A fundamental equation that I have derived in the past few months is that the number of posts I write per unit time is directly proportional to my need to express which in turn is inversely proportional to the extent of worry in my thoughts. I call this the extent of worry and not the workload as I am not too sure if I am taking my risk minimizing behaviour a step too far. I have noticed an unhealthy trend creeping into me in the past few months. I started off my days at helL determined never to let a single opportunity pass by me. I had a point to prove. Days now are punctuated by marked absence in enthusiasm. A general lack of interest in things I would normally be in the thick of.
I sit today all alone in a campus that normally houses 600. I sit hoping to do a bit of studying in OM. My mid-term mark is not out yet. I sit trying to minimise risk. I sit knowing fully well knowing that the remaining 599 are out in the city. Some with new found love, some at the INDEX fair and some others at the movies.
I tried bowling to imaginary batsmen at the Eden gardens and contributed heavily towards sending Vodafone’s stock price into green. I tried out the latest developments in the Sun site and managed to instil some new functionality into a pet project of mine.
The 2.7km stretch of solitude beckons. And the exhaustion will give me the endorphins I so desperately need before I sleep.
I have realized why I can never be good at finance. I don’t seek to optimize risk, I seek to ELIMINATE it.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Am The King Of The World
The summer placements passed by IIM Lucknow like a passing cloud.. Slot zero looked amazing with people making offers that went into several thousand dollars per month. The placement week in general was marked by job losses and absence of companies. The placement committee blames it on Diwali and lack of quality. The students blame it on the placement committee and job loss. Some of my close friends blame me.
Now there are certain things in the world I am very confident about. I would never go to Roger Waters and compete in creating magic out of strings. The summers surprisingly gave me a chance to test my skills against the ‘best’ in the business. Sanju believes that I am good at only one thing in the world..... the ability to ‘crap’. People are gifted with musical talents, sporting abilities or sweep women off their feet. Yours truly got this. Am not really complaining, but well....
The summers as anticipated were more of a test of one’s soft skills rather than technical potential. Aah did it feel good. For once, I could confidently state that I was the king of the world. Nobody, kicks me in a group discussion...NOBODY. The process here starts off with a shortlist based on your CV followed by a group discussion and a couple of rounds of interviews. I thankfully made 9 shortlists in Slot 1 a pretty high number even by PGP standards. Now I remember each GD, the usual systematic process of target and eliminate worked wonders. With it went my last chances of anything special with the better half(one-twelfth actually) of helL. I managed Slot 1 and so did Chick, Basu and Saptarishi. The others weren't as lucky but got great offers in Slot 2. Dabbas 'The Terminator' has also managed an offer in Slot 4. A happy picture on a personal front but from the batch's point of view, 68 still remain.
People say I was wrong in my approach to eliminate competition rather than project myself better. My defense is this, if I was failing in a subject, the rest of the class would not lower its marks so that the cut-off gets lower. In an environment which fosters this mindset, it is better to slit rather than get spat on.
We are required to rank our companies in the order of preference. I managed to make it to IBM my rank 2(CTS gave me the miss I have no idea how!!). I ranked it above P&G, KPMG and Stan chart. I listen to the same peals of laughter I heard when I ranked STEX above PCOM.
One great thing about going to a premier institution is that it gives you the freedom to choose. A possibility of picking a less lucrative career option if you choose to. IBM would pay me one third of what I could have made otherwise, but I can get back to IT... my long lost mistress.
Now there are certain things in the world I am very confident about. I would never go to Roger Waters and compete in creating magic out of strings. The summers surprisingly gave me a chance to test my skills against the ‘best’ in the business. Sanju believes that I am good at only one thing in the world..... the ability to ‘crap’. People are gifted with musical talents, sporting abilities or sweep women off their feet. Yours truly got this. Am not really complaining, but well....
The summers as anticipated were more of a test of one’s soft skills rather than technical potential. Aah did it feel good. For once, I could confidently state that I was the king of the world. Nobody, kicks me in a group discussion...NOBODY. The process here starts off with a shortlist based on your CV followed by a group discussion and a couple of rounds of interviews. I thankfully made 9 shortlists in Slot 1 a pretty high number even by PGP standards. Now I remember each GD, the usual systematic process of target and eliminate worked wonders. With it went my last chances of anything special with the better half(one-twelfth actually) of helL. I managed Slot 1 and so did Chick, Basu and Saptarishi. The others weren't as lucky but got great offers in Slot 2. Dabbas 'The Terminator' has also managed an offer in Slot 4. A happy picture on a personal front but from the batch's point of view, 68 still remain.
People say I was wrong in my approach to eliminate competition rather than project myself better. My defense is this, if I was failing in a subject, the rest of the class would not lower its marks so that the cut-off gets lower. In an environment which fosters this mindset, it is better to slit rather than get spat on.
We are required to rank our companies in the order of preference. I managed to make it to IBM my rank 2(CTS gave me the miss I have no idea how!!). I ranked it above P&G, KPMG and Stan chart. I listen to the same peals of laughter I heard when I ranked STEX above PCOM.
One great thing about going to a premier institution is that it gives you the freedom to choose. A possibility of picking a less lucrative career option if you choose to. IBM would pay me one third of what I could have made otherwise, but I can get back to IT... my long lost mistress.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Sabbath......(at) last
My mid-sems ended yesterday. A free day at last. It sure was fun to sleep last night without setting the alarm. I plan to see three movies today and have a proper lunch. Some companies have come down for PPTs (they wont take ABM students) but my group will handle them. I bought myself a ‘Titan’ watch yesterday, an impulse purchase is what it is called. Nothing influenced me. ..Ate a whole pizza from Dominos, a burger from McDonalds in addition to the usual fried rice-curry dinner in the mess. A night out with the boys.....
I dreamt last night of being a pilot in the Indian Air Force. I dreamt of flying a white plane(its always been white) into the evening sky, a full rainbow in the horizon. I dreamt of watching rivulets flowing below. Of villages full of people going about their business. Mountains speaking with the clouds. Two planes at my side, a ‘V’ formation. I knew the dials in front of me. My days of playing the simulator....The enemy air base wasn’t too far away. I pushed up the throttle, tilted the plane at an angle fully knowing the risk of stalling. A huge city replete with multi-storied buildings, a crackle of the radio and I pressed the trigger. I have never dreamt beyond that..... I just knew what I had released from my plane and didn’t dare contemplate the consequences.
I celebrated yesterday cause I had no reason to. I rejoiced the end of one week of misery. I toasted to seven exams gone horribly wrong. I smiled at the prospect of going back home two semesters old. Although my head was hollow, I was feeling fine.
People I knew had suddenly taken a great step forward, sceptical though they are of the future. Some understandings can never be understood, but then again who am I to understand it?.
Chick is almost into Barclays, a $8000/month job in the offing. The dominos was her way of saying thanks.
I wouldn’t mind doing my summer internship posted at 8000ft procuring helicopter components.
I dreamt last night of being a pilot in the Indian Air Force. I dreamt of flying a white plane(its always been white) into the evening sky, a full rainbow in the horizon. I dreamt of watching rivulets flowing below. Of villages full of people going about their business. Mountains speaking with the clouds. Two planes at my side, a ‘V’ formation. I knew the dials in front of me. My days of playing the simulator....The enemy air base wasn’t too far away. I pushed up the throttle, tilted the plane at an angle fully knowing the risk of stalling. A huge city replete with multi-storied buildings, a crackle of the radio and I pressed the trigger. I have never dreamt beyond that..... I just knew what I had released from my plane and didn’t dare contemplate the consequences.
I celebrated yesterday cause I had no reason to. I rejoiced the end of one week of misery. I toasted to seven exams gone horribly wrong. I smiled at the prospect of going back home two semesters old. Although my head was hollow, I was feeling fine.
People I knew had suddenly taken a great step forward, sceptical though they are of the future. Some understandings can never be understood, but then again who am I to understand it?.
Chick is almost into Barclays, a $8000/month job in the offing. The dominos was her way of saying thanks.
I wouldn’t mind doing my summer internship posted at 8000ft procuring helicopter components.
Welcome back
My last post needed a bit more background...
The journey back home wasn’t too eventful. I just had to do the use the old Indian charm towards bureaucracy, the show of the currency note to the Ticket Checker and Voila!! It gets converted into a II AC reserved berth. A short flight later, I was back home. The week that ensued was like a dream, I was a son coming back home, a grandson with a newly fixed wrist and a boyfriend who was missed. It was pure bliss. A week later, I was back.
“I am the GHOST you see when you open your eyes. In my 15 lectures, I will make you weep. Think of me as a BULLDOG”.
Aah Professor Mishra... the first class of the ‘infamous’ second semester. He liked to define the rules of the game before it was played. Always a better option. A minute late to class and you wouldn’t be allowed in. Coming to class unprepared exposed you to the risk of being questioned and mocked at. 15 lectures down the line, It wasn’t that bad. As a matter of fact, I actually enjoyed the chap’s last lecture. I give him complete credit for my decent performance in the mid sems (MANAC-II seems manageable).
“Be silence!!”
A phrase brimming with philosophy. Unfortunately, it is just a grammatical error by another one of my dear profs. Now here was a man who would never trouble you in class. A perfect gentleman who knew his subject like I knew the names of the actresses in the X rated movies. He taught a subject I was very confident of. I am an engineer after all.
And the next was a jolly looking professor who taught us math. He would pick on a guy each class and teach math the way it was to be taught, slow and easy. Our Economics teacher for some reason, loved telling us how a ‘helicopter that dropped money would change the economy’, the Finance Prof had given marks to everybody who completed his paper the previous year and the HR and marketing professors by reputation were harmless. Perfectly nice people.
Perfectly nice, except for the fact that five out of these were responsible for sending 41 people back home last year. They carried the infamous reputation of awarding the maximum number of Fs and Ds and would lend no ear to pleas of mercy from the council. It was pure luck that we got all of them in a single semester.
I wasn’t too bothered. I had managed a 6.9 after all in the first semester. An A+ in Law meant I could compete with the best. I had the council elections, PCOM task and a broken hand to contend with in term I. Nothing could stop me now. I just had lousy PPTs from companies to attend to every day and endless forms to fill. Most companies though have banned ABM from their placement process. To me, it defies logic if Cadbury does not accept ABM. Something is flawed. Anyways, the quizzes went bad upto the mid-sems, but the rest of the class screwed up too. My preparation for accounts was close to perfect. I approached the mid-sems brimming with confidence..
The journey back home wasn’t too eventful. I just had to do the use the old Indian charm towards bureaucracy, the show of the currency note to the Ticket Checker and Voila!! It gets converted into a II AC reserved berth. A short flight later, I was back home. The week that ensued was like a dream, I was a son coming back home, a grandson with a newly fixed wrist and a boyfriend who was missed. It was pure bliss. A week later, I was back.
“I am the GHOST you see when you open your eyes. In my 15 lectures, I will make you weep. Think of me as a BULLDOG”.
Aah Professor Mishra... the first class of the ‘infamous’ second semester. He liked to define the rules of the game before it was played. Always a better option. A minute late to class and you wouldn’t be allowed in. Coming to class unprepared exposed you to the risk of being questioned and mocked at. 15 lectures down the line, It wasn’t that bad. As a matter of fact, I actually enjoyed the chap’s last lecture. I give him complete credit for my decent performance in the mid sems (MANAC-II seems manageable).
“Be silence!!”
A phrase brimming with philosophy. Unfortunately, it is just a grammatical error by another one of my dear profs. Now here was a man who would never trouble you in class. A perfect gentleman who knew his subject like I knew the names of the actresses in the X rated movies. He taught a subject I was very confident of. I am an engineer after all.
And the next was a jolly looking professor who taught us math. He would pick on a guy each class and teach math the way it was to be taught, slow and easy. Our Economics teacher for some reason, loved telling us how a ‘helicopter that dropped money would change the economy’, the Finance Prof had given marks to everybody who completed his paper the previous year and the HR and marketing professors by reputation were harmless. Perfectly nice people.
Perfectly nice, except for the fact that five out of these were responsible for sending 41 people back home last year. They carried the infamous reputation of awarding the maximum number of Fs and Ds and would lend no ear to pleas of mercy from the council. It was pure luck that we got all of them in a single semester.
I wasn’t too bothered. I had managed a 6.9 after all in the first semester. An A+ in Law meant I could compete with the best. I had the council elections, PCOM task and a broken hand to contend with in term I. Nothing could stop me now. I just had lousy PPTs from companies to attend to every day and endless forms to fill. Most companies though have banned ABM from their placement process. To me, it defies logic if Cadbury does not accept ABM. Something is flawed. Anyways, the quizzes went bad upto the mid-sems, but the rest of the class screwed up too. My preparation for accounts was close to perfect. I approached the mid-sems brimming with confidence..
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