The XIMB Chronicles - IV

It's been a week since my midterms ended and never have I had such an exhausting week so far. No no, physically, it was all fine. But, mentally, it was certainly another story altogether! And to top it all, the end seems nowhere in sight! Things were made even worse by the insane attack on Bombay in my own backyard!!! Maybe I will write more about that when I have calmed down enough to put down more than a few words before I start spewing out expletives worse than a sailor! 

Anyway, we decided to eat out for the weekend to dissolve our sorrows in yummy molten mozzarella cheese and well ground spicy bhaji. Err...for those who have not yet heard me go off on a tangent about food, I was talking about Pizza and Pav Bhaji, the former of which happens to be the favourite dish of my Economics professor, who can't stop explaining India's GDP in terms of pizzas sold! But enough about that! So, after running up a bill of a whopping Rs. 390 per head at Pizza Hut yesterday (yes, when you are a student, anything greater than Rs. 150 is 'whopping'!), we decided to spare our pockets and minds the heartache and go in for some cheap Pav Bhaji. Now, a plate of Pav Bhaji is a wonderful way of sharing gossip about your batchmates and also to catch up with each other's lives outside of campus. One such similar discussion was going on, when someone recommended that I watch a movie 'A Walk to Remember'. I have not mentioned the name of this someone coz I am not really sure if he/she would want to be named here.

Anyway, back to story! So deep was my frustration with academics that I conveniently forgot that tomorrow was a working day and sat down to watch the movie. Now, some 110 minutes later, as I am writing this, I am so happy that the someone had the bright idea of recommending the movie to me! What a brilliant movie! I suppose a person like say SSV (male/female) or S may be able to tell what my exact reaction was! But, it is still worth watching and "someone" has my deepest gratitude for recommending it to me.

Tag 20???

Looks like the tagging season has come round again. This time, it's a list of 20 questions. Well, here goes!!! 

1. If your lover betrayed you, what would your reaction be?

Well, I have not had a lover yet, so it's difficult to say. However, I like to believe that I wouldn't be pretty chuffed about it!!! ;-)

2. If you can have a dream come true, what would it be?

Well, I am hopefully on my way to achieving my boring, run-of-the-mill dreams. But, the one I would REALLY love to fulfil immediately is that of driving a BEST double-decker!

3. Whose butt would you like to kick?

Hmm...I guess all those people who had the temerity to question my actions without attempting to find out the rationale behind them.

4. What would you like to do with a billion dollars?

Set up a permanent holiday home in the Andamans and the Swiss Alps.

5. Will you fall in love with your best friend?

Can't say that I have been in this position before, but I guess I am not opposed to the idea.

6. Which is more blessed: loving someone, or being loved by someone?

I must say it's the latter because it makes ME feel special.

7. How long would you wait for someone you loved?

I guess a pretty long time, but it wouldn't be endless! 

8. If the person you secretly like is attached, what would you do?

Well, considering that I currently find myself in this situation, I would do what I am doing now. Be happy because she is happy, and HATE the ruddy plonker's guts!!! :-D

9. If you could root for one social cause, what would it be?

Well, I have to say it's imparting education about road safety. I have witnessed far too many accidents on the road just because someone wasn't paying attention, or someone was in too much of a hurry.

10. What takes you down the fastest?

Self-doubt.

11. Where do you see yourself in 10 years' time?

This is a standard question in interviews and I despise it! Well, I am not exactly clairvoyant so I cannot predict something 10 years down the line, but yeah, I would like to be in a position where I can feel free to say 'no'!

12. What is your fear?

I would have to say my biggest fear is being left all alone.

13. What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?

Hmm...smart, role-model, sarcastic, good conversationalist.

14. Would you rather be single and rich, or married and poor?

I haven't experienced the latter so I will root for that, as of now.

15. What's the first thing you do when you wake up?

Try to tell myself that it won't be long before I get to sleep again!

16. If you fall in love with two people simultaneously, who would you pick?

Well, I generally find it difficult to fall in love with one person, let alone two! So, given this unlikely situation, I will go for the one who reciprocates my feelings.

17. Would you give all in a relationship?

Generally, it takes me a rather long time to completely trust anyone. So, it would take ages but yeah, I would give all eventually.

18. Would you forgive and forget someone no matter how horrible a thing that person has done?

No, I don't think so. I may eventually forgive the person, but I don't think I can ever forget.

19. Do you prefer being single or in a relationship?

Well, I am already single so I suppose it's time to see how green the grass is on the other side.

20. List of  people to tag.

Normally tagging has not worked for me before, so I doubt it will this time round. Still, it's always worth a try. So, I nominate Riaan, Uday, Richa, Gaurav and keep two slots open!!! :-D

A to-do list?

Just recently, I saw the movie Dasvidaniya and I was really moved by it. A very simple concept of a cancer-afflicted person is portrayed brilliantly by Vinay Pathak. You actually feel like laughing or crying with him. Rajat Kapoor also does an excellent job.

Immediately after watching this one, I had to leave for IIM Calcutta, for participation in BT Acumen. We didn't manage to qualify for the final quizzing round, but I certainly managed to get in another good movie - If Only. As luck would have it, this one too was about death and how one should live life fully.

All this got me thinking - what would I like to do if I was told that I had a very short time left before I copped it? I know SB must be smirking at me from the US - after all, he is the one who takes pleasure in reminding me that I would most likely die much before anyone else in our friend circle! Anyway, getting back to the point - my wish list?

• Well, when I actually bite the dust, I would want to be remembered by the people I love with a smile on their faces, not a frown.
• I would like to experience love. I think the ending of the previous post would be a good start.
• As I have mentioned on this blog before, I would love to drive a BEST double-decker.
• I would like to reach a level where I never have to say 'no' to any legitimate need of the ones dependent on me.
• I would love to hold a little tyke who would stare back at me with the same green eyes with hazel flecks.
• Finally, I would love to have a day's warning so that I could really live it up kingsize!!!

The story of a smile

She has a ready smile for everyone. When she smiles, it's like bright sunshine, like the sun glistening off the top of the waves in the deep blue sea off Havelock. She loves to play with her hair. She has gorgeous shiny black hair that looks so lustrous that it makes me want to run my hand through those lovely tresses. She has a lovely voice that sounds so feminine and sweet. I could listen to it for hours...well, maybe not hours, but let's just say a long time!

But then, her smile becomes special when 'he' is around. It simply lights up her face as if she couldn't be happier. I sigh...at least I get to see her joy. Maybe someday, someone will smile like that for me, just...for me.

J K Rowling's Commencement Address at the 2008 Harvard Alumni Meet

A very nice speech...chk it out!!!

J.K. Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement from Harvard Magazine on Vimeo.

What is it about home?

• What is it about home, that I always miss it whenever I am away?
• What is it about home, that I cannot imagine life without it?
• What is it about home, that can make a simple dish taste like a gourmet one?
• What is it about home, that a mere thought about it can bring about a smile upon my face in the worst of circumstances?
• What is it about home, that I can never take a dispassionate decision about it?
• What is it about home, that makes me want to come back the day after getting back to campus?
• What is it about home, that makes me remember that I have a life outside of campus?

• What is it about home, that makes it...'home'?
  

The Brighter Side

Sigh! The first term's gone by, we've had our share of relaxation and JLTs, and now, it's back to the grind once again! One change I had been hoping for in this term was a significant lack of rain, so that I could drive around to my heart's content. Sadly, that wasn't to be. 

In fact, today, it was a proper downpour and it lasted for a good 30-40 min! So much for hoping for a shot at driving! But then, it had a silver lining. It rained so hard that I was reminded of Bombay with its regular torrential downpours. The only thing missing was a promenade like Marine Drive and of course, the mighty sea drenching the busy couples with salty water! 

Now that I am in my room thinking about all this, there's one thing that I just realised. Being here @XIMB has certainly taught me to look at the positive side of things. No situation is hopeless out here, else we would all be doomed!!! He He!!!

The XIMB Chronicles - III

The end of July finds me in the middle of my mid-terms. It feels like I hardly joined a week ago and it's already the middle of the first trimester! Very surprisingly, I found myself with a lot of free time yesterday after the FA test. Now before you guys get any ideas, let me clarify that 'lot of free time' indicates an hour or so of free time! The rest of the time was spent in playing NFS on the LAN!!! ;-) As usual, I did not need any prodding and promptly slipped into trance mode. Therein, I made a few discoveries.

• like how it's interesting as well as intriguing to wonder about what one generally wonders about while daydreaming.
• like how Mom's simple cooking feels like gourmet cuisine after eating the crap served in the mess.
• like how I feel better everyday in the morning when the Bhaina at the mess counter immediately guesses my drink of choice for breakfast everyday.
• like how I love riding my baby everyday, even if it is for the short distance of a hundred metres or so, to the mess from my hostel.
• like how it feels great to have learnt riding in Bombay traffic - Bhubaneswar seems like a breeze as compared to the melee that is Bombay.
• like how it hurt to hear that Scarlette was injured - she is currently in the workshop undergoing surgery! :-(
• like how normal it felt to be happy and sad at the same time coz R was going for further studies to the US.
• like how I don't miss my house, but the people in it.
• like how I miss reading Autocar.
• like how I am yet to fulfil my dream of driving a double-decker bus, especially when one of my batchmates has already driven her previous institute's bus.
• like how the citizens of Bhubaneswar feel that 60 kmph is 'way too fast'!
• like how the speed limit for some people is 20 kmph while for others, it doesn't exist at all!
• like how, inspite of the place I am in, I shall always remain a sort of misfit.
• like how I really miss S, especially after the previous thought came to mind.
• like how sometimes, there are moments when I really miss the hugs Mom gives me to cheer me up...
• like how coming to XIMB was one of the best decisions of my life so far.
  

The XIMB Chronicles - II

In no time, my third week here is drawing to a close. A lot has happened since the last time I posted. Firstly, there was the unofficial 'interaction' with the second year students. It was a nice mixture of mental torture and fun. It certainly wasn't pleasant when we were actually going through it, but now that I look back upon it, I have to admit that it was useful in some way.

Then came my birthday. I have never had such a yucky birthday before! I am sure my batchmates will disagree, but being dunked in all sorts of liquids like tomato sauce, milk, fizzy drinks and finally, water DOES NOT qualify as a pleasant experience! To top it all, it took me 6 washes of my hair with strong shampoo before I could move about in polite company and not smell like a rotten tomato! But wait, it was not over yet! In the very first class that day, the prof. decided to give us a surprise quiz! After 10 minutes of staring at the paper and then, 10 more minutes of fiction writing, the prof. finally realised that the quiz was based on a case that was never given in class! Phew! So much for hoping for a great b'day!

Now, the assignments have started in full swing and getting some decent amount of sleep looks like a distant dream. Sleeping in class has become a common occurrence (well, for me, at least!). It's somewhat weird, though, to watch the sun rise before retiring for the night - well, morning! Going by what the PGP II students say, it's gonna get even worse. Until then, I shall dream of being given a chance to dream!

The XIMB Chronicles - I

It's been a whirlwind four days on campus here. Registrations, dire warnings, red flags-green flags and what not! The only good part about all this is that I have finally found 3 more demented individuals like me who love to repel the so-called normal people wherever they go! I can even now picture Mom shaking her head sadly and telling me that I have once again lost the chance to make 'normal' friends! KS, PM and MS - take a bow!

Plans to get up @ 5 AM tomorrow for a jog! More later.

It all starts

Today, I finally bid adieu to Bombay for at least 2 years. The carrier chosen for this ‘august’ (well, june didn’t really fit!) occasion when Bombay could finally rise from the sea by a couple of inches was the newly christened Air India, because our bags totally weighed 76 kgs and that was the only airline offering 30 kg per head allowance for check-in baggage. Their mascot may be the Maharaja, but the plane as well as the service within was anything but fit for one! Looks like most of the population realised it long before I did! When we sat in our seats, the arm rests quite literally sprang off! No problem…the service engineer simply taped it back. That done, the crew readied the plane for take-off. Rattling and groaning, the plane started taxiing down the runway. Suddenly, there was sharp metallic crack. Further visual inspection showed that the meal tray for the seat in front of mine had suddenly decided to open on its own! Thankfully, the plane was nearly empty and none of the 15 or so passengers was occupying that particular seat. Now, I don’t know whether the pilot decided to actually relieve his tension and swig a drink or too, but it certainly felt like he did so. On the bone-dry runway, the plane veered from left to right in a manner that made Bombay taxi drivers look like school kids in comparison! Believe me, veering from edge to edge on a runway at take-off speeds is NOT a very pleasant experience. If one thought that this would end once the plane was airborne, one was sadly mistaken. Throughout the climb, the plane banked from left to the right like there was no tomorrow!

Matters weren’t much better later on, as the monsoon ensured that the flight passed through extremely turbulent weather. The halt at Raipur, after bouncing twice off the runway during landing, was just about the most comfortable part of the journey. During the climb to cruising altitude on the Raipur-Bhubaneswar leg, one of the overhead lockers decided that it needed some fresh air and flipped open its lid! Thankfully, due to the abysmally low number of passengers on the flight, there was no luggage in that locker and no one was hurt. However, this time, the crew did not detect the anomaly and the locker was successful in its quest for fresh air for a good 20 minutes, before the snacks were served by the crew!

Thankfully, there were no more scary incidents apart from the slight skidding of the plane on the wet runway in Bhubaneswar. I am pretty tired after this whole ordeal, so I shall probably sleep for the rest of the day now. More later!

Summer Vacation Travelogue - Part 4

Today, we were scheduled to travel to Pune. Once more, we had an early breakfast and started off. Traffic was sparse and we made quick work of the Amboli-Belgaum road, which we had traversed a couple of days earlier. But, the real fun started after Belgaum, when we got onto NH-4. Towns were dispatched in a flash and Kolhapur was reached in 45 minutes. A quick lunch, and a petrol top-up later, we were on our way to Pune. We were there in another 2 ½ hours. The best part about this drive was the reactions of the hapless drivers puttering around in their Jeeps/Esteems/Altos/Omnis, when a beauty like Scarlette zoomed past at 160 clicks. Some just braked, while others panicked due to the gust of wind and swerved wildly to the left! It sure felt nice to know that I was now one of the people I called maniacs, back when I drove our old M800! Tomorrow morning, we get back to Bombay.

Summer Vacation Travelogue - Part 3

An early breakfast, and we were off to Sawantwadi. Nice road to Sawantwadi through a twisting and turning ghat. We reached the place in an hour’s time. There, we saw an innocuous looking signboard which proclaimed that Panaji was 62 km away. Dad and I looked at each other and in a trice, we were off! NH-17 is an excellent road which tests your overtaking and cornering skills. Brilliant piece of tarmac if driving and hobby come in the same sentence for you! The Goa govt. seems to take the upkeep of its roads very seriously. Looks like the other states could learn something here.

Lunch was a much laid back affair on Miramar beach and consisted of brilliantly fried Surmai (Kingfish) and Chilly Crab. I would have loved to wash this down with a glass of local port wine, but I was driving. Half a grand exchanged hands for a kilo and a quarter of cashews, and we were back on NH-17.

We also stopped over in Sawantwadi on the way back, as originally planned. It seems that this is the place to visit for all sorts of wooden handicraft. We also found Alphonso mangoes being sold here for Rs. 90 a dozen! All the appropriate purchases were made and a couple of hours later, I am back writing this.

Summer Vacation Travelogue - Part 2

Since we were knackered after yesterday’s drive, we got up late today. Turns out that most of the points provide a beautiful view early in the morning. Since that was not an option at 11 am, we decided to visit Mahadevgad point and then, drive to Belgaum. In the process, we made a discovery that it is NOT a good idea to execute a 3-point turn when the road is uneven. A scary wheel-spinning moment a few inches from the edge of the ravine later, we made our escape from the point, leaving behind the smell of burning rubber! The drive to Belgaum was pretty uneventful in comparison. In Belgaum city, we had lunch and purchased a few packets of ‘Kunda’, which is the local speciality.

We spectacularly got lost on the way back, thanks to a political party’s poster stuck over a signboard! A 30 km detour later, we managed to find our way back!

We have decided that we will visit Sawantwadi tomorrow. The only problem is that I will have to get up early for that!

Summer Vacation Travelogue - Part 1

Finally! I woke up an unemployed man! I never thought that the day would dawn when I would be happy about this! But hey, shit happens!

It was also the day when we would finally take out Scarlette on a long holiday – stretch her legs, so to speak. We had a nice and early 7 am start and thankfully, there was no traffic till Kharghar. Scarlette responded beautifully on the expressway too, and we were in Pune, come 9 am. Satara came up a couple of hours later. This made us decide to skip lunch at Satara, and take a call when we reached Kolhapur. Little did we know what sort of impromptu entertainment we would be subjected to! We went to a nice looking hotel in Kolhapur, which advertised an AC Family Room. We discovered that there was indeed a family room. The only problem was that the AC was not switched on. We pointed this out to the waiter and he told us that there was a power cut. When asked whether they had a generator, he replied in the negative. Now, this was extremely puzzling, especially because I could easily see a couple of fans working! When I pointed out this anomaly, the waiter scratched his head and went to his boss for clarification. He returned with the explanation that the AC was not working. We protested and told him that if he was not prepared to provide us with AC comfort, we would look for a different restaurant. One more visit by the waiter for confirmation later, the AC remote was produced from some alcove and the AC was finally switched on! A few minutes after we had taken our seat, we began to feel a distinctly warm breeze, which was definitely not coming from the AC. Further investigation revealed that the windows in the room were still open! No harm done, right? We called the waiter and told him to ensure that all windows were closed. He was successful in this endeavour as far as the first window was concerned. When he went to the second one, he discovered that the window did not have any shutter at all!!! The less said about the food there, the better!

A couple of hours later, we were finally in Amboli. Nice place, cool weather. All in all, a nice getaway from hot ‘n humid Bombay! More later.

A Step in the Right Direction???

I had been to Sterling Cineplex last Friday to watch U, Me aur Hum. Once the show let out, we were waiting by the side in order to let the crowd pass. Suddenly, a family of HUGE people passed us on their way to the snacks counter. Now, people might say that being the person I am, calling people huge is like the pot (in this case, quite literally!) calling the kettle black! But, believe you me, in front of those guys, I would have qualified as 'nice and lean'!!!

But then, that's digressing from the issue. They were carrying a baby that was chooo cute!!! I know...I know, me calling things cute is unheard of, but hey...there's always a first time for something! Anyway, this kid had huge eyes which were EXACTLY like mine, down to the minutest of colour detail. I was totally mesmerized and kept on staring at the poor baby like it was an animal in the zoo. Said baby decided to return the favour without flinching!!!

Later, when I was driving home, it struck me that finally, a baby didn't burst into tears after looking at me! Some achievement, eh?

Results...aarrrghh...results!!!

So, finally all my interviews are over. Now, the excruciating wait begins. However, there is one piece of good news. I am certainly going in for management this year, coz I already have a GIM convert. However, the biggie is XLRI - fingers crossed for that one.

A lot has happened since I last wrote.

• I had my first bike accident...nothing serious, but man, it sure is scary when you start aquaplaning and wonder whether your shoulder is gonna pop out again, after a good 4 years.
  
• India won in Australia and the media promptly dubbed them as world champions.
• We continued to suck at hockey, with Mr. Gill spouting out one idiotic statement after another!
• Force India made a horrible debut, and the Iceman didn't have better luck.
  
• Another one of my classmates (V) is tying the knot. Kinda makes me feel old. SSV will know what I mean!
• The 'old' feeling is accentuated by the fact that in no less than 3 interviews, the interviewers had a hearty laugh at my expense, making wisecracks about how I must already be a 'manager' somewhere, or how I don't have a girlfriend!
• I flew 4 times with Kingfisher and frankly, the air hostesses are not all they are hyped to be! I mean, it's like they are half a mile beauties. Occasionally, you may find one who is really pretty, but then a closer look tells you she's wearing those horrible coloured contacts! Eeewww!!!
• I was convinced that Bombay still has the best public transport system in India, after visiting Bangalore.
  
• I found a nice joint in Bangalore called Chicken County in Gandhi Nagar, where you get a whole Grilled Chicken for just Rs. 110! That's cheap, man!

More after the results are out!

Read a Newspaper for information??? You must be joking!!!

With all the management interviews coming up, everyone I meet recommends reading newspapers. Definitely good advice, but I can't help but recall this excerpt a friend mailed a few months ago. The setting is the British Prime Minister's Office, where the PM, the Cabinet Secretary (Sir Humphrey Appleby) and the Principal Private Secretary (Bernard Woolley) have gathered to discuss an impending national crisis about which they have precious little information.

Finished with Bernard for now, Sir Humphrey turned back to the PM and wiping his mouth with his handkerchief — “I suppose we could leak this to the press and hope that they can dig up more information for us.”

“Don't tell me about the press, Humphrey” countered the Prime Minister, “I know exactly who reads the papers: the Daily Mirror is read by people who think they run the country; The Guardian is read by people who think they ought to run the country; The Times is read by people who actually do run the country; the Daily Mail is read by the wives of the people who run the country; the Financial Times is read by people who own the country; the Morning Star is read by people who think the country ought to be run by another country; and the The Daily Telegraph is read by people who think it is — none of whom we can trust with this crisis.”

“Prime Minister, what about the people who read The Sun ?” asked the Cabinet Secretary.

“ Sun readers don't care who runs the country, as long as she's got big tits” Bernard shot back.

What a Month!!!

Phew! What a month it has been. It all started with me giving the best competitive exam of my life. Then, came the various entrance exam results. The proverbial feline which haunts the dreams of many a management aspirant had spat and clawed at me, causing me to emerge badly scarred. Never again am I going to go near that one! JMET was decent enough that I could harbour expectations of getting calls from at least some of the lesser fancied IITs. SNAP yielded what I thought was a good result. Unfortunately, SIBM and SCMHRD did not concur.

Then, on a nice and wintry Friday evening, PG started flashing that XAT results were out. With increasing trepidation, I checked out my performance. My confidence at the beginning of the month was vindicated. I had a call from XLRI! Whew…my first call! I immediately enrolled for GD/PI prep at the same place RMLR attended last year. Little did I know that they were %#^%#$#* slave drivers!!! I could kill RMLR now! ( I know…I know, it will help me blah…blah…blah, but hey, that doesn’t mean I wont enjoy killing RMLR if I see him anytime next month! :-D)

And now, for the icing on the cake. I just found out that I had secured an ‘A’ on the BEC Higher exam, conducted by the British Council! Come to think of it, I don’t think I have had a better month, ever!

Happy New Year

So, we are finally into 2008. Now, as I look back at 2007, I feel that I didn't really achieve much. I mean I missed out on getting into a good mgmt. institute, there wasn't much value addition in terms of my job, either. Hell, even the New Year's Eve party I attended last night seemed lame. But, that is probably because I am sub-consciously comparing it to the fun I had during Christmas with SSV and SSV(female).

But then, there is a whole new year, with a whole new basket of opportunities to look forward to. Maybe, I will finally get into mgmt. Whatever the case, I hope the year makes me a better person. Here's to 2008!!!