Complete mouth watering randomness

This week was truly a toast in the form of treats.
We three roomies had treats among us. Started with Italian, slowed down at Rajasthani-Gujrati, stopped at B-bqu'd delicacies.

Wednesday took us to swanky and posh Little Italy. A veggie restaurant in hilly roads of Jubilee Hills. great ambiance, great menu consisting of a long list of items. Heard that most of the ingredients are imported from Italy. True or not, food was in any case yummy....but since it's pricey, so yummy is a softer word. Better I'd say sumptuous.
Broccoli soup, Mediterranean pizza, one of the best pastas I've ever had. And believe it, pure veg restaurants are also great. Those who don't believe, try this one.

Came Thursday and we were in "Rajdhani" - a Rajasthani-cum-Gujrati resturant in Ameerpet area. They serve a large-really-large thali with lots of starters, main course dishes and sweets.
All unlimited. The service-super fast. In fact if go for first time, chances are you won't realize when you are done and it's time to pay the bill.
So take my advice, don't get overwhelmed. Relax and enjoy the food quite slowly.
and yes, price...quite nominal. INR 199/- per person...inclusive of taxes :-)

Today's Saturday and the third treat was in Barbeque Nation on Road#1 Banjara Hills. Really a nation of b'bques. You barbeque the dishes yourself in front of you. Yes, they keep a small furnace in the middle of the table and place all varieties of things in sticks and hang them there. You are given all kind of sauces to make you own delicacies. The service quality is no less than that of 5 star hotels. Quite prompt and sophisticated.
The main course buffet is also great with some ghar-ka-khana type dishes such as capsicum, paneer bhurji et al. But yes, have patience at main course coz really tempting dessets are lined up next. Price...upscale types. But worth it when you get 5 star kind of hospitality at lesser the price.

There's no secret ingredient

"There is no charge for awesomeness or...attractiveness" aptly summarized KungFu Panda!!

Last Dushehra, my friends and I celebrated by watching this must-watch animated movie in Prasadz IMAX. The effect of the big screen was no doubt awesome. Plus the nice, sweet, inspiring, funny, lively tale of "the" big fat Panda.

"There are no accidents". Remember this in life...that's what I truly believe.
Plus more important is believe in yourself. or as Panda's father said "There's no secret ingredient...(for noodles :-) )"

Nonetheless, really there is no secret ingredient. Just believe in yourself and have your conviction clear. Take an action and whole universe will conspire to make it happen (this is from alchemist :-) )

Otherwise, chances are either you won't know what are you looking for or you'll not be able to put your best efforts. It's a different thing that you may not even realize that you are not putting your best effort. So if you fail, don't say, it was bad luck. Try again and again. You'll succeed like the king of Scotland did. If you still don't and lose the charm then it may not be your destiny but luck is not bad. So better enjoy life and chillax...

Sensibilities lost in senseless competition

Normally I do not watch any reality shows very religiously (I mean, with keen interest). But over a dinner, just happened to see the latest episode of "Ek khiladi ek haseena" telecast on Colors. In this episode, the performance given by Harbhajan Singh and Mona Singh was on a romantic song "You're my love" (from the movie "Partner"). So far no issues...but, what was it? They played on some completely unthoughtof and just distasteful idea! Bhajji and Mona enacted as holy Ramayana characters "Ravan" and "Sita". It is highly offensive in respect of the Indian culture. More so, in the auspicious days of Navratri.

How can someone presumably use the highly respected character of Sita from one of the world's most sacrosant epics in such a way?? Shame on everyone associated with the performance.

To show the protest, my friend and I have written to editors of CNN-IBN and TimesNow.
Let's see if they take some action.

I do not expect them to play the clips from the episode on TV.

My MBA-pedia : ever expanding!

Found some alumni blogs. Posting them here for my own and my "readers" (if any :-) ) reference.

http://microfinancegirl.blogspot.com
http://nythingbutordinary.blogspot.com
http://run-forrest.blogspot.com/

Interesting Books for Aspiring MBAs (don’t worry: no GMAT prep manuals here)

Powerful ideas from science and history

The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, by Thomas Kuhn
You've heard the term "paradigm shift" a thousand times. Read the incredibly persuasive book that essentially coined the term.

Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, by Jared Diamond
Learn why some societies thrived while others vanished.

Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny, by Robert Wright
Illustrates how certain ideas, philosophies and cultural institutions come to the fore; argues that one of the main motive forces of human history is a drive toward more cooperation.

Viewpoints on the economy and society
The World is Flat, by Thomas Friedman
A must read in an era of increasing globalization; illustrates the technological and societal forces that make the world a smaller place everyday.

The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell
Isolates the reasons why certain trends becomes phenomena.

Freakanomics, by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
Strange viewpoints and sometimes counterintuitive analyses of critical economic and societal issues

Costing the Earth, by Frances Cairncross,
A little outdated, but this is the most compelling economic analysis I have ever read about the true impact of economic activity on the environment, and the impact of environmental health on the economy; by a former Economist editor

Business books that make you think
The Innovator's Dilemma, by Clayton Christensen
Illustrates the organizational impediments to innovation faced by industry leading companies.

Trading Up: The New American Luxury, by Michael Silverstein and Neil Fiske
Isolates the trend of affordable luxuries, a force behind many of the top consumer brands of the last two decades

The Medici Effect: Breakthrough Insights at the Intersection of Ideas, Concepts, and Cultures, by Frans Johansson
Illustrates how the most compelling innovations come at the intersection of diverse disciplines

Emotional Design: Why We Love (Or Hate) Everyday Things, by Donald Norman
Design is a huge part of major recent success stories such as I-pod and Target stores; read a great book about what makes great design

Business History
Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr., by Ron Chernow
Compelling business biography.

The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power, Daniel Yergin
Yeah…more oil, but it's important stuff and this was a Pulitzer Prize wining book on the rise of the commodity to its current place of prominence in the world economy.

Brand New: How Entrepreneurs Earned Consumers' Trust from Wedgwood to Dell, by Nancy Koehn
Sweeping intro to the discipline of business history, cutting across a wide variety of industries.

Please click here to check out the reading list on Amazon