Saturday, March 22, 2008

Moved On

I've finally found the courage to move on. It's been a long and drawn
out relationship. I know I have never been very good to you. I've been mean to you and ignored you a lot, but for all your
 faults, I have put up with you for a long time. You must know that
 I will always love you, and you will forever hold a special place in
 my heart. This is a last goodbye

To whomsoever this may concern, I have moved my blog to here

Saturday, March 15, 2008

The Ides of March

The end of an era for the senior batch of IIML. Truly a sad time for us all as they leave campus to pursue their careers and light up the corporate world.
Shine on, you crazy diamonds!

For those remaining, our time cannot come soon enough. I sure look forward to a year of the added responsibility and fun as we take over the mantel of seniors at  IIML.

Nothing more to say, really.

Btw, how often do you come across something that describes you so well it scares you? I could not agree more with this article... scary how I fit this sterotype perfectly :)

Saturday, January 26, 2008

e-Rebel

So much for empty promises about regular updates, well... it is my bloody blog after all, no point apologizing :D

Well, the last few weeks have been amazing as I was greatly involved in stuff that excite me, and turn me on. It all started off with this amazing book by Thomas Friedman, 'The World is Flat'. As I perused through the book, I was amazed as I realized so many things that were happening in and around me that I either took for granted or never understood the implications of, though I was immensely involved in.

The book talks about technology and its innovations over the decades that have served to converge the world, and in essence, flatten the world. I'm not a great reviewer of books, but I'll say that it immediately helped me look at common stuff around me in an entirely new and exciting light.

Next I came across this superb video by Richter Scales which is mind-blowing in its creativity and the insight that it provides into technology and its innovations. Sung to the tune of Billy Joel's 'We didn't start the fire', the video simply rocks :)



The next thing to happen was this competition by Nokia where we had to submit a report on initiatives Nokia can take in India in this new era of technological convergence. The amount of insight that i gained from the research on the topic, in addition to knowledge of the various technologies currently being invested in is simply overwhelming. Needless to say, we got through the stage, and the won the subsequent stages, and i'm now a proud owner of a brand new nokia e90, which i'm still not able to decide if its a phone or a computer; the level of technology and convergence in the phone is just unbelievable. I am sure it'll take to figure out how all the systems work in it!! I've got the fourth screen, baby!

Not even my MBA curriculum spared me as a course on Management Information Systems exposed us to a professor who yaps on and on about technology and convergence. Some of the stuff that he talks about makes me real jealous as I can imagine how lucky he is to have seen and been involved in the mammoth changes over the years.

Now, being a member of the campus' IT committee with relatively low knowledge of tech stuff can be a disadvantage at times but I also get to interact with super-geeks whose excitement due to technological progress has a great tendency to rub off on me. I can see through their eyes the future of technology and how it will be able to impact our lives.

I am a great fan of movies based on the rock culture from 60s; these are definitely a big draw as they show us how exciting those times were, as entire nations paid heed to the sounds of change and rebelliousness. That was a generation that has made such a tremendous transformational impact on the way music has evolved, and will always be remembered for its heroes - Hendrix, Robert Plant, Syd Barrett, Roger Waters, Kurt Cobain and so many others.

Well, it has also been my feeling that hollywood never has paid true respect to the other class of people who quietly helped transform this era, and make this world a much better place to live in. This is the class of the e-Rebel, those who in their embodiment of 'geekhood', have revolutionalized life, the universe and everything. I sure hope one day, people will get to see movies of technological greats like Page, Brin, Gates, Allen, Jobs and thousands of others who embraced geekhood and made it possible for me to blog on this page today!

Monday, December 31, 2007

Happy New Year!

This is that time of the year when

- you say Merry Christmas and mean it

- you blow out air and pretend you’re smoking

- you wish it were warmer if you’re cold

- you wish it were colder if it’s not

- you call up old friends and catch up

- you promise these friends you’ll be in touch regularly

- you know no one believes these promises

- you make elaborate plans to celebrate

- these plans usually don’t match your expectations

- you’re too drunk to care anyway

- you look at that bottle of booze and promise it’s your last

- you make too many promises you won’t keep

- you smile even if you don’t feel like it

- you laugh with the gang when you really want to be alone

- you say Happy New Year when you really don’t mean it

- you say it ‘coz you hope yours is better than the last year

- you wait for the clock to strike 12 so you can be the first to wish a loved one

- you get jealous when that number is busy

- you resolve to forget an old love

- you find yourself distraught when that person doesn’t call

- you resolve to reduce that extra inch of fat at your waist

- you know you made the same resolution last year when it was an inch lesser

- you wish you were spending it elsewhere

- you still tell the guy next to you that it’s the most fun you’ve ever had

- you look back at your year and remember the lows more than the highs

- you resolve to blog more

- you know ‘you’ is really ‘I’ most of the time

- you wish you could think of more to write

- you say this is that time of the year

God bless us, everyone!

Happy New Year to everyone, I mean it :-)

Sunday, October 07, 2007

Non starter

It's been 5 months since I last left an imprint on my own space on the digital world. I can probably claim writer's block but it was never the case that I posted too many of my writings on my blog. Doubters can refer to my notepads, cell phone, class desks for numerous scribbles. Anyways I did try to put in some articles on my blog but never got past writing more than a few lines. And now after a long and hectic week, I decided to give a shot at writing another article and hopefully ending it. This is a tribute to a few things I've intended to do in my life and have never got to starting on them or if started, never completed them; or if completed, utterly failed at them.

1. Weekly updating of my blog
2. Preparation for summer placements at IIML (yeah, I know! I'm in a B-school now :O)
3. Making a huge DVD collection of movies
4. Watching the huge collection of movies on my hard disk!
5. Trying to see beyond the next one week of my life
6. Stop lying and contradicting myself (note points 2 and 5)
7. Keeping in touch with all my friends (feel terrible sometimes that I'm losing touch)
8. Letting my hair grow for more than 5 weeks (yay! in the 6th week now, for the first time ever... ponytail, here I come!)
9. Stop reading and thinking about football for more than 2 hours a day (it's the only addiction I have, and I totally empathize with a smoker who's trying to quit)
10. Start working on my novel, which is now way behind schedule and my only hope to retire by 25 with millions from royalty selling it

Well, 10 points are good for now, I guess. That's the beauty of cooking up random ranting posts. I won't have to put across my excellent philosophical views into print. Maybe I'll update this post later.. YAY! finally my blog is back in business! Now to hunt down readers!

PS. Btw I just wrote the title before I had a clear idea what I wanted to write in the post. As usual, I got distracted from what I wanted to write and digressed. I have a sad feeling this may be the same case with my upcoming novel :(

Thursday, May 24, 2007

The World's a Stage - Part 1


ACT 1: Scene 2

The little girl, all of 6 years old, looks on longingly at the doll that catches her eye in the window of the shop. It is the most beautiful doll that she has ever seen. Colored a light shade of brown, with a flowing pink gown and beautiful black hair, the doll is the one that the girl had wanted ever since she started playing with dolls.

Her mother catches sight of her gazing at the doll. Immediately she knows that buying the doll would make her daughter very happy. But she wonders if she should. Her husband had bought their daughter a lovely kitchen set just a few days back when she had asked for it. The mother knows that if she grants her daughter's wish again, she would begin to take for granted that her parents would give her whatever she wanted. She does not want her daughter to grow up like that.

Her husband looks on as he reminisces how he never got what he wanted when he was a child. He grew up in a poor family and could never afford the toys that most kids who were in well-to-do families played with. He remembers the promise he had made to himself that his children would never grow up with anything lacking. And he is proud that he is in a position to provide everything for his family.

The little girl understands that getting her mother to buy the doll would be a tough ask. And she knows that her father would easily yield to her wishes. She nevertheless asks her mother if she can have the doll fully knowing that her wish would be refused. She pleads with her mother as her mother tries to convince her that she does not need the doll now. She realizes that her mother will not yield and now her only hope is her father. She goes to her father with tears in her eyes and refuses to talk as her father questions her on the reason for her grief. She knows that eventually her father would realize what she wants and get the doll for her.

The father looks helplessly as he knows he can buy the little amount of happiness for his daughter, but understands the wisdom in his wife advising him not to buy the doll. But his heart melts at the sight of his daughter's tears and he cannot bear to put the little girl in so much sorrow. He buys the doll for her and savors the look of joy on his daughter's face, and is proud that he is able to provide so much happiness for her.

The world's a stage...

ACT 2: Scene 4

The young boy trudges along disinterestedly towards his school. He wonders why a 12 year old should be put through the daily torture of attending school and doing homework. The only part of the school that he enjoyed was the time he spent playing with his friends, playing pranks on teachers, and teasing the girls of his class, and now that had been taken away from him.

He is known among the teachers as a trouble-maker, always being the mastermind behind any mishap that occurs in the class. As he walks past the principal's room on the way to his class, he remembers the last time he was there, which was not too far back. That time he had really pushed the limit as the principal was furious and threatened to expel him. But somehow, the tears shed by his parents and his numerous apologies and promises to turn over a new leaf had saved him.

He walks into the class and sits alone, away from his friends whom he had, in a way, rescued, by taking the entire blame for that event. However, though his friends are grateful for that, they avoid him now as their parents do not want his bad company influencing their children. He stares despondently at the door as he waits for the teacher to arrive and begin the classes for the day. The class begins with a teacher who had only recently joined, and whom he had not yet targeted as he had taken quite a liking to her classes. She walks up to the board and gives a little smile to the boy as she begins to take attendance.

The teacher knows how much trouble the boy is in, and it would have been very easy for her to label him a brat, like the other teachers do in the staffroom. However, she realizes the boy's potential as she knows what a good student he is when he takes interest in anything. She knows that she would have to guide him properly in order to tame his wild side and develop his talent.

She had been informed by the principal that a new student would be joining the school that day, and she would have to introduce her to the class. She had taken a few minutes to meet the new girl, who was an extremely gifted child, but seemed to be very shy and quiet. She had then smiled to herself as it was clear to her how exactly she would nurture this girl.

A few minutes into the class, the boy looks up from his notes as the teachers calls the class to attention. He looks at a frail figure in a pretty yellow dress, standing next to the door. He wonders who this new entrant is as she shyly looks at the floor and gives a hint of a beautiful smile while the teacher introduces her to the class.

The girl then quietly makes her way to her seat as directed by the teacher, avoiding the curious stares of the entire class. She looks at the boy sitting next to her and returns his smile but cannot help but notice a mischievous look in his eye.

The boy manages to hide his surprise that the teacher directed the girl to sit beside him, and wonders if it is some kind of mistake. He, however does not complain as immediately, ideas spring up in his mind to torment this new entrant. He gives her a mischievous smile as he decides to wait until the end of the class as he was already in enough trouble without creating a ruckus with a teacher in the classroom.

The bell rings signaling the end of the class and the teacher walks out after instructing the students on their homework. She watches the boy and doesn't miss the glint in his eye and is sure that he has planned some mischief. She waits in the corridor hidden from the students' eye eagerly waiting for her plan to spring forth into action.

The new girl shyly tucks away her notebook in her bag and smooths down her new yellow frock. She feels awkward as she is the only one not wearing the blue uniform of the school. She turns towards the boy and he grins and points out that she is not wearing the uniform. Before she can respond, she sees a splash and looks down at her frock to see a stream of blue liquid flowing down her dress. Immediately mixed emotions of dismay and anger bring tears welling up to her eyes as she looks up to see the boy holding an empty bottle of ink.

She fights back the tears and remembers the words of advice her teacher had given her before she came to the class. She remembers that she needs to be strong and not let people take her to be someone who can be easily brought down. She looks up at the boy who is now laughing loudly, and in a flash of anger, gives him the tightest slap she can muster out of her frail body.

The boy is dumbstruck as he never expected this reaction from the girl. He sits back in his place and hides his face as the whole class now begins to laugh at him. He looks at the girl with wonder as she now comes closer to him and tells him that he deserved it. He gives a weak smile as he takes hold of her offered hand. He gazes at the twinkle in the girl's eyes and acknowledges the fact that he now has a worthy opponent.

The girl smiles to herself as she tries to hide her shock at how she reacted. It was something she never would have done and was desperate to make amends even though she knew the boy deserved it. She looks into the boy's eyes as he warmly holds her hand with a smile on his face, and knows she now has begun something of a friendship. Maybe this new place would not be as horrible as she imagined it.

The teacher looks on with satisfaction and knows that this burgeoning friendship between the two opposites, though it started off on a bad note, would eventually help them both be better persons. She can't help but carry a smug look on her face as she congratulates herself on engineering the whole situation.

The world's a stage...

Friday, April 20, 2007

where's the effing title template!?!@?!


First of all, to any blogger who happens to read this post, why the hell can't I have a title for my posts?! I must have screwed up the template somewhere. Please help me out!!

Now, that's out of the way. I think my last couple of posts have had a serious tone to them. My attempt at humour with the Alladin post brought me quite some appreciation from my friends and family. But come to think of it, I am usually a serious guy, and few people would refer to me as 'fun' company. I take sole refuge in Jimmy's statement that I may not exhibit true Arian qualities at first sight, but once I hit it off with people, I tend to exhibit my more 'fun' qualities.

Well, this is probably a pathetic attempt to convince people that I am fun but Jimmy has a point. I am generally a bit reticent (one of the few GRE words I still remember :D ) with people but at least since IIT happened, among my circle of friends, especially Jimmy and the hostel junta, I am quite a... umm... livewire ( ;-) hehe, here I go again!).

Well, anyways, I think Jimmy is mad, at least much madder than me. So, getting back on track, where was the point of this post?
....
.......
..
Phew, about 20 minutes gone since the last word I typed at 4 in the morning and I've realized there was no point to this, just a random rant I started all of a sudden. By the way, those 20 minutes were spent reflecting on how I happened to open this rarely active blog of mine. My thought process went all the way to a couple of nights back as I recalled what brought this latest reflective mood of mine. And most of this time has been confusing, with bits of joy and anger, and the final straw was frustration which I vented considerably on Srujan at 3.30 in the morning. And then I began reflecting on why I lost my cool, as I rarely do.

But in my defence, I lost my cool because I was right to do so. Yeah, it was a silly game and there was no need to get worked up about it, but at least sometimes it's alright to fight for what is right (The 'sometimes' applies to me because I really am not a fighter when it comes to things that I do not believe in even when they are right). And yeah, that's what my defence is going to be if I don't make it into any of the IIMs :D. I did put my best effort in them but it was more for my parents' and friends' sake than mine. I could definitely see the logic behind my parents attempt to convince me into management, and being the only one among friends who put a lot of effort for the exam, I did not want to belittle their dream by not putting in my full effort.

One more advantage of my reflections is that I can make a defence for any situation I am put into. No wonder Srujan got pained when I nearly convinced people that I was not the wolf in the game we were playing since 1 in the night.

Wow, an hour into the post, and I have finally made some semblance of relation between the random rants that I have been typing early in the morning.

Anyways, I've got to cut this post short as Jayant is still awake and finally his 3 month plan of going to the beach for catching the sunrise seems to be happening. So off to catch some waves now.

And mom, if you happen to read this, do not worry, I am already living on California standard time so I'm not going to screw my body a lot. I still think I can manage to convince you that that's where I belong. It is one love that I do not want to let go off :-).

Haha, a very personal article, so readers who do not know me, I hope I have not pained you so much that you won't read the posts below. Adios!