Wow. What a journey from Singapre ! Everyone was thinking that I have gone crazy to have booked a ticket through Srilankan airways with a stop over of around 8 hours in Colombo just to save 130 dollars. But I went ahead with it. Thanks to my senior Arun C, I got this idea of seeing around Colombo during the break. I got hold of Bijoy and Sridhar who were coming from KL and who had to wait like me in Colombo. We three got our Visa on arrival. Converted the money and ended up getting an A/C car for 5 hours. It cost us 4000 Srilankan Rupees, which is like 40 USD.
Man it was such a pleasant place, I fell in love with it instantaneously. It is exactly similar to Kerala with lots of foreign cars and good clean roads. Very rarely could I see a slum. We went inside Colombo which is 30+ kms away from the Airport. The first place we visited was the Beira lake and a Buddhist temple nearby. Nice and Clean temple. Then went to the Colombo beach. It was the teenager's hangout. What on earth could people doing on a Saturday afternoon in such a scorching heat ? They were all in pairs and I dont know what they have been talking to each other in such a heat. They were all in their teens as pairs under a big umbrella cuddling, talking, embracing each other. Hmm.. I remembered the way I spent my teenage without a fuss. Could not emphathize with them. Had a nice walk at the beach.
One thing should be told about the Srilankans. They know that their life is not easy because of the unrest in the country. But rarely you will find them dull and sulking. The way they moved around, enjoyed their day out, busy shopping, lovers talking for long hours, breaking traffic rules(no honking or swearing...)... the people were so full of life and hope. Though one could spot security personnel here and there, people were going ahead with their tasks without a fuss. Lots of Indian brands are making their presence. TVS, Bajaj, Taj Samudra, Tata, Lipton etc.... Infrastructure was better. Traffic jams can be a little higher.
Cricket needs a special mention here. The number of grounds we saw,the matches being played, the ads with Srilankan cricketers all reflected that Cricket is very much part of their lives. We went by the side of Premadasa Stadium too. One more thing that needs mention is the number of cinema halls and the Adult movies that were running :-).
Then went to Shanti vihar. Had Madrasi thali for 125 Srilankan rupees. On our way back saw Colmbo port, the Parliament, the President's place. The buildings remind of you a Bombay Churchgate area or the Chennai Fort area with typical British style buildings. I would definitely love to be in this country for sometime and explore the place. In tau's words the colombo trip has " Sax macha di ".
Came to Chennai at 7.50 PM. Appa and Chithappa were there to pick me up. Poor old man is getting old. The same old shirt without the dentures, he looked really bad. Wanted to shout at him, but his only reply will be Let me live my life in my own way. So did not bother him. Came home and had good Vathakozhambu, Rasam and kichdi. It was great.
Need to start my activities here slowly and get back to S'pore within a week.
"Thodi si dhool meri.. Darthi ye mere vathan ki" - RDB, ARR rocks !!!
Saturday, March 25, 2006
Monday, March 20, 2006
Two Heroes nearing their end ??
I have to get back to Cricket once again. The addiction is just too much. Cant get out of it.
The last few days were a great testimony to the fact that All the stars are mortal. The ongoing test series between the Kiwis and the Windies has been of my interest just because of Brian Charles Lara. How he failed to live upto the expectations of the cricketing fans !!! It is a sad tale for a guy who holds world records going down without a fight. It was the same Lara in his prime with a similar Windies team gave them a series victory against Aussies. Remember the two consecutive innings of 214 and 153*. The 153* is touted as the best chasing innings ever played. Now the same guy is struggling against lesser known pacemen at the Kiwiland. Will he bounce back and shut my mouth in the last test ? I will be the happiest guy if he does so !!!
Why to go that far ?
We have our own god, Tendya struggling for form. The Calcutta crowd went to one extreme when Ganguly was dropped and it is the turn of Mumbai crowd going beserk by booing Sachin. It is a pity that the same crowd, the same people whom he grew up with, treat him like this. "The Hindu" says that the sporting culture of the country has become corrupt and we have become mad behind instant celebrities.(The standard of the The Hindu magazine has come really down. Will rant about it sometime later). To some extent, I would agree with this. The same Sachin who melted our hearts by playing those great innings at Sharjah braving the sandstorm is given a raw deal by the spectators. He is currently going through a bad patch and if the board feels that his performance is not upto the standard, let him be dropped. The yardstick should be the same for Sourav and Sachin. If he is not getting runs, let him be sidelined. (The tour of South Africa and the Carribean are nearing. Will they drop him ??) But booing the local hero, who still is the darling of the country is harsh and shows the immaturity on our part. We still have one more innings to go Tendya !! Show the Mumbai crowd that you still are the king !!!
I was expecting similar kind of innings from Dada during the Karachi test. Dada promised on both the innings and failed. Now it is Lara and Tendya in a similar situation. Can they bounce back ??
"Thaye Yashodha" - By Maharajapuram ....
The last few days were a great testimony to the fact that All the stars are mortal. The ongoing test series between the Kiwis and the Windies has been of my interest just because of Brian Charles Lara. How he failed to live upto the expectations of the cricketing fans !!! It is a sad tale for a guy who holds world records going down without a fight. It was the same Lara in his prime with a similar Windies team gave them a series victory against Aussies. Remember the two consecutive innings of 214 and 153*. The 153* is touted as the best chasing innings ever played. Now the same guy is struggling against lesser known pacemen at the Kiwiland. Will he bounce back and shut my mouth in the last test ? I will be the happiest guy if he does so !!!
Why to go that far ?
We have our own god, Tendya struggling for form. The Calcutta crowd went to one extreme when Ganguly was dropped and it is the turn of Mumbai crowd going beserk by booing Sachin. It is a pity that the same crowd, the same people whom he grew up with, treat him like this. "The Hindu" says that the sporting culture of the country has become corrupt and we have become mad behind instant celebrities.(The standard of the The Hindu magazine has come really down. Will rant about it sometime later). To some extent, I would agree with this. The same Sachin who melted our hearts by playing those great innings at Sharjah braving the sandstorm is given a raw deal by the spectators. He is currently going through a bad patch and if the board feels that his performance is not upto the standard, let him be dropped. The yardstick should be the same for Sourav and Sachin. If he is not getting runs, let him be sidelined. (The tour of South Africa and the Carribean are nearing. Will they drop him ??) But booing the local hero, who still is the darling of the country is harsh and shows the immaturity on our part. We still have one more innings to go Tendya !! Show the Mumbai crowd that you still are the king !!!
I was expecting similar kind of innings from Dada during the Karachi test. Dada promised on both the innings and failed. Now it is Lara and Tendya in a similar situation. Can they bounce back ??
"Thaye Yashodha" - By Maharajapuram ....
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Amul - The Taste of India & Hatred against the Best
Recently I had a chance to go through Shamsher's presentation on Marketing Communications. His presentation was on Amul and its ads. It was quite interesting to go through the presentation and know about them.
Started in 1954, the Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers Union adopts the name Amul for its milk products. Amul derives its name from the sanskrit word "Amulya" meaning priceless.
Amul ads feature the sweet looking little girl and they act as a social observer. It has the highest iconic status amongst all the Indian brands and it is the world record holder for the longest running campaign ever - 40 years and on !
Have a look at their site and enjoy the ads.
So it was Alonso last week and Fisichella this week. Way to go !!
Am happy atlast that Schumi's supremacy is getting a beating.
I dont know why I am like this. I dont like Schumi or the Australian Cricket team. Sampras and Steffi were not my favourites. Among the men, I am an Agassi & Ivanesevic fan and on the fairer sex, I liked Seles & Hingis.
Why is that I always want the best to be beaten ? (not applicable for India though :-)) I dont know. When the Proteas beat the Aussies on the final onedayer chasing a record score, I was jumping like hell. It is just not me, I have some good amount of friends like me who share this feeling with me. Some thoughts for a Psychological analysis... eh ?
"Tu kahan...Yeh Bata.....is nashili raat mein.....Maane na mera dil deewana.." - Rafi saab tussi great ho !!!
Started in 1954, the Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers Union adopts the name Amul for its milk products. Amul derives its name from the sanskrit word "Amulya" meaning priceless.
Amul ads feature the sweet looking little girl and they act as a social observer. It has the highest iconic status amongst all the Indian brands and it is the world record holder for the longest running campaign ever - 40 years and on !
Have a look at their site and enjoy the ads.
So it was Alonso last week and Fisichella this week. Way to go !!
Am happy atlast that Schumi's supremacy is getting a beating.
I dont know why I am like this. I dont like Schumi or the Australian Cricket team. Sampras and Steffi were not my favourites. Among the men, I am an Agassi & Ivanesevic fan and on the fairer sex, I liked Seles & Hingis.
Why is that I always want the best to be beaten ? (not applicable for India though :-)) I dont know. When the Proteas beat the Aussies on the final onedayer chasing a record score, I was jumping like hell. It is just not me, I have some good amount of friends like me who share this feeling with me. Some thoughts for a Psychological analysis... eh ?
"Tu kahan...Yeh Bata.....is nashili raat mein.....Maane na mera dil deewana.." - Rafi saab tussi great ho !!!
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Changing Sides & T2 results
The recent developments in TN Politics has been keeping all of us busy following the latest developments. ADMK invited Vaiko to join their coalition with 35 seats and he dutifully obliged.
I remembered the lines of Godfather, "Let me make you an offer you can't refuse".
The T2 results have come and thank god, I ended up getting decent grades this time too. I was a little tense with my results this time, but it all ended well. Most of my batchmates have got good grades except for one or two, who have been given a raw deal. Sometimes life is not fair. Guyz who have toiled hard, put in some of the best work end up getting grades on the lower side. But they understand Grades are not the only thing and the learning experience is what that matters. In that aspect, they have outscored all the others.
Some Operations contest has come up in MIT Sloan and the invitation has come to our school. Might participate in the same. Need to discuss with others regarding the composition of the same.
For me, folks at home are on the lookout for a gal. Moy asked me what are my preferences ? My preferences ? I was asking myself as what I should expect. I had no answers. Well I cannot associate with the usual Fair, Beautiful, Long haired etc etc. If I find someone with qualities, I should consider me really lucky. No such sane person will say ok for me :-)) Then what do I expect ? Need to think. Should come up with the requirements. This is going in a typical SDLC way. The requirements are not clear, but the Project team goes ahead with the Design and Construction.
"Pappu Yaar" by Junoon
I remembered the lines of Godfather, "Let me make you an offer you can't refuse".
The T2 results have come and thank god, I ended up getting decent grades this time too. I was a little tense with my results this time, but it all ended well. Most of my batchmates have got good grades except for one or two, who have been given a raw deal. Sometimes life is not fair. Guyz who have toiled hard, put in some of the best work end up getting grades on the lower side. But they understand Grades are not the only thing and the learning experience is what that matters. In that aspect, they have outscored all the others.
Some Operations contest has come up in MIT Sloan and the invitation has come to our school. Might participate in the same. Need to discuss with others regarding the composition of the same.
For me, folks at home are on the lookout for a gal. Moy asked me what are my preferences ? My preferences ? I was asking myself as what I should expect. I had no answers. Well I cannot associate with the usual Fair, Beautiful, Long haired etc etc. If I find someone with qualities, I should consider me really lucky. No such sane person will say ok for me :-)) Then what do I expect ? Need to think. Should come up with the requirements. This is going in a typical SDLC way. The requirements are not clear, but the Project team goes ahead with the Design and Construction.
"Pappu Yaar" by Junoon
Friday, March 03, 2006
Free rider problem
It is that time of the trimester again. The first week is over. You need to form groups in each of the subjects for case studies, projects and simulation games. After having been in MBA for two trimesters, I have become pretty careful about choosing my team members. While it always helps you out to pair with someone in the same hostel as you are, it also has its pitfalls. You end up losing a good opportunity to network with people from different cultures and also you end up facing the free rider problem. After observing people over the last two trimesters, I decided well in advance this trimester as who my team members should not be. Well, this may sound harsh on my part, but T3 and T4 are really going to be busy trimesters as we have the extra load of job search alongwith studies. You would definitely not like to team with someone who enjoys a free ride.
Things are taking a bright turn these days. I have taken four courses this trimester which include
a. Stat & Research Methods (By Das) - The guy is cool and his range of interest fascinates me.
b. Mergers & Acquisitions (By Boyd) - What can I say about him and the course ? He does not cease to amaze me.. A thorough Professional... He comes prepared for every class and gives out handouts for the entire class about the current global M&A scenario. Hats off !!!
c. Marketing Mgmt (By Krishna) - He is cool. Enjoyed his session y'day. Has a good voice modulation..
Some of my batch guys have landed up in jobs. Arun Nair has landed up in Media industry, I am not sure of the name of the company and Mani has landed up in AC Nielson. Congrats to you folks. Most of our senior guys are placed, except for a few. I pray that they also land up in their jobs of choice soon.
While the one day series win made me sit and take note of the Indian team, the third day of the first test against England reassured my faith that Indian batsmen always succumb to decent swing bowlers. Good fight by Kaif and Kumble though. Barring Dravid and Sehwag, our batsmen have not been consistent. Infact these are the two who have been instrumental in India's wins over the past two years. Performances from VVS, Sourav, Sachin are happening once in a while. Well, the yardstick for selection should be the same. Be it dada or VVS or Sachin...If Dada is shown the doors in favour of the youth, then VVS/Sachin should be treated in the same way. Will the selectors listen ?
"Aadathu asangathu vaa..." - (Listen to this song sung by Maharajapuram Santhanam. It is bliss. )
Things are taking a bright turn these days. I have taken four courses this trimester which include
a. Stat & Research Methods (By Das) - The guy is cool and his range of interest fascinates me.
b. Mergers & Acquisitions (By Boyd) - What can I say about him and the course ? He does not cease to amaze me.. A thorough Professional... He comes prepared for every class and gives out handouts for the entire class about the current global M&A scenario. Hats off !!!
c. Marketing Mgmt (By Krishna) - He is cool. Enjoyed his session y'day. Has a good voice modulation..
Some of my batch guys have landed up in jobs. Arun Nair has landed up in Media industry, I am not sure of the name of the company and Mani has landed up in AC Nielson. Congrats to you folks. Most of our senior guys are placed, except for a few. I pray that they also land up in their jobs of choice soon.
While the one day series win made me sit and take note of the Indian team, the third day of the first test against England reassured my faith that Indian batsmen always succumb to decent swing bowlers. Good fight by Kaif and Kumble though. Barring Dravid and Sehwag, our batsmen have not been consistent. Infact these are the two who have been instrumental in India's wins over the past two years. Performances from VVS, Sourav, Sachin are happening once in a while. Well, the yardstick for selection should be the same. Be it dada or VVS or Sachin...If Dada is shown the doors in favour of the youth, then VVS/Sachin should be treated in the same way. Will the selectors listen ?
"Aadathu asangathu vaa..." - (Listen to this song sung by Maharajapuram Santhanam. It is bliss. )
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