The 6th term has started with a bang. I have one class on the Monday series and three on the Tuesday series. The three classes are back to back - with just a 15 minute break between every class. So much to read for every class, its just a killer. And today was the trial - I mean the first day with three classes in a row. Right from the first class, I started falling asleep. I couldnt stay awake. I dont know whether its my fault or the Prof's. Aint it important for every Prof to keep his students interested? you may call it a flawed argument. i can accept that too. it also important for every student to stay awake and not depend on the prof to keep a tab over him. but you know, it cant be helped. im sure that once the assignments start flowing in, the class will be the single most preferred location to have a nap.
International job short lists are coming out almost every week. Surprisingly, there are people who get short lists for the wrong jobs (apply for one and get called for the other). To add more fuel to the fire, there are people who are getting short listed without even applying for any job advertised by the company. The ignorant few spend hours over the job postings trying to find out which one fits their experience and interest, then spend few more hours writing an Expression of Interest for that particular job they narrowed down to. Then they customize their resume so that it sounds a bit relevant.
After they do all they can do best to get that short-list, they get called for a role for which they did not have any interest. Here, its the interest of the company that they found the applicant suitable for a role. So, where is the respect for my choice? Am I not being treated like a fool.
The next big joke is about people who get short-listed when they didnt even think about applying for a company. The company has access to the resume handbook of all the students. Fair enough, I dont say that you are not allowed to look at the handbook. But why shortlist people who didnt even apply for the job?? As a matter of fact, its very clear that if a person did not apply for a job posting, it means that he did not like the job. Thats it. Whats the purpose of farting(read writing) an Expression of Interest and a resume, if all you wanted to do was use the handbook?
Well, thats the state of affairs these days and its like this with just one company every week on campus. I am just imagining what kind of a screw-up this whole process will be during the placement week in february, when more than 15 companies come every day.
Given all this, I still havent lost hope. I will get some job. After all, the ultimate goal is to make sure that students get some job. Its not important that they get the job they like. Aint it?
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Monday, November 27, 2006
Strictly come sleeping
An awesome video of all the people who were sleeping in class. Compiled by Ruchi, Sriram and Jagjit in Section-C, this captures those wonderful moments in Class right from the beginning of this year. I quite happy that most of the pictures that I have taken of sleeping children are part of this video.
Now, you guys enjoy the video.
Many Thanks to my Nokia 6230i
Now, you guys enjoy the video.
Many Thanks to my Nokia 6230i
Sunday, November 26, 2006
10Km in 46.31minutes
I'd managed just about 5 hours of sleep. Got up at 4 in the morning and prepared myself for the big running event in the city - The Hyd 10K. With everything under control, we left campus at 5.45am.
There were so many people who registered, collected the T-shirts and didnt turn up at all. if any of you jackasses are reading this, then please note that you didnt even have the courtesy to write back to me to let me know that you wouldnt be coming.
anyway, we didnt have to bother much. so we reached the starting point well before time and after all the hungama for the run, it all began at 7.30am. the weather was just right for a good run and i started off. from the beginning i maintained good pace - somewhere around 10.5kph to 11kph. my ankle and knee had started giving trouble right from the first kilometer, but then that sheer enthusiasm to run with everyone and reach the finish line, although it was 9kms away, was still a great motivation.
as we ran on the road surrounding the lake, the smell of waste - natural and undigested, was just killing me. that was perhaps a driver to run faster, in order to get away from the worst parts of the road to find a section of the road that was comfortable enough to run. and did that happen? NEVER!!! more than 90% of the circuit boasted of the same conditions.
happily completed 5 kms in 25 mins. then came the toughest part - the next 5. i pushed myself between 5 and 6. then took a small water break for about 2 secs. i took another break towards the 8Km line. then it was time to look towards the finish line. i was doing better by one minute and a few seconds than the usual time. and then i saw the finish line. about half a Km was remaining. i knew it was going to be tough. people were finishing before me and there were about 10 people running in front of me.
with all the energy that was remaining, i just started sprinting, went past the 10 ppl and finished by 46mins and 31 secs.
three others from ISB had finished much earlier than I had - between 35 and 40 mins. they'd just sprinted right from the beginning. that was awesome. and the best part was, everyone who had come today finished the run in less than 1 hr and 15 minutes.
i am back - tired, terribly tired. classes starting tomorrow - another killer term. right now there is zero interest for whats in store tomorrow. god save me.
There were so many people who registered, collected the T-shirts and didnt turn up at all. if any of you jackasses are reading this, then please note that you didnt even have the courtesy to write back to me to let me know that you wouldnt be coming.
anyway, we didnt have to bother much. so we reached the starting point well before time and after all the hungama for the run, it all began at 7.30am. the weather was just right for a good run and i started off. from the beginning i maintained good pace - somewhere around 10.5kph to 11kph. my ankle and knee had started giving trouble right from the first kilometer, but then that sheer enthusiasm to run with everyone and reach the finish line, although it was 9kms away, was still a great motivation.
as we ran on the road surrounding the lake, the smell of waste - natural and undigested, was just killing me. that was perhaps a driver to run faster, in order to get away from the worst parts of the road to find a section of the road that was comfortable enough to run. and did that happen? NEVER!!! more than 90% of the circuit boasted of the same conditions.
happily completed 5 kms in 25 mins. then came the toughest part - the next 5. i pushed myself between 5 and 6. then took a small water break for about 2 secs. i took another break towards the 8Km line. then it was time to look towards the finish line. i was doing better by one minute and a few seconds than the usual time. and then i saw the finish line. about half a Km was remaining. i knew it was going to be tough. people were finishing before me and there were about 10 people running in front of me.
with all the energy that was remaining, i just started sprinting, went past the 10 ppl and finished by 46mins and 31 secs.
three others from ISB had finished much earlier than I had - between 35 and 40 mins. they'd just sprinted right from the beginning. that was awesome. and the best part was, everyone who had come today finished the run in less than 1 hr and 15 minutes.
i am back - tired, terribly tired. classes starting tomorrow - another killer term. right now there is zero interest for whats in store tomorrow. god save me.
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Dayz Flying By
Another day and the term break is over. Time is literally flying. I had only one take home exam to turn in for this term and that took my time, almost till the last minute. I had a deadline of 5pm and I sent out my answers to the Prof at 4.45pm. While I had more than 5 days to do the damn thing, I started it on the last day, struggled for a few hours and then rushed into completing it by the last few minutes. So thats whats been happening always and i guess it will for some more time. the questions were so damn confusing that even with all the non-living material that we were allowed to search, we cudnt arrive at a conclusive answer. that was the state of affairs for a mathematics based IT course.
after that we had our project review - another big joke. in less than a month, we have another review of our project. most of us havent been able to reach our targets in the last one month. the last term - the first elective term has been literally crazy. with fewer exams and more regular assignments, we've just become super crazy and confused people. We had to make resumes and EOIs for job postings, attend seminars, PPTs and what not. And then we have this presentation to our peers - i dont know whats the purpose for this, but its during the term break forcing people to stay back and attendance being one of the most important components for a no class course like this, it has just irritated a lot of people around me. i think, we need to go over this in a detailed manner - perhaps devote a post for this.
and tomorrow's the HYD 10K marathon, for which i have gone mad getting people to collect their T-Shirts from me. less than 6 hours to go for the run, I definitely need a good sleep today.
still need to write about the EVAM play that happened today. hopefull should find some time tomorrow.
after that we had our project review - another big joke. in less than a month, we have another review of our project. most of us havent been able to reach our targets in the last one month. the last term - the first elective term has been literally crazy. with fewer exams and more regular assignments, we've just become super crazy and confused people. We had to make resumes and EOIs for job postings, attend seminars, PPTs and what not. And then we have this presentation to our peers - i dont know whats the purpose for this, but its during the term break forcing people to stay back and attendance being one of the most important components for a no class course like this, it has just irritated a lot of people around me. i think, we need to go over this in a detailed manner - perhaps devote a post for this.
and tomorrow's the HYD 10K marathon, for which i have gone mad getting people to collect their T-Shirts from me. less than 6 hours to go for the run, I definitely need a good sleep today.
still need to write about the EVAM play that happened today. hopefull should find some time tomorrow.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Interview Saga
The first round of interviews for the next batch is almost over now. The last few left are people in Hyderabad and the International Applicants. So, in the yahoogroups called isb-pgp, which is a forum where prospective applicants interact with the current batch, the latest thread for discussion is about the interviews.
People post their experience of the interview they had and then the others take a little bit of liberty to make good or bad comments.
right now, some frustrated souls have decided to have their take on the Interview Process. If you are part of thw group, then you should definitely follow this thread called the "Interview Saga".
one view-set is like: ISB is right now just doing brand building, the alums have not created a niche for themselves, its only about getting good placements, after all its an Indian B-School.
--> Dude, the school is 5 yrs old and in the last five yrs, the growth path the school has had is a zillion times better than any other B-School in India, given the fact that most other good schools survive on government funds. The Alums from this School are perhaps the most experienced lot when put together with all students entering B-Schools in any given year. And the kind of companies that come to get experienced people here NEVER go to the other schools in India. If you said, its all about placements, well then, how many emails have been posted in the isb-pgp yahoogroups asking questions about courses and research being done - less than 10%. The maximum number of emails that have been floating is about WHAT ROLES WILL I GET AFTER ISB types? If the basic mentality of the students who are applying to the school is just worrying about placements, then blaming the school is no good. How many US schools have organized placements like it happens in India. You are mostly on your own. But here, you expect to be spoon-fed till your first baby is born and then you blame the system for everything. Very Funny!!!
Some say that the interview results are pre-fixed!!!
--> Well dude, I really dont know what to say. For a fact, the current batch always has a say in deciding the next batch. Almost 200 people from the current batch would review applications and help the admissions team to narrow down applications. And the process is extremely efficient that all this while we havent had any sort of problem in terms of bias or whatever in that aspect. And its perfectly justified that the current batch would choose the next batch because they know what is best for the school. In that way, there is a lot of commitment from the students too. If your interview wasnt exhaustive enough, then you cant just say anything about the interview. The interviewers have definitely got the answers for all the questions they had in their mind. Dont think that if a particular question, which you think is very important, is not asked, the whole system is not working. Maybe it wasnt of any importance to the people interviewing you. Its not ncessary for every panel to sit with you and go over 25 years of your life in detail. Thats not their job.
People post their experience of the interview they had and then the others take a little bit of liberty to make good or bad comments.
right now, some frustrated souls have decided to have their take on the Interview Process. If you are part of thw group, then you should definitely follow this thread called the "Interview Saga".
one view-set is like: ISB is right now just doing brand building, the alums have not created a niche for themselves, its only about getting good placements, after all its an Indian B-School.
--> Dude, the school is 5 yrs old and in the last five yrs, the growth path the school has had is a zillion times better than any other B-School in India, given the fact that most other good schools survive on government funds. The Alums from this School are perhaps the most experienced lot when put together with all students entering B-Schools in any given year. And the kind of companies that come to get experienced people here NEVER go to the other schools in India. If you said, its all about placements, well then, how many emails have been posted in the isb-pgp yahoogroups asking questions about courses and research being done - less than 10%. The maximum number of emails that have been floating is about WHAT ROLES WILL I GET AFTER ISB types? If the basic mentality of the students who are applying to the school is just worrying about placements, then blaming the school is no good. How many US schools have organized placements like it happens in India. You are mostly on your own. But here, you expect to be spoon-fed till your first baby is born and then you blame the system for everything. Very Funny!!!
Some say that the interview results are pre-fixed!!!
--> Well dude, I really dont know what to say. For a fact, the current batch always has a say in deciding the next batch. Almost 200 people from the current batch would review applications and help the admissions team to narrow down applications. And the process is extremely efficient that all this while we havent had any sort of problem in terms of bias or whatever in that aspect. And its perfectly justified that the current batch would choose the next batch because they know what is best for the school. In that way, there is a lot of commitment from the students too. If your interview wasnt exhaustive enough, then you cant just say anything about the interview. The interviewers have definitely got the answers for all the questions they had in their mind. Dont think that if a particular question, which you think is very important, is not asked, the whole system is not working. Maybe it wasnt of any importance to the people interviewing you. Its not ncessary for every panel to sit with you and go over 25 years of your life in detail. Thats not their job.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
ISB on CNBC Aawaz
Sometime back, to be precise, during the first week of November, when we had the HealthCare Summit, ISB grabbed a lot of media attention. The biggest names in the Pharma Industry were here to participate. The Summit was one of its kinds in the whole nation. Perhaps, the HealthCare Club is also a unique club in the whole country. I dont think any other B-School has such a club in its portfolio.
Anyway, the media did its contribution to promote the ISB brand and it was quite effective.
And the surprise, is that, in that less than 10 minute video, you can spot me sitting in the Atrium and talking to a few people. I never knew this was happening. Thank god, they did not ask me to speak to them. The whole thing was in Hindi and I am quite sure that I would have screwed up big time. But, the rest of them who spoke did a fantastic job highlighting the unique aspects of the curriculum.
You can watch the video on the SecC Videos Column on the LEFT or CLICK HERE to see it on YouTube.
Anyway, the media did its contribution to promote the ISB brand and it was quite effective.
And the surprise, is that, in that less than 10 minute video, you can spot me sitting in the Atrium and talking to a few people. I never knew this was happening. Thank god, they did not ask me to speak to them. The whole thing was in Hindi and I am quite sure that I would have screwed up big time. But, the rest of them who spoke did a fantastic job highlighting the unique aspects of the curriculum.
You can watch the video on the SecC Videos Column on the LEFT or CLICK HERE to see it on YouTube.
Monday, November 20, 2006
A term without exams
I didnt imagine that this would happen, but yes, this term I have no exams at all. And why am I writing about this now - thats because I dont have anything to write about. I havent done anything in the last three days. I have so damn lazy. I sleep for more than 8 hrs, eat well, chat with friends and browse the internet. That's all what I have been doing since Friday. I feel so irritated when I do all of this, when I have so much time and I got nothing to do. It feels extremely odd and its definitely not ISB like.
Life has suddenly become so slow that my mind is not working at all. I think thats what is the effect of the ISB life. A few months back, I was talking about this with a couple of friends on campus. Everything at ISB happens at the pace of a MAGLEV. There are days when you have classes all day with information overload, guest lectures and then group meetings, interview prep, club meetings - so many things happen that you just get about 6 hrs to sleep. that too in instalments. you'd probably sleep for 4 hrs in the night and then make up for the other 2 hrs the next night or sometime during the afternoon. or even worse, you might have to pile it up for the weekend. but it could just pile-on and on because the weekend might be filled with PPTs from companies or some summit or language classes or the PARTY!!!
you so get used to thinking and acting so fast that suddenly if things come to a halt or move at a slower pace, you dont know what to do and its just not normal at all. thats the toughest part. we so get used to a life which is like sitting on the seat of a formula one car that after the 49 weeks, it becomes very difficult to hit the brakes for a while.
and i can feel that right now in the middle of the course. I just dont know what to do. without the usual mid-terms and end-terms i feel somewhat distant from the regular and perhaps brain-dead!!!
not that i took courses that have no exams on purpose. i have been troubled all through the term to submit assignments every alternate day and thats kept up the momentum.
i suddenly see that the days are long. a few weeks back, 24 hrs wasnt just enuff for a single assignment and our group used to go bonkers trying to solve a case. now i can hear the clear tick of the seconds hand of the clock.
i think i have watched about 4 tamil movies in the last 2 days - started with the Kamal Hassan thriller Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu on Google Video, then went on to see Jillendru Oru Kathal on bits and pieces, saw that Mouna Ragam was being played in SUN TV. this is the first time i have had time to sit and see an afternoon movie at ISB without having to get up for any errand. then a bit of Nayagan by evening. its kind of been like a festival of movies. in between, also managed to attend a few dunking sessions - well if you got all the time in the world, why wudnt you do all this?
Life has suddenly become so slow that my mind is not working at all. I think thats what is the effect of the ISB life. A few months back, I was talking about this with a couple of friends on campus. Everything at ISB happens at the pace of a MAGLEV. There are days when you have classes all day with information overload, guest lectures and then group meetings, interview prep, club meetings - so many things happen that you just get about 6 hrs to sleep. that too in instalments. you'd probably sleep for 4 hrs in the night and then make up for the other 2 hrs the next night or sometime during the afternoon. or even worse, you might have to pile it up for the weekend. but it could just pile-on and on because the weekend might be filled with PPTs from companies or some summit or language classes or the PARTY!!!
you so get used to thinking and acting so fast that suddenly if things come to a halt or move at a slower pace, you dont know what to do and its just not normal at all. thats the toughest part. we so get used to a life which is like sitting on the seat of a formula one car that after the 49 weeks, it becomes very difficult to hit the brakes for a while.
and i can feel that right now in the middle of the course. I just dont know what to do. without the usual mid-terms and end-terms i feel somewhat distant from the regular and perhaps brain-dead!!!
not that i took courses that have no exams on purpose. i have been troubled all through the term to submit assignments every alternate day and thats kept up the momentum.
i suddenly see that the days are long. a few weeks back, 24 hrs wasnt just enuff for a single assignment and our group used to go bonkers trying to solve a case. now i can hear the clear tick of the seconds hand of the clock.
i think i have watched about 4 tamil movies in the last 2 days - started with the Kamal Hassan thriller Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu on Google Video, then went on to see Jillendru Oru Kathal on bits and pieces, saw that Mouna Ragam was being played in SUN TV. this is the first time i have had time to sit and see an afternoon movie at ISB without having to get up for any errand. then a bit of Nayagan by evening. its kind of been like a festival of movies. in between, also managed to attend a few dunking sessions - well if you got all the time in the world, why wudnt you do all this?
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Lapped the lake in 50 mins
it was a great day today. i got up at 5 in the morning, with full enthu to run. we took the shuttle and reached the hussainsagar lake. then we started running. this was our practice session for the hyderabad 10K marathon that is going to happen next weekend. i decided that i should check the circuit before race day. its like doing those practice day sessions on the circuit in formula one. i ran the complete length of what they call the "necklace road" and reached the starting point in 50 mins. when i completed, i had the best feeling. during the run, at certain points i was a bit tired, but then i never reduced pace and managed to make a great finish.
after i came back, i skipped the novartis info session on placements, then slept a bit through the spanish class and then met my group for the next assignment.
this time we were working on "the role of academic institutions in promoting innovation in india". now, you are in for good substance. in my data mining efforts on this topic, i was surprised to find so many government initiatives like the Knowledge Commission, National Innovation Foundation and a lot of views presented by a number of people on innovation in india. it was quite interesting. despite these initiatives the quality of education has generally declined. the number of students going to US univs has increased tremendously. there has been a general disinterest in concentrating on innovation in the subcontinent.
i think this has got something to do with the indian dna. for quite a long time, say from industrial revolution, we havent seen much happening in india. all that happened was in the west and it just got transported to this side. our guys have been too operational and task oriented. i dont deny the fact that we did some kind of innovation. but the scale at which this has happened in the US is phenomenal. india has 80 incubation cells compared to 1000 in the US. ever since globalisation happened, india has been seen as a low cost centre for manufacturing and IT. but i think, a few things have started to change. most renowned engg institutes and business schools have technology and innovation cells being promoted by government, industries and research organisations. innovation is not in the back seat. we are getting there. but yes, it needs a lot of effort in this fast paced world.
still have two more critical assignments and a take home exam to complete. and thats going to take up most of the next three days. more perhaps tomorrow. i think i just forgot what i wanted to write next.....
after i came back, i skipped the novartis info session on placements, then slept a bit through the spanish class and then met my group for the next assignment.
this time we were working on "the role of academic institutions in promoting innovation in india". now, you are in for good substance. in my data mining efforts on this topic, i was surprised to find so many government initiatives like the Knowledge Commission, National Innovation Foundation and a lot of views presented by a number of people on innovation in india. it was quite interesting. despite these initiatives the quality of education has generally declined. the number of students going to US univs has increased tremendously. there has been a general disinterest in concentrating on innovation in the subcontinent.
i think this has got something to do with the indian dna. for quite a long time, say from industrial revolution, we havent seen much happening in india. all that happened was in the west and it just got transported to this side. our guys have been too operational and task oriented. i dont deny the fact that we did some kind of innovation. but the scale at which this has happened in the US is phenomenal. india has 80 incubation cells compared to 1000 in the US. ever since globalisation happened, india has been seen as a low cost centre for manufacturing and IT. but i think, a few things have started to change. most renowned engg institutes and business schools have technology and innovation cells being promoted by government, industries and research organisations. innovation is not in the back seat. we are getting there. but yes, it needs a lot of effort in this fast paced world.
still have two more critical assignments and a take home exam to complete. and thats going to take up most of the next three days. more perhaps tomorrow. i think i just forgot what i wanted to write next.....
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
No more classes this week
This week has been just too fast. And its Thursday tomorrow. We've started our interview preparation process and we try to meet everyday. Let me stress on that try word because we dont necessarily meet everyday. It somehow becomes twice a week with the multitude of assignments people have on different days and different times. And thats probably the best part of whatever happens in the elective terms. The courses are desgined in such a way that you definitely end up crunched for time at any given day.
Previously, it was just one group. You had to meet atleast once a week to sort out the assignments, do the allocations and then collate the results. In between, allocations were also made as to who would network with others to get the best answer possible. Doing that was by itself a challenging task. On top of that was group dynamics. Every group by rule has some strange characters.
Some are free riders. It seems, during the last year, most groups had one girl and the rest were guys. And this, according to feedback provided, gave an opportunity for the girls to be free riders. So this time, any group that has members of the fairer sex was gifted with two. Now if that was a devil in disguise - you never know. But then, free riders are everywhere. Sometimes the guys are like that too. This cannot be avoided.
The next ones are the people who just care about their grades and nothing else. I came across one like that sometime back. I was just astonished. Their reactions are -"I am not bothered about my group. What if a lesser competent member in my group did something and I got an A minus from getting an A?" They give such kind of arguments. Bottomline: they dont trust their group at all. all they are bothered about is what they get.
Now, even in the free riders, there are some smart free riders, who pair up with the working lot in the group. just to show that they are doing some work too. i definitely feel you need talent for that. its not easy to spot the person who knows all the answers and make him/her do all the work while you are busy taking care of other errands like attending a party!!!
then, there are people who start their work by first looking at what the other group has done. then they start pestering the other members of the group to think in the same direction. they just keep making phone calls to their friends in different groups and try to get all perspectives, keep confusing and irritating the rest of the group.
and the list goes on....
the only thing that I could probably get from this is the kind of people you should watch out for, there are certain signs and indications. dont worry, your inner voice will not tell you. but if you've been through this cycle of interacting with groups, then you'd probably get a fair idea of with whom you'd want to work with, though that intuition wouldnt be right always.
From this term, there are groups for every course. managing so many group meetings in one day is the challenge. attending classes is not a problem at all. then there is an interview prep group, there is a group that works for the conclave, summit, and then groups for frisbee, football, marathon - okay we dont have group meetings for these, whenever we meet, we play. everywhere on campus, there is a small group discussing something or the other. and this would go on till march next year.
so, after battling with so many groups during the last one month, we have finally come to a halt. my final presentation for one of the courses i have taken this term is due on friday. we have a group meeting tomorrow afternoon to prepare for the same. that marks the culmination of group meetings for this term. oh no, it doesnt. there is another meeting sometime during the next week.
would that be the final one? you never know. the rate at which everything is happening around you here is just mindblowing. suddenly there would be an email to you. you would have been inducted into a group automatically. they'd never ask your permission. you'll be instructed to land up for the meeting and if you didnt, you'd probably end up with the ones that are remaining in each class. and beware, if a situation like that happens, then you can confidently write off your grade for that course.
Previously, it was just one group. You had to meet atleast once a week to sort out the assignments, do the allocations and then collate the results. In between, allocations were also made as to who would network with others to get the best answer possible. Doing that was by itself a challenging task. On top of that was group dynamics. Every group by rule has some strange characters.
Some are free riders. It seems, during the last year, most groups had one girl and the rest were guys. And this, according to feedback provided, gave an opportunity for the girls to be free riders. So this time, any group that has members of the fairer sex was gifted with two. Now if that was a devil in disguise - you never know. But then, free riders are everywhere. Sometimes the guys are like that too. This cannot be avoided.
The next ones are the people who just care about their grades and nothing else. I came across one like that sometime back. I was just astonished. Their reactions are -"I am not bothered about my group. What if a lesser competent member in my group did something and I got an A minus from getting an A?" They give such kind of arguments. Bottomline: they dont trust their group at all. all they are bothered about is what they get.
Now, even in the free riders, there are some smart free riders, who pair up with the working lot in the group. just to show that they are doing some work too. i definitely feel you need talent for that. its not easy to spot the person who knows all the answers and make him/her do all the work while you are busy taking care of other errands like attending a party!!!
then, there are people who start their work by first looking at what the other group has done. then they start pestering the other members of the group to think in the same direction. they just keep making phone calls to their friends in different groups and try to get all perspectives, keep confusing and irritating the rest of the group.
and the list goes on....
the only thing that I could probably get from this is the kind of people you should watch out for, there are certain signs and indications. dont worry, your inner voice will not tell you. but if you've been through this cycle of interacting with groups, then you'd probably get a fair idea of with whom you'd want to work with, though that intuition wouldnt be right always.
From this term, there are groups for every course. managing so many group meetings in one day is the challenge. attending classes is not a problem at all. then there is an interview prep group, there is a group that works for the conclave, summit, and then groups for frisbee, football, marathon - okay we dont have group meetings for these, whenever we meet, we play. everywhere on campus, there is a small group discussing something or the other. and this would go on till march next year.
so, after battling with so many groups during the last one month, we have finally come to a halt. my final presentation for one of the courses i have taken this term is due on friday. we have a group meeting tomorrow afternoon to prepare for the same. that marks the culmination of group meetings for this term. oh no, it doesnt. there is another meeting sometime during the next week.
would that be the final one? you never know. the rate at which everything is happening around you here is just mindblowing. suddenly there would be an email to you. you would have been inducted into a group automatically. they'd never ask your permission. you'll be instructed to land up for the meeting and if you didnt, you'd probably end up with the ones that are remaining in each class. and beware, if a situation like that happens, then you can confidently write off your grade for that course.
Monday, November 13, 2006
Coca Cola Christmas
A sneak preview of the new Christmas Ad that is going to reach millions of people across Europe during the next week.
whatever said and done, christmas in the west has always been associated with Coca Cola. the connection is definitely with the red color. coca cola as such does not claim to have created Santa Claus, but i am quite sure that a lot of people in the west do have that strong belief. i confirmed it too. last christmas, when i was in london, we had a christmas lunch at the office and our sourcing manager who is a jamaican by nativity brought up the topic of gift giving during christmas and then mentioned that Coca Cola had a historic connection with Santa Claus and they had originally created the concept of Santa. Ignorance IS always bliss.
This ad was directed by Kerry Conran who has directed the movie - "Sky Captain and the world of tomorrow". If you havent seen this movie, then you've missed another great movie in that ever expanding list of yours.
whatever said and done, christmas in the west has always been associated with Coca Cola. the connection is definitely with the red color. coca cola as such does not claim to have created Santa Claus, but i am quite sure that a lot of people in the west do have that strong belief. i confirmed it too. last christmas, when i was in london, we had a christmas lunch at the office and our sourcing manager who is a jamaican by nativity brought up the topic of gift giving during christmas and then mentioned that Coca Cola had a historic connection with Santa Claus and they had originally created the concept of Santa. Ignorance IS always bliss.
This ad was directed by Kerry Conran who has directed the movie - "Sky Captain and the world of tomorrow". If you havent seen this movie, then you've missed another great movie in that ever expanding list of yours.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Brand Audits
Over the last two days, I have filled out more survey forms than ever before. Almost half of the batch is in a frenzy mood to create survey questionnaires. Every hour there is an email from someone or the other who wants the rest of the batch. So far, I have seen atleast three emails about airlines, then beer, food and I cant remember the rest.
Little Italy is an excellent place to have Italian Food in Hyderabad. Though some of the stuff is Indian Italian, the food is actually good. I remember the craze for Chinese food that people have here in this country. But, for a fact, if the Chinese were to come here and eat that so called chinese food, then they'd just cry out in pain for what the Indians have done to the Chinese recipes. i still havent found a place that actually serves authentic international cuisine. like i said, typical chinese food is sour and has mostly garlic seasoning, but our chefs are so fascinated with the indian seasonings that they just beat the living daylights out of the food enthusiasts.
coming back to little italy - this place has a very good ambience and the food that is served here is extremely tasty. and we know that "anything that tastes good is definitely not good for your health".
the weekend as such has been extremely tiring. the net impact conclave was a big hit. people just arrived in hundreds and the audi was overflowing. we had some strong comments from the panelists and the speakers. I am sure that the media has got it all covered and this week's papers are just going to make the kill. ISB as a brand in promoting social responsiblity has been instilled among a few big names in the industry. amidst the busy schedule that everyone goes through, getting A list speakers and managing the whole event was a great challenge that was well handled by the team here.
our business plan writing experience finally came to an end on saturday afternoon. we had conceptualised the umbilical cord blood bank. not that its not around in india. just that we were interested in writing a plan for that sort of a business. we managed a good business plan, but the panelists were not extremely satisfied with certain aspects of the plan. it always a learning process and yes, through all of this that happened over the last two months of so, we've definitely come to a stage where we know what entails a good business plan, even though the concept maybe too undifferentiated.
Little Italy is an excellent place to have Italian Food in Hyderabad. Though some of the stuff is Indian Italian, the food is actually good. I remember the craze for Chinese food that people have here in this country. But, for a fact, if the Chinese were to come here and eat that so called chinese food, then they'd just cry out in pain for what the Indians have done to the Chinese recipes. i still havent found a place that actually serves authentic international cuisine. like i said, typical chinese food is sour and has mostly garlic seasoning, but our chefs are so fascinated with the indian seasonings that they just beat the living daylights out of the food enthusiasts.
coming back to little italy - this place has a very good ambience and the food that is served here is extremely tasty. and we know that "anything that tastes good is definitely not good for your health".
the weekend as such has been extremely tiring. the net impact conclave was a big hit. people just arrived in hundreds and the audi was overflowing. we had some strong comments from the panelists and the speakers. I am sure that the media has got it all covered and this week's papers are just going to make the kill. ISB as a brand in promoting social responsiblity has been instilled among a few big names in the industry. amidst the busy schedule that everyone goes through, getting A list speakers and managing the whole event was a great challenge that was well handled by the team here.
our business plan writing experience finally came to an end on saturday afternoon. we had conceptualised the umbilical cord blood bank. not that its not around in india. just that we were interested in writing a plan for that sort of a business. we managed a good business plan, but the panelists were not extremely satisfied with certain aspects of the plan. it always a learning process and yes, through all of this that happened over the last two months of so, we've definitely come to a stage where we know what entails a good business plan, even though the concept maybe too undifferentiated.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Hyd 10K
the hyderabad 10K is the next thing on my mind. its on november 26th. initially we had about 30 people who were interested in doing the run and represent the school. one fine afternoon, i bumped into Guru from the dean's office and he told me that the staff were also interested and suggested that they could make this whole event as a school thing. later, it got decided that the school was ready to sponsor 100 people for the marathon. that was just awesome.
we would get ISB branded t-shirts for the run and all of us would represent ISB at the Necklace Road in Hyderabad.
the run has been on my mind for quite a long time now. i developed this passion for running only after i went to the UK. my first run was the NIKE 10K. this run was so special that it took us through the historic route in london - through shad thames, tower bridge and southwark cathedral. it was just fantastic and i managed to finish in less than an hour. it was my first run and i did better than my citigroup gym instructor. then i did one more NIKE run the next year, also did the canary wharf jog for the british heart foundation and the manchester run for leukaemia research. since then, i made up my mind that i would try and do the 10K every year.
it seems, last year we had just 2 participants from ISB. this time we have close to 55 students. the admnistration has assured that they will get atleast 30 people to participate. if we can reach the target of 100, it would be great.
the dean is part of the executive committee for Hyd 10K. this event would probably the best representation that we could give as a school in the city, apart from the weekly pubbing activity that the students contribute to.
we would get ISB branded t-shirts for the run and all of us would represent ISB at the Necklace Road in Hyderabad.
the run has been on my mind for quite a long time now. i developed this passion for running only after i went to the UK. my first run was the NIKE 10K. this run was so special that it took us through the historic route in london - through shad thames, tower bridge and southwark cathedral. it was just fantastic and i managed to finish in less than an hour. it was my first run and i did better than my citigroup gym instructor. then i did one more NIKE run the next year, also did the canary wharf jog for the british heart foundation and the manchester run for leukaemia research. since then, i made up my mind that i would try and do the 10K every year.
it seems, last year we had just 2 participants from ISB. this time we have close to 55 students. the admnistration has assured that they will get atleast 30 people to participate. if we can reach the target of 100, it would be great.
the dean is part of the executive committee for Hyd 10K. this event would probably the best representation that we could give as a school in the city, apart from the weekly pubbing activity that the students contribute to.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Just crossed the half line
Its hard to believe. Well, thats probably what you could expect out of a one year MBA program. The placement season has begun already. This is very specific to international jobs. the placement cell at the isb makes sure that international companies get to visit the ISB according to their recruitment calendar rather than tailoring it to the schools placement week.
since sunday, i have seen quite a number of people hanging around in a suit. with an intense look on their face, some probably dont even know what they are getting into, because they applied just for the heck of it.
this reminds me of another incident where we got an email from the administration that an unimaginable number of students have applied to an international role for which almost 90% did not have any fit whatsoever. they just decided to fly their resume to see what happens. and then we also get praised for being the best batch among all the students who have been in the school till date. i cant comment on this because i havent seen a lot of students from the previous years and have to rely on the people who have seen students through all these years. whatever said and done, i will have my reservations. i am quite convinced that there is some kind of dilution.
all things said and done, some more companies are coming this week and short lists are out. i havent applied to any - first reason - i find it hard to change my resume according to the job requirements of the different firms. sometimes its like saying - i have used a computer for 4 yrs, so i have 4 yrs IT experience. well its not that bad, but i'll be outraged if it gets to that level of insanity. and then there are some more people who are prepared to do the same job they did before their MBA, just because they are getting an overseas posting. thats the kind of compromise people are making in career choices. during our orientation, we were told that we could make only one of three shifts - location, job, and salary (if i remember right). and that's probably what is driving some of these people. for me - if i wanted an overseas job, i wudnt have come here at all. i was already outside, on the verge of getting transferred to another international location for a longer time. i could have just continued. now, the next thing on my mind is the job (still going on three parameters) and the expanse of responsiblities i can get in the role. so, i am just going to relax and enjoy till its february or whenever that is - the placement season.
another funny thing incident that happened is some people asking the placement cell as to "why they havent been shortlisted for the interviews". this could probably be the most ridiculous question. the already tarnished name of the batch that just decided to see if their CV will fly is now trying something new to make sure that the company would nevr come back again. a company that shortlists a particular person might have N reasons and why should they tell that to you. with that, we end this here.
since sunday, i have seen quite a number of people hanging around in a suit. with an intense look on their face, some probably dont even know what they are getting into, because they applied just for the heck of it.
this reminds me of another incident where we got an email from the administration that an unimaginable number of students have applied to an international role for which almost 90% did not have any fit whatsoever. they just decided to fly their resume to see what happens. and then we also get praised for being the best batch among all the students who have been in the school till date. i cant comment on this because i havent seen a lot of students from the previous years and have to rely on the people who have seen students through all these years. whatever said and done, i will have my reservations. i am quite convinced that there is some kind of dilution.
all things said and done, some more companies are coming this week and short lists are out. i havent applied to any - first reason - i find it hard to change my resume according to the job requirements of the different firms. sometimes its like saying - i have used a computer for 4 yrs, so i have 4 yrs IT experience. well its not that bad, but i'll be outraged if it gets to that level of insanity. and then there are some more people who are prepared to do the same job they did before their MBA, just because they are getting an overseas posting. thats the kind of compromise people are making in career choices. during our orientation, we were told that we could make only one of three shifts - location, job, and salary (if i remember right). and that's probably what is driving some of these people. for me - if i wanted an overseas job, i wudnt have come here at all. i was already outside, on the verge of getting transferred to another international location for a longer time. i could have just continued. now, the next thing on my mind is the job (still going on three parameters) and the expanse of responsiblities i can get in the role. so, i am just going to relax and enjoy till its february or whenever that is - the placement season.
another funny thing incident that happened is some people asking the placement cell as to "why they havent been shortlisted for the interviews". this could probably be the most ridiculous question. the already tarnished name of the batch that just decided to see if their CV will fly is now trying something new to make sure that the company would nevr come back again. a company that shortlists a particular person might have N reasons and why should they tell that to you. with that, we end this here.
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Caffeine Addicts
Before, almost every student used to complain about the quality of food and the service levels at the dining hall. Now people are tired and bored. Emails have stopped flowing that direction. The whole problem has taken a new dimension now. Guess what?
Sarovar (people who serve us food) found out that some people in the batch were actually stealing coffee from the vending machines. You may ask - how can this be done?
"Well, its not very difficult" - would be the reply from some of our smartest MBA Students, who have paid more than 15 lacs to be in this place and dont want to pay a single penny more, even if its for their daily coffee. Just bang the coffee vending machine on both sides at some strategic points (why strategic - well, if you are doing an MBA, then you got to use the word "strategic" for every ten words you use in a sentence. and that is their explanation), shake it vehemently and then you'll instantaneously get a hot cup of coffee, without spending the usual 5 ruppees. [heard from a person who actually does that]
So, here we are in a place that commands integrity to such a large extent, with the so-called leaders of tomorrow, some of whom are MORONS, who do all this.
When the administration complained that they were fed up with this kind of behavior and that they were not prepared to repair the machines because it cost them a lot, I think they were totally justified.
Then comes another champion of the cause from the Students side, who starts talking about commercial enterprises, subsidizing food, and efficient markets. Well, he definitely didnt have the brains to understand that it was his friends from the batch who were breaking the machine and he was advocating for what had happened, under the impression that all that was a totally justified act. What a total dumb-ass he was.
And then, the one person who was among the most honest community in the batch struggled to keep quiet and responded. He did educate the other guy that breaking equipment and stealing is not the way to react in any situation. atleast in the civilized world, in which efficient markets operate, this doesnt happen.
Well, whatever said and done. My point is - why the hell do you have to steal stuff. Ok, steal it. thats also fine, but then, of all things, why go and break a vending machine. are you such a pauper? are you insane?
and yes, these are some of the people who scored exceptional gmat scores, cleared the initial screening round, and impressed the interviewer to find their way here.
and i am sure, this will continue with the future as well.
Sarovar (people who serve us food) found out that some people in the batch were actually stealing coffee from the vending machines. You may ask - how can this be done?
"Well, its not very difficult" - would be the reply from some of our smartest MBA Students, who have paid more than 15 lacs to be in this place and dont want to pay a single penny more, even if its for their daily coffee. Just bang the coffee vending machine on both sides at some strategic points (why strategic - well, if you are doing an MBA, then you got to use the word "strategic" for every ten words you use in a sentence. and that is their explanation), shake it vehemently and then you'll instantaneously get a hot cup of coffee, without spending the usual 5 ruppees. [heard from a person who actually does that]
So, here we are in a place that commands integrity to such a large extent, with the so-called leaders of tomorrow, some of whom are MORONS, who do all this.
When the administration complained that they were fed up with this kind of behavior and that they were not prepared to repair the machines because it cost them a lot, I think they were totally justified.
Then comes another champion of the cause from the Students side, who starts talking about commercial enterprises, subsidizing food, and efficient markets. Well, he definitely didnt have the brains to understand that it was his friends from the batch who were breaking the machine and he was advocating for what had happened, under the impression that all that was a totally justified act. What a total dumb-ass he was.
And then, the one person who was among the most honest community in the batch struggled to keep quiet and responded. He did educate the other guy that breaking equipment and stealing is not the way to react in any situation. atleast in the civilized world, in which efficient markets operate, this doesnt happen.
Well, whatever said and done. My point is - why the hell do you have to steal stuff. Ok, steal it. thats also fine, but then, of all things, why go and break a vending machine. are you such a pauper? are you insane?
and yes, these are some of the people who scored exceptional gmat scores, cleared the initial screening round, and impressed the interviewer to find their way here.
and i am sure, this will continue with the future as well.
After a long hiatus
Whooaah!!! This was perhaps the weirdest IT exam I ever wrote. Imagine an information technology paper with differential equations, lagrangian multipliers, gamma, alpha and what not. I cant believe I sat through such a paper today. Moreover, the trauma of studying all that. Never did I know that IT could be so complicated, or did the people who researched on IT think that for once IT should also attain the status in the likes of biological or financial research. Well, even if they thought that way, why am I reading all that. I hope I get to use enough of what I have learnt in this course in my journey ahead.
After I finished the exman today, I rushed to attend the HealthCare Summit. On my way, I met the Dean. He was making his way there too. He did ask me about the exam and I told him that it went okay. Actually, the exam really went okay. Okay, if it was "open book, open notes, and laptop with internet allowed" exam, then it should be definitely somewhat okay.
The summit started off with a big bang. The best names in the pharma and healthcare industry were on campus. the hall was full. all local media people were around to cover. i wouldnt go into the details of who came and who spoke what because all of that is on the ISB website. Overall: Great Impact.
Over the last few days, so many things have happened that I couldnt keep track of everything properly. But today, I have the time and I have decided to blog as much as I can. So, lets guage how much your reading appetite is?
After I finished the exman today, I rushed to attend the HealthCare Summit. On my way, I met the Dean. He was making his way there too. He did ask me about the exam and I told him that it went okay. Actually, the exam really went okay. Okay, if it was "open book, open notes, and laptop with internet allowed" exam, then it should be definitely somewhat okay.
The summit started off with a big bang. The best names in the pharma and healthcare industry were on campus. the hall was full. all local media people were around to cover. i wouldnt go into the details of who came and who spoke what because all of that is on the ISB website. Overall: Great Impact.
Over the last few days, so many things have happened that I couldnt keep track of everything properly. But today, I have the time and I have decided to blog as much as I can. So, lets guage how much your reading appetite is?
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Tagged: 8 things about me
I have been tagged by Jawzy.
I have to write 8 things about myself and then Tag another 6 people. What the hell. Looks like this is the best timepass job anyone could ever do.
This 8 things about me is so generic. This is like asking "tell me about yourself" in the personal interview. Its such an open question. Where to start and where to end? What a mystery.
Anyway... Let's see how this works out.
1. I am a very religious person. I believe in the vedic scriptures and their importance to the Hindu religion and living as such.
2. I can never make someone a best friend in my life. There will always be a gap somewhere. And thats because of me. I tend to keep that small distance. And I am sure that this will continue, come what may.
3. I dont believe in platonic relationship between a boy and a girl. Somewhere, some friction would happen and that would draw the line between a boyfriend and a no-friend. Well, thats the truth - if you take it or not. Not my problem.
4. I am a health freak. I like to play sports that increase my heart rate and build resistance.
5. I am actually a very lazy person. I might sound very energetic and happy about many things, but I am not totally like that.
6. I like to cook. At one point, I considered joining one of those schools in switzerland for a degree in hotel management than doing an MBA. Now, I strongly feel, I should have done that.
7. I like to travel as well. But again, I am lazy. So I will travel only if there is a set agenda/plan. I cannot just take a train or my bike and waste time on a journey thinking that it will end up being good. I plan for the good right from the beginning and do it only when I am sure of reaching the end point.
8. I like to shop - only clothes. Usually I do that every month - I buy a shirt and a trouser. I am not brand loyal. So, I buy all the good ones starting from about £10 to £20. After that it becomes too expensive.
Uff, I finished the 8. It wasnt any easy. And bet you, I was damn lazy.
I'd like to tag Manu, Vivek, Venkat, Sumit, Chiranth, and Kishore.
I have to write 8 things about myself and then Tag another 6 people. What the hell. Looks like this is the best timepass job anyone could ever do.
This 8 things about me is so generic. This is like asking "tell me about yourself" in the personal interview. Its such an open question. Where to start and where to end? What a mystery.
Anyway... Let's see how this works out.
1. I am a very religious person. I believe in the vedic scriptures and their importance to the Hindu religion and living as such.
2. I can never make someone a best friend in my life. There will always be a gap somewhere. And thats because of me. I tend to keep that small distance. And I am sure that this will continue, come what may.
3. I dont believe in platonic relationship between a boy and a girl. Somewhere, some friction would happen and that would draw the line between a boyfriend and a no-friend. Well, thats the truth - if you take it or not. Not my problem.
4. I am a health freak. I like to play sports that increase my heart rate and build resistance.
5. I am actually a very lazy person. I might sound very energetic and happy about many things, but I am not totally like that.
6. I like to cook. At one point, I considered joining one of those schools in switzerland for a degree in hotel management than doing an MBA. Now, I strongly feel, I should have done that.
7. I like to travel as well. But again, I am lazy. So I will travel only if there is a set agenda/plan. I cannot just take a train or my bike and waste time on a journey thinking that it will end up being good. I plan for the good right from the beginning and do it only when I am sure of reaching the end point.
8. I like to shop - only clothes. Usually I do that every month - I buy a shirt and a trouser. I am not brand loyal. So, I buy all the good ones starting from about £10 to £20. After that it becomes too expensive.
Uff, I finished the 8. It wasnt any easy. And bet you, I was damn lazy.
I'd like to tag Manu, Vivek, Venkat, Sumit, Chiranth, and Kishore.
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