Branching Out

Home, the Sequel

2008-12-23T17:25:00.011+05:30

Hello family members.
Rather typically, we have had no updates whatsoever to this website from anyone in the last several months despite the fact that several members are now in different corners of the country, nay, the world and are up to something.

One of them has designed a place to pee when there's a cyclone raging outside; another has a summer job with a leading Indian firm; a third is using the skills of his future profession to convince his parents that bunking class is the best thing for his career.

However, whether they are in different corners or not, they just seem indifferent.
(Hmph. Younger cousins... please take the hint).

The update from my side is that furnishing of the apartment is finally done and it has taken me the better part of two months.

Below are photos. I'm especially proud of the TV room which I did up myself, without the help of the TV guy or the home theater system dude. I will someday also take a photo of my DVD collection, which is now alphabetized, but not yet.

Update: Alphabetized DVD collection photos uploaded...

Front Door

From front corridor towards Puja

Dining table and front facing balcony

From dining towards living room

From dining towards the kitchen

From the Kitchen towards the living

Living Room

Living room, opposite wall

Living room skylight

Master bedroom

Guest bedroom with Aqua curtains

Piece de resistance - the TV room

TV Room - opposite wall

Alphabetized DVD Collection

The entire lot

The Dark Knight review

2008-08-19T16:32:00.009+05:30

Note: This review would have appeared a lot earlier had it not been for a few reasons:
a) the fact that I left for my honeymoon in mid July and was in Spain and Portugal for 2 weeks, where the movie hadn't yet released
b) movie tickets were almost impossible to get, with even midweek night shows sold out
c) This is the kind of movie that needs a second viewing, and I mean that in a good way

'The Dark Knight' (hereafter referred to as TDK), released on July 18th, floating on clouds of success and tremendous critical and popular acclaim. The film continues from where the previous film in the series, Batman Begins, left off.

That film, inspired by the darker tones of Frank Miller's 'Batman: Year One' graphic novel traced the origins of Batman and the events and motivation behind why billionaire Bruce Wayne chose to fight crime from behind a mask and the symbol of a bat. It left us with Inspector Gordon (Gary Oldman, who continues his role here) hinting at an escalation in crime and violence in Gotham city and with Batman promising to look into the crimes of Gotham's latest demented villain; someone who left this as a calling card:

TDK, inspired by the tone of Miller's graphic novels and by 'Batman: The Long Halloween' sets itself no cinematic constraints, takes its inspiration and leaps off the novel's pages with it.

TDK starts off big with a set-piece at the Gotham bank, tying in perfectly to Inspector Gordon's lines at the end of the last movie about stranger criminals and more violent crimes.

However Gotham has been seeing better times. Armed with the constant encouragement and advice of his butler Alfred (Michael Caine again) and a more flexible body suit and gadgetry from Wayne Enterprises scientist Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), Batman's emergence as a vigilante crime fighter has reduced crime and has driven the gangs underground. The new upright DA Harvey Dent (a wonderful Aaron Eckhart) is making the right noises and is willing to help Inspector Gordon do what is necessary to crack down on the gangs' source of funds. In their desperation to see a return to old times, the gangs turn to a crazed psychopath - the Joker.

The Joker turns out to be more than just a foil for Batman. Causing chaos and foiling Batman's best laid plans being his only goals, the Joker adds a psychological twist of the knife to every little defeat that the Batman encounters.
With traps set for Gotham's citizens and for Batman at every step, the Joker ensures that every confrontation involves difficult questions and life and death choices for the Batman; all of which are designed to force him to unmask the man behind the bat.

As Gotham's White Knight and crime crusader (with Batman therefore being The Dark Knight) Harvey Dent finally gets caught up in Joker's wave of violence and with a little encouragement (and a personal tragedy) makes a riveting transformation.

Ultimately though, the questions are these:
Does the film work? Is it worth a watch (or two)? Is it better than the previous film?

'TDK' is a tremendous movie, the best recent entry in the superhero genre, because it is ambitious enough to try and be a little more than just a standard summer blockbuster, because it is well written and directed, because the performances - from Christian Bale, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Gary Oldman and Aaron Eckhart in particular are top notch, because the action now jumps at you off the screen instead of being clouded in smoke as in 'Batman Begins' - a car chase with the Joker in a monster truck drew instantaneous applause.

The reason the movie is terrific is because of the Nolans' script that makes the story plausible and roots it in a Gotham city that seems real, and populated by folk that are as affected by the modern world's problems as the populace of any big city today - Terrorism? Check. Moral decrepitude? Double check. Corrupt elected officials? Check. Violence escalation? Check. A big brother government? Check.
Some of these fears are ours, some of these people (granted, on a terrible day) could be us and this could easily be our city.
Normal citizens could be shot at just as they drive along on the streets, ferry passengers could be blown up, a hospital could explode. This is truly a city in chaos and Batman's problems are more mental and psychological than just physical.

There is one other reason why this movie is tremendous and that is Heath Ledger. In his last completed film role, Ledger owns the screen and every second that he's on it. Right from his introduction, to his first scene with the mob, his Joker is a devious, devilish character - a crazed, psychopathic terrorist. This is the kind of performance that lets you see why Ledger might have been so affected by the role and his interpretation so as to lead into the depression that later claimed his life. A posthumous Oscar nomination is well within the realms of possibility.

This tremendous movie though isn't without a few flaws - the movie fails to pause enough (despite its 152min running time) to let the really important bits stay with you, the end does seem a little preachy as Nolan drives home his point and some scenes seem unnecessary while others feel like more time could have been devoted to them and might need a 2nd viewing.

These are minor quibbles in a really good movie that just falls short of greatness. See it once for the action and spectacle and see it again, just for Heath Ledger.

This bat sure does fly.

Events, events, events... and photographs

2008-08-05T15:58:00.002+05:30

There has been very little activity on the blog front - no posts to speak of for almost a month. I believe I have an excuse - in the past month I've gotten married, gone on a honeymoon and had a niece.
I have no doubt that some of the rest of the family will use exactly the same excuse.

Here's a gentle reminder to various family members to get the updates going.

Nevertheless, things are now moving again and it is time to post links to photos from each of the events of the past month.

Wedding: Picasa Web
Isha: Picasa Web
Honeymoon: PBase

Enjoy the photos and remember to leave photo comments.

Nostalgia: The Man, The Machine...

2008-07-04T12:11:00.010+05:30

For all kids who grew up through the 80's, Sunday morning was TV time.
There were early morning cartoons, Mahabharat, then a sci-fi serial with Milind Soman in it, Cosmos with Stephen Hawking and at about 1pm, there was 'Street Hawk' and following that the Guinness Book of World Records.

There were kids of a certain age who were fans of 'Knight Rider', those who borrowed video tapes from the neighborhood lending library might even have been fans of the 'A-Team' but for kids like me, Street Hawk ruled.

So much so that the best part of the show for me was the starting titles. We got the Electronica theme music, a montage of short clips from the show set to music and the names of the actors. After that was the premise of the show - what it was about - spoken in a "trailer" voice.

20 years on, I still remember it...

This is Jesse Mach, an ex-motorcycle-cop injured in the line of duty (US pronunciation doody). Now a police troubleshooter, he's been recruited for a Top Secret Government mission - to ride "Street Hawk".
An all terrain attack motorcycle designed to fight urban crime; capable of incredible speeds upto 300 miles per hour... AND IMMENSE FIREPOWER!!!
Only one man, Federal Agent Norman Tuttle knows Jesse Mach's true identity.

The Man (mini drum-roll)
The Machine... (mini drum-roll)

STREET HAAAAWWK (engine revving sounds)

After several years of searching, I have finally found a clip of the starting titles and can proudly share my joy with you all.
Here it is then... in pure, unadulterated American 'trailer-voice' - STREET HAWK

p.s. The title music is soooooooo brilliant. Ha!

The Run-in

2008-07-02T18:18:00.009+05:30

I'm finally counting down.
Thanks to the several hundred people who've said "So, only 1 month left?", "So, only 3 weeks left?", and so on, I know that there are now only 11 days left; 9 if I include the cocktail.

The last few days have been a blur - of shopping, of matching outfits and deciding which crowd gets what outfit. Remember that if you see me wearing a shirt that you don't particularly like, for any one of the wedding events, then its probably because that's what you deserve :-p

Weddings couldn't have been this complicated earlier, could it? If this was an arranged marriage, would we have been coordinating outfits during a chaperoned movie date?

In the past few weeks I have also been advised to go for a facial, skin bleaching, hair treatment and a foot massage. I guess that if in 1983 my uncle is persuaded by family members to dye his hair before his Wedding Reception, my situation can only be considered a natural progression.

I have also been banned from going to the gym within 2 weeks of joining. Apparently a survey says that most injuries happen within the first month of starting to work out. The word from the family is that this restriction has been put in place to prevent any gym injuries from affecting the wedding. Methinks any injuries are more likely to affect the honeymoon but so it goes...

I'll keep the wedding update posts rolling in - unless nerves and last minute butterflies strike. Until then I'll sit back and wait for comments from other married folk.

p.s. I'm also more than a little anxious about the cocktail and my impending embarrassment. I have the occasional thought that surely my life can't provide that much ammunition for public ridicule, but what do I know?

Update 1:
White shorts have been bought to wear under the veshti for the wedding. Ever since my brother wore a pair of white shorts, with bright blue piping and the word "VOLKOM" printed in bold black along the side, for his wedding, we've never let him forget it.
People are determined to not let me suffer the same fate.

Update 2:
Jojo akka tells me that she had to persuade Appa to dye his hair for his wedding as well. That makes at least two prior family members who have been given "cosmetic" advice before their wedding. I know that Balappa had been 'persuaded' to dye his hair as well because that's a story that he quite frequently relates.

What a family!!! :-D

Satwa Stories : An art project I was involved with in Dubai

2008-06-25T13:06:00.006+05:30

Satwa Stories is an art project that in its initial avatar will be showing tonight in the form of a multimedia presentation at the Third Line Gallery as part of a series called Pecha Kucha

A big story about the project was written about this morning in the Gulf News supplement, Tabloid. Have a read here http://www.gulfnews.com/tabloid/Society/10223483.html (Thats one of my pictures on the cover!)

The Pleasure and Pain of Golf

2007-07-03T13:25:00.000+05:30

In what is the fulfillment of a decade-old dream, I've finally started playing golf. For a long time my excuse was that I simply couldn't afford it. Then when I could afford to buy myself a set of golf clubs, though second hand, it was incredibly hard to find one.
(Side note: I'm left-handed and golf equipment is different for right and left-handers. Clubs for southpaws can almost never be found in South India).

So till recently, my involvement in golf was limited to supporting Greg Norman through various golf majors broadcast on TV, reading up about his Open Championship win at Turnberry in '86, collecting Sportstar clippings of his come-from-behind win at Royal St. George's in '93 and sitting in disbelief as he collapsed in a heap of nervous errors and a final round 78 in Augusta in '96.

This past week though, life took a wonderful turn. Golfing with a client last Thursday and wandering by the golf pro-shop afterwards, my brother discovered a new Dunlop set of left-hander's golf clubs. I got the call about them on Thursday night and by 11am on Saturday after a small cash outflow, I was the owner of golf clubs.
Monday morning was also my first one-hour golf lesson and though a bit of a killer on the wallet, it has so far been incredible.

Having watched the sport on the telly for years now, it was incredibly tempting to try to step up to the ball and give it a fearful whack and then stand by, hand over brow watching it (hopefully) slice through the clouds. It is a lot harder than that.

If there's one thing I've learned about the sport in 2 days, it is that TV makes it look far too simple.

Not only is it painful to have spent 18k on clubs, another .75k on golf balls and having to spend a further .5k a week on green and caddy fees, its worse when my golf swing sucks. While the key is to have a golf swing that's simple and more importantly repeatable, the only thing I seemed to be able to do repetitively is have people ducking for cover. Well, I exaggerate but the point is that its easy to feel down that you're quite simply unable to hit a stationary ball well enough with a big metal club.

After the first couple of days, the pain is also not just mental as even those muscles, previously thought of as non-existent, hurt.

However, towards the end of my little stint on the driving range, I struck a 5-iron so sweet that I can still hear that 'thwack' in my head. It soared through the clear sky and though I didn't lift my hand to my brow to watch the ball flight or raise my palm to acknowledge non-existent applause, it is enough to get me back on the driving range tomorrow and day after.

And that's because golf isn't just sport and isn't just about hitting a little ball with an enormous metal club. It is about finding that one swing, that one moment where the arm, hip, wrist and whatever else that goes into that golf swing, is in perfect harmony and then trying hopelessly to recreate that moment as much as possible.

The Anatomy of a Late Night

2007-06-27T15:56:00.000+05:30

Light from the sodium streetlamps filter in as I part the ash-coloured venetian blinds. Ever so often a white Indica cab speeds past on the otherwise deserted road. It all seems clear and fresh outside and the streetlights reflect and shimmer as though there has been rain.

An office boy wanders about mechanically switching the lights off. He pauses as he walks by my desk and falters near the light switch. His finger hovers uncertainly and he finally thinks better of it. The single light now shines bravely on the dark carpeted floor.

My chair creaks and seems a little too flexible to be good for the spine. The creaking seems unnaturally loud on this solitary night.
Servers churn and process at speed as America reaches late afternoon and occasionally the CPU fan seems to kick in and spin a little louder. Several chairs nearby sit, still pristine in their wrapping paper. It is uncommon, I think to myself, to have companies where the infrastructure grows a little faster than the workforce.

The airconditioner seems colder with noone around. A loose strand of clear plastic flaps against part of the vent distractedly. Its just me in here and the aircons are at full blast. Somewhere way up north an iceberg sadly and disconsolately melts.

Black ants wander aimlessly around my laptop. Here and there on desks and the floor, remnants of late night snacks lay scattered about. I wheel my chair over still-crunchy bits of chips. Bubble-wrap would have been so much better.

My work is finally done.
I find that it is indeed raining and rather heavily. Music, a constant companion on my drive back home seems unnecessary. Thought clouds, of a bedroom with a rumpled bed and 3:30am light, fill my mind. The normal 30 min drive takes shorter but seems longer. The minutes spent honking outside my apartment gate trying to wake the watchman but not the neighbours seem the longest.

Life is stressful and yet strangely fulfilling. I skip the dinner that awaits me on the table and return it to the cold discomfort of the refrigerator.

I hit the bed in my vest and boxers. I think I am asleep in minutes.

The Boss is Here... and How

2007-06-24T11:24:00.000+05:30

In what is a rite of passage that repeats every two years, I recently went for a Rajni movie. Expectations had been sky-high in the city and initial reviews had heralded a welcome return to form.

I went in a little unsure, considering 'Chandramukhi' had been a massive hit and I wasn't particularly taken with that movie. Chandramukhi didn't seem like a Rajni movie - it was more like a Jyothika movie that had Rajni in it, like he'd compromised on a lot of what made a Rajni movie to try and ensure that it became a hit and ensure that the debacle that was 'Baba' was quickly forgotten.

Well, let me reassure you. The Superstar is back.

The first half of the story is a setup for what proceeds after the interval and has several weak moments, most of which occur during Rajni's courtship of a very stunning Shreya. I shan't bother you with the basic story, which can be found in various reviews on various websites. The love angle is a little weak and the story is only a prop on which to hang Rajni's presence, the SFX and the songs and these positives completely and totally redeem every weak aspect of the movie. In that sense, you feel his presence more than ever.

Rajni looks a cpl of decades younger, the song sequences are exquisitively shot and even better staged on sets that are at times breathtaking. Rahman's songs don't sound as good on the cd and the film picturisation and sets add immensely to them. Vivek is excellent at salvaging what is, at times, a slow and not always engaging pre-interval period but Rajni comes into his own after the break and this is the Rajni of old.

The 2nd half has what is, for Rajni, an extremely risky look and character (whose look and name drew wolf-whistles aplenty) and he pulls it off splendidly. I'm convinced that he must have agreed to this look only after seeing the rushes of his look from the first half of the film (which can also be seen in the film's posters and publicity).

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed it. This is how a movie experience should be - tremendous fun, dialogues worth memorizing and a star for the ages, back and shining as brightly as ever.

The Return

2007-06-24T10:43:00.000+05:30

Its been over 6 months since my last post and I have recently heard that the 4 people who actually read my blog may have been wondering what I was upto. That in itself is sufficient cause to re-start bogging and supply them with the answer, which is... a lot.

After having successfully graduated out of b-school and lived to tell the tale, I've been working for the world's leader in for-profit language education. Its seems a far cry from the Indian software industry but come to think of it, it isn't all that different. Its equally chaotic, uses software to manage a lot of its operations and occasionally gives you several reasons to bitch about your clients / vendors but what it also does is pay significantly more, let you travel a great deal and be very entrepreneurial. If you want something done, go ahead and do it yourself but make sure you tell someone what you've done. The last three reasons is why I've joined them and nothing that I've seen in the last six months has given me any cause for regret.

...but this is on the work front.

I've also found to time to (some might say, 'finally') decide to get engaged (Aug 27th this yr) and married (July 14th '08) and this is cause for excitement, tension, mass panic, shopping, bankruptcy and delight all rolled into one big sensation / emotion. People around have slowly started the first stage of headless chicken imitations but I haven't yet caught up, though I'm sure I will have plenty of opportunity to do so in the coming year.

In the spirit of the update, I've also updated my photo website at Pbase to let people know where I've been and where work and other travels have taken me. Photos from Barcelona, which is the site of my most memorable work trip yet, are yet to go up, simply because there are several fotos to go through and its going to take a while.

Admit though, that these updates are a good thing and, since I now promise to try and keep these going for as long as I can, rejoice. Can you now reaffirm your faith in mankind, especially the 1980 Trivandrum born, lop-eared variety?

The Final Poem

2006-12-12T20:57:00.000+05:30

This year at INSEAD has finally come to an end. Seems rather strange actually. There is a finality to the events of this week as though every dinner comes with a "Last Dinner with..." tagline.
This past week has been about maximising opportunities and partying like crazy.
I have seldom partied this frequently and this hard and yet it all feels natural, like this is what needs to be done and that this will bring closure to the year and end it with the bang that it deserves.

This week has also seen my final INSEAD poem go out. This poetry business is something that started out small and was written purely for my own benefit. I have been drowned in comments since this final poem went out to my class and it feels very special that something that I write for myself and to convey some of my thoughts and feelings can strike a chord with so many.
There have been shout-outs from a few that I should do the graduation speech and while I have volunteered to do so, I can only say that if I were asked, it would be terrific.

So here's the final INSEAD poem... and because it aims to summarise the entire year, its the longest of the lot.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This final poem was written with mixed feelings of relief, because these end-of-P poems had gotten longer and harder to write, and regret because it signifies the end of what has been a fascinating year.
To all of you fellow travelers who’ve been with me on this year-long road, Thank you for the good times. It has been more than just a little fun and quite a distinct pleasure.

This poem goes out to all those hot cups of tea I was offered even if it was 1am, to the only occasion I ever drove an automobile in Fontainebleau, to badly sung songs and karaoke sessions around a winter fireplace, to shooting stars on a dark and deserted forest road, to rainy day soccer on the NUS field, to an Indian INSEAD wedding, to a memorable group Valentine's night dinner in Singapore...

This poem is dedicated to all of my INSEAD memories and asks a simple question, what are yours?

Sights, Sounds, Thoughts, Memories - Summarizing the INSEAD year

This poem is about our singular year
'Bout what we'll look back at and miss
Its also about all of the little things
That make it what it truly is

'Bout the many adventures, the dire straits
'Bout the long and winding road
'Bout those who walked this road with us
And shared some of the load

'Bout looking back at where it began
And now how far we've come
'Bout slowly retracing our steps
And doing the final sum

All this started over a year ago
With the arrival of a mail
"Congratulations", it had said, in short
And thus, we had set sail

So we left homes and comfort zones
And excitedly packed our things
Trusting logic or in some cases, gut feel
To see what the future brings

We came with expectations high
Hoped for experiences new
And hoped that at the year's end
There'd be a different world in view

We hoped for some new sights and sounds
For new travelers along the way
Or for some quiet time to compose thoughts
Before re-entering the fray

I've tried, as we've gone through this year,
To capture how things came to be
And picked a single theme to represent
The essence of every P

I could sum up P5 as I've done before
With a poem with just one theme
But this year is more than just 5 defining moments
Its about so much more in between

And so I'll turn the heat up
Under these memories instead
And get a bunch of them to pop
Like corn kernels in your head

If I told you the b-school days were fun
Would you readily concur?
Will you recall this year, have a silent chuckle
Or will these days be a blur?

Remember introductions at Outward Bound?
Remember your first champagne fine?
Remember classroom shenanigans?
Remember the glasses of wine?

Remember asking questions for class participation?
Or nodding off in post lunch sessions?
Do you remember the Welcome week
and other strange, unique traditions?

Will you remember the decadence of post P parties?
Waking the next day with a groan?
Or being slumped in a dimly lit break-out room
Working late, awake and alone?

Remember the sun reflecting off chateau roofs?
Or the pristine shores and sparkling beach?
Will you remember beautiful faces on campus
Or someone who was just out of reach?

Remember the ridiculous amount of traveling
When INSEAD resembled Club Med?
Do you remember the 8:30am classes?
Wishing for an extra hour in bed?

Will you recall the sound of the cafeteria buzz?
Between classes students rushing along
Will you recall the sound of 300 souls
Singing the same favorite campus song?

Remember the exam invigilators
Reading out those instructions curt?
Will you remember 100 voices in unison
Demanding that you "rip that shirt"?

Remember the murmur from the back rows
As yet another classmate falls asleep?
Do you remember the sounds of a camera shutter
Catching someone counting sheep?

So what are your most cherished memories?
Are the year's precious moments clear to you?
Or have you been focussed on other happenings
And on simply getting through?

With this year now being finally done
What is it that you truly feel?
Have your thoughts, hopes or ideas changed?
Are your dreams unattained or unreal?

What has this year done to your psyche?
it really changed you that much?
Have you become infinitely business like?
Or gained that extra human touch?

Do you understand other people better?
Do your own opinions matter less?
Does working with culturally different folk
Give a different definition of success?

Have you learnt to choose between choices?
Do you to procrastination tend?
Knowing you have just the final decisions
Before this school year comes to an end

Does a state of conflict stress you out
Or have you truly seen it all?
Have you experienced life's ebbs and flows?
Has this year shown you both rise and fall?

This year is ultimately about an experience
Unlike little we have previously known
And its based on what you take away from it
That you make it all your own

This year at times has divided the class
This year at most times has bound
Another year that runs a similar course
May hardly ever be found

After all has been said and done
It is time for an answer true
If asked if they had regrets about this year
Some would say they had none, could you?

Could a single answer encompass this year?
Could the emotions truly be caught?
Can this chapter ever be fully closed?
Can these memories be forgot?

On your journey through your professional life
After a work day when you unwind
When you seek some lightness and sudden comfort
May the days from this year come to mind

As the poem and this year finally draws to a close
There's just one thing left to be said
Irrespective of where you go from here
May you all have a great life ahead.

Back to Life

2006-11-06T22:13:00.000+05:30

After a loooong gap, my photo gallery at PBase is now back to life following a tiny online cash outflow. Needless to say, it feels pretty good.

All the photos from my holidays to Annecy, Brittany, Brugge, in and around Fontainebleau, Paris and even next week's proposed trip to Spain can now all be uploaded.

You can of course check it out here, leave comments etc.
You know the drill.

Change of Heart

2006-11-03T18:21:00.000+05:30

Consider that home is where the heart is, what would you say if I shifted apartment?
To reduce exposure to the increasing winter, I shifted closer to campus and to a place of my own.
The reasons are twofold. Firstly, the walk to campus now takes about 8-10 mins as opposed to 25 mins earlier and with the folks visiting for graduation, it makes sense that I have a place of my own that is suitable enough to host them. It is a prospect of home cooked food that also partly inspired this move.

Have been in this new place about a couple of weeks and yes, its comfy and convenient. Photos follow.
Please, no comments about the colour of drapes, bed-linen and wallpaper. None of it was my idea.

Considering how functional the apartment is and how well-stocked in groceries I plan to have it when my folks visit, I'm guessing it will be easy to convince my mom to cook up some nice food. Can't wait. There's only so long that one can live off Bangladeshi take-out.

The Break and After

2006-10-30T19:24:00.000+05:30

I finally got some traveling done out here. In the past I have tended to prioritise other activities, such as coursework, job hunting a lot higher than just easing back, taking a break from the academic year and just looking around but this past period was a little too stressful and therefore two trips have been made in the last 10 days though both have been within the confines of France.

Still, Annecy is a quaint little village on the Swiss border (30min from Geneva) and Brittany is a coastal town about a 6 hour drive away from Fontainebleau. Having company on travels is always pleasant and having had Gayatri, Nicolas and Florence with me on trip1 and 18 other batchmates and partners with me on trip2, it has been a tremendous past 10 days.

Photos follow... but just 5 this time.

During the break I also managed to shift apartment and attend three job interviews, but that will have to be a topic for another post.

Update: Can't get the bloody photos to upload. Can't imagine what the problem is...

Update2: Photo-upload works again. Hooray.
Update3: and video upload works too...

This is what happens when a bunch of b-school students invade a quiet little carousel in Brittany.

More B-School Poetry

2006-10-16T19:12:00.000+05:30

Time sure goes fast. Only another two months remain in the MBA programme. Another period has ended and that means it is time for another poem.
Each end-of-period poem usually has a theme to it. This one is about the job search.
Without further ado, here it is.

Discussing P4's Big Question

When the days get short and the nights get cold
Will you wonder about what's in store?
Will you turn on the heater, huddle in the sheets
Will you reflect upon P4?

Bear with me while I ruminate
Give me some moments of your time
While I follow my regular end-of-P tradition
And sum up the P in rhyme

A major question has arisen this P
It has spread, yes, it surrounds
Without the answer, without a way out
We seem to simply run aground

Classes seem incidental, a matter of course
There's only one thing that we see
And when we greet old long lost friends
We ask them, 'Got a j-o-b?'

Tension has a death grip upon our mind
'Wasn't b-school supposed to be fun?'
And when we get a 2nd round interview call
We anxiously wonder, 'Is this the ONE?'

Do you even notice rare days of glorious sun?
Did you realize that 8 weeks have slipped by?
Do you understand that you can't have all
This time back even if you try?

At the end of the year what will you remember?
Will it be the good moments of the year?
Or will be it the moments of desperate search
Or an interview eve spent in fear?

Will you remember your time spent with friends?
Or your moments in the pack?
Or will you think about the rejection letters
From Bain or from big McK?

Do you think that's a true measure of your worth?
Is that what really counts?
Will a pay hike then cause an increase
In your worth's amounts?

When someone asks you, "How was b-school?"
Just what will you say?
Will you say, "Oh. Yeah. It was really great.
My job pays 100K."?

A job is certainly really important
You may have to pay off a loan
But you can only control some circumstances
And have to leave others on their own

You may have had an initial vision
Getting a job of which you dream
Gaining riches unprecedented
Achievements on your own steam

Will you remember that dreams are important?
Can you, with bumps in the road, still believe?
That Dreams are present to make it even sweeter
When it is that you achieve

Can you keep the faith, draw support from friends?
If you don't have a job, can you smile?
Atleast on weekends can you let stress dissipate
And just relax for a little while?

This is a network that will last you years
So treasure the moments, the small happenings
Try to dismiss disappointments with a round of beer
And thus, with friends, celebrate your 'dings'

Celebrate also others' job successes
Make sure you wish them well
The weather changes so quickly here
That you'll soon see your own sunny spell

What about you who already have a job?
What do you feel, on the whole?
Are you glad to be out of this stressful rat race?
And do relief waves flood your soul?

Feel no guilt in the fact that your job hunt is done
You deserve your every success
Just bcos there are others who are still in the hunt
Doesn't make your success any less

After all we're a gang who is in it together
We're part of one disparate group
There's no way that a chaotic recruiting season
Could cause dissention within the troupe

There is often genuine pleasure in another's success
It feels like victory in a mini-war
And for perspective when a stubborn recruiter rejects
Isn't that what this great gang is for?

So remember the parties, the times of fun
Don't hold on to moments of pain
Write a journal, at the least take photographs
This will soon be your memory lane

Recall P1s stumbling through welcome week
Or P2 when we hardly slept a wink
There's so much of P3 that you'll recall
If you just stop to think

Run your fingers over your class photographs
Recall the details of these days
If you had to remember your b-school life
Shouldn't this be the appropriate way?

To those of us leaving Fonty's borders
I bid you a thunderous 'bye'
And wish you safe passage with a sailor's toast
'May you always see clear blue sky'

To all of you, I wish you all possible luck
May you have endless heart to strive
And may the force be always with you
In these, the glorious days of our lives

Of Metamorphoses and the Job Search

2006-10-12T16:30:00.000+05:30

Another post of observations. One would think, going by my posts, that an MBA is rarely about action but I'm a young guy with much to learn and a whole bunch of what I'm getting out of this year is simply by observing, studying others and just seeing how various people react to different situations.

It isn't a stretch to say that different people react differently to different situations but having that difference so clearly illustrated by observable actions, enhances the impact of the observation.

Job search at my b-school is an incredibly tough, stressful time. Statistics indicate that 75% of people find a job upto within 3 months of finishing the program through campus placements and other allied services. Nobody wants to be in that other 25%. It is a time of intense competition, rivalries, perceived face-offs and one-upmanship.

It is also a time of inflated egos when a single rejection can cause people to denounce humankind and question the intelligence and abilities of others, especially those who've been selected. It is a time when egos can be massaged with the poor performance of others and satisfaction derived from others' pitfalls. It is a time when innocent questions come fully-loaded and hidden meanings are inferred from simple answers.

It is a time when people have to make a decision to either focus solely on the job search and well, self-interests or to chip in with group assignments and coursework and do as much of both as is humanly possibly until the sleep deprivation proves to be too much. It is a time when free-riders roam free.
It is a time that not everyone deals with well.
It is also therefore a time where you know who the really great and genuine people are and your appreciation for these people increases multi-fold.

There is a question at the end of this.
What tells us more about someone's personality? Reactions during stress, trouble and adverse situations or those on a normal day when there is far less at stake?
Do intense moments bring out true personalities or the worst in people?
Should some people be reassessed and their actions examined in a different light?

I'm not sure. What does it mean when some people seem to metamorphize overnight, however temporarily? Is this the 'changing' part of the Life-Changing aspect of an MBA?

I'm not sure what the answer is. I'm not sure if there is just one answer.
However I'm observing and I'm recording.
And yes, I'm definitely learning.

I recommend...

2006-10-05T22:23:00.000+05:30

That you watch 'Omkara'.

The movie is really good and the acting, Saif in particular being bloody brilliant, is excellent.
I won't review the film in detail since there are far superior reviews out there, like this one.

However, I will say that the UP(?) dialect of Hindi had me groping on occasion and though I always got the gist of what people were saying, I would certainly had enjoyed it more had I understood exactly what each dialogue snippet meant.

Secondly, the supporting characters performed much better than the leads with Saif and Konkona Sen Sharma stealing the movie from under the leads' noses. You end up investing less in the main drama playing out in the movie when the supporting characters hook you more. If Bhardwaj is the kind of director it takes to have Saif performing like this, man, lets have more of him.

Thirdly (and this may link to my first gripe) I didn't follow some of the motivations behind the initial theft of the cummerbund that forms an essential part of the movie. I didn't quite get why Langda Tyagi's wife helps out in that regard.
Was it explained in the scene after? Was it not?

All things considered, just go see the film. See it twice. Take your friends. Even the music, which is wonderful, is so entrenched in the movie (except for one song, 'Namak') and the atmosphere that you don't feel the running length, don't look at your watch or wish for a remote control with a fast forward button.

Random Sights, Sound Bytes

2006-10-05T21:05:00.000+05:30

This is going to be a crazy few days. Have a couple of interviews coming up.
It just seems like the entire MBA thus far has been a dress rehearsal, a dry run, a light scrimmage, a warm-up game, a shadow box for the events of the week.

Interviews coming up within the next few days for a Marketing position, based in Asia, for an International Bank and a UK based position for a top Consulting firm. This, as they say, is what its all about.
Seems strange that despite all the fun, work and 'education' of the last 10 months, if I don't end up with a job, it'd all seem pointless, which is far from the truth.

The last 10 months have been some of the most memorable of my life and I shouldn't let the job search affect me so much. In truth though, the prospect of being jobless post-December is a little too daunting to comprehend and contemplate at this point. Maybe if I don't think about it, the possibility will just go away, like Boogeymen in Calvin's mind and sunshine in Fontainebleau.

Its getting very cold very quick here and today I inaugurated the heavy artillery winter clothing. For a while I thought I looked like I'd be more at home in a Siberian Dacha but then came across a few locals similarly attired and instantly felt warmer.
Now that I'm onto fashion trends, I definitely need to know what the deal is with all these women wearing shin-length boots? Methinks its the latest fashion trend. Practically every woman on campus is wearing 'em though some wear them tucked inside their pants / jeans. Strange.

Speaking of Consultants, they're all over town, with all hotels completely booked up this recruiting season. There's a spate of interviews scheduled for the remainder of the month and most of the suit attired people you see walking the streets turn out to be prospective interviewers.

I passed a bunch of these people, walking in twos, as I walked past them on my way home last night. Caught snatches of conversation which included, "Round table conference", "We had to fire all of our people", "Recruiting for the London Office", "late for the client meeting". Seemed like they were returning back to their hotel after dinner and I couldn't believe that even a single group wasn't talking shop.
I think that's a sign.

From now on its no-nonsense, pure-business.
Wasted enough time. End of post.

Ricky Fitts' Dilemna

2006-10-02T19:25:00.000+05:30

Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world, I feel like I can't take it, like my heart is going to cave in.

Its been a while since I've been overwhelmed by the physical beauty of a city. Normally what hits me about a city is how convenient it is to live there or how great or crap the weather is or how many grocery stores and movie theatres I'd find in a 5 mile radius of where I stay.
Paris is... different.

Its rare that I can walk around in a city, turn a corner and say "Whoa. So here it is."
Last Thursday I was in Paris to get my UK Visa from their embassy and found myself with about about an hour to kill. I found myself in Madeleine, aimlessly wandering around, walking the streets.

Within 20 minutes of walking around, I had found L'Eglise de la Madeleine, the Headquarters of the FIA in the Place da la Concorde, Cleopatra's Needle, my first view along the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe, Jardins des Tuileries and at the end of which is the Musée du Louvre.
Omnipresent throughout was the towering La Tour Eiffel.

I could have honestly walked around there forever but the shock of seeing so many recognizable symbols in such a short time was a little overwhelming. I wandered about with dropped jaw for quite a while.
That walk... it was something else.

To capture the magic of that little interlude, this blog is a rather poor excuse but like Ricky Fitts in this movie, I need to remember.

Finally, pictures of Home

2006-10-01T18:01:00.000+05:30

After several requests, I have finally taken pictures of my IKEA upholstered home.
I wish I'd taken these photos earlier. I've been living there a little over a month and the place is considerably dirtier than when I first moved in.
Nevertheless, here it is... for better or worse.

The front gate from inside

From the gate to the front door

The kitchenette, as soon as you enter on the right

Straight ahead, the miniature tv, wall hangings and table top vases all IKEA

And that's my room with the pigeonhole storage space, which I quite like

My bed, which at the best of times is a mess

The rectangular bathroom. Remember to walk in sideways

The window facing the front gate and the street

Finally, a photo of my bike

Wet Weather Skills... and other things

2006-09-25T23:29:00.000+05:30

The regular readers (both of them) of this blog may be aware that a little while ago a cycle was purchased to enable me to get to campus on time at least once in a while.
And until I get myself a car, this bicycle will have to get me to campus through rain and shine and in weather fair and foul.

In a way its a good thing. It gets me exercise that I wouldn't normally get and for that I shall remain grateful.

However when its 2am and when its pouring down and when you have to escort women home and when you have an 8:30am class the next day for which you really need the bike, even when its the last thing you want to do, you HAVE to cycle home.

Cycling home this one past night involved hoisting my backpack over my shoulders, shielding my ears using the windcheater hood and using my right hand to hold onto an umbrella while I bravely endeavoured to control the bicycle with the left hand, in the driving rain.

Its true... its all true.
B-school is truly an experience and yes, it does teach one new skills.

Life for the next few weeks will be an endless blur of late-night job applications, campus presentations, schmoozing to company representatives, CV selling and ordering Bangladeshi take-out.

This past weekend, pick-up cricket games were organised, after which some resolved to get more ppl involved and play a more formal, traditional version of the game (i.e. runs on both sides of the wicket, taped ball, runs behind square) the coming weekend.
Just for a much needed distraction, I hope that happens.

Speaking of distractions, managed to watch 'One Flew Over...' for the first time. Another movie gets knocked off my imdb Top 250 list.
As it happens, another 140 remain un-viewed. They include a significant number of Kurosawa and old Westerns and even some modern classics, such as Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Monty Python (Holy Grail, Life of Brian), Requiem for a Dream, Trainspotting and some by the Japanese animator (whose name I can't immediately recall) who did Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away. A visit to the Virgin megastore may be imminent.

Getting Around in Paris

2006-09-05T18:04:00.000+05:30

Just needed to make another post to put up further photos from my trip around the city.

Various modes of transportation taken... buses, trains and a lot of ground was covered just walking around.

Some of these photos were part of a theme that I thought was worth developing: Paris through windows.
As it stands, these are just a few more random photos.

Hmm... I think I like photo blogging.

Mother of all Museums

2006-09-04T22:26:00.000+05:30

You just know I'm talking about the Louvre which is now ever more popular thanks to the story telling abilities (or not) of a certain Dan Brown.
Almost everyone who goes in there heads directly to the Denon gallery where the Mona Lisa, Madonna on the Rocks etc. find their place.
No photopraphs are allowed in the art and paintings section and certainly none of the Mona Lisa.

Photos though are present of the famous glass pyramids, the Palais Royal, the Winged Victory, the hall of sculptures, Louis XIV's Apartment.
There are more photos mind you but with a five-photos-a-post limit and my laziness, all you're getting is a tiny glance.

The Stained Glass of Notre-Dame

2006-09-04T22:00:00.000+05:30

Commisioned during the reign of Louis VII, construction of the cathedral, its chapels, graves and the famous stained glass windows took place between 1163 and 1250.

There's a lot more information available through this link.

Photos below are of the cathedral from the outside, of the carvings above the entrance, of one of the windows in the north wall, of the lit hall during a service, and a sculpture of Charlemagne in its courtyard.

Eiffel Good - You knew that I would

2006-09-04T21:08:00.000+05:30

Determination and a newly married couple who would have liked company ensured that this Sunday I found myself on my way to Paris for the first time.
For someone who has immersed himself in foreign culture, English movies as much as I have, the there was tremendous anticipation to see 'live' the stuff I've only seen on movies and TV thus far.

Will make several individual posts on the sights covered yesterday because a single post only appears to allow a max. of 5 photos.

Le Tour Eiffel is excellent... everything it is made out to be and a bit more. We couldn't quite catch it with the lights on and photos of that will have to wait till another day. It really is magnificent when you get out of the subway station, walk about a block and a bit and suddenly see the structure looming above your head. You probably need to walk another km to get the entire thing in one perfectly framed horizontal shot. All this is exhibited as evidence... photos below.

p.s. some are sepia, B&W attempts at high-art.
The couple in the last photo are Shreela and Abhi, whose wedding I attended in Cannanore about 2 weeks ago.

The Walk

2006-09-02T20:14:00.000+05:30

The walk to campus takes me about 25 mins, if I really hurry. On a cold day, this can be especially painful and even the windcheater can be a curse.

Ever had the zipper flick you on the knuckles during a brisk walk on a really cold morning? I didn't think so.

However when its sunny and right about now it is (touch wood, touch every piece of surrounding visible wood) its abso-blooming-lutely delightful.

The walk takes me through the Fontainebleau town center, the focal point of which is this Carousel or Roundabout around which the cinemas, restaurants, bars, hotels, Post Office, Town Hall are all located.

The Carousel

The Hotel of the Black Eagle (L'aigle Noir)

My walks though are now seemingly at an end with the purchase of a 2nd hand bicycle worth 45E. Comes with locks, bicycle pump and other standard fixtures.
Yes! (small fist-pump)

Entry about cycling to campus next up.

The Campus - A Sneak Peek

2006-08-26T15:59:00.000+05:30

During later weeks there will be more photos of campus but for now this will have to do. Laptop running out of batteries and need to buy a converter to plug this thing into the plugpoints available in the country and on campus. The store is closed.

The main block... housing the MBA office and the amphis.

The cafeteria as seen from the main block.

Inside the cafeteria, with a view of the Store - Footnote.

Looking past the cafeteria's sit-out area.

The Residences on the right.

French Kitsch

2006-08-26T15:22:00.000+05:30

When I wrote the tag line for my blog, it was meant to be firmly tongue in cheek. However, with incidents and studies bringing me to France, it allows for a certain "Hey... Cool!" feeling.

I'm now in Fontainebleau, completing my MBA at one of Europe's premier b-schools. I have atleast 4 months left here in which to visit Paris, travel through Europe, find a job that pays me several thousands a year, drink lots of wine and occasionally study.

With classes starting on Monday, I have some time in which to do a little sightseeing, get my eye in and get used to the onset of winter. This is actually supposed to be the end of summer but for an Indian, trust me, this is pretty much winter.

On my 30 min walk to campus I took a detour through Napoleon's Palace (or is it Cheateau??). It is rather jaw droppingly wonderful...

Several photos follow...

Kannur Snapshots

2006-08-23T10:44:00.000+05:30

Was in Kannur (also Cannanore) Kerala this past week, attending a wedding of a b-school batchmate. Kannur also happens to be my sis-in-law's hometown and this was my first visit. 3 other classmates descended on this little, beautiful corner of Kerala and much fun was had. If it wasn't for the fact that my camera batteries appear to discharge much faster than they normally should, much more photos would have been taken. Here's a glimpse.
Btw, did I say Kannur was beautiful?

From top to bottom:
Hotel Mascot (our little beach resort and 3-day abode) right on the water as seen from the Govt. Guest House walkway,
Ewa (another b-school batchmate) walking along the Drive-in beach 18km from Kannur on the Kannur - Calicut highway,
An aerial shot,
Sunset from the ramparts of St. Angelo's Fort,
Me on the Govt. Guesthouse walkway.

Its a wonderful place that needs to be filed alongside Wayanad, Thekkady, Munnar, Allepey, Kumarakom etc. as Need-to-Sees.

A Few Choice Emotions

2006-07-01T16:49:00.000+05:30

Another period ends here at b-school and I'm continuing my end of period tradition of poetry to summarise the period that ended. Wishing my batch and everyone out there a great summer and hoping to see some of them in 2 months time.

So here's the one for this period.

-------------------------------------------

I started this end-of-P poetry tradition
It has been hard to maintain
And so as this P comes to an end
I'm writing poetry again

But for the very first time out here
The end-of-P questions are tough
In P2 I wondered about our campus switchers
In P1 the z-curve was enough

I always thought life slipped by fast
Till P3 came passing by
The bloody thing is already gone
In the fractional blink of an eye

P3 has come to a sudden end
It has been a truly weird P
And as I struggle to make some sense of it all
My mind is all at sea

It would seem that a crossroad has finally arrived
What does it bring, this Summer Break?
Will you waste the hours in a dead-end job?
Will you numerous holidays take?

Will you spend the days on a sun-kissed beach?
Compare colours of tan lines?
Will you pine for missing classroom sessions
and relive old champagne fines?

Will you return to the firm that sent you here?
Do you feel responsible?
Or will you reject your old boss on flimsy grounds
bringing up a minor quibble?

Should you act to serve just your own benefits
to pass your self-set tests?
Do you react just to generate shock value
to spur others' interests?

Will you set your sights on uncharted waters?
Break a new industry's ground?
In the most unexpected places
will great success be found?

Will you pick a job for the money it brings
or for the relatively fewer hours?
Will you choose based on a glamorous location
or the extent of provided powers?

Will you choose for yourself a career path
based on where you want to be?
Or will you stand brave and alone in the flow of upcoming events
and simply say, "Let's See"?

Will you pursue what's been a childhood dream?
Will you quietly break the mould?
Or will you play it safe and stay in the same field?
Will you just do as you're told?

Will you spread your wings and take a risk
and throw inhibitions in the air?
Will you step unembarrassed, forward
like no one is watching; like no one else is there?

Will you slowly and steadily reinvent yourself?
Will this be the start of a rebirth?
Or will you attend every single class and career guidance session
to get your money's worth?

Do your future moves seem obvious to you?
Do they run unfettered in your mind?
Or are your moves based on a loan situation
on being in a financial bind?

Can you answer some of these questions raised above?
Can you be honest and true?
Have this year and the past 6 months' endeavors
made a better human out of you?

How will you choose to remember these times?
Will you sit back and reflect?
Or will you call a friend, share a beer and reminisce?
Will that have a better effect?

As you weigh these numerous options ahead
take your time, analyse your choice
Make your decisions and your promises firm
Simply heed your inner voice

You may meet in different times and in a better place
In the absence of sun or in the pouring rain
Irrespective of what you do from this point on
I hope the past months' memories remain

Before you leave now for destinations new
Before you embark on another quest
Before Singapore fades in your memories
Let me just say 'All the very Best'

Weddings are... awesome

2006-06-13T14:01:00.000+05:30

Just back from my brother's wedding in Chennai.
I love weddings... the pomp and ceremonies, the festivities, the food, the relatives, the photographs, the cocktail parties beforehand and afterward.

Some photos because everyone wants to see 'em.

And the Banned Played On

2006-05-24T22:30:00.000+05:30

While India waits to see if it will be allowed to watch 'The DaVinci Code', I went for the flick last week. I didn't think the book was a masterpiece, though it was mighty entertaining, and as a result went into the theatre expecting no more than high quality fast-paced, popcorn entertainment. Not so unreasonable, one might think... but as it happens the pacing is the film's greatest problem.

For those who've read the book, parts of the movie are bewilderingly, ponderously slow. Its almost (gasp) boring. I for one never found myself engaged by the characters or the story, worrying about what might happen next or curious about the next plot denouement. I suspect that this might be the case with many who've already read the book.

Most people who go to watch a film adaptation of a much loved book often do so trying to see how scenes they've imagined while reading the text, have been translated to film. The problem in such a contemporary film is that there isn't much wonder in the sights on screen. While some scenes from the crusades and the templar knights have been shot in a kind of unsaturated sepia, these scenes are too many and too frequent and we lose any sense of wonder pretty quickly.

A big advantage while filming a fantasy like the Lord of Rings trilogy is that no one really has an idea what Minas Tirith, Helm's Deep, Mordor or Rivendell look like and when Gandalf and Pippin come riding over the brow of the hill for their first glimpse of the White City, it truly is spellbinding. It also helps that everything in the LOTR films is so much bigger than anyone would have imagined.

While Paul Bettany is good and some scenes of his self-flagellation with the Cilice are truly cringe worthy and Sir Ian McKellen tries his hardest to make this film exciting, they don't altogether succeed.

Ultimately the DaVinci movie is a little too much like the book and adds very little to those who've read the book and pictured scenes in their head. Just like the book, its no masterpiece (and expecting one is folly) and provides a long 140 minutes (seems much longer) of escapist and not extremely entertaining fare.

Worth a watch for the hype and just like hype, a second helping isn't appreciated.

Will You Take the Journey?

2006-05-23T21:28:00.000+05:30

... at least that's the question I'm asking.

Charged with marketing the Summer Ball at INSEAD, the biggest challenge is in trying to build interest for this event, which is something like Prom Night except that it happens twice a year.

I've had fun with this, toying around with Photoshop and ArcSoft PhotoImpression and this is pretty much what I've come up with. These images go out on all the communication sent out by the Summer Ball Committee.

There's also a (in my opinion) fabulous video, riffing on Pulp Fiction, where we've dubbed over the legendary exchange of dialogue between Vincent Vega and Jules Winfield that takes place in the first scene of the movie after the title sequence. Yes, yes, this is the one where they're talking about Hash bars in Amsterdam and comparing Big Macs in Paris and America.

Sadly the photo upload utility in blogger is screwy (though I've finally got it working) and the video is a few Gig in size. So, about the video, hmm... we'll have to see.

...and as promised

2006-05-23T10:48:00.000+05:30

I can now strike off The Virgin Suicides and Rang De Basanti off my list.

About the Oscar nominated movies, I must say I'm leaning towards Munich. Though Spielberg does push the envelope a lot with several visuals enforcing 'messages' at various points in the film, there are several very visually appealing scenes and the pace of the film never slackens. Spielberg though is most effective while directing the commercially appealing scenes, as when a phone bomb setup to kill one person might find an unintended victim.

About Brokeback Mountain, I've read on many blogs the perils of attempting to watch such a movie in India. I think that can be extended to any situation where one is watching the movie with other Indians. People sniggered and passed comments throughout the movie until 'the scene', during which there was suddenly pin drop silence. For my part, the movie was much more engaging and effective post Jack and Ennis' first tryst on Brokeback Mountain. The attraction between them seemed just a tad sudden and not the kind that would keep Jack pining for months as he did. Or maybe that was the point. Maybe it was something impulsive and sudden and a love that deepened over time. Directed wonderfully, with restraint and love. Ang Lee clearly loved these characters. It takes a really good movie, based on love between two men, to not have you think, for the last hour and a bit, about the fact that it is a gay cowboy movie.

Will end with a bit about Sofia Coppola. Despite all the pans about her acting ability, or lack thereof, this woman can write and she sure as hell can direct. Her camera captures not just the characters and their surroundings, but infuses those surroundings with a life and a set of emotions all its own. This fact, so crucial to the success of Lost in Translation, where it is imperative for the audience to relate to the characters feeling out of place, is also very evident in her directorial debut feature 'The Virgin Suicides'.
Its the story of the 5 incredibly beautiful Lisbon sisters, whose actions give the film its title, seen through the eyes of one of the boys in the neighbourhood, in 70s America. Backed by a wonderful, as usual, soundtrack, this is a haunting, involving film that leaves you, like it does many of the characters in the film, wondering "Why?". One of the criticisms about Sofia Coppola's films is that they aren't about anything. While this maybe true, they are about a particular period or moment in time and observe characters' arcs and lives based on their action or reactions within that moment. And somewhere within the 90 minute movies she makes, within the dialogues, there is often a great deal of truth.
Her next film, her 3rd overall and 2nd with Kirsten Dunst, is a period piece about Mary Antoinette. I'm looking forward to that one.

RDB thoughts in the next post.

Update:
Since I'm comparing Oscar movies from the past year, I might as well give my thoughts on Crash. The main complaint against this movie is that the screenplay is unashamedly manipulative, the characters are all single dimensional stereotypes and only exist to serve the purpose of the moral of story.
When I watch movies, I am usually willing to give a movie certain amount of leeway if it is effective in communicating what it wants to. In terms of giving its message, Crash is extremely effective. Though I will not comment on whether the message of Crash is still relevant, I will say that it is very smartly written, very well acted (with Terence Howard and Matt Dillon in particular) and extremely engaging, if you give the screenplay a chance.
While I don't like comparing movies from different genres, I did find Crash more appealing than Brokeback (there have been others with the same opinion) and I do believe that Hollywood shouldn't have to award the Oscar to the movie that is the most ambitious or the one that tries more or is the most brave.
When lists are later made, a few years from now, I don't believe that Crash will be on the list of least deserving movies to win Oscar, as Gladiator, Ordinary People, Dances with Wolves and Chicago sometimes are.

Keeping Up with Movies

2006-05-22T12:42:00.000+05:30

Watching film and cinema is an important part of who I am and what I do. There was a time when my parents wondered whether my increasing expenditure on DVDs was worthwhile but I think they now realise that I'm more than just a casual movie watcher. I'm not a "have-to-go-first-day-first-show" guy at all and I'd rather watch a good DVD in the comfort of my own home and rewatch selected scenes again.

What this all means is that despite how incredibly busy I am with work, studies, assignments and marketing the Summer Ball (its our version of Prom Night), I've got to keep up with them movies.

So far the list of movies that I've seen for the first time while in Singapore include:
Munich
Brokeback Mountain
M:I 3
The DaVinci Code
Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learnt to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Magnolia
Dogville
Groundhog Day
The Constant Gardener
Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Repeat viewings include:
All the President's Men
2001: A Space Odyssey
The Princess Bride
Lost in Translation
Chariots of Fire

In my playlist for the coming weeks is Capote, The Virgin Suicides, Cache, Rang De Basanti (still haven't seen this one. I tend to neglect Indian cinema... something I shouldn't be doing).
My DVD collection has also slightly increased.
I keep promising to jot down my thoughts on some of these films before they exit the public consciousness but somehow I never get down to it. People would much rather read Roger Ebert, methinks, if they wanted a film review.
Maybe I should promise... film thoughts follow. Promise.

Holy Cow... its Wordsworth

2006-05-16T18:10:00.000+05:30

The best thing about blogs are the strange quirks about bloggers that you sometimes get to discover. It might take several hours of blog rummaging to discover why one of my favourite bloggers - India Uncut has this thing for cows but nevertheless it always amuses.

Why, the man has this post up, from where you can link to his 33 previous posts on these symbols of bovinity.
But that's not all, the man even has other people dedicate cow poetry and haiku to him.

This is more than strange, wonderful and bloody hilarious. This is INSPIRING.

So dedicated to all other cow lovers everywhere and in the likeness of the one poem I hated the most as a kid, here follows my poem: equal parts simple reflection on cow behavior and equal parts statement on human treatment of the cow.

The Daffodil Cow

I wandered lonely as a cow
That grazes 'neath the shady trees
When at once and upon me now
Was a blighted swarm - nasty bees
They had a death grip on my tail
I waved it 'bout to no avail.

I'm different from the rest and how
My qualities are not equine
I'm more than just a bloody cow
Goddamn it human, I'm divine.
I can give thee buckets of milk
Don't my udders feel like silk?

When I chew my cud and stand still
You honk your horn and yell out, "Move"
Oh human, take a nice chill pill
Such actions do not you behoove.
When you go nuts behind the wheel
How do you think we creatures feel?

Just look at what you do to us
Cows populated the epics.
Now you men simply yell and cuss
Pull our tails and make us do tricks
You treat us so; I curse you now
In your next life you'll be a cow.

(ok, so maybe I'm bored) :-p

The Ghosts of Weekends Past

2006-05-15T12:34:00.000+05:30

Classes are moving at their usual steady clip and the memory of the past 2 weekends grows ever distant.

2 weeks ago I was in Chennai, taking in the sun and the sand at MGM Beach Resort, sipping drinks in the shade, lying in a hammock under the trees and leisurely swimming in the resort pool. I played frisbee with cousins, had late night sessions of pictionary, ate at least 4 meals a day, slept more than 5 hours a day and even had time to catch an hour of an absolutely hopeless tamil movie playing in the theatres. It was life simplified, like a throwback to times when things were easier and more pleasant and when men maybe had fewer cares in the world.

I also ended up voting in the TN Assembly elections for someone (both the candidate and a party) who / that didn't win. What is it about the Tamil Nadu public and change? Not a single party has ever been re-elected since MGR in the late 80s. Weird.
The indelible ink on my finger is sorta becoming steadily delible but I'm still proud of it.

Evidence here:

This weekend was a little easier. Spent Friday night and early Saturday morning watching M:I 3 in the theatres. A detailed observation may follow but for now, it was wonderful seeing Philip Seymour Hoffman chew up the scenery in every scene that he appeared in.
Watched the FA Cup Final on Saturday night. Awesome stuff and played some lazy soccer on Sunday.
Did some DVD shopping while wandering Orchard Road. This is Singapore, so needless to say, they're all original. Dr. Strangelove, 2001, Munich, Groundhog Day, Capote etc. were purchased.
I probably won't have time to watch any of this while I'm out here studying, but this builds up my collection to about 3 figures and one can always hope.

This is a packed life and a packed schedule but I don't think I'd have it any other way. This feels like living.

On a Jet Plane

2006-05-09T20:50:00.000+05:30

Am in mid-flight on an Indian flying to Chennai. Its about 5 minutes into the flight and we're already atleast half an hour behind schedule. Though it pains me to so blatantly disparage the Indian domestic carrier, it looks like these guys or atleast this particular flight needs a bit of an overhaul.

Most of my Indian Airlines flight memories involve throwing up while landing at New Delhi airport while visiting my grandparents once a year for winter holidays. While I am now a marginally better flyer and now mostly fly Jet Airways, some other things have apparently stayed just the same.

The first thing that struck me when I boarded the flight was the music. It had been ages since I last heard it. In all the years since I last flew the airline, the music has stayed exactly the same. There's still the same piano and sarangi instrumental playing Indian film music from the 60's and its still songs from Raj Kapoor movies. Even Russians aren't that taken up with Raj Kapoor anymore. Come to think of it, were they only interested in his films because he made a movie about the circus industry? Probably not.

We taxied around on the runway for about 20 minutes. I'm not quite sure why that was, for no official reason was forthcoming, but it was probably just the pilot waiting around till he could figure out which button could shut off the god-awful audio accompaniment. Come to think of it, there was quite a bit of turbulence even during the taxiing. That was probably him hitting speedbumps, looking around for the music button and taking his eyes off the road.

I also kinda object to having food, sweets and soft drinks thrust into my palms. However the food on board is so much improved that I shan't complain too much about this.

I also have a few choice observations about other passengers but I'll leave that to later.

Methinks this isn't going to be my most pleasant flight.

Update: Music during landing was a lot better. Instrumental version of Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water". I must admit... I sang along softly.

The Great Divide

2006-05-02T20:53:00.000+05:30

This one is dedicated to all those of our amazing, talented, motley crew who’re off to Fonty and to those whose memorable exploits have provided fuel for these lines below.

The day ended, the clock ticked past,
That heart stopping moment drew near
That final exam finally was done
We'd completed 2/5th of the year

A realization dawned, that some
Would move to the other side
They'd pack their bags and sail the seas
It was time for the Great Divide

Would the End of P party be the same?
Would we still have as much fun?
Or would nostalgia permeate the air
When all was said and done?

Would it be right to now take stock?
Or is it too weird and too soon?
Would you say, "Are you nuts? What's wrong with you?
It isn't even June!"

Before some of us leave these shores
It would be fair to now look back
To recap some of the magic moments
We've passed along the track

We've swapped classes, Valentine dated women
We've lost Profs at Good Morning
We've cheered on classmates in the band
And danced till a new day's dawning

We've laughed aloud in CFP
We've groaned at jokes in POM
We've discussed power and politics
Disputed strategic form

We've poured Veuve Clicquot down the hatches
Mixed Red Bull and Smirnoff
Did you just leave your laptop unattended?
Oh! Hey! There's another log-off

We've pulled no punches at Raffles brunches
Played tennis to lose weight
Done aerobics on library tables
Pool partied at km8

We've stripped down to our boxers
We've gotten totally sloshed at Loof
We went surfing on every other weekend
Dropped eggs from the campus roof

We planned elaborate holidays
Like we wanted them real bad
We skipped the P's first classes
And made ol' Fatas hopping mad

We wandered around in between exams
In vastly varying mood
We've given up on the cafeteria glop
That sometimes passes off as food

We've celebrated an exam's end
With several rounds of beer
We've seen some of our campus couples
And wished for our partners near

We've slaved over intense group work
Done marketing at 2 am
We've watched other better reports returned
And wondered, "Why couldn't we do it like them?"

We've been through these 4 months together
We've fought each others' fights
We've exasperated at least one other person
We've been others' guiding lights

I approach the end, this tribute's almost done
To those who leave this place
May you have the same incredible parties
May you dance with the same drunken grace

May you think upon this time spent here
With a smile upon your lips
May not the words you said or the things you did
Be excess baggage around your hips

Finally,
To all those who leave Singapore, Remember
Though you be in another nation
That you were once an important, integral part of
INSEAD's Love Generation.

Flipsides

2006-05-02T15:59:00.000+05:30

There are good exam days and there are bad exam days and sometimes if you are really lucky, you get both all at once. Today was a rather fine example.

Managerial Accounting was pretty decent and could have been a lot tougher than it was. As it is, it was verrrry straightforward. In relative grading, such papers set the alarm bells ringing. When the grade distribution is narrow and everyone does well, one or two points can make a huge difference and nobody likes that. On the other hand, everyone likes the exam.

Corporate Financial Policy was a nightmare come to life. I can frankly say that I'd have done equally well or badly if I hadn't prepared at all. The advantage, if one can call it that, is that we'd probably have a wide distribution of grades and a high standard deviation. It means people, in all likelihood, won't fail.

Yes. Sometimes that's all that students aim for. We've all been there.

Tomorrow's the last exam for the period, after which some will leave for the European campus and some will leave for Wharton. Those who've exempted Process and Operations Mgmt will leave today.

It all means that we won't see some of our class again.

Its strange how the past four months have seemed like a lifetime. Maybe its because we feel like we've been in the wars and have fought battles and shouldered burdens together. I will miss these people and campus will seem just that little bit different when classes resume after the break.

My regular end-of-period poem (Period 1's poem is linked here) will follow but my next regular post will be on holiday from home in Chennai.

Total Solar e-Clips

2006-05-01T14:03:00.000+05:30

Quick post because tomorrow is exam day 4.

This link leads to one of the most delightful video clips from an Indian movie that I've ever seen in my life.
No further explanation needed.

Another clip from B-school. Our version of Chariots of fire. Presenting the first annual Tanoto Library Chair Racing Championship.
Fun was had... clearly.

Stories from the Archives

2006-04-30T16:08:00.000+05:30

An old post and an old story. One from my archives... also one of my favourites.

____________________

Daily Heroes
-------------

The man removed the ID card from his pocket and stuffed it into the front pocket of his leather satchel, as he paused before ringing the doorbell. It had been a long day at work and though not exactly unexpected, he was quite unprepared for the 3 foot high bundle of limitless energy who hurled himself at him in a smothering hug.
"Hi Pa", said the bundle.
He quickly recovered from the stagger due to the extra weight around his neck and managed a huge grin. He saw his wife grinning in the background.
"A cup of coffee coming right up", she said.

"I went to play in Krishna's house today. And do you know what he said??"
He smiled. The tiredness disappeared a little. He had no clue as to what Krishna would have told his son but after all that enthusiasm, he had to ask.

"No. What did Krishna tell you?"
"He said that when his Father works, he gets to catch bad people and for doing that he got a lot of prizes. Is that true?"
"Ummm... well Krishna's father works for the police. When he does that, he does get to catch bad people. I suppose it is true."
"Ohhh."
He sat down at the table, deposited his cup on the coaster and stretched his aching muscles lazily. His son meanwhile clambered on top of the table, sending his coffee cup to the edge, teetering perilously.

"So Appa", he started again, "what do you do at work everyday?"
He thought about that for a minute as his wife called out, "Keep it simple", from the bedroom. He took a large swig from his cup of coffee as his wife came out and joined them at the table, with the smile still writ large on her lips.
He extricated his wallet from his back pocket, took out a ten rupee note and handed it over to his son.
"Suppose you have some money with you and you want to give it to Krishna.."
"Why??"
"...just suppose you want to give it to Krishna but Krishna does not stay 2 houses away. Krishna stays in another country somewhere across all the oceans. It will take you a long time to go and give it him. So then you come to me. I can take this money from you and before you can count to 10, I can transfer or send the money to him across all the oceans. It is so quick, it is almost like magic. That is what I do."
It seemed to work and his son looked suitably awestruck.
"Let me tell Krishna", said his son, as he ran to the telephone.

"So that's all you do for 8 hours a day??" said his wife in mock surprise.
"Well you asked me to keep it simple and I think that was a very impressive explanation!" he said.
He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead as he picked up his coffee cup and walked over with her to the balcony. In the background they could hear their son on the telephone, evidently chatting with Krishna.
"...and my father is a magician", they heard him say.
"He can make something vanish from here and put it in any country across all the oceans..."

He heard the phone being replaced in its cradle. He frowned, as his wife laughed, clutching her stomach.
"Yes I'd have to agree. That was an impressive explanation" she said, still laughing.
"Maybe I should run my job description by him again", he said, draining the last of his coffee.
"Some other time. For today, you can be a magician."

She ruffled his hair and walked away, mirth, laughter and the distinctive twinkle still in her eyes.
He looked up at the twinkling sky and wrapped his arms around himself as a sudden gust of wind blew through the trees. The new magician said a quick prayer of thanks for his family and the job that gave him a life of luxury, before he turned around and headed back inside to freshen up before dinner.

Changes? What Changes?

2006-04-29T13:25:00.000+05:30

I'm now slap bang in the middle of P2 exams. What this means is that, after Wednesday, I'd have finished 40% of my MBA.
Strangely enough I don't quite feel that accomplished. I don't feel particularly changed or enlightened. Physically, I've been sleep deprived and have probably lost a few pounds (not to mention the several thousands of Euros spent on tuition) but mentally I just feel a wee bit exhausted.

Maybe buried under the surface, under the exhaustion, the lack of sleep and under skin thickened by numerous assignments, case studies and Saturday morning review sessions lies undetected, additional intelligence; a subterraneous reserve pool of mental faculties that have been accumulating for the last 4 months.

Maybe when I go back home I'll hear people say that I seem different and somehow more mature and confident. Maybe I'll be able to debate the merits of a certain financial policy or the demerits of a financial pay package which consist of stock options. Maybe I'm a little more institutionalized than I think.

Or maybe not. Will I know?

On Wednesday, after my last exam and after the 40th percent of my MBA ends, I head home for a much deserved break. I will take an Indian Airlines flight from Changi airport to let my body catch up to where my mind already is.

And maybe when I get home and I meet friends, family and would-be family, when I go forth and freak out, eat rich food, drink my usual drinks, have my usual fun... maybe then I'll know.

The Learning Curve

2006-04-26T23:15:00.000+05:30

This is just another poem. I'm trying to document my life here in a set of poems, marking down every momentous event with another few lines.
This was after the first set of exams, the P1 (period 1) exams, which ended end-February.

All you need to know before reading this is that we here follow relative grading with all scores plotted along a statistical Z-curve. The further you are away from the mean score, the higher chance of exam failure.

___________________

The plane touched down, we got to school
Our year here had begun
Before we knew it, we were sucked right in
To the ebb and flow of P1

It didn't take long to get overwhelmed
With all that coursework around
For several weeks, case studies whizzed by
And made the predominant sound

Then one fine day everything suddenly changed
A presentation was made
About P1 exams and what we'd have to score
To try and make the grade

There was something in it about a graph of marks
Was pretty complicated to see
To keep it simple, we'll leave out the stats
And simply call it Z

From that day on we slept a little less
We tossed and turned in bed
We dreamt no longer of sunny beaches
Z-curves were in our head

At school though, normal life resumed
We wore weird clothes and dashed
Distracted motorists stared open mouthed, mid-ride
And promptly swerved and crashed

We all felt that it made perfect sense
That the amounts of motorist swerve
And the amount of damage in any accident
Could be plotted on a Z-curve

The number of surfers, the number of bikinis
The height of waves in Bali
All this info could be represented
By drawing up a Z

In 8 weekends, if we'd got 8 phone numbers
If 8 girls asked us to call
The curve told us if we'd succeed
Or likely take a fall

When trying out for summer internship
Sending several resume
The curve told us the company's response
And just what they'd likely say

The Z-curve became an almost mythical creature
With several purposes to serve
Seemingly unrelated, independent, one-off phenomena
Were being attributed to the curve

The Z-curve wielded enormous power
Good friends made us see red
We argued that they simply studied too hard
And reduced the Z-curve spread

Everybody was talking about this blasted curve
It really made us sick
With this additional peer pressure on us
How on earth could we really tick?

We slogged through the last intense weeks
We battled through accounts
Our daily worries about the silly curve
Grew in exponential amounts

How we navigated through the intense exams
I really do not know
I realize that about the Z-curve stats
I wanna hear nothing more

I will not repeat the words ‘Z-curve’
I'll simply refer to it as *bleep*
Like its a swear word on a family TV channel
Censored for a ratings sweep

“Enough! No more!” my brain yells out
My mind is tired and dim
This *bleep* has occupied my mind’s vacant spaces
And overflowed the brim

I have just one final thing to tell you all
To try and ease my mental pain
I'll knock your bleeping head off
If you mention *bleep* to me again

A Valentine's Day Ditty

2006-04-26T23:08:00.000+05:30

Its been a while since I last posted as the excessive amount of b-school work ovewhelmed.
This post is a silly little poem written on Valentine's Day for someone on campus.

Its part of the orientation process. A group of 3 guys are assigned a woman to woo and take out to dinner. Its a way to get to know the class better. Wonderful experience and I'd say it works.

So here's presenting...

A Ditty for Ms. DeSmedt

Let us talk about a girl with a megawatt smile
Let us talk about this girl we've met
The girl who makes our hearts perform somersaults
The girl called Hilke De Smedt

You may wonder why we are so crazy about her
You may wonder why she casts such a spell
The emotions we experience are so incredibly divine
And yet so difficult to tell

Do we tell you that she laughs, and then a rainbow appears?
And wet weather takes a break
That just a single glance from right across the room
Can cause many a man heartache

Or that we love it when she throws her hair back and laughs
We're in delirium when she strikes a pose
When she grins a flash lights up in her eyes
And slight crinkles appear on her nose

Do we tell you how she looks so comfortable?
In class or at a Saturday night bash
Or even with an enormous “Tweety” bird on her head
At the annual INSEAD Dash

Do we need to tell you how she's physically perfect?
Can you not see that with your own eyes?
We wish she would just come over and talk to us
Just 3 love struck INSEAD guys

If she spoke to us we'd feel overwhelming joy
It is a feeling that we have missed
She could come over and say just about anything
Even just read a grocery list

Love isn't about being too proud to reveal it
Pride comes before a fall
Love is about being brave about your feelings
And shouting it out to all

Love isn't about treachery or dishonesty
Love isn't about deceit or perfidy
Love is about telling you, Hilke, that we think you're gorgeous
And that your love would make us giddy

I'm about to wind up Ma Belle Cherie
But I have just a couple of requests more
Please acquiesce to join us for dinner tonight and
Give us another thing to remember this day for

The venue is set, its at "La Braceria"
Perhaps some wine and some splendid food
Perhaps concerto violinists will play you a tune
To keep you in the mood

So on this day of love, Oh Multicultural maiden
Let us serenade you with many a line
But give our wounded and aching hearts some comfort
And finally, please, please be our Valentine

The Moment

2006-02-08T21:04:00.000+05:30

There comes a time with too much to do
When you badly need a break
When its past 2 am but you're too tired to sleep
You're restless and awake

In such a place I found myself
In the middle of week four
I was all maxxed out; had done so much work
But there waited so much more

I got out of bed and scratched my head
Stumbled absent-mindedly around
Seemed like all about me, life sped by
Flying at the speed of sound

I looked about in the pitch dark night
Did life never really stop?
I stepped out onto the 14th storey balcony
And silently surveyed the drop

Seemed like everyone was fast asleep
Though on the tennis courts below
Distant lights from the street lights
Diffused a pale, silvery glow

A sudden gust of wind blew past
Bringing temperature cold
"Let Go", said a voice inside my head,
"Just release your hold"

I closed my eyes and held my breath
Life suddenly slowed to still
Clocks, trees and birds cinematically stopped
Just held against their will

I smiled a smile of momentary peace
Work assignments melted away
There seemed infinite promise to a rising sun
And a start of another day

Things didn't seem as bad as it did first
Imaginary storm clouds cleared
And the silent voice inside my head said that
There was nothing to be feared

Time again stirred, my eyes sprung open
That moment had left my side
I'd used the moment so I turned my back
Upon the panorama wide.

I stepped back in and breathed a sigh
Life's signal changed to green
Life started to move and rushed right past
That magic moment in between.

Random Happenings

2006-01-25T21:27:00.000+05:30

Halfway point of week2 of classes. So far, not too bad. Each time I think I have no idea what's going on, I surprise myself with how much I actually seem to know.

Case in point... Financial Accouting.
Was picked in class by David Young to run through a Cash Flow Statements case. I actually passed muster and ran through the thing without problems. Full joy and what not...

Similar thing in Fnancial Markets and Valuation. Bonds don't seem to be a problem anymore. Woohoo!

Its Brazilian week on campus this week. Hosted by the Brazilian students, we have special screenings of movies like "City of God" and "Carandiru". We get guest speakers from the Brazilian High Commision or from their biggest retailer. We have a huge Brazilian flag in the foyer. We have special food and drinks. Its all a whole bunch of fun. The Brazilian week t-shirt is especially fun. See photo (click on it to see it full-size).

Next week is Italian week. I guess that means Pasta, Pizzas and a whole lot more fun.

In-House

2006-01-24T19:55:00.000+05:30

So finally, I'm posting photos up here.
This is what my 2500 SGD abode looks like. Thank God I'm sharing it with 2 others.

Drawing Room.

My Room.

Tennis Courts.

The View.

More photos will follow now that I've finally figured it out.

Its All About the Choices

2006-01-22T20:42:00.000+05:30

B-School is about working hard. B-School has wild parties. Irrespective of which of the previous two statements you believe, in B-School you don't have too much time.

The truth is, the first and second statements are both correct. In B-School, what you have is the option to choose exactly what you want to do. By answering a set of questions, your clear path emerges.

Which classes do I attend?
Which workshops can be skipped?
What are the supplementary lectures that can help me?
Which career guidance lectures are pointless?
Where are the 'happening' parties?

Its all about the choices you make. What you have here is the chance to reset your life or build on the one you already have. To freak out if you've been slaving for the last 3 years or finally knuckle down and get working. Its all about the options you choose and the choices you make.

There's just too much going on to allow one to attend everything and not be stressed out at the end of it.

Irrespective of the choices made, the path taken, you probably come out a whole lot more responsible. The fact is, how you end up after B-School is a direct result of the choices you make during your time there and the results of these choices can stay with you for a long time. Its just a little unnerving.

I'm off now. I choose to go and do my Financial Accounting assignment. If I don't, you see... I might regret it.

In between it all...

2006-01-17T14:08:00.000+05:30

... I have finally found the time.

People generally say a lot of things about the first week of b-school. With all that I've seen and heard, it is incredibly difficult not to be overwhelmed by the activities and traditions that I've experienced in the past week. Despite the hype, I've got to say that b-school's first week is vastly underrated.

In the past week, I've met people from Mauritius, Russia, Ghana, Poland, Japan, America, Hungary, Israel, Germany, Holland, Pakistan, Belgium, France and Spain and this is just in the back two rows of class.
I've seen student body get-togethers. We have Consulting club, Sigma club, Rugby club, Parenting club, Women in Business club. There's something for everyone.

In the pretext of team building, I've climbed ropes, crawled across planks and bricks spread over a large puddle while blindfolded, constructed a water balloon catapult, hit the nightspots, attended barbecues and generally had a blast.

I have attended sessions on Ethics, General Management, Financial Markets & Valuation, Financial Accouting, Leading People & Groups, Uncertainty Data & Judgment, a lecture on leadership and decision-making from the first Singaporean to climb Mt. Everest and classes have been getting better and better.
For god's sake, I've even managed to pass my French language exemption exam after only 4 months of studying it. This means I'm done with all French language study and language exams for the year. It means that recruiters could think that I could be air-dropped-off in some remote French village, trek back to the city in about a week's time and live to tell the tale (which from my career point of view, I hear, is a good thing).

I've even managed to squeeze in an hour and a half of tennis from which I'm still recovering, 2 trips for grocery shopping and 1 long train ride to Little India.

I'm still in my first week of classes. It's incredible just how much happens here. I'm like the poor little kid with his face to the restaurant window, taking in everything wide-eyed and in disbelief.

Things ought to get a little more hectic now when we have assignments due and pre-reading to do for classes and lessons get a little harder to comprehend. Somehow, I think I'll be ready and even if there's something happening at 3am, I'll have my eyes open.

Week Ends

2005-12-23T09:53:00.000+05:30

So, thus endeth the Business Analytics programme and my 1st week at b-school. My camera has been acting up, so no photos of campus or snapshots of life here. This will have to do for a while. Sorry.

Everything so far has been really good, right from the classes, the profs, the campus, the water fountains on campus into which unsuspecting freshers are thrown during graduation bashes to the parties that seem to happen almost every night of the week. There are some very red-eyed sleepy looking people in class every morning.

Other than the fact that I woke up one morning with a severely sprained left shoulder and neck, its been memorable. Can't wait for the programme proper to start off in January and for 100 odd students to arrive on campus. And when they get here I'll be ready.

Right now I have to head down to the campus gift shop and pick up b-school memorabilia for my folks. Yup, we have everything! Hohoho!

Overgrowth and Undergrowth

2005-12-21T22:05:00.000+05:30

You may have wondered from the previous two posts why MBA students have to grow wings, gills etc.
Well, its part of the territory. It isn't for nothing that this is supposed to be a growing experience. Instead of letting your money grow in the bank, you expend it on an education and now let your wings, gills and future earnings grow. Which will it be?
On the one hand your money grows and on the other side your wings, gills and future.
Hmm. Growth on either side.
Both sides balanced.

I Finally Follow

2005-12-21T21:41:00.000+05:30

The first week in b-school is the educational equivalent of being dunked in the deep end and held down there until you either die or grow gills, whichever is first. Most students, I am reliably told, grow gills.

My particular deep end had underwater lifeforms such as finance, financial accounting and quantitative measurement methods. It was kinda difficult, initially, to make out what these new creatures were, what with all the bubbles surrounding my head. It was all new and wildly colourful and yet after 3 case studies and several hours of industrious labour and slaving in breakout rooms and conference rooms with Microsoft Excel, T-Accounts, Balance Sheets, Income Statements and Cash Flows, I think I finally get the hang of it.

Yesterday provided the first of several unique moments. After finally completing a rather long case study, 5 euphoric grad students hopped out of campus to get dinner at an hour rapidly approaching midnight. On impulse, one of them while crossing the road shouted out, "Net Present Value", and cartwheeled thrice and onto the pavement.

Its going to be fun here. I'm learning as much about finance and accounting as I am about fellow students. As long as I can survive with 4 hours sleep a day, I might enjoy this.

Taking the Plunge

2005-12-20T21:30:00.000+05:30

The precipice is inviting. I'm standing right near it looking down and the view is fascinating. I'm tempted to jump because I think it might be better than just standing around where I am now, doing nothing. Despite the great height I can see faces of plenty of people down below. Black faces, brown faces, white faces; all slightly tired but happy faces. I wiggle my toes wondering if I can feel some sensation that will prepare me for what it will be like when I am airborne. It feels pleasantly uncomfortably like a sudden gust of cold wind on a day that's clouding over, that makes you suddenly twist and contort your body in self-defense.

The only thing holding me back is the fact that I don't have wings and that I'm terrified of crashing and burning on the mountain face on my way down. In my mind, if I listen hard enough I can hear voices that tell me that the lack of wings won't matter. Voices of the faces down below tell me they didn't have the wings when they took the leap either and that somehow wings always grow midflight.

I turn around and step backwards to the edge, my heels sticking out in mid-air. I say a silent prayer and do a vicious back-flip into nothingness.

My MBA has begun.

How To Increase Blog Traffic

2005-12-16T23:39:00.000+05:30

What every new blogger wants to try and do is increase traffic on the blog. As I see it, there are two ways of doing this.

Firstly, blog really, really well. Write public interest stories or those that a whole lot of people are interested in. Express controversial opinions perhaps. Criticize the government and plan an expose on corruption.

OR... Cheat! Like so...

Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Beyonce Knowles, Kirsten Dunst.

To all the weirdos who came here in search of these women... you deserve it. For god's sake, none of them are single, 2 of them are married and one of them twice. Grow up.
Oh and while you're here, leave a comment will you?

Peck on the Cheek - for starters

2005-12-15T19:26:00.000+05:30

Why?

Well firstly, I currently have a lot of free time on my hands, which is funny, considering I am attending classes for French and Financial Accounting and watching at least a movie a day.

Secondly... rather soon I'm going to be out of the country for a little while, attending b-school, and need a forum where I can let people know just a little bit of what my life is like.

Third... there are several bloggers out there who write wonderful blogs with wonderful posts and I'm tired of being an anonymous guy leaving anonymous comments.

Finally... I'll no longer have to answer people who ask me what I do all day.

I may not link to headlines that make news or those that don't but deserve to. There are far better bloggers who do that really well. What I hope to do is give myself a literary outlet, keeping friends and family in the loop, occasionally encourage a blogger, occasionally review a movie I liked or just comment on things I notice.

Hopefully, in time, this blog and its contents will improve and hopefully I'll get the odd comment ever so often.