Newspapers & Books,Placement times,from CV,formals,folders to midnight interviews,guiding juniors..from disappointments to partying & sharing it all with deary friends.. those last day countdowns to final Bid-adieu & everything intended & unintended in between !

Whew !!
The ever to be continued post..!

New Beginning

2009-06-01T18:07:00.002+05:30

Don't ask me time,it keeps changing & so does life with its never ending uncertainties..

India gets the much deserved change & hence a refreshingly new,young dynamic government.And with the changes come the challenges & great expectations.Appreciating the US,months back for electing a high on hopes refreshingly new government,we never knew Indian Democracy too would be lucky enough to beam alive now like never before.

The Fractured Collision government almost being a passé now, the Indian National Congress definitely understood the need of the hour & the long back vision of our then President Abdul Kalam which now turns to reality with young brigade of politicians with profiles to look up to,joining the parliament.As Pranab Mukherjee and L K Advani led the newly-elected members of the 15th Lok Sabha today Indians definitely look forward to how it it will be dealing with the important issues like the economic revival,inclusive growth,terrorism etc besides several others.

Another achievement this time being that Lok Sabha gets its 1st dalit women speaker in Meira Kumar giving yet another positive message.. A lot to look forward to of course apart from the other unexpected happenings in the French Open,Archies Comics,Online CAT & life after graduation !

:D

2009-05-26T13:01:00.002+05:30

Lolz :D

It is May 09

2009-05-11T16:32:00.003+05:30

Two days to go & it will be the final good bye to one of the most moulding places of our life,the graduating college.. more influencing than what we realize now.Changes are hard to accept.Nostalgic being the word.The long list of all those 'Lasts'-Lecture,Exam,Assignment,Bunk,Proxy & so on actually makes you miss all that which once was labeled simply as 'College Torture'.Innumerable memories maketh you realize how unexpectedly you get attached to the place you so once wanted to run away from but such are the strange rules of Lifey !

After lotsa backspacing I conclude & humbly accept that a College Farewell post is not my cuppa tea(I look forward to changes which are good for me, like all of us :P)So here is a list of the numerous Gtalk status messages from my list reflecting the creative side of my friends on last days at college ~

~An Achievement !!
After the end of 49 majors, 98 minors, uncountable no of assignments, seminars,presentations and quiz-zes ... I can say i am an engineer

~ The Senti One
"bas ek bar wapas lautne ka man karta hai
Aaj har wo din jeene ko man karta hai.
kuch buri batein jo ab acchi lagti hain
kuch batein jo kal ki hi batein lagti hain.
abki baar class attend karne ka man karta hai
Dopahar ki class mein aakhein band karne ko man karta hai.
Doston ke room ki wo baatein yaad aati hai
exam ke time pe wo hasi mazak yaad aati hai,
college ke paas Jaggi ka dhabe ki yaad aati hai
tab ki bekar lagne wali photos chehre pe hasi laati hai.
Apni galtiyon pe tumse daat khana yaad aata hai.
Par tumhari galti dekhne ka ab bhi mann karta hai.
Ek aisi subah uthne ka mann karta hai
bas ek bar wapas lautne ka man karta hai.
bas ek bar aur
wapas lautne ka man karta hai."

~ Simply Stated
will miss u all a lot.....

~ Self Realization
y am i attached to this place ?

~ Exaggerated ones too !! :D
24*7 are too less for me..Stop the Time
&
i don't wanna go

~ Long-awaited Declarations
FINALLY.......i wld also say i m gonna miss my colg days :(

~My Favourite(co-incidentally against my own Name)
Phew..!!!Thank God for the Escape ;)

The First Shower

2009-04-25T21:58:00.003+05:30

That scorching heat in those fun filled lazy summer afternoon suddenly finds itself welcoming a breezy wind with a sigh which smells of that wonderful promise of a much awaited shower..
The restless trees,made so by the wind,the window panes and dashing doors all announce the arrival..
The soothing wind gets gentler & before one realizes it suddenly makes way for the dark,water-laden frivolous clouds which soon enough turn the sky to an unexpected yet awaited carnival like ceremony..
The cloudy sky..unsuccessful in hiding the joy they bring..exuberantly celebrates this replica of a beautiful paradise created with thunder together with all its pompous celebrations..

The anticipation continues till I find myself smell the most amazing fragnance of the freshly wet sand..
It pulls me out towards itself as I find myself bewitched with its hypnotizing power..eyes closed..simply feeling those big water drops touching me..
This awaited shower embraces me very lovingly completely.. as it drenches the every bit of wind & sand & everything around finds itself all glistening..
Those restless trees now find themselves playfully enjoying & glowing with a beautiful fresh green for its admirers..

The dripping water makes me realize this exquisite transition which I know is here to stay..forever.

Crazy World

2009-04-16T22:31:00.001+05:30

A lot of Weird things are happening around me !

~ People around me no more complain of missing newspapers & I just missed few shoe throwing stories last week !
(confessing it all in the blog is all fun)

~ I now believe when people say they sleep for a mere 3-4 hours,a good reality check for a 10 hours heavy sleeper!
(priorities make you change it all)

~ I can no more continue with my 'College finishing Day' countdown,attachments & emotions are all to blame!
(btw its a month to go ;) )

~ I actually stayed away from My Blog for a big 20 days!
(Bad old 8 to 8 Busy Day is already my excuse)

~ A friend talked about 'My Galaxy' in his B-School interview!
(he needed something unpopular,interviewer didn't know about)

~ Belief in Miracles just got stronger,all you need to do, to live your dreams is Dream !
(Its beauty is worth the courage needed to dream)

Wise & Wiser

2009-03-26T19:20:00.002+05:30

Here it goes.The second & the last experience of season I.Short & precise & will try to be sweet !

WIMWI is beautiful.You got to see those "Red-Brick-Walls" to understand the passion it fuels in to an aspirant.However,the day was meant for MICA & hence proceeding to the same.

Venue:MICA,Ahmedabad
Day:22nd March,Sunday

At every stage of selection,MICA showed how different it is from a normal B-School & is a perfect C-School (Communications Management).MICAT actually made you think about your spouse & children's career during its written test & the Final round had to be interesting in its own way & hence making it something you can't afford to miss even after the 'second or third or many other thoughts'!
GE:
Beginning with the Group exercise unlike the B-school Group Discussions involved doing certain tasks(yep..a roadies like thingy especially when they hand you with numbered aprons as you await the unexpected instructions).However unlike the previous days we weren't exactly asked to work on some clay model but were given 10 cartoons to rank on the parameters of our choice.

PI:
The worst case scenario has always been the one when you don't know what to do.The second thoughts are the last thing on Earth you need before an Interview but so it was meant to be.Questions ranging from the general about yourself,last week's important issues to the much dreaded applications of DSP & difference between 8085 & 8086, all thanks to the ECE boldly written on the form were answered in a manner that I never imagined.I ended 'Giving Up',replying the panelists that I didn't perform upto my expectations in the Interview on being asked for any more questions before leaving.Now,they were a friendly bunch of people for a stress interview I guess, who finally smiled on listening this,assuring me & asking me more questions(smilingly of course now) on my insistence.Coming out of an Interview was never such a relief :O !

It was a one of its kind experience & an overall wonderful trip thanks to all the learning in the city I wanted to visit once.Learning about your shortcomings always maketh you wiser, more so when guided by people worth meeting who guide you exactly the way you need(describing which would be another post in itself).Everything happens for a reason would have never been truer & now I guess the post just turned serious but ...

am all ready with my reason to blame..
Its Exam time at college again
& all this rhymes at the same :D

Happy Wishing !

2009-03-11T19:16:00.009+05:30

Read it in a Paulo Coelho Book,The Valkyries to be precise:You must be very careful of what you desire,coz you never know when some angel listens to your wish,as in over hears it & turns it true.Strange rules of the Universe but interesting enough to make you eager to read his works.

There are 2 possibilities, either you believe in this or you don't.

The worst case,a pessimist scenario being,you just missing something better you were about receive & now you are happy with what you have, till of course you don't realize what you missed..Weird !?!

Lets assume you follow this.Traveling from Electronics to Software to Management & Advertising !The journey is more difficult than interesting it seems & you know what your are left with, Confusion..lots of it.Trust me,so keep wishing..!!

People say take a job which you enjoy & you will never have to work.Figuring out takes it all but once it is what remains is pure passion to get it.Its like listening to that voice which says, if at all am doing anything great in life, this is it & this is bliss.

Watch Nadal's grand slam win, that's the bliss am talking about :)

Zindagi Mein Koi Arzooo Kijiye
Phir Dekhiye !

Social Networking ? Add me !

2009-03-05T19:35:00.000+05:30

Blogging,Twittering,Orkutting & the list continues with the re-activation of my Facebook account lately.Experimenting is the word.Digital life is what we(most of us, Okay to be more honest at least me) lived here in this Beautiful No Man's Land(not that it is unoccupied as the word goes but it looks better not occupied).Yes, I confess as the Good-Bye-Forever Days come closer,I actually find my campus better.May be it was not that a bad place at all(oops.. did I just write that :-O :-P).Whatever, I love the way I lived my Virtual Life all through out.After all wasn't the virtual space used for socializing, at the first place for the very same reason.

As the Facebook story goes, Mark Zuckerberg, founder Facebook,& then a Harvard Sophomore,already past his photo sharing website Facemash, which had to be shut down by the university administration due to the security breach & the individual privacy it violated had this another next big idea.They say,Zuckerberg was blogging about some girl & was trying to do something to get her out of his mind(trust me, Wikipedia says so..!)So here he started with his Universal Platform vision,& hence the growth of the site to the level we all now know.The 18-24 age bracket is history now with almost everyone from any background & age group, from the next door neighbour to that cousin living on other part of the planet you actually never remembered meeting, from the Microsoft CEO to your school teacher or the distinct relative & finally your own parents, they all are here & so much a part of your life.So is this is the Escape route from the reality? Naah,it is as real as it can get.See you again was never so meaningfully true..!!

Simply the Best

2009-03-02T23:29:00.001+05:30

Yeah Hobbes, you tried your best to help (err..un~help) Calvin :D

Thank You

2009-02-24T09:34:00.012+05:30

"Don't Mind, I am known for my nasty sense of Humour",& he was back into his typical roaring laughter.I,of course,was taken aback.I mean, meeting some one only for the second time, first time being his own wedding reception years back,I definitely am not the instant mixing types.

I knew him only as a distinct relative,former editor & a good writer.I had no idea that meeting him would be so changing,no wait the word is..INFLUENCING,my perception towards a lot many things as I learnt a lot from him,

True Love happens, it happens like they show in the movies,'infatuation' at first sight & you never know how & when that thin line disappears & everything just grows beautiful.You know that you are living that fairy tale well aware of the world around, being married does teach that.Following your dreams, taking that risk & coming out successfully in an offbeat career.. & then loosing it all right in front of you even before you realize.Life is definitely not fair.Those class X th Hindi poems about water bubbles,the strength of facing the reality but the remaining pain,it was all in his eyes even after years.

He had come to see me off.It was time for the train to depart & all I could think of was how we take things for granted but guess that's how it is all programmed to be, who knew 4 years back the importance of 'Ghar-ka-khana' but now, am grateful for all that I have.The cup will never run over but it does & unfortunately we hardly know about it.

IMT G ~ GD PI Exp

2009-02-18T12:07:00.005+05:30

I so ever wanted to write such a post !
Read at your own risk ;)

Venue : Daly College Business School Indore
16th Feb '09,8:30 am slot,A Pleasant morning !

Reached at 8:10 am,strolled around through the campus as I entered from the main DC gate.The procedure started at around 9 am, with documents being verified & division of around 30 students into 2 panels.The air was all so Interviewish with every one around in their formal-ties-folders-sincere looks !Thanks to some South Indian fellow,I didnt have to be the opener of this Indore Centre innings as the 'Universal Alphabetical Rule' was being followed here too so me being with my Lucky '2'

GD began shortly,& here I was for my 1st mock cum actual GD.

A guy randomly picked up one of the 2 topics:
" MNS: A right cause being solved in a wrong manner"
We were asked to either select this one or go to the next,condition being we couldn't come back to previous one.Almost everyone nodded for this one..(Luckily as the other topic as discussed by 2nd panel was " B-schools are just producing managers not entrepreneurs" phew !! )

As it began, everyone was into it, was kind of fish market in a minute, almost everyone spoke & was cut short by another participant( greatest part being,everyone includes me too,worst being couldn't put any relevant point, though realized later that the overall GD had lesser points of discussion than was expected given the topic was easy enough for everyone to speak something).Before I knew it got over & we were asked to speak for a minute each.Could speak for the complete 60 or may be more seconds, added an example too as they didn't actually need a summary, I guess !

PI:
Same 3 panelists as of GD, 1 lady(P1), a 50 + Sir (P2)he didn't speak much,was seated right infront, & another sir (P3).

After Smiley Greetings

P3:How was your GD?
Me:Well sir, wasn't able to express my ide..(was cut short)
P3:Rate yourself on a scale of 5?
Me:Hmm 3/5 ? :-O
P3:(with an 'aren't you under estimating look', which made actually me feel good !)That's just 60 %?
Me:(Nodding & was about to say something )
P3:(Looking at my form) Can we conclude that you are Illogical?
Me:(Oops Oh no)Sir I got stuck in 1 set during CAT which led to some time mismanagement in the DI section.
P3:Why don't you do a Msc/Phd in Chemistry ? (had mentioned about some Olympiad )
Me:Never thought of pursuing a career in it Sir, don't see myself working in some Chem Lab years from now &..
P3:But you seem to be good in that?
Me:Sir, that was just an examination I gave in school,was never interested in Chem. though.
P3:Okay,what is H2So4 + NaCl?
Me:(Urghh..Chemistry aghain??) Sir it is Na2So4.
P3:What's that?
Me:Sodium Sulphate.
P3:So, your father is a banker, you interested in Finance?
Me:Well yes sir,the interest is natural but would like to specialize in Marketing or Operations (OMG, why did I say this :-O)
P3:What's operations?
Me:How its all about ideas & Blah Blah.. ( I too was amazed to reply this one !)

P1:You have mentioned Blogging as one of you hobbies, isn't blogging unethical?
Me:(Kyaa?? Blogging & Unethical ?) Explained something about it.
P1: Isn't it a personal thing?
Me:There are types of blogs..companies can use them too...as ...
spoke something.. cited Google's example.
P1:What was your last post about?
Me:(I knew it this was coming)Apple's iPhone, V Day connection & something to sound technical.

P3:Is it useful for 50 + ppl? Market this iPhone to Sir(P2)
(Every one smiling)
Me:Spoke.Tried to convince him.

P2:I have a secretary.
Me:(with a wow good & offo)Put forward few points to convince him again.

P3:You know Ratan Tata doesn't even carry a cell phone?
Me:Well may be sir, but that's just an example,its his choice nothing which can be generalized about.
Spoke about how this age bracket can actually be used as an opportunity to market the product.Cited an example of good shoe business, market opportunity in a place where people aren't aware of the concept of wearing shoes.
(I believe this was the only intelligent thing I spoke in my complete interview, P3 was actually listening to me :-))

P1:Okay, we are done AH, Thank you.
Me:(getting up, all smiling)Thank you all & good days..
P3:Tell me what is the story behind this 'AA' double a's in your name?Some numerology related thing?
Me:No Sir, it is so from the beginning, even in my Birth Certificate.
(Ha ha)

Came out smiling, the 'Its all over now Look', wished the next guy, he had earlier mistaken me as someone else(after the GD).Mistaken, as he said :P
Met few work ex people.Got some Gyan from them & the complete experience.Surely improving the next time..!

February Wisdom <3

2009-02-08T11:35:00.000+05:30

Little learning & the Net Unavailability at hostel maketh a blog sensible by "Slow Blogging".Read this term somewhere which works behind the funda that slower blogging improves a blog's content, the same old story of quantity affecting the quality,as it won't contain the author's emotional outflow & thus saving the content & hence the readers.Doubtful though.

It wasn't supposed to be but seems like this 2nd month of 2009 is turning out to be a great learning month.With an unexpected, out of the blue, boundary case call from IMT G, ranking an enormous 15 on the Pagalguy's B school Ranking in India.The terms 'Luck' ' By chance' seem so appropriate now.Consequences being this part of my life can be easily called a short crash course on 'Indian Economy' 'Global Economy' 'Meltdown' 'Sub prime Crisis' & similar alien sounding terms as the links in the GD PI briefcase go on increasing blended with the as usual dreaded college mid term exams & lots of traveling.Time will only tell how this self help course works,as the countdown for this unanticipated event continues.

..but wasn't Feb supposed to be the most romantic month of the year?

Thanks to the accidental addition of my id in the mailing list of Apple, it considers me as one of its potential customer, god knows why & keeps sending me the amazing gadget photographs (oops..of course am interested 'Apple',though not for a good while).Like this time it did remind me of the "V Week",with its 'This V day, say it all with iTouch' mail.

Yeah Yeah, am touched !

Experienced !

2009-01-23T19:37:00.004+05:30

Its like any other game, lets say Basket Ball for that matter.

You keep on analysing,planning out your own strategies,identifying strong & weak areas, working on them suitably and practising your moves like rehearsing for the D day, the only difference being that instead of the Basketball & a court it is a game of HB pencils,rough papers & Excel sheets.There are mocks for any experimentation & comparisons,about how to put all those practice to test yourself, to make suitable changes & prepare for the final match.

Now,the word 'final match' itself conveys it all as test day is like an actual game day,you got to give your best against the team in front of you,with all that pressure around of compressing the complete preparation into just a 150 minutes show & with a confident mind along with an attitude of 'this-has-to-be-my-day' & then enjoying the complete thing.

Thanks to the flukes & something called 'preparation',if that existed amidst all the chaos called 'my college' & 'my hostel life' & Biggie confusions like 'Do I really need an MBA?',here I complete my season 1 with no calls(yet) at 95ish & 88ish in CAT & XAT & 2 rejects (yep, the IITs again).

Heard this before..Experience is what you get ,when you don't get what you want (& what was that at the 1st place ? ? :D )

Its Obama Everywhere

2009-01-21T12:13:00.003+05:30

As the world watched in awe,the 44th US president took his vows & creates history of being the 1st American-African President of the oldest democracy.The way media puts it,Great Expectations await him as a celebrity president of a celebrity culture of the most powerful nation going through some difficult times.No doubt, he has made many promises & its only time which tells if he is as good a politician as an orator but as of now the mere fact of him taking in the position has given the Americans,a new ray of hope as was clearly evident from the number of people who attended the ceremony in the chilling winter, the most ever.

Watching the complete ceremony of the inauguration day itself makes one feel what a responsibility it is to be in President's shoes & especially given his background, it inspires a many as he makes it clear,nothing can stop you when you really aspire to achieve great heights.May be this is what they meant, when they say, Sky is the limit.

Complete Coverage

Spell "Disaster"

2009-01-07T20:59:00.002+05:30

It couldn't have been worse.With India's 4th largest software exporter, Satyam Computers all over in news for all the wrong reasons,2009 turns out to be a bad start for Indian IT industry.
Though people are talking about prospects of IT cos remaining unaffected,as Large overseas companies still need to cut costs, and India retains its preference,the Stock market revealed a different saga as it just took 2 weeks for this 2 decade old company to spiral down(the company's share plummeted a record 78 % in a day),as the founder, Ramalinga Raju confessed of blowing up figures up to 5 times to show enhanced profit of Rs 7200 Crores of Rupees.In the recession affected industry,where job scenario already looks so bleak,around 53000 Satyam employees have already pressed the panic button, with recruitment sites getting over 18,000 CVs in a single day, all from Hyderabad.
As the corporate governance comes into question, the Indian business ethics need to be revised.Apart from the investors & employees,it is the brand India image which has been affected the most.India didn't really deserve this 'Enron level magnitude' scandal, at this point of time.
No, doubt the only thing certain about future is uncertainty..!

Bidding adieu

2008-12-29T15:24:00.008+05:30

At a year end.

A year ago,the speculations of IBM taking over Satyam computers wouldn't have made me jump up from my chair.I can actually relate to this 'Great Indian IT industry' now..!Those orange coloured pages & economic terms make more sense as newspapers are more than just the daily dose of Cartoon strips & sudoku solving at the back bench and not mere a lecture surviving tool.

A year ago,the joy of sitting among the VIP crowd at a college event would have been just an unimagined dream & beyond words is the amazing feeling of being seen off by a friend, you so wanted to meet once & makes you feel that whoever said 'Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away' was actually talking of these :)

A year ago,wouldn't have known that harsh lessons are to be learnt only the hard ways,especially when taught by friends.Neither would have known that every bad thing has a good side too- Summer trainings,the not working & than working of something called projects, team works a part of this package called engineering.

A year ago,the pagalguy B school rankings couldn't have been more meaningful.The numbers suddenly turned powerful.The reservations in the universities & what it means actually hurt now as I found out that (15 + 7 )% of 180 seats is a big number indeed & how some other numbers & scores can boost up a lost confidence.

A year ago, terrorism couldn't have instilled in the terror it now inflicts affecting everyone more than it ever did.

However, the blog still doesn't make any sense..!!Lolz there is always the next year for that..
Life remains same but an year is enough to create those significant changes which are to be noticed only gradually.An eventful year, to be remembered in ways more than one.

being in 20s - Something

2008-12-22T09:49:00.000+05:30

This is a direct Cut Copy Paste from a source I can't remember, found it in my draft & posting it now, seems to be too apt now as waiting for so many results drives me nuts..!

It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are many things about yourself that you didn't know and may not like. You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now.

You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have ever met, and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones. What you don't recognize is that they are realizing that too, and aren't really cold, catty, mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you.

You look at your job... and it is not even close to what you thought you would be doing, or maybe you are looking for a job and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and that scares you.

Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and are constantly adding things to your list of what is acceptable and what isn't. One minute, you are insecure and then the next, secure.

You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly, change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life, but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away, and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward.

You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you. Or you lie in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone decent enough that you want to get to know better. Or maybe you love someone but love someone else too and cannot figure out why you're doing this because you know that you aren't a bad person. One night stands and random hook ups start to look cheap. Getting wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look pathetic. You go through the same emotions and questions over and over, and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision. You worry about loans, money, the future and making a life for yourself... and while winning the race would be great, right now you'd just like to be a contender!

What you may not realize is that every one reading this relates to it. We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out. Send this to your twenty-something friends... maybe it will help someone feel like they aren't alone in their state of confusion...

We call it the "Quarter-life Crisis."

Just In random

2008-12-08T21:04:00.007+05:30

~ I hate IT jobs even before working in one.
~ College is turning scarier.
~ Countdown Stats: 134 almost..(Man!! will complete my engineering then..!)& I will be the happiest person on Earth then.
~ Blog love goes on increasing.
~ Dasvidaniya is one of the good watch of this year & its got a beautiful website too..!
~ The movie addiction makes a come back yet again.
~ Sunsets are growing more beautiful with every winter evening.
~ The wisdom tooth trouble is on a low.
~ I love Mumbai & hate it being terrorized by just any f***ing terrorist group.
~ Electronics & communication engineering is a big deal, the circuits actually don't work as the submissions come nearer.
~ Miracles do happen if you believe in them & they keep happening if you keep believing.
~ Its 7th sem & the word 'homesick' still goes with me..!
~ Mumbai Airport, My college gate & Papa's office cabin still inspires me the most.
~ Why am I stupid to enough to leave singing..but then somethings are just beyond our control ?
~ Is my blog giving a competition to my dear diary ? but then it is My Galaxy :)
~ Song Buzzing lately : I am with you..Avril Lavigne

The Truth, Tooth & Trouble

2008-11-25T17:25:00.005+05:30

Wisdom teeth, or third molars, are the last teeth to develop and appear in the mouth. They are called "wisdom teeth" because they usually appear during a person's late teens or early twenties, which has been called the "age of wisdom" .
Ahem..!
No doubt,nature has its own perfect timings, a good reality check when you think the chapter on 'Confusions' just got over & you realize it was just a prologue.

& to add,they usually cause more problems than any other teeth in the mouth.

Ignorance no doubt, has always been a Bliss & whoever ate that 'Apple of wisdom' & hence the beginning of all the troubles, am sure was inspired by this wisdom tooth,any weird connection you see?
If not am sure, there is no sem end exam you are facing in the nearest future..!!

Smile :)

2008-11-22T00:37:00.006+05:30

A Smile can turn you beautiful,
so what is it that made you beautiful today ?

(with no specific order)

~ A phone call from a long lost friend.
~ Words of appreciation from your parents, the golden 'am-really-proud-of-you' words.
~ A really good movie with some great company.
~ A beautiful, bright shooting star at hostel terrace, with friends, on a dark night, all spotting it together..!
~ Mocking about the screwed college rules with pals.
~ Watching the Sea-side sunset on a 'finally-here-comes-my-weekend' Saturday evening (would even do if your neighbor's terrace replaces the Sea though !!)
~ Finally accepting the deadlock & all conclusions & smiling after a big long fight.
~ Making someone know that they look good when they actually seem good..(hain !?!Is that you.. ;)
~ Good Food at hostel mess..(naah..this one is thoda less probable though)
~ Finishing-off a half read good popular book..so that you can later boast..arey you didn't read it yet.
~ Getting a comment on your post from a silent reader of your blog :)

& who says you need a reason to smile..people around me have taught me to smile even at all the wrong times.. :D

Keep Smiling..!!

Book Break

2008-11-19T19:33:00.011+05:30

There are times when you are actually behind a good book & at times it is the book which finds you.Better if it is the latter case as you are well assured that you won't be disappointed as it was 'meant' to be read by you(a conclusion derived after applying my pure Paulo Coelhian theory,& am very high on them especially when exams are anywhere around & at a place called 'my college',this is the Default Mode,well almost..!).
So here I was luckily introduced to a really refreshing book at my Uncle's Place, by Advaita Kala, an avid blogger who makes you engrossed in her beautiful story, 'the-one-go-book' types, even if that involves 99% probability of getting thrown out of the class or at the risk of waking up people around you as you giggle out at yet another of her funny narration,a bit too loudly.
'Almost Single' reviewed as the Desi Version of 'Bridget Jones Diary' involving the perspective of a single women in her late twenties & funny nuances about the lives of those around her.With stuff like lots of Romanticism,Wine Tasting,Karva Chauth,the corporate life & a Chetan Bhagat like, it is worth a grab.

Quoted from the Book:
Sometimes, life is like a book.You can get so desperate to reach the end of the story that you conveniently skip a couple of Chapters.However, when you do get to the end, you are left with this icky restless feeling, to go back to those missing chapters before you can close the book.

The day after D Day

2008-11-17T10:07:00.017+05:30

After the overall JEE 05 ordeal , there was just a thing I was sure of, am never gonna give another huge thing called CAT but life as usual has her own plans.Courtesy, the IT jobs which took me in with quite an ease,the danger they are posing now & the old habits die hard syndrome of 'i-like-stormy-sea'.I too unsurprisingly, got caught in this challenge & all the excitement of MOCKS & here I am with my own CAT post.
After all not everyone has it to start it all over again after accepting a defeat, just like everyone doesn't have the guts to follow their conscience in this 'big-bad-selfish-world'...err back to my original topic.

So here is what I have all about it:

My most important lesson:
Mocks are totally different & actual CAT is CAT.The pressure this name carries with it is totally not over-rated.

My First Reaction:
Maths & English, how can they be so easy, after all it is CAT, only DI was actually the CAT types..!

After Listening to a couple of friends:
Hmm..maths was tricky, but do i have the courage to find out if it actually tricked me.

Almost before sleeping:
I can't sleep without checking my score, back to work.

After initial analysis:
Woah..!! Maths Cracked(almost)..!DI screwed(mismanagement), Verbal though moderate, fingers(all possible) crossed,& who believes Coaching Institutes for the VA key, its one & only the IIMs which define the final key(too optimistic !?!)

Conclusion:
Of course am not into the big-league,still far below it but not a bad 4 month prep..(after all such posts are for self pat...ain't so?)
The season has just begun & so has the dreaded & better avoidable love affair with CAT.

Wake me up when...

2008-11-09T01:16:00.006+05:30

Lotsa History creating epochal moments lately...
US gets its 1st Black president meanwhile India reaches a step closer to Moon, & here I am busy sharpening my pencils...some one is busy finally..!!better than those good old days of confusions at least !
Countdown begins,fingers crossed, hoping to convert one of the coming sundays into a life changing one..or am i really?? huh..life needs them & looks better with some confusions to add spice always.. :)

Life's beautiful

2008-10-26T11:40:00.004+05:30

Thursday 10 pm:
Sob Sob..2/5 mid term papers done, everyone is running away to home tomorrow,me too on sunday, as finally Diwali breaks come to my rescue..but wait what is happening to me am again behaving like a homesick 1st yearite..even in final year,so impatient to be at Mumbai that even a day long wait seems impossible..huh difficult me..!!However,life seems to have taught this several times that there are only 2 ways to react when shit happens :
1. Sit & cry & 2. Go & attack.. & so did I.I experimented & got myself a way to run away to home a day earlier & then as Paulo Coelho said, when you really want something all the universe conspires to help you achieve it.

Saturday 10 am:
Thanks to Indian Railways & Technology.I had the best journey to my home from hostel in the past 3 years, even during this maddening Diwali Rush..
So Exams done,ran from the place in the 1st bus possible & here I was on a new train, new route,met my relatives on the way hence also relished ghar ka khaana back home, even before reaching home..!!
Another best part being the amazing company along with me ,a group of really fun-loving people from Jaipur MNIT, enjoyed watching a flick on the move through the midnight with them.I mean imagine what better way to begin a vacation than in a star studded night sky at the back ground window, with beautiful industry & city lights passing by in between,& here we all in our so called 'Train Theater', we actually had a house full..!!
Hmm..it actually pays to listen to your heart, after all if at all it is someone who badly needs some response from you, it is your heart waiting for your decision which makes you happy.Thus go for the action & pay yourself & your heart the respect it deserves & you may never know what beautiful life lies ahead of you..

& * Have a Happy & Safe Diwali *

Did I say 'H i g h A l e r t" ?

2008-10-16T20:58:00.013+05:30

Status:
~ 1 month for the D-Day, 'ailurophobic' already..!!
~ 1 week for Mid sems, photostats are already piling,while its time for the insomniac in me to take a break as the sleep inducer theories start revolving around.
~ Already out of my 'Patience Quota',(hence prooved: no of days remaining for exams is indirectly proportional to the homesickness level)

Hmm..this doesn't actually puts me in a position to write what follows, but at times such things do help, better than hitting the panic button anytime..

So,a kinda my version of last minute guide.

Trust your Instincts,Believe in yourself (too many talks about it,hence worth taking that risk at least once..!!)
Bend Rules, Break your own records (what else are people remembered for)
Give a try than Give up (another failure in the cap can hardly kill you)
Realize,what actually is "A month" which life intends to teach (though this funda will be definitely repeated later,so counting on to the early learner's advantage)
& of course "The Real Journey" begins when your limitations begin..
& as our very own SRK said 'Chak De'

Get a Break

2008-10-08T17:22:00.005+05:30

Lotsa quoting & less writing makes a blog look more like a quote book..! -Galaxian (Lolz)

Got a break, a badly needed one,listened to a lot of FM (was actually bored of hearing this term more in my communication class as 'Frequency Modulation', instead of our actual Radio Mirchi, Big FM & such similar goody good sounding words),ate a lot,slept a lot, shift-deleted the things (not only virtually, hence reorganized life)& also did wonder on the wackiest of issues like God's own "Fun List".Now don't get me wrong this is not what i usually do during my 'break time' but then ever tired meditating? An idle mind is actually a difficult state to achieve & mostly associated with some devil's workshop & all..!(phew..these quotes never leave me)

So, back to the list on some rules God made during his kitkat time while having all the fun

~ like why the things we care about the most, troubles us the most, that newly acquired hair-style long back which made sure you kept thinking about it..

~ or why the importance of anything we so badly wanted earlier lowers after we finally achieve it, a very practical instance being marriage, a job or a good book..

~ & why the heck do the things which we enjoy the most are coincidently the ones which are usually considered not-so-good for us, as in indulging in a rich chocolate pastry frequently or spending more of your time online than offline

& so it continues,too much to think for a day off..huh ?

Gotta throw the dice, to get a six...!!

2008-10-03T02:41:00.005+05:30

" Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows.It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't how hard you hit;it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward.How much you can take, and keep moving forward.That's how winning is done.Now, if you know what you're worth, then go out and get what you're worth.
But you gotta be willing to take the hit, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you are because of him,or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain't you. You're better than that! "

----Rocky Balboa

Current Status : Overcoming Kakorrhaphiophobia

.

Chrome Powered

2008-09-24T10:43:00.001+05:30

Besides being blazing swift,smart looking & intelligent (yes, its the browser am talking about..!). it seems to have some good humor too..

Its Okey !

2008-09-23T09:24:00.003+05:30

Excerpts from Luke Kenny's Interview (& agreed upon by me)

Its all right to

~Listen to any kind of music and not have to worry about peers and their choices. All those people who ever told you, ‘Ooh you listen to death metal, or Metallica, or Mohammed Rafi...’, just tell them to shut up!
~Never ever think about what others are thinking about you! It’s okay to be a fashion victim and not worry about it.
~Have a crush on anybody and everybody all the time.
~What you want to be. It’s okay to be a fashion designer and not an engineer even if you have an engineer’s degree!

(added by me)

~Be confused at times, it only means you are considering in all the possibilities, don't worry about the time it takes, its all of your life.
~Be afraid , after all courage is not about being fearless but overcoming your fears.
~Accept the imperfections in your life, that's what makes us all human.
~ Follow your heart, even if it makes no sense to people around.(as in blog about anything..!)

Overcoming Boasters ?

2008-09-20T00:12:00.005+05:30

We all hate boasters..but they are unavoidable...
So what do you do about them??

I Blog them..!!

Betrayed...Ditched....Hurt

2008-09-12T20:57:00.007+05:30

Ever wondered how beautiful the world would have been, if Pandora didn't open the box full of all those insects of negative feelings...huh what am I talking about in this age of instant dating,when you can delete & add a friend by one-click, but the problem is feelings still remain & leaves us teary-eyed & with lot many experiences as this

To a betrayal from my friend
That demon from the hell
If ever I have cursed her
I take my curses back

For there is no more bitterness
To know that whom you trust
And to see that whom you believed
Was someone you knew not

Can you feel a pain of all the pains
More than the pain of death
For after that you feel the scar
Of what you think is dead

What may I deserve for this
I do not understand
And this friend brought to me
All her pain and harm

I had caught her when she fell
Her troubles I did strain
When she made a fool of me
I just silently wept

She stuck all the knives to me
When all should have stabbed her
I thought of her, all my days
When she thought none of me

PS:

1. No comments for this post please.
2. I am not a poet,not yet turned into one & I still believe in the power of google.com

Kakorrhaphiophobia - wtf ?

2008-09-06T11:27:00.011+05:30

It is 6th September, some 2 months for CAT,& am hardly studying,except for giving the mocks, which i enjoy giving.Maybe it satisfies my deep hidden ego somewhere, somehow.So here as i look at the JMET 2009 admission site, now accepting applications, all i can do is wonder "Should i apply ??".

Reality hits hard.Its easy to hate your college & dream to get into those amazing B-school campuses,that i-gonna-take-revenge attitude, supported by a decent mock score which instills in a feeling of 'work harder, you may get into that golden league of so-termed lucky people'.But what is difficult is the reality to actually work hard on it.Dedication is still missing & the most important the 'spark' to do it no matter what & courage which doesn't care about the failures.

Yes, I confess the word is Kakorrhaphiophobia ~ Fear of Failures or Defeat & it is proving out to be as dangerous as any other of those phobia lists.It can finish off a relationship even before it starts.It can bury a realizable dream in its premature stage,something as heartless as crushing that small bud of rose before it blossoms into one of the most amazing beauties of nature.It can direct you & say, why do you want to work when you know it won't be completed & worst of it, it supports the pessimistic attitude which takes you no where in life.

But wait who said fears can't be conquered,isn't an air-flight more exciting when you have acrophobia to conquer over & prove yourself.Who knows there is another lesson in teaching,the coming few months beacause 'Life is too short & there is a lot to enjoy & learn'.So, the mode remains 'OPTIMISTIC'.ONLY ACTIONS NO EMOTIONS..!!

B: Aren't you afraid going out fishing during such a stormy weather, rough sea?
A: Yes, I am.It scares the crap out of me..!
B: Then how do you still manage to venture out ?
A: Its good, am soon running out of all the stock of crap inside me. :)

H B D Post

2008-09-04T00:59:00.002+05:30

We ourselves deserve our own love & care as much as others do & a small bandwidth of space (with an equally ironic name, in this case) can be a good gift to oneself.

Penning down whatever crossed through my mind & reading through it all again is like shutting down all those windows & tabs of exams, project deadlines, report submissions, result botheration, regrets, home-sickness, future worries & similar dreaded words to a space called blogosphere where life has only one point of view & that is yours, completely & than amazing readings one comes across through, typical of its kind, equally interesting as a good book.

Life is b e a utiful.

50th post

1st anniversary

& an amazing love affair called My Galaxy..!

My Galaxy

The different rules of Planet Mars & Venus

God save the Dork

Happy New Yeary!

Faith or Fake?

Reconnecting People

C - Day Brief

Shiva Trilogy - Part 2

Gratitude

Among the good reads

A Sunday well spent

& I thought strategies are taught only in B-Schools!

What's Next ?

Rescheduling

I am coming Soon!

Two years later

Look who is moving !

Tee - Week !

Seedhi baat, baaki sab bakwas !

India Talks - 2

India Talks - 1

Warren BuffettI think the West is going to do well. I'd rather be in the West than the East...

Idioms - 2

High Up

100 Truths

Food for thought.

Survival of the fittest

Life Ho to Aisi ?

How the Pulitzer this year reminds of Animal Farm

Who is it Next ?

Idioms - 1

Experience maketh a leader

Sweetest Victory

As the game goes on..

Long time no read !

Moral Policing - The Censorship Issue

Much ado about March

To 'De Ghuma Ke' or Not !

It is Feb already !

Happy New Year ?

Rapid Fire 2010

A short Affair

This Day That Year !

The Story so far

1 year + & 4.0 Beta :P

My favourite June

Pondmates

Happy Hours :)

From the eyes of beholder !

Fingers Crossed

Heaven & Hell.

Oh ! Calcutta

Interes'IT'ng Day at Work !

PhotoGenic Chap !

PicTurE DiArY !

Out of 'K(no)w'-where !

Back to Reality

Home Coming

Gracias a la Vida

Office Diary

Once Upon a Time

One Life..Live it !

Book Gyan - 1

My Birthday Gift.

My 2 cents !

To Sum Up

Transitions & Blah blah !

Cya मुंबई :)

Nostalgic Moments

New Beginning

:D

It is May 09

The First Shower

Crazy World

Wise & Wiser

Happy Wishing !

Social Networking ? Add me !

Simply the Best

Thank You

IMT G ~ GD PI Exp

Warren Buffett
I think the West is going to do well. I'd rather be in the West than the East...