Strange Ramblings

It has been said aplenty, "Life is a Journey. And the Journey is more important than the Destination." More often than not, if you follow this principle, you'd be left in good stead. So ditch all the long term plans, and live in the moment. Or a collection of them, like Graduation. One can truly break that in your face  question of Why MBA very easily. From where I stand, it is likely to be one of this: Break away from your undergrad university where you weren't exposed to your dream opportunities A complete U Turn, in terms of the chosen path, say from an Electrical Engg to IB Bored and hence getting back to the good ol' student ways, meeting people partying, lazing around Obviously, the whole concoction of stuff starts way before the actual gassing up  in a MBA. So you would be averse to yourself, and come up with THE answer, which would mostly border upon the first two. Rightly so, it ain't a small investment. There always will be people that...

The Road Less Traveled "It's always about the journey"  I just arrived back from the Maha Kumbh, Allahabad, and I feel overwhelmed; Not at the mysterious religious beliefs that a place like Kumbh and Sangam would hold; after all, we'd have to live another 144 years to experience another, but at the very fact that I have started to feel more comfortable living out of my suitcase, on the road, than with a closet, and the fact that that happens only once in 144 years. So why should we Travel at all.. I am sure you'll find your own reasons, as soon as you take that first step out of your city. For me, it has always been for the love of the experience. Loose term, yes, but you'll get it once you travel. And for the uninitiated, Experience can be about that clear blue green water, the golden sand, the rocky coastline, the twinkling starry sky, the fresh soft snowy morning, the blazing hot sun. But there are finer tastes to travelling than the landscape and ...

I never would have imagined such a day, in existence. I surely can call myself a Reader now. What kind, is still a mystery. But what entails is, give me a random piece and I would eat it up. Keeps things interesting  and that is how I see it. It is a matter of perspective after all. And what pushed me to finally write this, after putting out for long, is a fellow blogger. Perspective, is something that our brain is wired to have. And it is at the heart of what makes your personality. You often draw from these very experiences to give you direction in time of need. I truly believe one would be lost if they don't form their opinions. Key though remains to avoid overdoing and be open minded when it comes to people. Everybody makes mistakes. Where am I getting with all this bull, you ask? It's the other side. I am an opinionated person to an extent. I do believe though, I am good at reading people somewhat. I am rigid, and also, flexible, if only you reason wit...

" Commerce changes the fate and genius of nations " - Thomas Gray If anything, reading the concept note, and making that revision for the umpteenth time, has ingrained this particular quote in my mind. For right reasons, I would have to say, because it is true to the hilt. I call this phase of my life as  Do Not Disturb . Why is it appropriate you ask? First thing, my demeanor itself,  over the past few weeks, gives it away. There was perhaps a hint of conscious decision in the way I carried myself around people. Conscious, because, it makes it easier on me to work that way. Focused, and absolutely no frivolous tasks or banter. But everything has its own time and place. Precisely why I ended up free beyond college hours, most of the day. Life had not stopped, changed yes, but there was still time to indulge, as always. And that is what was my first takeaway from the experience. Secondly, was what people around me complained about. Right...

Flick. Fly. Fumble. Fall. Flash. Finish. That was me, playing with the idea of this. I had wondered, a good few months after the 1.0 chapter ended, what would it be like to be on the other side. Vague theories and unreasonable visions are what I got. But it all amounted to the fact that the conceptualization of the whole event, would be nothing less than adrenaline pumping rush. Such are my vested interest in the event. And for good reason . I remember what we used to say about the host last year. Let me just put it this way, it was like someone had left a mad dog after us, who even kept wagging his tongue and showing his teeth now and then. Such was the craziness that he brought to the table. I just hope that I was not that same dog, rather a pacified one, baring my teeth only to smile. But one thing that I remember is him commending me on the way we went about it this year, and he had only a small glimpse into the big picture. And it simply wouldn't have been the same witho...

(Courtesy: www.phdcomics.com ) We all go through it. Why run from it. Embrace it.

Warning: This post puts the T in Tacky, the M in Mushy, the G in Gooey, yada yada.. I Hate Goodbyes. Period. And the only thing that makes them bearable are the smiles. After all, you want to leave the person in front of you with a last smiling memory. I guess its hard for all of us at some level. Exchange was a big part of my MBA plans. I had this rosy picture in my mind, of how I would be an amazing experience to meet people from all across the world, to travel all across Europe, to see some of the history that made studying 'History' interesting. Did it live up to it, you ask? Much, much more. The bliss on making it through the selection for exchange program was something else. I remember that instant when I got the call quite clearly. I couldn't stop smiling the whole day, and to cap that more good news followed ( more.. ), I was blessed. That ting in your voice, when you see a kid getting excited over candy, that sparkle in your eye, same as when a kid gets exci...

People like to claim a lot of stuff. And so the name of this event was kept "Corporate" Roadies <Notice the quotes> Idea Inception Possibly from the host's particular liking for MTVs Roadies. Probably from the PDPs main "anchor" being compared to Raghu. The Auditions " You know that you are here voluntarily "  You ought to say such lines before taking one's case. One should after all know the reason of the ass whopping that one is about to receive. And that 'voluntary' just kicks off the mind games part of it all. The experience bordered on unpleasant for most of us. It was like the ragging we never had, though some of us did end up laughing their guts out at the effort it took some of the judges to emulate the real ones (Some just don't have the face, or the stomach to get ugly). At the end of it all, 8 of us were branded as Roadies. The "Corporate" Part Enough with the exaggerations. Not to forget, we were in a B Sc...

One of the feeble reasons why I came to Qatar is that I didn't want my Passport to expire again without getting some kind of stamp on it. I could have just flown off for a vacation to Bermuda instead, but then I’d have to have paid for it ;) With 2 more days to go in the desert, it feels about time I capped my stay here with one last writ (albeit more of a photo journal) from these lovely foreign shores.     26th July 2009   The day I embarked upon my professional journey. The day I set foot upon unchartered territory. Feelings and emotions overwhelming my psyche. Feelings like anxiety, excitement, fear, awe and the feeling that everything around you is getting bigger.    

... you pay more for drinking water than what you pay for fuel. ... you sweat buckets within 5 mins of standing under the sky in aug - sept. ... you get high quality Sheesha. ... you fail to see a single cloud for like 10 months a year. ... you see or not see the burqa-clad women wherever you turn your head. ... you find most of the retail, banking and other public services snoozing off midday around the year. ... you wake up at 3:30 am to get to the office for a few months. ... you cough up 130 Rs. for like 5 pcs of GolGappe. . .. you get a whiff off a butchery shop in the most poshest of malls let alone street shops. ... you pay over 800 Rs. to watch Avatar in IMAX 3D, the theatre o'course still being not upto Indian standards. ... you have the biggest football game in Qatar history in 2-3 weeks and still the authorities are clueless about everything starting from tickets. ... you are stopped from entering malls and restaurants on a friday stating re...

Yes, I was bold enough to get bald . Just hope that you recognize me when our paths cross on some random street. So this is how I spent last Friday.  Worrying at first. Should I or Should I not. Getting to the barber's and going for the same ol' boring cut. "Oh what the heck, dekhi jaayegi"  kinda attitude to stop the barber in between and go with the trimmer. Indecision was a big part of the whole affair. Just wondering if all the first timers had such difficulty in going through with it. All said, I am glad that I did it and it has turned out pretty darn well. You might feel compelled to ask Why? For me it was more of curiosity about how i'd look and how it'd feel and the little thing called now or never .  'Delighted' is the word that describes my current state of mind. The small joy's that it brings like finally being able to ditch the everyday combing, the feeling of a well-mowed grass on your head, the water droplets reaching your skull...

Ego and Arrogance. These two traits are possibly the most annoying ones, that one can find in a person. And yet, they are probably paramount in one's character. The trick here is to achieve that 'right balance'. You might be inclined to ask me what that right balance is. But unfortunately, that eludes me too. Perhaps someone experienced in Human Psyche might be able to enlighten us, though I am not sure. However, all said, I am sure of one thing: If you go through life with your eyes open, you are bound to see SIGNS that will urge you to strive for that balance .  Signs that I have seen often and neglected a tad more than I should have. But, as I say, Sun seems brighter when you start staring at it. (O'course, your eyes have to have that potential). Anyways, My ongoing stint in Qatar bought a couple more eye-openers of that eternal fight between 'david' and 'goliath', between 'too much' and 'too little'. Considering that we live in ...