...nightmares....and spreadhseets...

last week was my first touch with work pressure...and i mean pressure thts worse than a guy who hasnt shat for 7 months...!!

am working on a model. a project feasibility model. we wanna see if the project tht we abt to undertake makes business sense for us...and if it doesnt, then how can we ensure that it does. so basically...whatever happens...we will do the project...!! we jst hv to show tht it will work as well...

as wud be obvious...any such feasibility model....will hv its dose of P&L statements, balance sheets, cash flow statements...and the works.

now anyone...who has ever come in close contact with me...including the one i passed while coming out of the elevator this morning...knows tht my sole purpose in this world is a 3-step process...

Step 1
find out who was the guy who made the 1st balance sheet in the world...! the P&L statement or the cash flow statement 'inventors' will also do...

Step 2
find out if he is still alive...! chances r tht he is not...!

Step 3
find out who are his living descendents. and then aka 'the da vinci code'....bloody launch the worst ever cult group to wipe tht entire race. in the process...also attempt to remove all possible traces of accounting in this world...and alongwith them...the god damn accountants...!!!!


which...translated in english language....means...tht i hate...i mean...ohhhhh soooo muuuchhhh....HATE...acounts...! it was my first B-grade at ISB...and if it wasnt for AP, GC, AG and the likes...i wud hv sunk without a trace...!!!

so...it was torture...all the way...and its not funny when u come up with your version of the model...and are told..."uuuummmmmm....cash balance...can never be negative....but good try...DODO..."

it was so bad...tht the past 4 days hv been the following:

- dreaming...no no...nightmaring...about the spreadsheet....! nightmares about my life being a bloody balance sheet wherein my weight is adding on....to the liabilities side...! cash flow statement...and what the F is capitalization...

- sitting in the loo...ostensibly shitting...for 45 mins...with my ISB accounting book...!

- at the shop, after realizing tht i am out of monies...asking R.."tere paas cash flow hai...????"


the model is done...and i think...its comes out well...! thank god...

~a

PS:

1. for all those concerned...i think its almost a proven fact now that consulting is possibly the only field which required you to hv paid attention during your MBA. possibly speaks for the reason why they always look for the toppers...!
2. AD topped the marketing course at ISB. which speaks for the fact that he hasnt been studying...cause it wont hv happened if he did...! :)

...and where do u come from...

the other day i was explaining to my manager the concept of a blog...the same way someone explained the concept of an orgasm (THANK YOU) to me...only a few days back...!

so anyways...he asked me a good question..."how does the world come to know of your blog"..."and how is it that you know of others"...

at that time i simply answered that you start circulating your blog amoungst your peers...so on and so forth...and the network builds. and its the same way that you get to know of other blogs..

and then...i went to my sitemeter...and checked out stuff. to my surprise..almost 70% of the clicks on my blogs r through referrals. which basically means they are unsuspecting individuals browsing some really high IQ blogs...until destiny takes them to mine...!

additionally...i also found that my blog comes up on google for the weirdest of all searches:

Search # 1
yana gupta lipstick ad (http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=yana%20gupta%20lipstick%20ad&meta=)
WWWWWWWTTTTTTTFFFFFFFF

Search # 2
who has remixed yeh zameen gaa rahi hain (http://www.google.co.in/search?hl=en&q=who%20has%20remixed%20yeh%20zameen%20gaa%20rahi%20hain&meta=)
holy shit...!!!!!

Search # 3
What does Ankur mean (http://www.google.co.in/search?hl=en&q=What%20does%20Ankur%20mean&btnG=Search&meta=)
thank god for a sane search


so...where do u come from...?

~a

PS: funny things are happening to me on orkut nowadays. next post...dedicated to..."adventures on orkut"

...my 1st touch with 'bschool racism'

u always hear about it...but never wanna believe. and then it finally happens...and u r left thinking..."shit...it was true..and i never believed..."

my current team is an all IIM team...and if you are in consulting...the chances of this not happening are equivalent to that of america's hottest model with vital stats of 40-40-40..! and its an awesome team...i love all 3 of them...cause they r fun...and extremely smart...and very very professional and hardworking.

however, it jst happens...and invariably atleast once a day...when i get that random.."oh tu to yeh kar lega...tu isb se hai..."..."tu likh le yeh slide...tu to isb se hai...english to sikhaate honge..."

given me...i jst laugh it off....or better still...join in...."nahi...maine english waala elective nahi liya tha..."..! but then i do think...i hope thye r not serious. i mean...i hope at some level they really dont have that iim vs isb attitude.

whats fuels this thought is the fact that my 1st team...which too was an all iim one (40-40-40...yeah...the same joke..!)...never did anything like this. yah...there used to be those..."these guys are kings yaar...they r frm isb...used to ACs all day and room service.."...but then...extremely rare. meant more as a filler statement than anything else...

anyways...probably i am thinking too much into it. work has been quite demnading...but not hectic. the standards r really high...which is good in a way. although its really demoralizing when you dont reach up to them. i can say that i havent been performing the way i would want to...

leaving for home in 2 hrs...! life is a travel bag...

life's good..

:)

~a

india...one and a half days...

so remember...whenever consults try to mesmerize you with those bloody flybacks...think twice before you start having orgasm..

reached home at 6am thursday morning. was kinda tired because of the midnight flight...so slept..and woke up at 11...!

left home at 4pm on friday...rushed to office to file my expenses...and then caught the 9pm flight...

flyback...wasssuuuuuuuuupppppppp...!!!

but then yah...something is better than nothing. coming out of office on friday...i wished i cud go back to the time when i used to go home frm office...! i mean..even if at 8..or 9...(well...once even at 1am)...i was going home. and not some swanky...touch me oh so not...hotel room...! but then...thats life...

caught an awesome movie this wednesday "over the hedge" with A. awesome movie...had an absolutely brilliant time..completely hilarious and wonderfully crafted around a rather stupid storyline. muct watch..

then thursday (god..whats with me...am turning into a movie critic or something)...watched Corporate. wtf dude...does raj babbar have any..i mean ANYYY...idea of what market capitalization is. who in this world...while talking to normal humans...makes statements such as...jaante ho kitni badi company hai...iss company ka M-A-R-K-E-T C-A-P-I-T-A-L-I-Z-A-T-I-O-N 6000 crore hai...! i mean...for god sake...this is not vajpayee land..its business..!

overall...rather stupid movie...very factual though..will give you a insight into how businesses in their worst form function...and how everyone seems to be running by the "the social responsibility of business is to make profits" paradigms...!

on the way back...watched RDB again...and cried yet again...! thats a movie...thats a movie...!

work is coming along well...am having orgasms over the model i am creating nowadays...hv done it right frm stratch and its so much fun. i love excel...(can see E going..."hadnt i been sayin it...i'd been sayin it for god damn yrs..")


net net:
dubai is a nice place...but delhi rocks...
and dont travel air india...if u dont like watching the same movie..and the same food...for a month..

life's good...

~a

1st set of Dubai snaps

there u go...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/warikoo/sets/72157594192530925/

~a

...an 80 yr old start-up...

its a tough job...and now i realize why...

when companies come on campus...motherhood statements are made by the dozen..

..."we are ranked first in the north delhi pin code 110004 IT shops based off the DDA market"
..."our employee satisfaction is amongst the highest in the world...says our VP, who is no more with us"
..."revenues hv grown by 12%...which is indicative of the times to come...(yah right...the industry grew by 30%...so we can foresee the times!!)"

but then...some are genuine...which is what makes their job that much tougher. i mean...amidst the pleathora of companies that come and do a belly dance at ISB...its not easy for the students to distinguish the good frm the fibbers...! when everyone is talking about the same thing...how the hell does one decide the pecking order.

and this...ultimately...and unfortunately...results in a simple criteria. more the money...better the company...or atleast...if not better...thats where i am gonna go...

was just reading an interview of Anne Deering (http://www.filefactory.com/?dad350), a partner at A.T. Kearney...and she describes ATK as an 80 yr old start-up firm. which is so true. i can see it for myself...everywhere the mood is that of 'oh we hv to bring this child up...and gotta do it soon'...!

and when asked as to what kind of people do we look for, she names stuff such as curiosity, passion for learning...etc etc..! oh for god sake...we hear this from everyone...so whats different...

its only when you start working in the firmdo you realize that all these things are the only one that shall hold you good...! you have to be curious about what you do...when given a job you have to ask..."tell me whats this for...why am i supposed to do it.."...cause as an SBA you will be at times required to do stuff that doesnt quite excite you...! crunch numbers...make presentations...google like for 3-4 hours...for stupid data..!

but then in the long run...and i can so totally see it already...the ones who do well...are the ones who know what they are doing...and why they are doing it...! cause thats when you develop an appreciation for the kind of work you do...


so yeah...back to what the main theme was...its really tough to know when is a company simply lying...or when is it being truly genuine. unfortunately...unless you hvnt experienced a similar firm...its very tough to juxtapose 2 firms and see which one is better..


the best way...i can guess...is to ask the alums. cause we r experiencing what you guys shall experience...! and believe me...this feedback about the company shall be extremely crucial...

~a

PS: needless to say...ATK is not the only consulting firm which talks genuinely about what they want and how they function. every other consulting firm i can think of (well almost...surely the top ones)...would be very true when they tell you what kind of people they look for...and how they go about looking for them..!

chodoonga nahi bharaniiiiiiiii.............

my biggest fear...right here...infront of your eyes...

i was tagged...! and i didnt even know what that means...till i saw my name in the Big B'g blog...

so here..!

I am thinking
how many years will it take mumbai to realize that not having a proper drainage system hits their bloody GDP by some 26763 basis points...!

I said
to myself...wud i ever wanna stay in dubai if given a chance...
no...and this was even before i asked the question...

I want
to have a house big enough fot my parents and wife...in the next 2-3 years...and i want to name it "warikoos"

I wish
to travel all across the world...and visit atleast 300 countried before i die...! precisely why i wish this...not want this...!

I miss
the days when i used to go to the temple...and pray to god..."please make me superman...i promise i will help others and not misuse the powers". this was early 90s...right after i had watched superman II...! watching superman returns this weekend...brought back some reall sweet memories...!

I hear
myself...all the time. i question muself all the time...and i answer myself all the time.

I wonder
what would life have been like if i hadnt met R...! if i hadnt come back frm the US...if i had continued with tennis...if i didnt anchor tht stage show in school...if i had got thru the IITs...if i didnt join ISB but the other schools...if i hadnt got thru ATK...if life wasnt what it is today...

I regret
nothing...absolutely nothing. i just wonder...!

I am
just another guy...

I dance
like crazy when i have to. precisely the time when medical sciene cannot explain how a certain human can have more than 2 left feet...!

I sing
a lot...more than people think i do...and i feel i dont do a bad job. R is probably the only one infront of whom i have sung...else...its the car and me...!

I cry
a lot lesser than i used to. but i am proud of the fact that i can cry infront of people..its not a sign of weakness for me...! and yah...the sight of a lost child...always makes me cry...!

I am not
right all the time...

I write
a lot...! and with my new sexy fountain pen...i sure do write a lot..!

I confuse
myself whenever there is a sound coming in my car....have a horrible sense of direction in tht sense...! i surely wasnt a dog ever...this is my 1st time as one...!

I need
to make people happy arnd me...thats my battery..!

I should
make sure i never hurt anyone...cause it sucks when i do...! it really sucks...

I finish
every task given to me...as if there isnt anything else left to do in this world.

I tag
Pratik Patankar
Arun Dhar
Girish 'IT' Krishnan
DHIONLYONE

~a

nationalities...all arnd me..

Day: June 30, 2006
Time: 4.30pm
Venue: A.T. Kearney, Delhi Office

Mail subject:
Welcome aboard

Me (thinking):
"isnt this a little too late...??"

Mail Content:
Dear ankur,
Welcome to the **** project in Dubai

Me (thinking):
WWWWWWTTTTTTTTTTTFFFFFFFFFFFFF

• scanned the passport, sent it across
• got my health insurance
• bought myself a strolley
• took a few deep breaths
• bought an aftershave, deo, shampoo, conditioner, shoes, a shirt, trouser
• checked my bank balance
• received visa on sunday
• receieved ticket on sunday
• flew monday morning 4am flight

Day: July 5, 2006
Time: 11am
Venue: Client site, Dubai

• am staying in the best business hotel of the world (or so the award says!)
• have tasted 4 cuisines in the last 2 days
• am surrounded by 7 different accents in office
• cant understand a shit of what the delivery guy says..when i order lunch...and i am sure he will be saying the same
• hv walked on the Sheikh Zayeed Road (seems to be the main hub!) for 25 minutes...doing nothing
• hvnt clicked any snaps as yet...plan to click 300 this weekend..
• am waiting to be back in india next week

life surely is good...at times very unpredictable...mostly good...! :)

~a

PS: i will be here for 4 months...though i do get flybacks...weekly...but then dubai weekends (thurs/fri). My delhi number will be operational frm next week...thrus/fri...else email is the best way to reach me...(just in case you need to!)

scariest snap ever...

Originally uploaded by ttiot.

i dont remember what the time was...(S, E, G...help!)...i guess it was post midnight. and this was on the way from south->north goa. beautiful colors.

according to E, there is a paddy field (or something) right infront of the church. so when it rains (and it sure does in goa!), the reflection of the colors on the paddy waters make for an awesome snap.

anyways...so quite late in the night...and the colors capture me. i need to have a still position to take the colors...so was searching for a platform...and found one...inside th church complex...

and...it was jst like the movies...pitch darkness...(the background of the snap tells you that)...not a soul...not a whisper...only the sound of the camera...i was adjusting the settings...the girls in the car...outside and much far away from me...no wind...nothing

took me some 5-7 mins to get this shot...and all this while...it was as if there was someone right behind me...a hand approaching my shoulder...or a movie camera approaching my back....!

scary...!


anyways...life is good..work has been slightly loose nowadays. not much...definitely nothing compared to the 1st proj. have been watching ridiculous movies (spelled as KRISH in the english language)...though i did manage to catch MI3 and was mightly pleased with it. Also discovered a sexy restaurent (Azzuro) at the saket complex, thanks to A.

salary coming today....yipeeeeeeeeeeeeee! :)

~a

My Room

was browsing through my flickr account and came across this. and it brought back memories...! this was around september...much before i decided to throw my bed out and sleep on the floor...

god...used to love this piece of concrete...as if it had life. late into the night...move out of the window...with clothes in my arms like a baby...spilling over...take them to the laundry....come back...lie on the mirror pool and star gaze (once with S...which was bliss..!!)...put on the music...

"yeh hai meri kahaani...khamosh zindagi...."

~a

the last few days...

and this was in the last week...

wanna be back...

which is what is the good part about consulting...

my 1st project...absolute quant based. heavy modelling...excel files running into 120 spreadsheets and 28MB..! 5 nights spent at office beyond midnight...just missing the morning sun...! (ok exxagerated...but then u get the point!)...a requirement of 24/7 eyes open view...on numbers...where they come from...where they go..and what they do to the results.

my 2nd project...(and ISB's fav word)...'strategy'. getting free from office (actually...to be precise...literally being thrown away from office) at 6.30 everyday so far...! but a lot of thought...a lot of qualitative analysis. underatanding the market...and providing solutions.

stark contrast...!

but great fun..nevertheless....

this weekend was the delhi meet for 2006 batch. was awesome fun. some 30 odd people turned up...and lasted till midnight. the venue was laid back waters at the Qutub hotel. sweet place...! and we got a separate corner for ourselves..! was really nice to meet up with everyone...catch up on lives...where people talk about their work...and the lack of it...!

might get a chance to go to hyd...for a client meeting. which would mean spending the night at ISB..for sure..! was reading S's blog and the entry jst made my heart go 'pain'...! would love to spend time...jst the way it used to be...jst a few months back...! sleeping on the LRC couch during the exam prep time...! the chit chat...rarely stepping upwards of an 23 IQ level...post dinner...! the 'warikooooo' shout...right outside my window...! E's room/junkyard/rubbish can/bacteria incubator/awesomest hangout place at ISB...! G's 'ohh u shut up'...and S's 'thats an ugly fat ass potato'...!

godd...its work...and i am wasting client money on isb sob stories...!

:(

wanna be back...wanna be back...

~a

being a consultant...

so...my 1st project ended...and to much appreciation from the higher ups..! after the final presentation the team (comprising 4) went to Ricks (taj's pub, in delhi) and had a nice 2 hrs chilling time. bonding...so as to say. thats when you realize a lot of things about consulting that are usually behind gold doors in bschool...

1. Consulting is an extremely demanding profession. and unlike other areas (possibly)...the work only increases as you go higher up. so basically..even though you might leave at 4...and no one shall question you...its not that you get to see a movie in the evening. you basically leave to work from home..!

2. The biggest effect that such a profession has...is not on you...but your spouse. infact...the success of any consultant (especially a guy) should definitely be attributed to his wife. dont know if i can say the same for a female consult...cause i think she wud hv been better off without her husband...! :)

3. Its all about priortizing..! work...and life. no one shall ever tell you that its a 9-5 job..but then no one shall also tell you...YOU HAVE TO WORK 24/7...! its all about what you want to do...and how...! its all about...what you think is important..and in V's words...someone who places work in front of family all the time...will never make it big...

4. there will always be times (though 28 days is too less a duration for me to have faced one) when you shall question your existence as a consult. why am i here...what am i getting travelling 5 days a week..away frm family...building mileage points...! and then shall come the final client meeting. wherein the client will almost kiss your feet...or would kiss somewhere else if it wasnt for gay laws...! thats when you shall realize...what you get staying a consultant is not something everyone can boast off...


and all this is true...i am slowly realizing it . my 1st client places so much of trust in us...that when we show them the numbers...they actually stand up in amazement...and go..."holy shit..we never thought of that...we have to change directions"...and i think..."is he really serious. i mean..would one of the world's largest gas company change direction because a 25 yr old plugged in numbers in an excel sheet and did some macro shit"...! but yes...he will.

and thats when you feel scared. and burdened. and responsible. its a sexy burden though...cause on your analysis depends a decision...! that could possibly..."change directions"...! and then..you work...you work like an ass...take every move in a calculated fashion...jst to make sure that you dont let the other side down...

and then friday comes...and you go for a movie...and suddenly..you are not that important anymore...and yet...you love the break...

..cause monday...will be another long week...

i guess so far...i love being a consultant...! :)

~a

PS: To be on the safe side...and its always good to be that ways...i would want to put a disclaimer on the above. The client conversations are all fictitious...! And only indicative of the 'potential' of a consultant. At no point of time should anyone reading this, make any judgement calls on certain companies...and worse still...speculate on business issues...!

warikoo...keep blogging...

Those were R’s last words when we last talked. I wanted to listen to him…I genuinely did…! And its scary that I haven’t kept the word.

Anyways…won’t even attempt to go into the whys and the wherefores…! Lets look at life lately…

Work has been awesome…! The project is nearing its end…it was a short 4-week strategy project…but then a lot of work. Specifically excel modeling. In the past 3 weeks I have already spent some 5 days coming home at 11.30…12ish…! But then the good part is that the weekends are free. And I do remember the experienced set of consultants back at ISB always telling me so…”work like an ass on weekdays…and then enjoy the weekends”.

Its not stressful…not if you enjoy what you do. And as a consultant…you got to love what you do…and be quick at doing so as well. So…while I knew shit about natural gas…leave alone its status in India…I can now identify each and every natural gas plant in any Indian district…atleast in essence! And I know what simulates its demand…and I know what the scenario shall be 5 years from now…10 years from now…even 25 years from now…!

That’s interesting for me. In just a month…I have met the CEO of one of the world’s most powerful power company…have understood the Indian scenario in and out…and have established a working model that helps the client solve his problem. Just a month…!

On the other front…good news. I am kind of engaged…in the sense…our parents met up and stamped the relationship (finally!)…! So now planning for the big event shall start…which wont be anytime this year though…but probably early next year or so. Lets see…!

Saw the DaVinci Code last night. Wonderfully done…though definitely not as descriptive as the book. But then…that’s always a struggle right…! When you have to shrink 650 odd pages in 2.5 hours…there is bound to be some miss. Overall though…I loved the movie. At some level believe in it too…actually always believed so…even before the book (Read: Chariots of the Gods by Erik Von Daniken)

Quite a few current ISB students have been calling me up regarding how to study for the exams…(HAH!) and about ELPs. Just incase someone needs free advice…here you go…

Here is my general take on good grades...!

1. Stay awake in class. that’s half the battle won. and believe me...its not an easy task. if u concentrate all 2 hrs...u need to catch up that much less.
2. Do your assignments and cases seriously. think beyond the obvious. mostly for cases. when u read a case...take your time and think about what you want to share with the class...your perspective. that will give u practice for the final exams.
3. Ask the profs for a sample exam. Insist on it. Will always help.
4. Get comfy with numbers. ISB is largely quant driven...so this will help
5. Pray..!



Till next time…and promise it to be soon…

~a

first impression...

the one thing that i realize...work wont really be ISB...and hence...posts wont be that frequent..! nevertheless...this time around...it shall be the quality wins over quantity scenario....

so...work started may 01. thats labor day...and in the words of my boss..."we arent laborers...so we dont get a day off!". alright...accepted...!

the office is plush. in one of the best office complexes in delhi. the 14th floor allows u to measure the dust particles per microcentimeter...in the atmosphere...standing beyond a 12 inch thick glass that doesnt allow even the smallest 'particle' of airconditioned air escape the office. on the house tea/coffee/juices...u ask for water and they fetch an unopened kinley....and u go..."no..i want water that doesnt taste...the one that my grandad used to have for his morning gargle..!"

the day was pretty much spent on logistics...bank account opening...credit card opening...forms that allow your family to make money if u die...or r hospitalized...! and that was pretyt much it. the new joinees r pretty smart people. 2 frm IIMA, 1 from IIIB, 1 frm IIMC and 2 frm ISB. thats delhi. mumbai has a slightly different ratio...with no one frm isb in there.

come tuesday and we left for gos for our orientation. stayed at the taj village resort...pretty decent place...and had it not been for the humid weather, i wud hv largely appreciated the greenary arnd as well. anyhow...so we took the kingfisher flight...which has a stopover at bangalore. the entire flight took us 4 hrs...which btw is 2 hrs less than what it takes one to fly half the world..! what was best was the flight back...5 hrs...!!!!! and it got delayed by 1...which basically meant that we spent the time it cud hv taken to reach london...in simply sitting in an aircraft...watching the indian laughter challenge...! sic!

and then...we hv to give to mr mallaya. i mean...u get balls of steel to get yana gupta to speak hindi...let alone show how to unbuckle a seatbelt. the words tht she used were last used in 2000 BC...when the aryans were taking their first bullock cart ride...! i mean...who in gods name...uses "sunishchit...!!!" nowadays. i am sure in some part of the plane...a lady wud hv gone...."there...thats the name of my 1st kid...!!!"

and the funniest part was blowing the lifejacket. it looked like a lipstick ad...! guys who travel kingfisher...watch out for this...! funny...

so anyways...moving on...! the 1st day was awesome...the taj guys had planned a treasure hunt for us..to bond and all...! and with 11 guys and 1 girl...bonding was meant to take whole new different heights...! :) but it was awesome...we did mountain climbing...rapelling...some tree climbing...and rope jumping...and weird shit. wonderfully organized...and loads of fun. in the end we did manage to 'bond' well..

and then the next day we had a raft building session. which was mind-blowing. we mad a raft using tyre tubes and bamboo sticks...and the entire operation was to reach the other side of the backwater and fetch a flag. we did manage to travel 20% of the distance when the currennt took over...and we realized we had covered the distance that we were supposed to....horizontally...!!!

the classroom sessions started...meant to sensitize us to the consulting process and the A.T. Kearney way of doing things. V and D did a terrific job...they held us together...and thats a difficult task when u r sitting in a conference room...next to the pool...in goa...wearing formals...(typically the people outside wudnt be wearing as many clothes combined...as wud be one of us sitting inside...!!!)...

and then the exercises...and the feel good factor created around what we shall be doing in the time to come...etc. it was great fun...and along the way we realized...and this is a frank opinion...that Kearney didnt do that great a job selling themselves on campus. i mean...as of today...set aside the fact that i am now part of the organization...i can say that Kearney is surely up there. one of the best consulting firms in the country...and a leader in quite a few verticals. our position in auto and energy is quite widely accepted as being the best...and it reflected frm the kind of work we have done...and the feedback we have received.

overall...i felt proud being part of this team. even the people who have worked here for sometime say...that the best part about the organization is that everyone is happy. which is so very important...and at the same time so tough to achieve as an organization.

we all left saturday...and it was an amazing 5 days spent. totally worth it. have to thank V for organizing the entire thing and putting in..what was clearly...a lot of hardwork and time. atleast from my side..it paid off wonderfully...

monday today...looking for the real work to start.

life's good...

~a

good times...!!!!

Life post ISB…is quite exciting…!

8.00am:
Get up to drop sister to college. Stopped the 1st day to ask her what exactly did she used to do when I wasn’t here. The look I received was the same that our president gave when someone asked him who his barber was. I didn’t bother asking again…!

8.45am:
Come back and read the newspaper. Realize on the 7th page that sleep has better chances of increasing my IQ than this shit…!

10.30am:
“get up and bloody have your breakfast…and that includes milk”
“I haven’t had milk for the past one year…and the same goes for breakfast. Please understand”
“WHEN IN ROME…DO THE ROMANS…”…or translated in english…”when back home…u better have everything that is liquid and white in color…excluding whats on your dirty filthy mind right now…!!”

11.30am:
Plan the day. Call up people...! realize that people actually work till 6 in the evening…or so they claim…

12.30pm:
Step out…yes…at this hour…to buy some grocery for home. Or vegetables…or fruits…or just step out…yes…at this hour…

1.30pm:
Lunch…! That’s if an invitation hasn’t come from the 8967786973 ISBians of the batch of 2006 spending their time at delhi at this precise moment…!

3.00pm:
Go to the car dealer to scan for the best deals…
Conversation are usually like this…

“I need a quote on maruti swift”
“which model”
“LXi”
“sit!”
“thanks”
“want to get it financed”
“yes…do I look as if I have the money”
“that’s also true…!...salaried or business”
“helooooooooooo”
“ok ok…salaried…whats your monthly income”
(an obscene figure is exchanged”
A long stare follows….just the same way as the dad-in-law would view his to be d-i-l. right fron bottom to top…stopping for a few seconds on the face…
And then the rather loud…”what the…!!!!”
“what happened??? U ok…”
“nothing nothing sir. What will you have…tea…coffee…we serve really good cold drink sir”
“no thank you…can we proceed with the quote please”

Now…it really doesn’t help that the college I come from also boasts of a crorepati…! The entire bloody equation becomes unbalanced…and the entire bloody world seems to know abt this crorepati…if not the school…!

Anyways…so the conversation will have some small talk as well…”how was ur experience at IBS…”…(its ISB for god sake…how hard it that…I – S – B )…! “At Kearney is a very nice firm…” (yah…at the precise moment you stop called it ‘at’ and actually call it A – T…it will begin on its path to becoming a good firm…so please…!!!)

Phew…!

5.00pm:
Leave for daily darshan. Either go to her office…or meet at some place…eat something…get a lowdown on the day…exchange some future plans that were drafted in the dreams last night…get into a heated argument…sulk…get normal…and finally its time to leave

8.30pm:
Reach home…wash up

9.30pm:
Dinner…with some serious heart rendering emotional (and jewellery) display on the soaps…!

10.30pm:
On the net…daily mails…reply to atleast 7 people…6 of which didn’t even mail me…!!!

12.30am:
Read my book…then think about all the possible secret societies of the world and the holy grail (and if you haven’t observed…I AM FINISHED WITH THE DA VINCI CODE…6.5 HOURS FLAT…!!!!)

1.30am
Retire to bed…!



Life is good…miss ISB though…! Had an awesome lunch today…with GP, KS and Banno. Went through ISB all over again and cracked our brains on the statistical improbability of 8 people (out of the maximum of 16) from a single block…in a single SV…to have been caught in the honor code. We drafted a mail then and there to JH…requesting him to get that block sanitized…!!!

Work begins this monday. And we are off to goa (for an orientation…!!! HAH!!!) for the next 5 days…! My tryst with E continues…!


Good times…!


~a

was back...am back...

It always works for me…and I am so glad I know that it does…!!!

Going back to ISB helped…! Now the ‘missing’ is at a different level…! I know that things wont be the same…but then something convinced me that they wont be bad either. The same happened the 1st time I came back to India from the US…after that torturous first year…! I didn’t miss home as much…cause something had changed…! That something…worked this time around as well…

So these 6 days were mindblowing fun. The best was meeting E…cause I never thought I would…! And somehow…meeting everyone gave me a rather soothing feeling…! Its like…”they will be there always…so don’t worry…”…! Had a blast everyday…partying all night…DJ199 also played…and the entire atmosphere was surprisingly very nice…!

The new batch is awesome…to say the least. An extremely hyperactive…hyper-hectic…and supercool bunch of young people…! And some exceptionally talented individuals…and some awesomely experienced set of professionals…! It was lovely interacting with them…and a wonderful feeling to be on the other side…

It’s funny…and weird…! I left for the orientation on the 15th…exactly a year since I 1st reached ISB. And things have changed so much…the nervous questions have been replaced by the confident replies…the anxious thoughts about the placements have been replaced by the proud “I shall be joining AT Kearney at their Delhi Office” statement…the lost look amongst 345 odd students…replaced by their names…their faces…and their friendship…!

And this is what life is…! In 2 simple words…MOVING ON…!

Looking forward…and this time really so…for a totally new chapter…!

Lots to things to do…

Sell off my bike
Buy a new car
Find an alternative source of funds…credit cards and R’s money not allowed anymore…!
Buy formal wear…
Collect my books frm V’s house
Read up on my MBA main courses…!
Finish the ‘Da Vinci Code’…FOR GOD SAKE…!

withdrawal....

i normally think of myself as an emotionally strong person. yes...i am emotional...no doubt...! but then emotions have rarely influenced the way i behave...in a negative manner...or in a manner that is 'not me'...

but not this time. something as gotten over me...! i just cant stop missing isb...i just cant get myself together. everyone back at delhi is questioning me..."what the hell is wrong with you"...and i hv no reply...! i really dont.

its surely not ISB per se....i know its the people...! i am missing the girls...i am missing the marketing guys...i am missing being in my room and being knocked at on the window...am missing listening to my music with the dimlight on...am missing the late night coversations with E...and the tickling of S...and the pranks with P...and teasing B on everything under the sun...

god....withdrawal sucks...!

the last night was torture. S's parents...the girls...me and my parents had gone to paradise for dinner. came back arnd 10ish...picked up A on the way....and were hanging out at E's place while she packed. remembering all that happened the past one yr...! it was depressing...! i just cudnt get myself to smile...! i cudnt get myself to feel ecited abt anything tht lay ahead of me. its was jst god damn depressing...

then we went for a brief walk to the pool...came back even more depressed. the flight was at 4.30...and it was 2.30 already. so G and S went to sleep. E and i went to my room...for the 'last supper'...! i went abt my usual gyan...do this in dubai...dont do this...etc etc. and yah...while saying all tht...i had tears...! she cudnt stop herself as well...! it was agonizing..! i never thought i wud be feeling like this for someone...if one had asked me a yr back. the only thing worse...though far far worse...was talking to R the 1st night i spent alone at MSU. i remember what a vacuum i had felt tht time....and this last night at ISb reminded me of that...!

unfortunately...due to our delayed arrival at te airport...i didnt get a chance for a proper closure with E. and what sucks is that we wont meet again....for a yr now. i am meeting everyone else for the orientation...but she isnt coming.

anyways....life moves on...is what they say. and i wud believe them. an awesome yr of my life has come to an end...and i cant thank got enough for it. it was much much more than i ever thought it cud be....in more ways that anyone can ever imagine...

withdrawal sucks...

~a

was back...am back...

It always works for me…and I am so glad I know that it does…!!!

Going back to ISB helped…! Now the ‘missing’ is at a different level…! I know that things wont be the same…but then something convinced me that they wont be bad either. The same happened the 1st time I came back to India from the US…after that torturous first year…! I didn’t miss home as much…cause something had changed…! That something…worked this time around as well…

So these 6 days were mindblowing fun. The best was meeting E…cause I never thought I would…! And somehow…meeting everyone gave me a rather soothing feeling…! Its like…”they will be there always…so don’t worry…”…! Had a blast everyday…partying all night…DJ199 also played…and the entire atmosphere was surprisingly very nice…!

The new batch is awesome…to say the least. An extremely hyperactive…hyper-hectic…and supercool bunch of young people…! And some exceptionally talented individuals…and some awesomely experienced set of professionals…! It was lovely interacting with them…and a wonderful feeling to be on the other side…

It’s funny…and weird…! I left for the orientation on the 15th…exactly a year since I 1st reached ISB. And things have changed so much…the nervous questions have replaced the confident replies…the anxious thoughts about the placements have replaced the proud “I shall be joining AT Kearney at their Delhi Office” statement…the lost look amongst 345 odd students…replaced by their names…their faces…and their friendship…!

And this is what life is…! In 2 simple words…MOVING ON…!

Looking forward…and this time really so…for a totally new chapter…!

Lots to things to do…

1. Sell off my bike


2. Buy a new car


3. Find an alternative source of funds…credit cards and R’s money not allowed anymore…!


4. Buy formal wear…


5. Collect my books frm V’s house


6. Read up on my MBA main courses…!


7. Finish the ‘Da Vinci Code’…FOR GOD SAKE…!

1 year...

Tomorrow shall be the last day at ISB…in terms of classes. What started almost 11 months back…shall be reaching a sweet finale…and trust me…it’s a lovely feeling to have been a witness to these 11 months…!

A look back…

Then:
Class starts at 2.30pm. 90% of the class is on their seats at 2.15pm…the professor comes at 2.25!!
Now:
Class starts at 2.30pm...9% of the class in on their seats at 2.30pm…the professor comes at 2.29…!

Then:
Assignment due Monday 8.30am. Work starts on Friday…with an hour of discussion. Followed by a group discussion on Saturday for 2 hours or so…and then writing up the report…together…for the next 5 hours. Turn it insunday 10pm
Now:
Assignment due Monday 8.30am. emails goes out on Saturday. No response…! Reminder email Sunday afternoon. No response. Sunday 5pm…email goes out distributing the questions within the group members. 1 guy incharge of collation. Monday 4am he gets all the questions. Copies them onto a final doc…prints…turns it in…Monday 5am…!

Then:
Case to be discussed for the Wednesday class. Tuesday night…open the coursepack…read the case…make notes…enter class…do CP…and I mean insightful CP…go home victorious
Now:
Case to be discussed for the Wednesday class. Wednesday afternoon…finish lunch by 1.30…chat till 2pm…start reading the case…finish the 1st page by 2.30…enter class…follow the discussion for 15 minutes…raise your hand… “I wished to state the same fact…you see…Gillette is a shaving products brand…and blah blah blah…”…go home victorious

Then:
“What was that guy’s name…what was that guy’s name…shit…how could I forget…what was that guy’s name…”
Now:
“what was that guy’s pre-ISB salary…what did he get now…shit…how could I forget…what is he getting now…”

Then:
Get up at 8…go the gym…then classes…read up in the evening…hv dinner…read up again…sleep at 12…
Now:
Sleep at 8…wake up at 10…class…come back and sleep…class…come back and sleep…gym…dinner…movie…chatting…surfing…reading…sleep at 4…wake up by phonecall…talk…surf…porn…sleep at 8


1 year…completely changed me…!

1 year…

~a

PS: the next post shall be the best and worst of moments, things, people (?)…shall hv to work on it a bit though…!

yay..!

GSB organized a party after 40 days…and boy…people surely missed having one all this while…if the speed with which the booze flew was any indication…! Scheduled to start at 9.30…there were 5 guys at the party by 11.30…3 of which were the organizers…! Our hypothesis was that people will come straight to the party after turning in the ‘world literature’ assignment at midnight.

And we were right…

At 12.30…there were atleast 60 odd people…swarming the bar…sucking the ‘honey’ out of it all…! DJ199 was trying his hard to bloody get those people moving their arse and start to boogie-woogie a bit…but to not much success. He must have tried everything under the sun…rang de Basanti 3 times in 10 minutes…(the song is 2 minutes btw…!)…tera suroor…uska suroor…summer moon…winter sun…what not…! But nahhhhhhhhh…liquor comes first dude…

And then comes VS… “boss…aisa hai…thoda sa Amitabh chala do. Phir dekhna”. WTF…! Amitabh???? What is this…? The 80s…! what are we…? AB addicts??? But then…you know sometimes…it’s a good thing that people who are older to you…are there to tell you what to do. We got a CD of his originals…and started… “o rang barse…bhege chunarwari…rang barse…”

The crowd went mad…!

1.30am…atleast 100 people on the dance floor…
“jiski biwi kaali…o kaali hey kaali…jiski biwi kaali…uska bhi bada naam hai…”

It was pretty much an exciting ride from then on. Music went up till 5.30 in the morning…non-stop…from bangra to trance to rock to pop..! mind blowing fun…! I danced like crazy…

At the end of it all…I had been kissed…ok…on the cheek…and ok…by 4 guys…! not to mention that atleast 5 more had threatened to kill me as well…for the music that was being played…! :)

Good fun…


The quiz is happening at 5…! Should be fun…only if people turn up in the right numbers…! Lets hope…!


Looking forward to the week…the party on the 1st…and then the goa trip…! Yay…!

~a

we won....

life was awesome today...as always...

attended the classes...realized that R was a god in his past life...and when i say god i mean those individuals who know everything...so much...so so much...that ideally they should have graduated to the level of god in this life...! sadly..the motion didnt pass in the parliament..and here they are..as a human again. anyways..so back to him..that dude rocks. i mean...rocks real 'hard..'. he knows a lot for his age and size (and i mean the height here!)..! it so awesome to hear him speak about individuals whose parents would have taken 2 days to pronounce their names. we were discussing 'Thus Spake Zarathustra'...and Nietsche's philosphy...! and he brilliantly went through the ideas...!

at times i feel that even though i am never satisfied with myself...i never really work towards reaching that next level. i wish i could...and its disgusting that i dont...knowing very well what i have to do. i loved the discussion on emerson today. his idea of non-confmity set me thinking. if i were to categorize myself i would call myself a conformist. i havent done much in life against what society has laid down in front of me. ofcourse...except for the decision to not go for engineering and coming back to India while pursuing my PhD at MSU. however, i wont really pride upon these...! for me...non-formity should be largely emotive. if i feels that someone is not being nice to me...do i kill myself and still act nice to him/her...jst cause thats the 'right' thing to do..! the entire idea of emerson was to follow what you truly believe...even if it doesnt fall in place with societal norms...!

anyways...

so..after lunch...behavioral finance happened...sleep happened...and after an hour i realized that i rather sleep back home than in class and abuse the professor. so i left...for the first time at ISB...midway...during the class. felt weird....but no much as soon as i reached home. :)

read khuswant...and then slept for a good 2 hrs. went to the gym...took a shower...had dinner...and then went for a 20 question competition..teaming up with G and S. and...WE WON...G was great at the questions...S at answering them...and me at coming up with stupid comments all through...with least value add. i did do some fair bit of guessing...and so did G...such as this one time when we had fictional characters as the round. she asked me...is it a cat...i replied no...and she goes...garfield...?????

200 bucks each...sweet money for an hour of fun...!

i might go for a mass this friday...really looking forward to it..!

fun times...lifes good...!

~a

life...the last 2 weeks...

· Days are passing…

· Emotions are sounding more like their definition…

· Academics is experiencing the worst neglect in years...

· There are more movie DVDs on my table than E’s hair (!!!!)…

· More books than the DVDs…

· Have started clicking randomly with my digicam (finally!!!)

· Sleep at 5…wake up at 9…both a.m.!

· Gym for 2 hours

· 3 magazines everyday

· Khushwant singh rocks in “truth love and a little malice”

· Went out for an awesome dinner to Waterfront with E and S…brilliant food…fun company…!

· Played cricket for 10 hours over 2 days

· Have finalized a trip to goa in the 1st week of april.

· Am conducting a quiz this weekend

· Open air screening of movies shall begin from tomorrow

· Feel sorry for the behavioral finance prof every Monday and Wednesday…but then…

· Totally enjoy the world literature ‘discourses’ by Rajeshwar…!

· Only 2 weeks to go…

· Only 2 weeks to go…

Life…!

~a

PS: shall be uploading a lot of snaps clicked during this period. The 1st set is available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/warikoo/sets/72057594086540951/

then...now...life's good...ditto...

It’s the herd effect…or maybe everyone is actually housing the same feelings within. Suddenly all the blogs are talking about the same things…

…how ISB has changed them in this one year…
…how they shall miss this time…
…how what the alums said turned out to be EXACTLY true…we didn’t think so at that time…
…how…
…how…


So why not…another one in the chain…


Then: There are smart people…not so smart people…and some people who choose not to be smart…
Now: There are smart people…smarter people…and some people who just can’t help being smart

Then: How hard can a 1 year MBA be…I mean…24 hours in a day…that’s close to 86400 seconds dude…
Now: Yeah right…!

Then: Stock prices increase because people buy them…or what do I care…as long as they increase…
Now: Hmmm…so that’s how they move…u can actually write an equation to explain the human behavior...!!!

Then: Relationships formed during an MBA are similar to relationships that you form with the driver in the car next to you…while waiting at the traffic signal
Now: Yeah right…!

Then: ok…I do know that it shall be fun…but aren’t these guys exaggerating…for god sake…its jst a course right…!!!
Now: Phew…! That was some ride…! Once more…!

Then: I am worth atleast 10+ in the job out of ISB
Now: Why the hell was NIS even paying me in my last job…did I know even shit…!

Then: If you are nice to people…people will appreciate that…all the time…who wouldn’t…!
Now: Yeah right…!

Then: People are awesome…no matter who they are…where they come from...what they do…and whether they like you or not…
Now: People are awesome…no matter who they are…where they come from...what they do…and whether they like you or not…

Then: life’s good…
Now: ditto…!


~a

any clues...!!!???

Longggggg time…! A combination of feasibility and laziness…!

Had gone down to delhi for 5 days…! Wasn’t really planned till very close to the departure…following which I requested R to fix up meetings with a gazillion people…! And chalked out m itinerary. Had an awesome time…as always…the weather was mindblowing…it rained like crazy one night…and the effect lasted for the entire trip.

Also watched the memoirs of a geisha. Very nicely done…beautiful art work…though the story is something only a native can truly appreciate. I for one couldn’t understand why a 40 year old would once ‘make’ a 12 yr old fall in love with him…so much so that she grows up to become a geisha one day and be chosen by him…and lo behold…after 20 odd years that does happen. Ofcourse the fact that these 20 years don’t show on that man…is a different movie altogether…! The story was close to the taboo series…! :)

Met with a lot of people as well. and R didn’t stop bragging about my compensation…something with the right intention but with disastrous effects on my face...which usually turned blood red and was chosen by the guy sitting on the next table as the most expressive face of the year..!

The flight out of Delhi was a pain in the most sensitive part of the anatomy…! Scheduled for 8.00…it left at 11.45…and I was finally in my room at 2.45am…! Thankfully...met with a very interesting Canadian couple…husband working at Bangalore for the past 1.5 yrs…in a company that is into movie animation software Maya (the same was used for the movie Matrix…30% of which was done at the Bangalore site). Unfortunately…they are closing shop in July and moving back to Canada. They say that India has become costly for them…! Which is pretty weird. Because everyone here is being fed on the ‘low cost market’ dose…!

It was fun though talking about their experiences here at India. It was funny how we got started though…! There was this gentleman in the queue for the boarding pass. He was carrying luggage which would have probably kept an entire family running for a year. And Air Deccan was probably experiencing the worst day of its existence…! So huge line buildups…and what nots. And suddenly this gentleman ‘feels’ that the dude behind him…has managed to break the line and come ahead. And he starts off…BLAHBLAHBLAHALBHA $%#%*&%&@%#@^@#...ofcourse it takes only 1 microcell in the human brain to figure that if you are in the line…have a ticket…and there is only 1 guy who has managed to creep ahead of u…then the chances of you getting on that plane is almost 110%...!

But no…! sher-e-punjab…! Picks up a fight…! And guess who is right behind that guy in the line…yup…the Canadian couple…scared out of their wits…almost peeing in their pants…! So I basically asked them to simply step aside…handed them coke and large popcorn…and give them the enjoy go-ahead…!

Anyways…

Came back this Monday…and have been lazing around and busy doing that ever since. Placements almost nearing an end…so large plans are floating around for the remaining time at ISB. From dunking the dean…(??????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!)…to trips to Goa…to parties and what have yous…! Seems to be a good time ahead…!

Something funny happened on Monday. I get a call from a Hyderabad number

Caller (a girl): Hello…is this Mr. Ankur
Me: Speaking
Caller: Good morning sir. I am calling from ICICI. We give off something called personal loans. Would you be interested…!
Me: (Give off…???? Wtf…!!): ummm…no…thanks for asking
Caller: OK sir. Sir…one more thing…what does Ankur mean…?
Me: (Ankur means answering the most wacky question ever asked by a telemarketing person)…ummm…it means a seedling…why do you ask?
Caller: ok sir…thank you…

?????????!!!!!!!!!!

Any clues…????

~a

The post...or the individual...

I would say that the person in the post is incidental. It was simply the President of the US who had visited us…not an individual. This can be validated by the sheer fact that the placard displaying his identity also said Prez and not bushes and hedges…!

The experience was amazing. The setting was perfect. The atrium had never looked prettier! And the school never as excited.

He was scheduled for 1225 hours. We had to start assembling at 1000 hours…which we did. The security was tight…the frisking was equivalent to the US port of entry…! These ‘manual scanners’ must have the weirdest feelings within…about their job. I mean…how cool…or the opposite of it…is it to feel 300 guys in under an hour. And I mean…feel…believe me…if you are thinking on ‘those’ lines…you are actually not very far from the truth…!

So we take our seats and it’s a wait for the next 2 hours. We had good fun though…cracking monkey jokes…general arbit CP…trying to second guess his jokes…and very soon it was 1210. at that precise moment we heard the copter fly over us…the pre had arrived.

The next 15 mins were very similar to the pre-interview experience. The butterflies in your stomach suddenly realize that there is more room for them to dance than they ever thought…! And my stomach…oh u bet…there is an entire airfield…!

In comes Condaleeza Rice with Rajat Gupta (Chairman ISB Board and what not…check the link…!!!) I don’t know if you felt this…but it’s a pretty weird feeling when the person whom you have seen so much on TV…read so much about…is suddenly in front of you. its not a feeling of “oh my god…she will feel I am nothing as compared to her…”…but more like… “oh my god…she is actually real…and lo behold…looks the way she always does…!!!”

And then…

“Ladies and Gentleman…please welcome the ambassador Mulford…and the president of the United States”

And in come the 2 gentleman. It was pure basic instinct for everyone to get up. For all that he is worth…no one can deny the gravity of his post…

What followed was a 1.45 hour session with a select panel…and us as the audience. Some observations:

1. He was definitely wittier than I though he would be…very impressive…


2. He is totally bullish on India…!


3. And he was repeating this so much that he didn’t quite end up answering the exact questions that were asked…!


4. He has made some bad decisions in life…and we won’t ever…come to know why. But I do accept that his is not the best position in the world…I mean…I don’t for one envy his position…because everything that he does shall always have opposition. But then he has to take a stand…


5. “American is a nice country…and Americans are decent people. They are nice. You probably don’t like America because of me…”. Now that’s a humble statement according to me. I didn’t think this guy was capable of saying something like this…

Overall…great experience. Wonderful opportunity for ISB especially to put itself on the world map…which has started in a tremendous way with the kind of publicity this visit has provided. Phenomenal to say the least.

After his departure…students were interviewed…I was too…! By TV9…that’s the world famous Hyderabad channel…watched by close to 23 people…22 of whom work for the channel…! But what the heck…atleast someone watched…! :)

The 1st 10 mins of his time at ISB:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/03/20060303-3.html


~a

waiting for tuesday...

Today…I want to write so much about something that I can’t…! I am feeling helpless…at some level amazed at the image people actually have of me…and the difference between that image and the one projected to me. I then wonder if someone actually knows me…the real me…does someone really understand what I stand for…and why I say the things I say…and do the things I do…

Suddenly all that you have done…is not worth it…anymore…


Chuck…


So the big news…Bush is tentatively scheduled to visit ISB on Friday. It is not confirmed as yet…but then I don’t think it will be confirmed till the last minute. So the preparations are on full swing. The security is tight…we had a briefing this afternoon on the same…and its all very exciting. It is surely a matter of great honor to host the president of the US...and the person in that position is merely incidental. The visit will surely add a lot of value to ISB…in terms of recognition. Yah…this also makes us a possible terrorist target…! :)


Just came back after spending some awesome time at the amphitheater. I just love the cool night breeze on campus…it’s the best thing in the world. I simply lay on the grass…closed my eyes…and felt myself being lifted up…towards the sky…! There are times when I really miss astrophysics…! Sigh…!


Life is chilled out during term 8. Have taken 4 courses...

Negotiation: Awesome start to the course. The prof is very nice…and the sheer thrill of learning something such as negotiation is pretty strong. Looking forward to an exciting time in this course…

Retailing: Simply an add-on. Am not a marketing guy…and this was just one of the few marketing courses that I could have taken. The prof seems decent…definitely very knowledgeable.

World Literature: Rajeshwar returns. This guy rocks…if I could be even half as read as him…I would kiss my own feet. I mean…he is astounding…his oratory skills…his depth of subject…and the way he holds his audience is awesome. Rocking…!!!

Behavioral Finance: Quite contrary to what I thought this would be. Was really looking forward to this…but then the 1st class is perhaps not the best measure of its worth. Lets hope for a better time ahead…



Waiting for Tuesday…


~a