Pseudo Random

Hyderabadi and Settled

2011-06-12T21:45:00.004+05:30

It is more than 2 years back when I wrote my last blog. That was 2009, while I was applying for an admission to MBA in one of the good schools and waiting for results from a couple of others. Well, none of them found me "fit" for their classes. From my experience of applying, I learnt two things. One that my profile was not strong enough. Second, I needed to put in more hard-work to research about MBA schools and write my applications.
Amidst all this, somehow I decided to marry and luckily soon I found my soul mate.

Without I realized it, I had become a "Hyderabadi" and "settled" - terms which my friends used for me. They were too accustomed to see me changing jobs often and writing different exams that they could not digest the fact that I was working in same company and staying in same city.

Well, Hyderabad is a pretty good place! It is the city of Sania Mirza (tennis), Saina Nehwal (badminton) and recent TV sensation Indian Idol Sreeram.
And Qualcomm, a great company to work with and with a rising stock price!!

So, here I am now. Sitting in KPHB Colony and writing this blog to resume my off-and-on interest of writing.

I don't know, except the next blog, what exactly I am going to write. And I would like it to be just random! Random, like electrons in an atom. Random, like thoughts in my mind.

Q & A

2009-01-26T00:28:00.006+05:30

This is a long weekend. Tomorrow (26th Jan, Monday) is our republic day. I mean today only...it's already 12:31 Ante Meridiem.

Almost everybody is my friend circle is busy watching movies or on trips to unseen places or killing some quality time with their gf/bfs.

Well, I am confined in my 10'x10' room pondering over a question which I have to answer, but I am not able to find/recall any incident from my life that could provide me with the answer. May be I need to talk to Jamal Malik to know how to dig into memory pretty much effectively and probably become a millionaire.

Hoping that my unconscious mind may work out a nice algorithm and flash an answer, I am going to write the 'Q' here and discuss what it means.

"Describe an ethical dilemma you experience first-hand. How did you manage and resolve the situation?"

An ethical dilemma is defined by Wikipedia as
"An ethical dilemma is a situation that will often involve an apparent conflict between moral imperatives, in which to obey one would result in transgressing another."

So, you see, the conflict between two moral aspects is necessary. If one of them is not moral, then it is a dilemma not an ethical dilemma. You will ask "why"?

Good question...because assuming that you are an ethical person and were confronted by a situation that demanded you to exercise ethical leadership. You had two choices. Let's say, one of them was an ethical one and other not. Also you could manage with the ethical one. So obviously you'd go for ethical one. So that was not exactly an ethical dilemma. It was very well a dilemma.

However, if the situation is so demanding that you can not manage at all (some major risk, need, etc) with your ethical stand, then you are in a real dilemma. Consider a hypothetical but not so perfect situation as told to me by a nice friend.

You are working in a team. One particular day, you are not in a mood to work and ask a colleague to cover up for you. You don't inform your manager about it. He covers for you. No issues. After 2 years, you are leading two people. One of them does the same thing that you did 2 years back. You come to know about it. Now you want to tell him about the mistake he has done. But you are not getting the courage to do so as you know you had done similar mistake earlier. To make matters more complicated, let's say he also knows that you have also done the same once.
You also don't want to sour your relationship with your junior.
So you are in a ethical dilemma. Should you go and tell him his mistake and ask him not to repeat it again, you are going to feel guilty and your professional relation will get affected. However if you don't talk to him about this, it is going to affect your leadership. Moreover your junior might get used to such small mistakes. So you really want to correct him.

So what should you do? Neither of the two ways seems like a good option.

A possible way to resolve such a situation would be to have an open talk. Forgo your ego and follow an honest and sincere approach. Tell him that you have also skipped work like this without informing your manager. Also that you realize it is wrong and can have some repercussions later. So basically you'll advise him as a candid senior that he should not practice unethical practices.
Effectively, you have managed the situation very well. You had to undergo a decision making that was tough.

Well, this was in a professional setting. Much bigger and complex ethical dilemmas can happen in personal life also. But they are more on human moral values.
Here, I am generally expected to answer something related to professional ethics.

I have got some examples from my life, but they are more of dilemmas where I knew what was right and I did that. So I won't be able to show my difficult situation and the decision making my mind went through.

During this whole process of applying for MBA, I have certainly gained on intangible aspects (transferable skills, in MBA jargon). I do not know whether I am going to do an MBA this year or not, but this experience has already started having an impact on me. I have started becoming more watchful of my personality aspects. How do I work, how do I present some presentation, how do I carry myself in meetings, what kind of words do I use et al. Well, more on that, later.

For now, my thinking is not yet over and I need to finish this essay before India's 60th Republic day is over.

Wikipedia has some nice links for some practically possible and really tough Ethical Dilemmas. Check them out at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethical_dilemma

Problem solving

2009-01-24T15:08:00.004+05:30

I have already told in the introduction about myself, my blogs can be random...well, I mean, with a probability (P) of any topic being covered defined as
P = a rational number x where 0 <= x <= 1 ;)

So, let's solve a algorithmic problem, which I found on someone else' blog (http://my-experiments-with-it.blogspot.com) and liked it.

Here goes it:

You have an array of size 'n' with numbers from 1 to 'n'. You need to sort this array in the most optimal way.

HINT(Don't read the hint if you think you can do without it): The solution has a complexity of O(n). i.e. even less than the O(n.log(n)) which is given by the best sorting algorithms.

Find the answer in the comments section.

Whole world is congratulating me

2009-01-21T02:45:00.002+05:30

Look at the video, whole world has congratulated me!!!

http://www.worldsgreatestbusinessmind.com/20090105-Anish-Goyal-create.html&WT.mc_id=WGBM|Create

SatyaM - a falsified truth

2009-01-11T23:45:00.012+05:30

While I was in school, Physics was my favorite subject.
Nuclear physics even more so. Read about an interesting concept of particle and anti-particle.
That when a particle and its anti-particle join, they annihilate each other and a lot of energy is released. An anti particle is defined as something identical to and with equal mass and opposite charge to a particle.
I know it might sound boring. I apologize if you were not a Physics students and had to bear with me. But there is a reason why I mentioned this.
You all must be knowing about the story of Satyam trying to acquire Maytas and the whole story that unfolded later and which now threatens to vanish Satyam. Or annihilation...when Satyam tried to join with an entity promoted from same source (people) and having opposite name Maytas. Quite metaphorical...!

The whole Satyam saga can make for a very sensational thriller. Even John Grisham or Jeffery Archer probably would be stunned by how reality can probably be more strange than fiction.

I am in Hyderabad, the city of Nizam and one of the IT hubs of Modern India, and a city which a few weeks back was proud of being the epicenter of an Indian IT gem known as Satyam.
So I get to read and listen a lot about the Satyam fiasco. Hyderabad TOI covers every nerve related to the incident.

From what I have read, quite interesting though unfortunate repercussions are happening because of the Satyam fallout.
- Image of Hyderebad has been hit. (earlier also some corporate frauds) have taken place in the city.
- Satyam being India's Enron. PwC is also under the scanner. PwC may face the fate of Arthur Anderson, one time among big five auditors. Not complete fall, PwC might be at least banned in India.
- Satyamites are flooding job portals
- Some self-styled leaders in Satyam are volunteering for pay cuts. Obviously others are not happy about it.
- Some Satyam engineers are desparate to get into MBA despite not-so-good CAT percentiles.
- Infosys has said it won't hire Satyam employees. Bit harsh and unthoughtful decision. I wish NRN and team understand all Satyamites are not tainted. Moreover it is in the larger interest of India and IT industry if other capable leaders help rescue Satyam.
- Satyam clients want to exit. Companies like Patni and others are trying to make hay by offering to help those clients dissociate from Satyam and join other companies.
- IT stocks investors, other than those who probably liked the name Satyam, are making good money.

Some non-IT related effect
- Satyamites might not be preferred in marriage market. I guess grooms would be more effected than the brides.
- Restaurants are stopping serving Satyam employees on credit basis. 10% discount only on cash payments
- Hyderabad's highly-greedy and worthless houseowners are worrying that they can't milk money as much as they used to earlier from Satyamites. I wonder chances are they can probably start looting more from IT people in anticipation that when they can pay, extract the share of their salary.
- No more corporate discounts for Satyamites at Hyderabad's pearl and jewellery shops.
- People are shying of displaying their Satyam ID cards
- In an odd but a really shameful incident, a Satyam employee who used to give talks on management and team work in social circle is now being considered inappropriate for the purpose.

IT sector in India probably is viewed in same light as our cricket team. Both are talks of the drawing rooms. Both get revered in good times and criticized to the lows in bad times. During 2001 IT slowdown, I think almost everyone single person (unrelated to IT) in my parents social circle warned them of their son's wrong career choice!! A few years back, getting into Satyam, despite of it being not such a great company, was considered a great achievement in Hyderabad and AP state. Some families even criticized their children for not joining this company. Am sure, now the same people would look down upon and give career advice to those engineers who probably would not even have got the opportunity to see Mr Raju in their whole career!

I think the 'mystic' minds of Indians should also be part of Incredible India campaign.

Hope Indian IT and job market don't suffer because of the mistakes of a few!

Slumdog Millionare

2009-01-04T12:58:00.004+05:30

I don't watch many hollywood movies. Agree they have terrific performances and complex plots that cannot erase themselves from your memories. But Slumdog Millionaire is much more than that. It is a movie about a guy's search for his love interest. However, the action he takes takes him down the complete memory lane and finding solutions to the questions that have the potential to change his materialistic life which he cares the least. An elder brother who is more business oriented, yet loves his brother but can almost kill him (probably for a revenge, am not sure) and a 3rd musketeer who has surrendered to the circumstances so many times that she does not know what to do next.
The answer to each question asked to the protagonist lies in various instances of his life. The instances that are plainly terrific probably highlight the lives of slum people in Mumbai. Each and every incident mirror the lives of common or below common man in modern day India...be it living in slums or communal riots or Indian BPO industry or the rackets of begging/prostitution or simple human emotions such as jealousy or love.
Slumdog millionaire is all about the survival and the numerous challenges that come in the way to live a life of almost no goals except one that is also not certain. But everything is "Written".

Complete mouth watering randomness

2008-10-12T00:04:00.004+05:30

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

2008-10-11T23:52:00.005+05:30

"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

2008-10-04T22:21:00.002+05:30

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!

2008-10-02T01:34:00.004+05:30

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

What I am upto

2008-09-07T17:54:00.004+05:30

What I am upto these days...I know hardly anyone will be interested in knowing...those who are will be knowing already :-)
still for the satisfaction of writing this blog, i'll blah-blah something.
well, am not living upto my motto of one movie per week these days....so bad :-(
but instead am busy scripting my own movie...hey, did u think I am being creative and going to produce a movie? comeon...how can I do?
am writing what they call essays or applications....quite weird, isn't it? in school, essays were essays and apps were apps...how can essays be applications?
yes, they can be when u look for doing an international MBA after taking a well known test called GMAT. very soon, I expect GMAC (company organizing GMAT) to be based out of ChIndia. For past year or so, I was finding that I have some extra knowledge about MBA which generally I am not supposed to have....courtesy my job of sitting in a small corner infront of a computer and working in some stuff that 98% of the world's population won't understand but some less than 0.1% love to do...called programming!!!
well, coming back to the point, I thought of leveraging all the knowledge of my gmat-cracker friends and I could do it fairly nicely...got 730/50/38/5.0 in GMAT. now I am an expert at giving fundas for this test feared by all non-Indians. I can read your mind and tell how to crack this cartoon.
so now I am at this junction where I have to write essays and applications to enter into one of those so-called-schools...which are so much unlike schools...they are neither like your schools or colleges or universities...but they are the places where student networking, clubs, inhaling and exhaling of fundas at the escape velocity happen every moment. i wonder why no one coined a new term for these places...!! poor school kids!
God, please save me in this line of fine...as a friend put up "only those get into MBA who survive the process, other get burnt down the way". now this is both encouraging and discouraging.
if i feel, am doing good at writing essay, i think wow!, i'll be IN. but if I feel, it's taking onto my nerves...my countdown towards getting blown off begins.

let's see...

Deviations from a regular mind

2008-05-12T02:19:00.008+05:30

CALVIN & HOBBES QUOTES : Irregular but worth considering!

I like maxims that don't encourage behavior modification.
Reality continues to ruin my life.
Weekends don't count unless you spend them doing something completely pointless.
A little rudeness and disrespect can elevate a meaningless interaction to a battle of wills and add drama to an otherwise dull day.
It's psychosomatic. You need a lobotomy. I'll get a saw.
I understand my tests are popular reading in the teachers' lounge.
Life's disappointments are harder to take when you don't know any swear words.
Where do we keep all our chainsaws, Mom?
# CALVIN
That's the difference between me and the rest of the world! Happiness isn't good enough for me! I demand euphoria!
In my opinion, we don't devote nearly enough scientific research to finding a cure for jerks.
You know, Hobbes, some days even my lucky rocketship underpants don't help.
Its no use! Everybody gets good enemies except me.
What's the point of wearing your favorite rocketship underpants if nobody ever asks to see 'em?
As a math atheist, I should be excused from this.
This one's tricky. You have to use imaginary numbers, like eleventeen ...
I'm learning real skills that I can apply throughout the rest of my life ... Procrastinating and rationalizing.
I have a hammer! I can put things together! I can knock things apart! I can alter my environment at will and make an incredible din all the while! Ah, it's great to be male!
I'm not dumb. I just have a command of thoroughly useless information
~
"Do you believe in the devil? You know, a supreme evil being dedicated to the temptation, corruption, and destruction of man?" "I'm not sure that man needs the help."
~
Calvin: I'm a genius, but I'm a misunderstood genius. Hobbes: What's misunderstood about you? Calvin: Nobody thinks I'm a genius.
~
Calvin : You can't just turn on creativity like a faucet. You have to be in the right mood. Hobbes : What mood is that? Calvin : Last-minute panic.
~
"Why isn't my life like a situation comedy? Why don't I have a bunch of friends with nothing better to do but drop by and instigate wacky adventures? Why aren't my conversations peppered with spontaneous witticisms? Why don't my friends demonstrate heartfelt concern for my well being when I have problems? ...I gotta get my life some writers."
~
"I'm a simple man, Hobbes." "You?? Yesterday you wanted a nuclear powered car that could turn into a jet with laser-guided heat-seeking missiles!" "I'm a simple man with complex tastes."
~
"See Any UFOs?" "Not yet." "Well, keep your eyes open, they're bound to land here sometime." "What will we do when they come?" "See if we can sell mom and dad into slavery for a star cruiser"
~
"My powerful brain has come up with a topic for my paper" "Great" "I'll write about the debate over Tyrannosaurs. Were they fearsome predators or disgusting scavengers?" "Which side will you defend?" "Oh, I believe they weer fearsome predators, definitely." "How come?" "They're *so* much cooler that way"
~
"I'm not going to so my maths homework. Look at these unsolved problems. Here's a number in mortal combat with another. One of them is going to get subtracted. But why? What will be left of him? If I answered these, it would kill the suspense. It would resolve the conflict and turn intriguing possibilities into boring old facts." "I never really thought about the literary possibilities of maths." "I prefer to savour the mystery."
~
Susie: You'd get a good grade without doing any work. Calvin: So? Susie: It's wrong to get rewards you haven't earned. Calvin: I've never heard of anyone who couldn't live with that.
~
"Bad news Dad. Your polls are way down." "My polls?" "You rate especialy low among tigers and six year old white males."
~
"Mom's not feeling well. So I'm making her a get well card." "That's thoughtful of you." "See, on the front it says, 'Get Well Soon' ... and on the inside it says,'Because me bed isn't made, my clothes need to be put away and I'm hungry. Love Calvin.' Want to sign it?" "Sure, I'm hungry too"
~
H : "What do you think is the secret to happiness? Is it money, power or fame?" C : "I'd choose money. If you have enough money, you can buy fame and power. That way you'r have it all and be really happy. Happiness is being famous for your financial ability to indulge in every kind of excess." H : "I suppose thats *one* way to define it." C : "The part I think I'd like best is crushing people who get in my way."
~
Dear Santa. Why is your operation located at the North Pole? I'm guessing cheap elf labour, lower environmental standards, and tax breaks. Is this really the example you want to set for us impressionable kids? ...My plan is to put him on the defensive before he considers how good I've been.
~
"MOM, CAN I SET FIRE TO MY BED MATTRESS?" "No, Calvin." "CAN I RIDE MY TRICYCLE ON THE ROOF?" "No, Calvin." "Then can I have a cookie?" "No, Calvin." "She's on to me."
~
"What state do you live in?" "Denial."
- Miss Wormwood & Calvin
"Dad, I'd like to have a little talk." "Um...ok." "As the wage earner here, its your responsibility to show some consumer confidence and start buying things that will get the economy going and create profits and employment. Here's a list of some big-ticket items I'd like for Christmas. I hope I can trust you to do whats right for our country." "I've got to stop leaving the Wall Street Journal around."
#
INNOCENCE
============
I go to school, but I never learn what I want to know.
Hobbes : "Do you think there's a God? Calvin : "Well somebody's out to get me!"
Calvin : "Do you really think Bogeymen exist?" Hobbes : "I'm not sure, but if they do, I think this is where they live…"
"The world isn't fair, Calvin." "I know Dad, but why isn't it ever unfair in my favour?"
"Too bad the world will be ending soon." "Beg your pardon?" "Halley's Comet. Comets are harbingers of doom." "No they arent, thats just superstition." "Really? Guess I'd better write that book report."
"Since September it's just gotten colder and colder. There's less daylight now, I've noticed too. This can only mean one thing - the sun is going out. In a few more months the Earth will be a dark and lifeless ball of ice. Dad says the sun isnt going out. He says its colder because the earth's orbit is taking us farther from the sun. He says winter will be here soon. Isn't it sad how some people's grip on their lives is so precarious that they'll embrace any preposterous delusion rather than face an occasional bleak truth?"
- Calvin, about to become aware of the concept of winter...
"This article says that many people find christmas the most stressful time of year." "I believe it. This season sure fills *me* with stress." "Really? How come?" " I *hate* being good..."
~
"Any monsters under my bed tonight?"
"Nope." "No." "Uh-Uh."
"Well there *better* not be, I'd hate to have to torch one with my flamethrower!"
"You have a flamethrower?"
"They lie. I lie."
- Calvin, The Monsters Under His Bed & Hobbes
"I wonder where we go when we die?" "...Pittsburgh?" "You mean if we're good or if we're bad?"
#
SOCIETY
========
I think life should be more like tv. I think all of life's problems ought to be solved in 30 minutes with simple homilies, don't you? I think weight and oral hygiene ought to be our biggest concerns. I think we should all have powerful, high-paying jobs, and everyone should drive fancy sports cars. All our desires should be instantly gratified. Women should always wear tight clothes, and men should carry powerful handguns. Life overall should be more glamorous, thrill-packed, and filled with applause, don't you think?
So basically, this maverick is urging everyone to express his individuality through conformity in brand-name selection.
In my opinion, television validates existence.
~
"Here's a movie we should watch." "Who's in it?" "It says 'Japanese Cast'...two big rubbery monsters slug it out over major metropolitan centres in a battle for world supremacy...doesn't that sound great?" "And people say that foreign film is inaccessible."
~
Hobbes : "It says here that by the age of 6, most children have seen a million muders on television." Calvin : "I find that very disturbing...it means I've been watching all the wrong channels."
~
H : "What are you doing?" C : "Being cool." H : "You look more like you're bored." C : "The world bores you when you're cool."
~
"I just read this great science-fiction story. It's about how machines take control of humans and turn them into zombie slaves." "So instead of us controlling machines, they control us? Pretty scary idea." "I''ll say...*HEY* What time is it? My TV show is on."
#
DEEP
====
To make a bad day worse, spend it wishing for the impossible.
So the secret to good self-esteem is to lower your expectations to the point where they're already met?
It's only work if somebody makes you do it
#
GURLS
=======
My only regret is blowing the best day of my life while I'm so young
- Calvin prepares a water-balloon ambush for Susie
Calvin: Our top-secret club, G.R.O.S.S.-- Get Rid Of Slimy girlS! Susie: Slimy girls?! Calvin: I know that's redundant, but otherwise it doesn't spell anything.
I'm looking for something that can deliver a 50-pound payload of snow on a small feminine target. Can you suggest something? Hello...?
Girls are like slugs - they probably serve some purpose, but it's hard to imagine what.
~
We are a fierce and dirty band of cut-throat pirates! Keep a sharp lookout matey, we dont want any sissy girls on our ship!" "We *dont* like girls???" "Of course not dummy, we're a murderous bunch of pirates, remember?" "Who do we smooch then?"
~
"There's a new girl in our class." "Well, whats her name?" "WHO KNOWS?" "Is she nice?" "WHO CARES? Not me!" "Do you LIKE her?" "NO!"
~
"Here comes that new girl. HEY SUSIE DERKINS, IS THAT YOUR FACE OR IS A POSSUM STUCK IN YOUR COLLAR? I HOPE YOU SUFFER A DEBILITATING BRAIN ANEURISM, YOU FREAK!" "She *cute*, isnt she?" "GO AWAY!"
~
"Hello Susie, this is Calvin. I lost our homework assignment. Can you tell me what we were supposed to read for tomorrow?" "Are you sure you're not calling for some other reason?" "Why else would I call you?" "Maybe you missed the melodious sound of my voice?" "WHAT? Are you crazy? All I want is the STUPID assignment!" "First say you missed the melodious sound of my voice." "THIS IS BLACKMAIL!"
~
"This meeting of the Get Rid Of Slimy Girls club will now come to order. First Tiger Hobbes will read the minutes of our last meeting."
"Thank you. (9:30) Meeting called to order. Dictator For Life Calvin proposed resoultion condemning the existence of girls. (9:35) First Tiger Hobbes abstains from vote. Motion fails. (9:36) Patriotism of First Tiger called into question. (9:37) Philosophical discussion. (10:15) Bandages administered. Dictator For Life rebuked for biting."
"Is this a great club or what?"
"(10:16) Forgot what debate was about. Medals of bravery awarded to all parties."
~
"I'm never gonna get married. Are you?" "Hmm...I suppose if the right person came along, I might. Someone with green eyes and a nice laugh, who I could call 'Pooty Pie'." "POOTY PIE?" "Or bitsy pookums." "I think that would affect my stomach a lot more than my heart." "Bitsy pookums I'd say. Yes snoogy woogy, she'd reply..."
~

"Do you like being a girl?" "Its gotta be better than the alternative." "Whats it like? Is it like being a bug?" "Like a WHAT?" "I imagine bugs and girls have a dim perception that nature played a crual trick on them, but they lack the intelligence to really comprehend the magnitude of it."

Pen is not mightier than the sword

2008-05-07T23:28:00.003+05:30

This is my first ever poem and it got published in my company's quarterly magazine!

The inspiring rags-to-riches tale of Sarathbabu

2008-05-07T23:11:00.007+05:30

Forget about Bill Gates or even Narayan Murthy.
Read this story of a Indian guy's strong conviction and ambition.

When 27-year old Sarathbabu graduated from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, he created quite a stir by refusing a job that offered him a huge salary. He preferred to start his own enterprise -- Foodking Catering Service -- in Ahmedabad.
He was inspired by his mother who once sold idlis on the pavements of Chennai, to educate him and his siblings. It was a dream come true, when Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy lit the traditional lamp and inaugurated Sarathbabu's enterprise.
Sarathbabu was in Chennai, his hometown, a few days ago, to explore the possibility of starting a Foodking unit in the city and also to distribute the Ullas Trust Scholarships instituted by the IT firm Polaris to 2,000 poor students in corporation schools.
In this interview with rediff.com, Sarathbabu describes his rise from a Chennai slum to his journey to the nation's premier management institute to becoming a successful entrepreneur. This is his story, in his own words.
Childhood in a slum
I was born and brought up in a slum in Madipakkam in Chennai. I have two elder sisters and two younger brothers and my mother was the sole breadwinner of the family. It was really tough for her to bring up five kids on her meagre salary.
As she had studied till the tenth standard, she got a job under the mid-day meal scheme of the Tamil Nadu government in a school at a salary of Rs 30 a month. She made just one rupee a day for six people.
So, she sold idlis in the mornings. She would then work for the mid-day meal at the school during daytime. In the evenings, she taught at the adult education programme of the Indian government.
She, thus, did three different jobs to bring us up and educate us. Although she didn't say explicitly that we should study well, we knew she was struggling hard to send us to school. I was determined that her hard work should not go in vain.
I was a topper throughout my school days. In the mornings, we went out to sell idlis because people in slums did not come out of their homes to buy idlis. For kids living in a slum, idlis for breakfast is something very special.
My mother was not aware of institutions like the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, or the Indian Institutes of Technology. She only wanted to educate us so that we got a good job. I didn't know what I wanted to do at that time because in my friend-circle, nobody talked about higher education or preparing for the IIT-JEE.
When you constantly worry about the next square meal, you do not dream of becoming a doctor or an engineer. The only thing that was on my mind was to get a good job because my mother was struggling a lot.
I got very good marks in the 10th standard exam. It was the most critical moment of my life. Till the 10th, there was no special fee but for the 11th and the 12th, the fees were Rs 2,000-3,000.
I did book-binding work during the summer vacation and accumulated money for my school fees. When I got plenty of work, I employed 20 other children and all of us did the work together. That was my first real job as an entrepreneur. Once I saw the opportunity, I continued with the work.
Life at BITS, Pilani
A classmate of mine told me about BITS, Pilani. He was confident that I would get admission, as I was the topper. He also told me that on completion (of studies at Pilani), I will definitely get a job.
When I got the admission, I had mixed feelings. On one hand I was excited that for the first time I was going out of Chennai, but there was also a sense of uncertainty.
The fees alone were around Rs 28,000, and I had to get around Rs 42,000. It was huge, huge money for us. And there was no one to help us. Just my mother and sisters. One of my sisters -- they were all married by then -- pawned her jewellery and that's how I paid for the first semester.
My mother then found out about an Indian government scholarship scheme. She sent me the application forms, I applied for the scholarship, and I was successful. So, after the first semester, it was the scholarship that helped me through.
It also helped me to pay my debt (to the sister who had pawned her jewellery). I then borrowed money from my other sister and repaid her when the next scholarship came.
The scholarship, however, covered only the tuition fees. What about the hostel fees and food? Even small things like a washing soap or a toothbrush or a tube of toothpaste was a burden. So, I borrowed more at high rates of interest. The debt grew to a substantial amount by the time I reached the fourth year.
First year at BITS, Pilani
To put it mildly, I was absolutely shocked. Till then, I had moved only with students from poor families. At Pilani, all the students were from the upper class or upper middle class families. Their lifestyle was totally different from mine. The topics they discussed were alien to me. They would talk about the good times they had in school.
On the other hand, my school years were a big struggle. There was this communication problem also as I was not conversant in English then.
I just kept quiet and observed them. I concentrated only on my studies because back home so many people had sacrificed for me. And, it took a really long time -- till the end of the first year -- to make friends.
The second year
I became a little more confident and started opening up. I had worked really hard for the engineering exhibition during the first year. I did a lot of labour-intensive work like welding and cutting, though my subject was chemical engineering. My seniors appreciated me.
In my second year also, I worked really hard for the engineering exhibition. This time, my juniors appreciated me, and they became my close friends, so close that they would be at my beck and call.
In the third year, when there was an election for the post of the co-ordinator for the exhibition, my juniors wanted me to contest. Thanks to their efforts I was unanimously elected. That was my first experience of being in the limelight. It was also quite an experience to handle around 100 students.
Seeing my work, slowly my batch mates also came to the fold. All of them said I lead the team very well.
They also told me that I could be a good manager and asked me to do MBA. That was the first time I heard about something called MBA. I asked them about the best institution in India. They said, the Indian Institutes of Management. Then, I decided if I was going to study MBA, it should be at one of the IIMs, and nowhere else.
Inspiration to be an entrepreneur
It was while preparing for the Common Admission Test that I read in the papers that 30 per cent of India's population does not get two meals a day. I know how it feels to be hungry. What should be done to help them, I wondered.
I also read about Infosys and Narayana Murthy, Reliance and Ambani. Reliance employed 20,000-25,000 people at that time, and Infosys, around 15,000. When a single entrepreneur like Ambani employed 25,000 people, he was supporting the family, of four or five, of each employee. So he was taking care of 100,000 people indirectly. I felt I, too, should become an entrepreneur.
But, my mother was waiting for her engineer son to get a job, pay all the debts, build a pucca house and take care of her. And here I was dreaming about starting my own enterprise. I decided to go for a campus interview, and got a job with Polaris. I also sat for CAT but I failed to clear it in my first attempt.
I worked for 30 months at Polaris. By then, I could pay off all the debts but I hadn't built a proper house for my mother. But I decided to pursue my dream. When I took CAT for the third time, I cleared it and got calls from all the six IIMs. I got admission at IIM, Ahmedabad.
Life at IIM, Ahmedabad
My college helped me get a scholarship for the two years that I was at IIM. Unlike in BITS, I was more confident and life at IIM was fantastic. I took up a lot of responsibilities in the college. I was in the mess committee in the first year and in the second year; I was elected the mess secretary.
Becoming an entrepreneur
By the end of the second year, there were many lucrative job offers coming our way, but in my mind I was determined to start something on my own. But back home, I didn't have a house. It was a difficult decision to say 'no' to offers that gave you Rs 800,000 a year. But I was clear in my mind even while I knew the hard realities back home.
Yes, my mother had been an entrepreneur, and subconsciously, she must have inspired me. My inspirations were also (Dhirubhai) Ambani and Narayana Murthy. I knew I was not aiming at something unachievable. I got the courage from them to start my own enterprise.
Nobody at my institute discouraged me. In fact, at least 30-40 students at the IIM wanted to be entrepreneurs. And we used to discuss about ideas all the time. My last option was to take up a job.
Foodking Catering Services Pvt Ltd
My mother is my first inspiration to start a food business. Remember I started my life selling idlis in my slum. Then of course, my experience as the mess secretary at IIM-A was the second inspiration. I must have handled at least a thousand complaints and a thousand suggestions at that time. Every time I solved a problem, they thanked me.
I also felt there is a good opportunity in the food business. If you notice, a lot of people who work in the food business come from the weaker sections of the society.
My friends helped me with registering the company with a capital of Rs 100,000. Because of the IIM brand and also because of the media attention, I could take a loan from the bank without any problem.
I set up an office and employed three persons. The first order was from a software company in Ahmedabad. They wanted us to supply tea, coffee and snacks. We transported the items in an auto.
When I got the order from IIM, Ahmedabad, I took a loan of Rs 11 lakhs (Rs 1.1 million) and started a kitchen. So, my initial capital was Rs 11.75 lakhs (Rs 1.17 million).
Three months have passed, and now we have forty employees and four clients -- IIM Ahmedabad, Darpana Academy, Gujarat Energy Research Management Institute and System Plus.
In the first month of our operation, we earned around Rs 35,000. Now, the turnover is around Rs 250,000. The Chennai operations will start in another three months' time.
Ambition
I want to employ as many people as I can, and improve their quality of life. In the first year, I want to employ around 200-500 people. In the next five years, I hope to increase it by 15,000. I am sure it is possible.
I want to cover all the major cities in India, and later, I want to go around the world too.
I have seen people from all walks of life -- from the slums to the elite in the country. That is why luxuries like a car or a bungalow do not matter to me. Even money doesn't matter to me. I feel bad if I have to have food in a five star hotel. I feel guilty.
Personally, I have no ambition but I want to give a house and a car to my mother.
Appreciation
I did not expect this kind of exposure by the media for my venture or appreciation from people like my director at the IIM or Narayana Murthy. I was just doing what I wanted to do. But the exposure really helped me get orders, finance, everything.
The best compliments I received were from Narayana Murthy and my director at IIM, Ahmedabad. When I told him (IIM-A director) about my decision to start a company, he hugged me and wished me luck. They have seen life, they have seen thousands and thousands of students and if they say it is a good decision, I am sure it is a good decision.
Reservation
Reservation should be a mix of all criteria. If you take a caste that comes under reservation, 80 per cent of the people will be poor and 20 per cent rich, the creamy layer. For the general category, it will be the other way around.
I feel equal weightage should be given for the economic background. A study has to be done on what is the purpose of reservation and what it has done to the needy. It should be more effective and efficient. In my case, I would not have demanded for reservation. I accepted it because the society felt I belonged to the deprived class and needed a helping hand.
Today, the opportunities are grabbed by a few. They should be ashamed of their ability if they avail reservation even after becoming an IAS officer or something like that. They are putting a burden on the society and denying a chance to the really needy.
I feel reservation is enough for one generation. For example, if the child's father is educated, he will be able to guide the child properly.
Take my case, I didn't have any system that would make me aware of the IITs and the IIMs. But I will be able to guide my children properly because I am well educated. I got the benefits of reservation but I will never avail of it for my children. I cannot even think of demanding reservation for the next generation.

My biggest phone surpirse!

2008-03-28T23:32:00.003+05:30

Sometimes life gives you the best pleasures through most unexpected surprises. Like it did to me today.
I got a phone call asking "Is it Anish? Reongnize me"?
That was one of my best friends at school. We talked exactly after 10 years...a time window that can change a lot of things but not true friendships. Sharing so many updates and happenings of life with someone you have spent a time that you have always cherished is itself a cherishable experience.
Talking to one of those best persons whom you like or have liked but couldn't keep in touch makes you forget all the small worries of daily routine. For me at least, this boosts my energy levels to a new high. So thought of spending some of that energy in writing my feelings down with the hope of again reading and again getting renewed positive energy out of that.

Do watch Taare Zameen Par

2007-12-30T23:13:00.001+05:30

Another weekend has passed.

This weekend I watched "Taare Zameen Par". It is one of the best hindi movies I have seen. It touches upon a very simple subject of life in a very simple way. The best thing is that all the characters and the story appear to be part of your daily life. There is a small child Ishaan sweetly known as innu (at home). Perhaps the first movie in which a child has a nickname also as it is in everyday life.

The song tracks are also quite pleasing.

A must-must-watch-kind of movie. Aamir Khan's fantastic directorial debut.

Backwaters, Coconuts, Wild-life, Elephants...all at one place

2007-12-26T14:46:00.001+05:30

Called KERALA.

Rohit and I have just returned from our trip to Kerala. It was a long weekend and none of us had been to Kerala so just planned to go there. Actually the best part of the trip was that it was completely un-planned except for Hyderabad to Kochi and back air-tickets.

From Kochi, we headed towards Kumarakom - place known for backwaters. Yes, that's all what we knew and were thinking of spending all 3 days there. On the way, we called to a resort for checking the room availability.

Kumarkom was a nice place but a small village! Our room in resort was just opposite the Vemband lake.

Also we were informed that "you are expected to relax here". As we hadn't come for relaxing so we thought of going to some other place after exploring the backwaters.

Next day morning after breakfast, we worked out the plan for the day. We would go for country boating and then sight seeing in Kottayam and then a bus to Thekkady.

Luckily for country boat, we got a nice boat person. While negotiating price he told he was an ex-serviceman and won't tell lie and I was impressed! Salute to the great Indian Army! He took us to backwaters...canal and lake and also showed some birds in bird sanctuary area! It was all splendidly beautiful and scenic.

Just peaceful, a small boat, calm water, aquatic plants, coconut trees as far as could be seen and also the local village people and their houses.

No rush, no crowd, no pollution, no noise! But our cell phone signal was there thanks to a rapidly grown Indian telecom industry.

Definitely one can spend three days there just relaxing if one wants to!

But as we didn't so we headed for Kottayam. Saw a church and a temple there. At 4:00 PM we boarded a bus to Kumily. Kumily is the town just next to Thekkady.

To our suprise, the way to Kumily was hilly. So for just 114 km the bus took long 4 hours.

Dead tired, we just got a room in a hotel. Didn't have to negotiate much...or we were not in a mood to! Had our dinner and relaxed watching TV. Rohit wanted to catch up with what's happening in Gujarat politics. Definitely Narendra Modi has drawn national attention for all bad and good reasons. Though personally I don't have a good perception about him because of media reports accusing him of genocide in Gujrat.

There was a slight disappointment about the food in Kerala. We wanted to have Karela food but it wasn't available in decent restaurants. Where it might be, the places itself were not nice.

So we had same north Indian meals except for one Kerala lunch meal.

Again, here there was nothing planned. So we got a tourist pamphelet from a hotel. It listed many things and we marked our priorities.

Next day morning we went to a tourist information center. The lady at the recpetion helped us carve out a plan that was fully tight for whole day. So we just skipped breakfast. The previous day we had missed lunch. Of course, we had come for activity not relaxing.

The first thing we had was Elephant ride over a female elephant named Monisha.

Next a spice plantation tour. Surely nice it was.

Vanilla, Coffee, Pepper, Cinamon, Cardamom and many more. Also natural rubber trees.

After lunch, we went for a 3 hr trekking in the forests of Periyar wild life sanctuary which is also a tiger reserve and national park.

It was awesome to be in the midst of nature. A lake, forest and trees all around and some wild animals like squiralls, monkeys, wild boars etc.

In the evening we watched Kerala marshal art show - Kalari and Kerala traditional dance form - Kathakali. And it was end of the day.

Since we had gone very far from Kochi airport for we had to reserve the next full day for just travel.

Overall it was a fun, adventurous and mind refreshing trip. Some more funny and interesting things also happened which I have not mentioned here. Above all, got to understand about Kerala closely.

Commencement speech at Stanford given by Steve Jobs - A must read

2007-12-19T09:26:00.001+05:30

'You've got to find what you love,' Jobs says

This is the text of the Commencement address by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, delivered on June 12, 2005.
I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.
The first story is about connecting the dots.
I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?
It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.
And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.
It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:
Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.
None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, its likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.
Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.
My second story is about love and loss.
I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation — the Macintosh — a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.
I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.
I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.
During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.
I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.
My third story is about death.
When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.
Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.
About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.
I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I'm fine now.
This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope its the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:
No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.
Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.
Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.
Thank you all very much.

Chachaji got engaged!

2007-12-18T11:46:00.001+05:30

This is to congratulate our dear friend Rajat for finding his better half for life!
Rajat is fondly called as Chacha.
So in another words, chache ne chachi labh li hai!!!
Well, it all happened in good old traditional Indian way a.k.a. arranged by relatives and parents. There is quite an interesting fact about the names of the couple-to-be. "Rajat" is another name of silver and the meaning of the name of his would be is "of jewels". Sounds like a perfect union!...isn't it?
Wish good luck to Rajat and our to-be bhabhi!

Balle balle...!!!

Time to celebrate!

Jab we met Strangers

2007-12-17T11:15:00.001+05:30

Yesterday was another Sunday like all previous ones since I am in Hyderabad. So my roomie (MR) I, as usual decided to catch a flick. Since there was not any must watch sort of movie released on Friday, so the decision making started. But before we did much investigation from net and newspapers, my brother (MB) is also in Hyderabad these days, suggested (read "asked") to watch latest Hindi film "Strangers".

According to TOI it was to be screened at "Sensation Insomnia" at 7:00 PM and we planned for that show. We got the mighty people's transport auto for the cinema. Without any need to bargain, the auto walla agreed to go by meter. After a long 40 mins, we were in front of the cinema. To confirm that auto walla is not cheating and the way is correct, I always have to rely on only MR, the fact that even after 7 months, I am feeling like a visitor here. A +ve side effect of this is that I kind of enjoy going around in the city, always!! That's another thing (only if MR protests to what I just said) that yesterday I was feeling drowsy 'coz of common cold.
Well, so were inside the cinema complex. What man, there was no poster of "Strangers"! Only "Jab we met" and some Telugu movie ones. We had already met Shahid & Kareena (if I remember correctly, in this cinema hall only) and were pretty sure that "Strangers" are Hindi speaking chaps. I decided to argue and try to claim my auto money back from the cinema management by probably threatening to sue them! But MR picked the side of the management saying that it's fault of newspaper...so...with a feeling of being real strangers, we moved on!

Anyway, let's go to Eat Street and try to grab a table in front of the lake. Nice idea...
On the way to the lake there was "Prasadz"- mall-cum-multiplex. "Strangers" was available for 9:00 PM show and our dear MR mistook it for Hollywood film "I am Legend"because of English title and stepped into the 'Q' and stepped out with 3 tickets for some back row middle seats.
There were good 2 hours and it was enough time to go-enjoy-and-return from Eat Street. At the idea of lake, MB suddenly remembered that I didn't allow him to bring the camera with him! What to do with a camera in a movie hall, by the way!
Despite of a lot of crowd(no secondary meaning :-)...normal on Sunday evenings...we managed to get a table just vacated by two lasses. The table was on the side of eat street i.e. next to the lake. Spent around 1 hour there, had CCD coffee (which was soothing for cold also) and came back to Prasadz.

So finally there we were, in the middle seats of 3rd last row with some strangers on back, side and in front of us and all of us waiting for some strangers to appear on the white screen.
Soon the wait got over.
"Strangers" - Jimmy Shergil and Kay Kay Menon.
Both inside a train, sitting in front of each other. Start their conversation in a really weird manner. And guess what they started? A game to know about each other. Both started telling their life stories to each other. One guy himself is somewhat abnormal and his lover-turned-wife is upset with him. Other's wife has become mentally upset after the demise of their small son. So he is upset with his wife. But none of them wants to divorce because they think that's not the right thing to do. Story keeps on unfolding. However all this was flashback. In the beginning Jimmy was taken into custody for a crime...most probably a murder while Kay Kay looked on from the back side of the wind-screen of car.
No, I won't reveal the complete story.

I was enjoying the movie. It looked like some murder mystery novel. The first half, though just 50 mins, was so much packed with story. I would say the direction was good.
Second half was also fine.
But what left us exasperated was the end. Giving a feeling of watching some really crazy and psychic strangers. Almost just like some suspense novels are ended with a not so captivating suspense. For example, even the end of the brilliant "Da Vinci Code" was not that interesting as the plot was. Anyway, good that the movie was only 1 hr 40 mins long.

Yet, the most craziest stranger in this outing was to meet us soon. It was our auto walla who took us back to home. Seemed like he was the force behind Narain Karthikeyan's win in GP car racing in China. But our race was without any safety guards!!
Finally we reached home safely so that I could write this blog!

UpRight or LeftDown

2007-09-26T14:46:00.002+05:30

Recently I went to the the US of A a.k.a. the land of opportunity. Frankly speaking I didn't like it initially. Someone showed me some good infrastructure like flyovers in Los Angeles and I retorted "So what! Delhi is also very good. The flyovers are more beautiful there!" But after some days and seeing that they have utilized the technology everywhere to make life easier (or tough for new comers), I sort of started admiring US. In two months, I got to know and analyze a lot of things. Thanks to being in California, I picked up a few words from Spanish also. Like 'San' in San Diego or San Francisco means 'Saint'. 'Los' in Los Angeles means 'The'. Also 'j' in jalapeño is pronounced as 'h'. 'll' in tortilla is pronounced at 'y'. A very good example : a place "La Jolla" in San Diego is pronounced as "la hoya".

Well, coming back to the title of the blog, I observed two things with extra curiosity. As they say, in US everything is made different from what it is in Europe. The first one being driving on right side. In Europe (and India also) we drive on the left side of the road. There doesn't seem to be any difference at first thought. We are concerned with driving and the auto manufacturers have to make their products accordingly. But if we think more, doesn't it sound better and make more sense to drive on the "right" side? Yes, the RIGHT i.e. the correct side. To me at least, it makes. Quite thoughtful...isn't it?

Second difference that I contemplated is the way switches are turned on and off. Very much unconscious thing...press down and it's on and press up and it's off. That's in India and Europe. But not in America. There you press it 'UP' to make things on and press 'DOWN' to make things off. Again, it sounds more meaningful. Something is up (on) when switch is 'up' and it is down (off) when switch is 'down'.

Another differences like use of miles (not km), feet (not meters), inches (not cm), pounds (not kg) etc. are quite irritating. I wonder how does their scientific community like NASA and alike adjust with these when they are at work.

20th May 2007 - I landed in Hyderabad

2007-05-28T14:09:00.001+05:30

At about 1:00 PM I landed in Hyderabad (Hyd for short) by a flight from New Delhi. A driver had come to pick me up for a hotel/guest house which I myself didn't know. Well, it was a nice welcome arranged by the company.

I asked the driver about where we were going, he said something in Hindi with Telugu accent which I actually could not understand.

Anyway, he dropped me at hotel Ohri's Banjara - a 3 star hotel on road No. 12 of Banjara Hills - one of the poshest areas of Hyd.

Famous NTR Gardens Hyderabad

From then on, my "voyage" of Hyderabad started on. My very first impression about Hyderabad became that of a "clean and green" city which holds immense importance for me since I had come from Gurgaon - a Hi-Tech city (the technology which is only evident in the office premises and not outside) whom I had termed as "The City Under Construction"

In contrast, there was very little dust in Hyderabad. You can move around in the city seeing the beautiful scenic locations driving on enchanting hilly roads lined with trees on both sides.

I came to know about the facilities that my remunerator has provided me with.

I peldged to visit a different restaurant everyday...and it just started from Day 1.

A new place, a new job, a new journey...

2007-05-28T13:57:00.000+05:30

After a long time, in fact for the second time, I have again decided to write my blog. As the name of this blog 'Freexpressions" suggests, this time, I have lots of stuff to share, to express.
And all of this will be about my shifting from the Millenium City - Gurgaon to another beautiful place in India called 'Hyderabad".

I came to Hyderabad on 20th of May 2007 to start a new job. On the next day, I joined Qualcomm India Pvt. Ltd, the Indian office of the wireless leader of the world. I will write later on why I joined Qualcomm. For a hint, the basic reason is a quest to work in one of the best technology places of the world.

So today it is my 9th day in Hyderabad - the 6th most populous metropolis in India. I have only added to its population :-)

So in the subsequent posts, I will write about my rendezvous with Hyderabad and various places inside it - especially my office, the Hi-Tech City, the lakes and the hotels & restaurants.

Percipience (awareness) - taken from Internet.

2006-08-23T15:20:00.000+05:30

Oceanic sound
Remands to me
The wisdom of the deep.

Resurgent pound
A heark'ning sea
In surfeit at its neap.

A mere abound
Of privity
Waves aphorisms leap.

Reflections found
Imploringly
Beseech that I might reap.

My quests expound
In verity -
Percipience my Keep.