Arz kiya hai

Parakhna mat, parakhne main koi apna nahin rahta,
kisi bhi aayine main der tak chehra nahin rehta..
Bade logon se milne mein hamesha faasla rakhna,
jahan dariya samandar se mila dariya nahin rahta!

Work-Life balance - A good read

This was a speech made by Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Anna Quindlen at the graduation ceremony of an American university where she was awarded an Honorary PhD.
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'I'm a novelist. My work is human nature. Real life is all I know. Don't ever confuse the two, your life and your work. You will walk out of here this afternoon with only one thing that no one else has. There will be hundreds of people out there with your same degree: there will be thousands of people doing what you want to do for a living. But you will be the only person alive who has sole custody of your life. Your particular life. Your entire life. Not just your life at a desk, or your life on a bus, or in a car, or at the computer. Not just the life of your mind, but the life of your heart. Not just your bank accounts but also your soul.People don't talk about the soul very much anymore. It's so much easier to write a resume than to craft a spirit. But a resume is cold comfort on a winter's night, or when you're sad, or broke, or lonely, or when you've received your test results and they're not so good.

Here is my resume: I am a good mother to three children. I have tried never to let my work stand in the way of being a good parent. I no longer consider myself the centre of the universe. I show up. I listen. I try to laugh. I am a good friend to my husband. I have tried to make marriage vows mean what they say. I am a good friend to my friends and they to me. Without them, there would be nothing to say to you today, because I would be a cardboard cut out. But I call them on the phone, and I meet them for lunch. I would be rotten, at best mediocre at my job if those other things were not true.You cannot be really first rate at your work if your work is all you are.

So here's what I wanted to tell you today: Get a life. A real life, not a manic pursuit of the next promotion, the bigger pay cheque, the larger house. Do you think you'd care so very much about those things if you blew an aneurysm this afternoon, or found a lump in your breast?Get a life in which you notice the smell of salt water pushing itself on a breeze at the seaside, a life in which you stop and watch how a red-tailed hawk circles over the water, or the way a baby scowls with concentration when she tries to pick up a sweet with her thumb and first finger. Get a life in which you are not alone. Find people you love, and who love you. And remember that love is not leisure, it is work. Pick up the phone. Send an email. Write a letter. Get a life in which you are generous. And realize that life is the best thing ever, and that you have no business taking it for granted. Care so deeply about its goodness that you want to spread it around. Take money you would have spent on beer and give it to charity. Work in a soup kitchen. Be a big brother or sister.All of you want to do well. But if you do not do good too, then doing well will never be enough. It is so easy to waste our lives, our days, our hours, and our minutes.

It is so easy to take for granted the colour of our kids' eyes, the way the melody in a symphony rises and falls and disappears and rises again.It is so easy to exist instead of to live. I learned to live many years ago. I learned to love the journey, not the destination. I learned that it is not a dress rehearsal, and that today is the only guarantee you get. I learned to look at all the good in the world and try to give some of it back because I believed in it, completely and utterly. And I tried to do that, in part, by telling others what I had learned. By telling them this: Consider the lilies of the field. Look at the fuzz on a baby's ear. Read in the back yard with the sun on your face. Learn to be happy. And think of life as a terminal illness, because if you do, you will live it with joy and passion as it ought to be lived'.

GOAL - nice try!

My very first movie in Chandigarh - Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal! I went with one of my colleagues AG to watch this movie. Though I was not expecting something great from this movie, but it being a sports movie, I wished it has the energy and humor to hold me there. Well it didnt fail me on any of those two fronts. The one-liners used are cheeky and definitely laughable.

But the two things that I didnt like about this movie are:
1. The 'Billo' song. I guess this was not at all needed in that sequence. At least the location of the movie, London, should have been taken into consideration. The fleshy (can be read as flashy too!) song was completely out of the place.
2. The second point which this movie is trying to sell is British vs South Asians (particularly India and Pak). Why? Why do you need that point to movitate an individual (John) who is already motivated and professional. This was done not once but twice - first when he was being pulled in SouthHall club from Aston and secondly when he ditched SouthHall and joined a new club (the Porche was ravishing for sure!). There were other convincing ways, like the way Bipasha argued saying that he was going against the ethics and sentiments of the people. That was acceptable, but not the color of the skin stuff. Moreover, the point to be noted (which was stressed in the movie too) is that John was born and brought-up in London itself!!

Overall in conjunction with the English Premier League going on, this movie is definitely one time watchable!

Footall Clubs

Clubs in English Premier League

Clubs in UEFA Championship League

Swadesh!

Thora sa nervous, thora sa dara hua,
Bahut si butterflies ko stomach mein sameta hua,
Pahuncha mein Bhaarat desh,
apne 'dil' ki aawaaz ko sunta hua.

Airport se nikalte hi laga jaise miss hua kitna kuch,
Kitne maheene se mera immune system raha untouched.
Dilli mien doston se mulaakaat, Lko mein ghar ki baat,
Mein aa gaya mere desh, Inquilaab Zindabaad!

[clap clap clap] :)

Well, i couldn't stop myself from writing such an idiotic prose with poetic qualities! But these were the genuine thoughts that creeped and captured my thoughts. Being back in India. I was already having so much of fun. The whole night spent at Pandey's place with tasty food prepared by Sachi, all the kahaaniyaas by baniya and Nandish, the finer touches by Pranjal and of course the grand 'Oho's of Pandey - all made it memorable. Of course others were missed, but I guess I'll be meeting them soon...

Managing "Lean"

I came across this term today and was fascinated to read how IT industry (of which I'm an integral part) is trying to use the principles of manufacturing industry to its benefits. The principles which transformed Toyota company and made it a profit making company, have started creaping inside the strong walls of IT indstry. Wipro already seems to have experimented with this (http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/5741.html). The basic idea remains to either clean up waste (read non-value adding activities) or smoothen up the processes which lead to the product development. The benefis of the lean implementation is three fold - Operational, Administrative and Strategic Improvements.

The philosophy behind this management can be read at:
http://www.mep.org/textfiles/LeanPrinciples.pdf
http://www.poppendieck.com/papers/LeanThinking.pdf

Happy and Sad!

I’m happy because:

1. My family members and friends are keeping good health
2. I'm having home cooked food
3. I’ll be home soon
4. I’ll celebrate Diwali with my family and friends
5. I wont be facing winters of East Coast
6. I’ll watch hindi movies in theatre
7. I’ll gobble the chat and all Indian food
8. I’ll drink lot of Thumps-Up
9. I’ll use water instead of tissues :)
10. I’ll be having a fully furnished home with couches and sofas


I’m a bit low because:

1. I’ll miss the glitterati of NY
2. I’ll miss the unlimited broadband connection
3. I’ll miss the availability of hot and cold water in my shower all year round.
4. I’ll leave some friends behind
5. I’ll miss the cleanliness
6. I’ll miss the central air-conditioning
7. I’ll miss racing the car at 80 miles/hr (128 Km/hr)
8. I’ll miss Thanksgiving long weekend vacation :)
9. I’ll miss shopping at Target
10. I’ll miss Starbucks Coffee

None of the list is in any order. Sequence is just the replication of my random thoughts!

300

This movie by Zack Snyder is an adaptation of the graphic novel by Frank Miller. Frank's other graphic series is Sin City, after which he directed the movie in the same name.

Now coming to the movie in discussion - 300. The movie packs a lot of testosterone and is very well directed with a novel color scheme (Sepia) as far as movies are concerned. Further, the war scenes, mostly in slow motion, give a re-firming effect. The special affects are jaw-dropping. Basically, 300 is a fantasy tale based on the Battle of Thermophylae in which 300 Spartans led by the fierce King Leonidas (played by Gerard Butler) made a heroic stand against the overwhelming Persian army commanded by Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro, unrecognizable as the larger-than-life, pierced and golden androgynous creature). The movie has all the elements - war, eroticism, politics, humor and of course blood, more blood and hell more blood!

The movie is must watch for someone who can withstand some cruel killings, carnage with a difference! People with weak hearts are recommended not to watch the movie! :-)

Want to get noticed?

Good article from http://www.economictimes.com/

Who would have thought that the essay would come to haunt you beyond the boundaries of school? Yup, it will, if you are planning to apply for a foreign MBA that is. The essay by all accounts has become the killer in the application process.

That is where your personality and passion come through, where you can demonstrate fit and very often it’s the first opportunity for an admissions officer to hear your voice, even though it’s through reading . Should you hire a consultant for the job? While the jury is still out on that one, for those of you looking at an MBA abroad, scoring the right application isn’t easy.

While there are a numbers of things - acads, GMAT score, letter of recommendation, extracurriculars , and yes that formidable essay - that are looked at, when assessing applicants, the story boils down to how well you ultimately hinge them. “There is no ‘one stand-out factor’ that we look for. Our evaluation is holistic.

Impressive accomplishments in one area may balance weaknesses in the other,” says Dawna Clarke, director, MBA admissions, Dartmouth Tuck School of Business. Explains IV Ranga Rao, director, admissions , ISB, Hyderabad, “If an applicant has a strong and unique ‘work experience’ , we may consider a G-MAT score which is slightly less than what is expected.”

While it’s true that many candidates want an MBA to switch to a new career, many aren’t sure what the new career will be. But you still need to write that essay that reveals your plans. Says Dr Janet Shaner, director, MBA marketing, at IMD, Switzerland: ”The applicant has to tell us a good ‘story’ about why he should be accepted into our program, what he has done prior to IMD and what he could contribute to the class, what he would like to do in his career, and why IMD is a good fit.”

Applicants usually fall into the trap of thinking they should write what committees want to hear. “That’s not right. The MBA application process is very introspective, making candidates think about themselves. And the candidates who stand out know themselves well. They are aware of their strengths, their weaknesses. To stand out, be self-aware ,” says Rosemaria Martinelli, associate dean, student recruitment & admissions of Chicago Graduate School of Business.

“Consequently, knowing how you, as an individual , can add value to the class and vice-versa ,” she adds. Which is why colleges welcome students of varied backgrounds. “At INSEAD, ‘diversity’ is one of our key differentiating factors. We look for individuals who add diversity to the class. The largest nationality only represents 10% of the class,” says Antonio Fatas, dean, MBA program.

While ‘work experience’ tops the list of requirements at some B-schools , few of them have dropped this minimum requirement. “At IMD we require a minimum of three years of experience and most participants have between four-10 years of experience. The maturity of our class is one reason why participants select IMD,” says Shaner. “While work experience is important, many candidates are ready to pursue MBA with as little as one year of experience (and in some cases, directly from college). What is important is that a candidate can answer why, now,” adds Martinelli.

Conversely, some colleges are dropping the minimum slab for work experience. Says Clarke: “We have no minimum requirement. But when evaluating experience, we look at the extent to which an applicant has progressed in his/her career , opportunities to manage people, projects, budgets and leadership potential.“

Many B-schools want to see that you’ve made an impact, whether that’s in your career, through extracurricular activities or in your personal life. Demonstrating leadership gives the admissions committee a vision of your potential. Says, Thomas R Caleel, director, MBA admissions and financial aid at Wharton School: “For those with no work experience, any demonstration of leadership , even at the undergraduate level, will be noted in your application.”

Though not exactly at polar opposite, Harvard values experience. Says Deirdre Leopold, MD, MBA admissions and financial aid, HBS: “Some work experience is important, because HBS prides itself on being close to the actual practice of business. But the amount of experience can vary. There is no hard and fast rule.

We urge students to apply when they feel they are ready. The key is quality of experience. We have just announced a special program ‘HBS 2+2’, whereby we’ll offer deferred admission to students at the beginning of their senior year in college, give them career advice and job leads so that they can then work for two years before they actually matriculate here.”

One of the best resources in evaluating a candidate’s work experience is the letter of recommendation. In an article recently, Brandon Royal, author of A Perfect MBA Application: 100 Sure-Fire Tips to Get You into the Business School of Your Choice: writes, a good recommendation is one that provides specific examples: “There are five things that are generally present in an outstanding letter of recommendation. One, the recommender mentions in what context he or she knows the applicant. Two, what the applicant accomplished on the job or in school. Three, how the candidate ranks in comparison with others. Four, what he or she believes are the applicant’s best personal and professional traits. And five, one area of perceived weakness and/or one area that need professional , academic, or personal improvement.

“Rather than making a broad statement such as ‘the applicant has strong team skills,’ the recommender can give a particular event that demonstrates those skills. For this reason, it’s important for applicants to choose recommenders who know them very well,” says Bruce DelMonico , director of admissions at Yale School of Management. Same goes for the essays that are expected from the applicants.

Yet another factor that candidates miss out on are extra curricular activities. “One key element is community service. I see applicants make the mistake of stopping all community outreach once they graduate from college.

Everyone, early in their career or not, can volunteer, and even demonstrate leadership skills by working with non-profits ,” points out Sara Nehar, admissions director at Virginia Darden School of Business.

The competition is tough, but a stellar application will get you a look in.

How I (almost) became a Refugee!

Trip to Niagara was long overdue and this might have turned out to be my last trip in US! Not that I'm heading back to my homeland, but because I might have been either behind the bars or deported as a refugee in Canada! All thanks to Google maps, I realized it the hard way that how so ever efficient and reliable the system be, one should always be question it and be attentive.

We happily started our trip to Niagara Falls on early Saturday morning from NY. We hoped to reach the destination by early evening, take some rest and then view the great falls at night in all its colors and beauty. But the forces (read Google) had some other plans. We hit I-87N and kept speeding on towards our destination. After 6 hours of drive, we became active and excited to be so near to the falls. But guess what - we were on the Canada border!!! WHAT! WHY! WHAT the HELL!! These were some of our instant reactions. We were still 8 hours away from our original destination!! We looked at the map at least thousand times trying to figure out how can we be here. It felt we were following the map point-to-point. But here it goes, the google map befooled us. Instead of taking us to Niagara within US boundary, it made us go via Canada. At that instant we felt a bit afraid since not all of us had the passport. We carried the valid IDs - our NY driver's license.

We were sure that Canadian immigration will definitely let us cross the borders and also give us the papers stating that they allow us to leave their country. But the fear was what will happen at the US immigration. How will they validate our genuine case? Why will they allow me to come in US with no passport? I started thinking of the prison at this point. So on Canadian side, immigration made us sit for an hour, gave us some papers allowing us to leave their country. Now we were at the US border. Our fingers crossed. As I presented my driver's license to the immigration guy, the first sentence that I heard was - 'I dont care about this. I want passport'. I started sweating a bit. Then started his series of questions - whats your nationality, whats your status in US, why are you not carrying your passport etc etc. I tried to keep my composure answering all the questions. Then finally he asked me to hand over my driver's lincense. Then luckily my wife's passport had my name endorsed on it. So that saved me I guess. Then thanks to the US database where everything is linked to the driver's license, the guy was probably able to validate my identity in US. He let all of us go and cross the US border, but cautioned me to always carry the passport. Did he think that after this scary incident I'll ever travel without my passport?? He must be crazy to think so!

From there we drove like crazy, breaking all the speed limits - our van was running at an average speed of 80 miles/hr! At mid night we reached Niagara, but surely missed the view of the falls at night. Next day we covered all the spots in Niagara. The beauty and might of the falls made us forget the sadness of the previous day. We were so much engulfed in the white water of the falls, that it completely erased the bad experience. We started the journey back home at around 4pm to reach NY at midnight.

The first thing we did the next day was to validate the google map and to our surprise we found that yes it was the fault of the google maps only. We right away mailed the google letting them know of the error they have in their maps. I guess no one else gets trapped in such situation. I narrowly escaped being a refugee in Canada!