tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71362482024-03-08T13:07:51.138-08:00Giksaw TangentCalvin :Sometimes i feel the world is a very complicated place.
Hobbes :Whenever i feel so, i climb up a tree, have a nap and wait for my dinner.Gikshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544708941602773930noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136248.post-15872456621245654062008-06-23T18:05:00.000-07:002008-06-23T18:17:31.921-07:00Latest News on Yahoo!<script src="http://pipes.yahoo.com/js/listbadge.js">{"pipe_id":"818863590839a2526adc4025319c57c0","_btype":"list","pipe_params":{"keywords":"yahoo","feeditems":"5"},"width":"500","height":"40"}</script>Gikshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544708941602773930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136248.post-1154199764306318412006-07-29T11:59:00.000-07:002006-07-31T01:14:45.690-07:00I am relocating - catch a "seemingly" more mature and intelligent giks at http://kseeker.wordpress.comWell - circumstances have forced me to say goodbye to blogspot and migrate to wordpress.<br />Blogspot sites are still inaccessible to hathway users in Hyderabad and i dont see any other option but to shift :-(<br /><br />Wordpress is a pretty cool place to host your blog too - I was able to import all the blogspot posts into it without much trouble.<br /><br />See you all at - <a href="http://kseeker.wordpress.com">http://kseeker.wordpress.com</a> -<br /><br />Dont forget to say hi !Gikshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544708941602773930noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136248.post-1153917928400414132006-07-26T05:40:00.000-07:002006-07-26T06:24:47.660-07:00Breaking News and Sensational News<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Its been exactly one month since i last blogged at blogspot. I even have a tag pending (courtesy consultant warikoo!) on top of my writing that is due! Some useful office work and basketball matches that got my company a runners up trophy in a corporate tournament took away my time during the last one month. The brouhaha about DoT and ISPs blocking sites also helped fuel the blogging escapism - Sometimes you juss want a bakra to blame on, eventhough there are ways to get to the ends!. Blogspot is still not accessible to me at home, and hence its valuable office time that is being spent here - junta please note (my dedication, please see the positives alone ;-) )</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">We all know that breaking news in the various news channel hardly justify their name. Insipid, mundane news items are put as placeholders in the TV graphics though they could be avoided. This has kind of inspired news-channels to add "sensational news" during prime time. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Here's an example - this item was aired in prime time NDTV yesterday with none other than Dr Prannoy Roy hosting it. The story is about two village girls who come to Mumbai with 800 bucks, singing talent and hopes of becoming rich and famous!. The failure and desperation the girls feel while realizing they are far far away from their dreams leads them to attempt suicide. Fortunately they are saved by the local policemen, but the tragedy is that their father dies of a heart attack when he hears about the doings of his children. The story is narrated in the background, and interspersed is the interview with these girls who describe their experiences at strange city Mumbai, away from home! </span><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">The recordings dont show the sisters lament at the tragedy and i fear that they were not aware of it at the time the video was recorded. You really feel the punch when Prannoy says that line in the end - just to create the effect of a thriller - Now i tell you the secret types!</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">I believe this is a personal tragedy of that family and though we all share their sorrow, the news shouldnt have been aired at prime time along with items like the "Hizbullah vs Israel", "The mole at the PMO" etc which are the "conventional" news items for the day. I even doubt if the above incident had happened yesterday - the recordings gave me the impression that the feature had been casually recorded for filling any gaps in the routine programs. But with the plethora of news channels that are in competition and the need to fill in interesting items throughout the available 24x7 airtime is forcing channels like NDTV to get hot news items as fast as possible (anybody remember Rajdeep Sardesai literally bragging after being able to break the Mumbai blast news first to all of us after juss finishing his report?) or if not, compensate by getting more of this kind of sensational news.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Its time that a real professional news channel came into fore...</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span>Gikshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544708941602773930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136248.post-1151344428512419682006-06-26T10:53:00.000-07:002006-06-26T10:53:49.266-07:00Night Trouble in Yellareddyguda<span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Funny thing happened yesterday. I had earlier mentioned the lack of solitude in our house because of its proximity to motor traffic and of course the presence of a giant TV which seldom gets rest courtesy “the photo guy”. Having been brought up in more peaceful regions, I have always been eager to hide in quieter places of the city. I even go bulk packing to nearby parks on weekends just to get that “Kerala” feeling. </span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Anyways, what I wanted to tell you guys is that like a nocturnal creature, I eagerly wait for nightfall – only for enjoying the solitude (and not for anything else – u ugly minds!).</span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">And Sunday night 1 O’Clock, that happened. The photographer fell asleep in the sofa and I managed to switch off the TV without waking him up. Perfect – quiet and cool – this is what I like most in my life– la la laaa la….I shall build a house in Munnar some day, and own a tea estate….la la laaa..</span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Whoo – whoo – whoo ---- All of a sudden,breaking the silence of the night a police jeep passes by --, continuously howling like a jack ass!</span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">And that my friends, triggers off a series of unfortunate events. Firstly, the tramps in the area recognize it as the mating call from a famous dog siren and reciprocate strongly. The attraction is so intense that they continue howling for a considerable period of time. This in turn wakes up the photo guy, who upset with himself for not keeping the TV working, switches it on.</span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Well, things have gone out of control and I give-in to fate. Good bye – airiness and solitude. We will meet again some other day..Slaaam and zzzzzz..</span>Gikshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544708941602773930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136248.post-1150739137749336942006-06-19T10:45:00.000-07:002006-06-19T10:59:05.993-07:00Spotlights of the Day - June 19<span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Here’s the latest penguin book written by one of the losing Miss India finalists. - ''What Would You Do to Save the World?'': Confessions of a Could-Have-Been Beauty Queen - by </span><a href="http://www.penguinbooksindia.com/AuthorLounge/AuthorDetail.asp?aid=3613">Ira Trivedi</a><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Apparently, in the book she mocks at the whole selection process and expresses her shock at seeing (or rather experiencing) the farcicality of the whole event. She expected Bikini clad Mother Theresas at the competition but was disappointed to find some pretentious, female bombs who wore bikinis and had no intentions of going and working for underprivileged people! </span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">She was also irked to see that the participants mugged up answers to anticipatory questions and honed up their acting skills(the ones wherein u r supposed to open your mouth in a perfect circle, close it with both palms crossed, and smell the deo of the next person on the stage) –both of which were part of the training given by the authorities! </span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Total expectation mismatch – I sincerely feel sorry for Ira – looks like she is the female version of Truman or our own Yugpurush!</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Somewhere else a “mundu” clad Mammotty did a walk the talk with one of the NDTV dumbsters, expressing his strong opinion against the preferential treatment given to Hindi movies over non-hindi movies at the IIFA awards. </span><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Incidentally NDTV had sent a mallu reporter, just to make that bonding a bit stronger and to get it all out of Mammookka. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Though I agree with him, I support preferential treatment given to hindi movies because Rakhi Sawant acts(?) in only hindi movies – my loyalties would change only if she starting acting(?) in mallu movies! </span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Of course, the main news of the day was the “Revenge of the Ramadoss”. The progressive politician wants to implement a “No work No Pay” system for the doctors so that the patients are saved the agony of not getting treatment during a strike. He is also making sure that he and our tentative Prime Minister have more (or all) control over AIIMS by appointing a commission to study the mismanagement over there. His publicized reason is that he wants to make AIIMS the best institute in the world and in that scale it isn’t doing that great! </span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"> The ends justify the means – and so i believe that the actions are justified if the intentions are sane, but in this case the timing suggest differently. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">I just realized that being a doctor eliminates your right to strike almost completely, more so because you lose public support pretty fast. If these white khadi attired well wishers have some amount of equanimity in them, the “No work No pay” system should be extended to all the government jobs which include walk outs/boycotts/disruptions of parliamentary sessions. Extending the argument, leaders of political parties calling for strike should be prosecuted for misusing their power and inflicting heavy economic and social losses to the country. If only I was Bruce Almighty, sigh….</span>Gikshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544708941602773930noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136248.post-1150526720827358892006-06-16T23:45:00.000-07:002006-06-17T00:26:52.233-07:00Fully Faltoo - Superheroes in India?<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">In the wake of a few superhero movies getting released in India, I started thinking about what things would make him more authentic and believable to Indians.<br /><br />First of all, heroes do most of the superhero stunts in India. Rajanikant’s resume (if he is applying for the superhero post) would read something like this<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Major Achievements:<br />--> Achieved target of killing two goondas with one bullet by patented technology that has huge potential in rural India (the barber knife technology)<br />--> Invented desi storm technology which is of much lower cost as the one practiced in developed countries. This technology just needs a sign from the hero (see Chandramukhi – tamil movie) as compared to the much more energy consuming and seemingly painful X-Men Storm routine.<br />--> Can run faster than a speeding bullet, and have the ability to catch it<br />--> I don’t obey Newton’s laws of motion<br />--> Basic medical care knowledge, surgical procedures using commonly available alcoholic drinks – especially for a bullet wound (refer to Tyaagi – a hindi movie)<br /><br />Off and on most heroes over here practice superheroism. Notable mentions here would be The lovable Bong Mithunda and Captain Vijaykanth. But undeniably, there are some more things which the superhero can do and the concept might just work in India if he (I mean the superhero) does all his deeds more consistently.<br />Here’s a feasibility study covering a few points checking if these are possible in India.</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3615/424/1600/Comparison.0.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3615/424/400/Comparison.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Overrall we can conclude that image maintenance for superheroes is more difficult in India than anywhere else as the chances for goof ups are more here. We could still have a sellable Superhero if he over compensates by adding more value on some parameters like the Maa factor and other PR Activities.</span>Gikshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544708941602773930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136248.post-1150310544579879762006-06-14T11:42:00.000-07:002006-06-14T11:46:00.953-07:00Kiss, before it gets too late...<span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Here’s a really thought provoking topic…</span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Did Mika kiss Rakhi Sawant or not?</span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Before delving into specifics, I would like to set the context here. </span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Hope we all know who these two people are. Mika is the brother of Daler Mehndi and sings like those poor things who demand charity by emitting a particular frequency of sound that is unheard of even in Anu Malik’s music. The only song that ever came close to that was “pardesi pardesi” which is their trademark even nowadays. </span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Rakhi Sawant is one of those supposedly “hot or environment friendly” item girls in bollywood who behave hyperactive to compensate for the cold they feel because of the lower amount of clothes they wear. (My goodie goodie Tamil roomie thought that Rakhi Sawant was the name of a festival where people tie raaki in the month of Saawan – So much for cultural deterioration!)</span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Rakhi supposedly filed a case in a police station against our dude saying that he forcedly kissed her.</span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Check out some of the media doings which happened after this….</span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">One website does a poll on whether Mika really kissed Rakhi or not? </span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">60% of those idiots who voted say he did, 20% say he didn’t, and the rest 20% say that it was she who kissed him! Now, since a proper kiss has to be mutual how do u figure out who kissed whom</span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">One news channel has a face to face debate arranged where Rakhi, Mika and a common friend are present! All of them debate about this and the channel makes a lot of money because close-up toothpaste exclusively sponsors the event.</span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Another website has photos of the incident – </span><a href="http://forum.santabanta.com/showthread.htm?t=538">Click here to view those</a><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">It also asks conscience pondering questions like to take a look at a Rakhi photo and swear by the heart if u again feel like molesting that figure?</span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">I have my own couple of questions that need to be answered urgently for the case to be solved..</span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">1) People are usually on a high in parties – either drunk or high on drugs. Shouldn’t there be some kind of leniency allowed in parties? Something like having a tolerance for kisses- say + or – 1 inch from the centre of the cheek?</span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">2)A proper kiss is mutual – how do you figure out who kissed whom. Technically I feel that is a challenge. My take is that we need to find out who enjoyed the kiss more. In this case the parties involved are Mika, Rakhi and the public. Prosecute whoever had the higher amount of satisfaction.</span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">3) Some people have gone on record saying that kisses should be banned in India because it is against the country’s culture. So, people who haven’t kissed as yet, should try that out before a ban comes out. And yeah - make sure to try out the flying kisses too, even they don’t seem to be having a long life in our country.</span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Philosophically speaking, this event seems to be like a bull run in the stock market. Everyone gains, and the spirits are high. In this case, the media surely gained, the public have a good time hearing all this stuff and the people involved get a lot of limelight!</span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span>Gikshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544708941602773930noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136248.post-1150129722037120282006-06-12T09:26:00.000-07:002006-06-12T09:28:42.050-07:00Wassup Giksa?<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Wassup giksa?<br />Lots of things – new job, new house, new roomies – Currently suffering from acidity, and gulping a lot of bubbling ENO water and chewing gelusil tablets.<br /><br />What about the job?<br />Kind of intellectually stimulating, high impact ,strategic thought leadership job which also allows for a lot of networking with high net worth individuals.<br /><br />Phew – I can make out a lot of faf there – and hmm u r chattin a lot!<br />Howz the house? Did any setting up?<br />House is big, 3bhk. Unlike the serene life at ISB or at my house in Kerala, this one is located in a buzzling locality where u r never far from the buzz of a motor vehicle.<br /><br />Bought a lot of stuff between the three of us to make our den as cozy as possible - TV, fridge, washing machine, sofa set, dining set (both table and vessels), cot, mattresses, broadband connection, wifi set up, speaker system etc.<br /><br />The latest buy is plants – Can you believe it? Weird but true - We bought a couple of creepers and a red coloured croton and named them after each one of us staying in the den – Nowadays bachelors are more artistic than they ought to be!!<br /><br />What do you do for food?<br />Since all three of us are typical curd rice eaters, there is cultural fitment for taste. Hence we end up cooking quite often. Don’t even bother asking about timepass eats – there are tons of crap food that we have accumulated in the big plastic dubbas we got from Big Bazaar specially for this purpose. We have collected a large list of phone numbers of all weirdo food suppliers for other days!<br /><br />So what’s the way forward?<br />Work hard, eat hard, gym hard and yeah – search for a like minded iyer mallu amphibian!</span>Gikshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544708941602773930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136248.post-1149777756777450072006-06-08T07:42:00.000-07:002006-06-08T07:48:22.040-07:00The Psychoanalysis of Mr X<span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Mr X has a special way of driving his vehicle. Some psychoanalysts track its source to the alienation he faced during his lonely childhood. They say that his longing for company is what has caused him to drive with vehicles on either side of his car. </span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">He takes his car into the center of the already messed up multifarious lane traffic to get that secure orgasmic feeling! Definitely Possible! With the helmet made compulsory, u could feel happy with the hope that u r staring at a hidden pretty face inside that suit which comes with a “predator”-ish skull, a couple of gloves, an oxygen cylinder, a few anti depressants and of course a weekly soap magazine, just in case the wait in the traffic gets too long!</span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">And with the Hyderabadi style of road goers, u might even have a cow or a dog as ur neighbour in that long journey that exposes the futility of defining pathways in India and also force u to understand the FM radio jockey better than ur own (definitely not) better half!</span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Another feature of Mr X is that he plans his driving – He’s a visionary and so he applies his fundaes in real life by scanning the points that are around 150 metres ahead of him and checks for dresses with a white-brown combination. It’s sad that the best psychologists overlook the effects of migration on human life! (</span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Migration trauma transforms a person especially when you have an outside state registration and the whole RT community stands against ur attempts to be a law abiding citizen. There are too many bribe points in here – from getting a 14day valid NOC before transporting ur vehicle, to unregistering from one state, getting the refund, taking it to the next state and registering it!</span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">A simple yearly road tax payment in the state where u r driving is all that matters to get things on track. But just like the red states where the union “protects” employment & labor, such measures are still seen as deterrents to entrepreneurship as practiced by many gov officials and agents. And so, the system continues to drag and slow this democratic behemoth where the only thing that moves fast through our narrow roads is the minister’s brigade (</span><br/><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span>Gikshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544708941602773930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136248.post-1149366963728977202006-06-03T13:34:00.000-07:002006-06-04T04:49:32.283-07:00The sensibility paradox<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">CEO of Yash Raj films to consultancy company - "I want insights into the indian film industry".<br /><br />Consultant - Mines data for three weeks, sees his wife only for four days out of the 21 days , gets a brilliant ppt made in Microsoft Vista (his laptop battery draining out several times in the process) and of course - adds lots of sparkling insights gathered by his firm over the years.<br /><br />His presentation had the following insights about the behavioural patterns of the customers of bollywood -<br /><br />Characteristics of Indian film market: Women need clean eyes, girls have low sugar, guys are low in cortesone, the kids get high parental care, Cultural bondage is high with ones parents!<br />(In other words - women want to cry, girls want lot of sugary romance, guys like lot of skin and action, the kids are forced to see family movies, and oldies dont have the right to choose the movies!)<br /><br />Luckily Yashraj is a progressive organization unlike the congress party, and the below market segmentation was taken well by them -<br />Market classification: Women-20%, guys-50%, girls-14%, kids-10%, oldies-5% , Untellables -1%<br /><br />And so the new project was taken up accordingly -<br /><br />Two old actors Aamir Khan and Kajol were taken in mainly for advertising effectiveness.<br />"Jarring music by two warring brothers" again sounded like a good ad-gimmick - and was green flagged. To compensate for the holes in the script, a good lyricist was hired - he is asked to fill in stuff (shaayari) into the movie. A brilliant cinematographer is brought in to hide the aging actors' wrinkles. And the result is ....<br /><br />Tere Dil mein meri saanson ko panaah mil jaaye,<br />Tere ishq mein meri jaan, fanaa ho jaaye!<br /><br />But here is the catch - these insights are enough to make the film a hit , not a super hit. But yashraj knows the "X" factor to take it to the next level which succeeds many a time....Increase the melodrama and cut the sensibility at crucial junctures of the movie.<br />Anybody remember the climax of a movie called Chandni? yucky but successful. The same stuff faltered in Mujse Dosti Karoge (remember the kumkum flying off and falling on Rani's forehead, just because Currynaah woke up late on wedding day!).<br /><br />The trick works for fanaa....<br /><br />If ur still going to watch the movie, prime yourself into ultra low expectations like i did - u might just enjoy the movie!<br /><br /><br /></span>Gikshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544708941602773930noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136248.post-1149190624847086902006-06-01T12:34:00.000-07:002006-06-01T12:55:03.673-07:00More about Dave Barry and meInspiration comes thru various things ranging from the momentum transferred by an apple to being forced to sit in a sponsored browsing centre.<br />Reading Shankar’s forward (also a Dave barry article) made more sense to me especially due to the priming induced by the goodies that came from the employer on the first of this month – what more can one ask for in life? Some articles bring back the fun and frolic even amidst ultra serious business matters (theoretically possible on people who are involved in serious things, right?)<br /><br />I dug up some more of Dave Barry’s trademark articles. Some people even without that weird sense of humor will find these articles suiting their taste!..Check out if u r among ”them”..I mean among us!<br /><a title="http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/columnists/dave_barry/14474429.htm?source=" href="http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/columnists/dave_barry/14474429.htm?source=rss&channel=miamiherald_dave_barry" channel="miamiherald_dave_barry">Dave Barry 1</a> , <a title="http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/columnists/dave_barry/14530054.htm?source=" href="http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/columnists/dave_barry/14530054.htm?source=rss&channel=miamiherald_dave_barry" channel="miamiherald_dave_barry">Dave Barry 2</a>, <a title="http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/columnists/dave_barry/14584691.htm?source=" href="http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/columnists/dave_barry/14584691.htm?source=rss&channel=miamiherald_dave_barry" channel="miamiherald_dave_barry">Dave Barry 3</a> , <a title="http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/columnists/dave_barry/14686260.htm?source=" href="http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/columnists/dave_barry/14686260.htm?source=rss&channel=miamiherald_dave_barry" channel="miamiherald_dave_barry">Dave Barry 4</a><br /><br />Ever seen any of the goofy skits college students present on stage? They are good - But would you pay 100 bucks to see that shit unless ofcourse you gave birth to one of these three - the cast, the crew or the play itself! Well, some idiots do - which is why i ended up watching 36 china town. I can tell you that it would have been better if they had shown 36 Chinese towns and improved our global awareness rather than encourage us waste some more cash in the pretext of munching pop corn watching "curry"naah and "shah"-Id (remember Id, ego, super ego?) kapoor experimenting onscreen chemistry! (the mms clip was a much better watch, i shud say!<br />Well, considering the circumstances wherein the only other option was to get destroyed in love - the goofy skit was the only way to make a "memory mark" last sunday.<br />But, some things are unavoidable - its fate, its fanaa..they catch up with you on time; I mean, this week!Gikshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544708941602773930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136248.post-1148485925453718802006-05-24T08:37:00.000-07:002006-05-24T08:52:05.473-07:00Respite, Time Crunch and the cycle of life!Finally, i am out of solitude and back with a bang to get engulfed in earthly bondage - Back to enjoy the trivialities of life and imitate the senseless behaviour shown by some living things called human beings on planet earth! There goes the philosopher in me - a claimant of "exhibiting" conscious behaviour juss because this guy was born human - huh - bull#$%@!!<br /><br />Anyways i am in hyderabad, enjoying the traffic and crowd - Also adding to the feeling is the new job, the new people around me and lots of time crunch! The already famous shopping spree where me and another blogger went about buying (too much) stuff doesnt seem to be ceasing - we have grand plans for this week too!<br /><br />Speaking about cycles in life (not the BSA slrs!) - I had the privilege of sitting in our own Mr Unpack's class again. Raju came for a Facilitation skills workshop in my firm and all the newly recruited MBAs got a sneek peak at his brilliance (again!). The discussions were as usual, very interesting and full of controversies and the session also made me realize that my MBTI profile has changed!! Guys, make way for a future Level 5!!Gikshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544708941602773930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136248.post-1146815453897106942006-05-05T00:34:00.000-07:002006-05-05T00:50:53.913-07:00Solitude and BhaktiThis blog was posted when i got a small chance to interact with the outside world - The internet cafe is like a magical corridor - like the ones which are described in He-Man and the masters of the universe!<br /><br />I am infact enjoying a very calm lifestyle after the 1000 miles/hr ISB MBA marathon - this one is of extreme serenity and solitude. Deep within the natural tranquility of Kerala, my holy ashram (i mean house!) stands alone near a river stream. I am the descendant of a yogi and yogini - my parents who taught science and maths in the nearby gurukuls. Early morning i get up, pluck flowers for their pooja - the mantras soon echo in these corridors of peace!<br />The journeys to famous temples mark great importance in the life of these yogis and hence i get the chance to share the experience. Traditional lunches served in plantain leaves are a delight especially since they give u a chance to drink (or rather thru multiples licks of ur hand) kheer from the leaf. TV aversion is helping me read quite a lot - luckily newspaper is available in this part of the world!<br /><br />The magical corridor is closing and i have to return to my ashram - more in the next interaction with the outside world - After all, everything is maya , right?Gikshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544708941602773930noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136248.post-1144661811833859692006-04-10T02:33:00.000-07:002006-04-12T10:08:32.310-07:00Pre-Graduation TraumaThis is one honest confession that me, the author of this blog is making now. I was under depression for a couple of days before graduation! My "extra-long duration" sleep cells were over come by nostalgia and the living creature in me desisted from sleeping as much as possible. My parents were supposed to be here on 6th evening and even that thought didnt help. After sometime many of my friends (who had yet not slipped into this particular mode) started noticing the extra "brood" length of my already long face and started that horrible sympathy wave, which though essential is unwelcome to one's manliness.<br /><br />Getting over this pre graduation trauma was tough, especially because the bondings that you have in a B school are a bit more special than the ones you create at your school or undergrad time. Here are people with similar business focus, having fundamental knowledge about various things, more mature and returning to college after few years of work. The result is that most likely you will find definite wavelength matching with many of them, and of course, the makes life tougher for you towards the end irrespective of your previous seperation experiences.<br /><br />How do you get over it? I dont know if i can generalize this, but i have kind of got over it now and the way to do this is to keep hanging out with ur friends. For the last one month i have been going out for dinner with my pals almost every day and daily hope that the fun keeps going on. Playing helps a lot, the volley ball marathons in ISB start at 10 in the night and continue till 2 or 3am, beyond which also sleeping is tough! Sprains and muscle pains are forgotten during those intensive Baskey matches in the midnight - gosh, I love my team so much, and this is one thing i am going to miss for the rest of my life.<br /><br />Once the clock hits 2, its time for some movie or comedy or similar crap -you stare at those till you fall asleep. The day dawns early for you, and you run to the breakfast hall to be able to get someone to chat with you. The saga continues throughout the day and you end up being in the main building area most of the time, catching up with your friends and trying to savour as much of the remaining moments in this school as possible! Guess the advice is pretty ineffective as you can already see the depression taking over me at the end of each activity! - the only way to get through it is to go through it - sometimes sadness is cured by being sad.....Gikshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544708941602773930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136248.post-1142537286200597602006-03-16T11:21:00.000-08:002006-03-16T12:24:14.316-08:00The weird term 8It is a weird feeling that is going through me this term. First is of course, the laziness to go to work again - my pop is not a millionaire and he doesnt have tea estates or industries which i can look after - which means i need to work to earn a living. The life at ISB is an awesome rollercoaster ride and it is so luxurious for a middle class person that u get a shock whenever u get out of campus. Speaking of going out, my quaddie "The C dog" took us for a party today to a place called Seventh Heaven in the city. Its a pretty cool place to dine, the ambience is pretty good. We stuffed ourselves with weird curries (as usual trying out aboriginal names in the menu card when someone else is paying !!).<br /><br />Ok, again i am deviating from the main topic, which was weirdness..hmmm - i am trying to visualize something of me that is 45 years old and i am not able to draw that picture. Not sure if that is because things are changing very fast nowadays and so are careers..No one can be sure what will happen in the future. But the fact i am unable to extrapolate the current situation to the future and come out with a rough measure of "mera kya hoga kaliya", troubles me big time!<br /><br />The weirdness is also because of the ISB public - No one seems to be knowing the perfect way to spend the last term. There is so much of emotional confusion that we havent charted out this terms' modus operandi. In a one year course, the bondage between people becomes really strong because u r together in an environment of pressure. Another reason is that u find people of the right wavelength, and the connections are better than in an undergrad situation where we are less mature. Well, whatever may be the underlying reasons, the weirdness remains. It will last for another 20 days, and beyond that i can only hope that i am able to stay in touch with all these special people who are called ISB-ians!!Gikshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544708941602773930noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136248.post-1141229980368076962006-03-01T08:13:00.000-08:002006-03-01T08:19:40.383-08:00Moving to the battlegroundTime is running out, the training camp is coming to an end..Soon we shall be left free in the battleground. The fitter would survive, the rest wont. It is indeed a restless feeling when u know that you would have to fight it out at ur job, but currently have to play the patience game till u get out of college. Please dont think that i am too eager to work myself. Its been an exciting vacation at ISB and it is extremely tough to get back to work again. We have all been pampered to the maximum and the first few months of work is going to be rehabilitation time :-)Gikshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544708941602773930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136248.post-1140807287015832912006-02-24T10:51:00.000-08:002006-02-26T00:33:25.483-08:00Special PeopleA small milestone along the long winding road; being agnostic about achievements is probably my greatest differentiator. I felt nothing great when i got my first job - my neurons just repeated the feelings this time around. God knows how many people will stick to the first job, last year's attrition rate was pretty high.<br /><br />Pardon me if i sound a bit too philosophical, but that is how i am. I got to see many intelligent beings going through the hills and valleys of pulsating human psyche. But there were a few unruffled souls in whom i saw the spark of brilliance shielded by a sea of calm. I know i could have got tense had my placement got delayed, but not these guys...They are extremely confident about themselves and dont mind waiting for the right job. Being able to counter the high placement stress, peer pressure etc with patience and self confidence is no mean deal and i am sure that these champs will do great things in life. I wish them all the very best!!Gikshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544708941602773930noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136248.post-1139504084053585692006-02-09T08:47:00.000-08:002006-02-09T11:55:27.146-08:00Frailty of an Ignorant MindHere we are, Eight more days before the drama begins and i know where i will land up. My close friend who is an esteemed astrologer has predicted that i will go back to IT!!! These are testing times when a job can take your career on a totally different path as compared to what you were thinking of doing earlier. But these are often misleading thoughts....<br /><br />I believe in Paul Coelho's Alchemist - “When a person really desires something, all the universe conspires to help that person to realize his dream". Its all about trusting your intuition and going ahead in life, and of course do watch out for signs that you get from around you.<br /><br />For the karma guys, who are skeptical about too much of earthly bondage following this principle of desire, there is a duty aspect to it too - “To realise one’s destiny is a person’s only obligation.” <br /><br />Fundamental to a successful manager is the desire to succeed - the fire in the belly, the kick of winning under extreme competition!! Much more basic to desire is motivation - We need to spend 5 minutes each day thinking about the ends we want to attain in life and the path to it. If you are not able to find that out, then you need to watch an inspirational movie or read something to that effect urgently. Its just that killer instinct that matters now - the preparation will follow suit!!Gikshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544708941602773930noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136248.post-1139173325139903702006-02-05T12:43:00.000-08:002006-02-05T13:02:05.150-08:00The return of the nativeIts a long break from blogging and i have become a visitor in my own house. There is critical business to run elsewhere and the analogy is the classic real life story for many of us. An ideal person would not forget his duties, but thats were mortality comes in...You blame it on the frame of mind , and decide to take a break. I now return as a responsible citizen to check out my deserted house, with a promise that i shall get the place intact soon..<br /><br />The happenings of the real world follow this blog: usually the blog trails the world, but i have seen parallelisms too. I actually visited my house in Kerala two weeks back, and spend a couple of days with my "amma" and "daddy"..weird it is, but i used two different languages to get their attention. A closer friend would immediately spot the big cultural misfit called "me", who is mid way between two different cultures with a few English garnishes!! Anyways, the greenery of my native place was an awesome experience going from a more industrial but dry city.<br /><br />I had also the privilege of being in the town where i spent four years of my life, trying to learn things without the typical homely shelter - I am just saying that i visited my college! The cryptic in me will take over this blog if i don't go to sleep...so for your welfare and mine, i sign off - goosh night!Gikshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544708941602773930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136248.post-1136327649987553792006-01-03T14:31:00.000-08:002006-01-09T23:28:02.836-08:00Six ends and Six beginsWe are in 2006 and there's of course the usual brouhaha about the new year that has got ingrained in the human genome. Some people are sad about letting go the passing year and for others, it is exciting to welcome the arrival of a new year. One could see two sides of human behaviour over here - one which doesnt want a change and wants to hold on to present for ever and the other which wants to forget and start afresh. What could be a balanced view? I am sure people would have different opinions on this, but as far as i am concerned a new year is just a milestone - just like the ones which you keep noting while going on a long drive. While on a drive we constantly remember where we started from and where the journey is going to end, but in real life we are ignorant of the macro view. Hence some people want to cling on to the past; it is probably better to be happy that the milestone has passed and you are nearer to the destination!<br /><br />The logic stands but alas, we are all but human! Six terms has passed in ISB and it has been an exciting journey so far. Changes are inevitable, and we need to be prepared for it. We may encounter a crossroad, a speed checking cop, an accident, bad climate etc etc on the road. The trick is in anticipating and changing gears accordingly. It is a one way lane and there's no turning back - The most you can do is to look at the rear view mirror and see what you have left behind.<br /><br /><br />Goodbye Term 6, welcome 2006!Gikshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544708941602773930noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136248.post-1135978264898731572005-12-30T13:26:00.000-08:002005-12-30T13:34:59.280-08:00Ready to Soar?<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3615/424/1600/Ready%20to%20Soar.0.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3615/424/320/Ready%20to%20Soar.0.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />This picture was taken during Poseidon and participated in the photography contest. For me it symbolizes the spirit of ISB - Birds ready to soar!!!Gikshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544708941602773930noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136248.post-1135977479328108402005-12-30T12:55:00.000-08:002005-12-30T13:38:40.336-08:00New year is here - where's the eve?Could these be our thoughts??<br /><br />Too many things happening around and i am in a daze!!.<br /><br />I feel like a goat blindly following a shepherd, where is all this going?<br /><br />Eight months of cocooning in an educational institution could be the choice of an escapist. But now is the time to face the real world again, the time to discover oneself, the time to prove one's mettle, the time to start leading!<br /><br />Apprehension is normal, i am a fighter too.<br /><br />Com'on man, get up and prepare- remember Swami Vivekananda's exhortion from the 9th standard textbook- “Uthisthata Jagratha,praptavaran nibodhata" (Arise,awake and stop not till the goal is reached!!)<br /><br />This is new year's eve. Unfortunately you get this day only once in ISB, but i am sure this is going to be memorable. I suddenly feel sad by the thought of leaving this place soon..don't want the new year to step in :-(<br /><br />A New year and a new step ahead...a new job, a new goal , new life (l or w?)!!<br /><br />Someone cool inspired me to write a few lines - Inspiring me could be disastrous sometimes, but this time i guess it was just fine......<br /><br />New year’s eve is the call of the future,<br />It’s also the swan song of the present<br />The future beckons me to dream for it<br />The present yearns not to part with it.<br /><br />Time to go to bed, and give rest to "zinda"...Probably my quaddies' thought - Sannata keh raha hain, kyun zulm seh raha hain!Gikshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544708941602773930noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136248.post-1134934998081626182005-12-18T11:27:00.000-08:002005-12-18T12:30:27.973-08:00Lazier than EverI dont have words to apologize. Not having time is not enough excuse for not blogging. I am a firm believer that you can always take out time if necessary and i have whiled away too much time in the last two weeks doing nothing! The brighter part of all this is that i did some good stuff too. Contributed my bit for Solstice and Poseidon, and here i am, two weeks older and with no state change (as in 12th std physics)<br /><br />I have a serious thought for a change...Well, all of us understand that ISB life is hectic and that you really get stretched if you get started on some side business -- as in taking part in competitions or organizing some stuff etc. There are a few people who balance these well and really don't show the pressure at least outside, but majority can't cop up doing both. Hence some don't even venture into the troubled territories. Extrapolating this to life is natural for any inquisitive mind and i assume that things are not going to be that different there too. If many people are going to fall within the realms of this hypothesis, then it is really saddening, esp because we are all B-school students and are supposed to set standards in leadership and being all rounders. May be all of us need to ponder over this idea a bit and decide how much of other stuff we need to take up or decide on what kind of job to look out for.<br /><br />Doing the skit for Solstice was real fun, and i enjoyed every bit of it. Sometimes i think that i am more of a "papparazzi" type than anything else, and that mentality showed out in the skit - making fun of a lot of things in ISB, "a self goal" (i put up the webfilter issue in the public) and of course, trying to end the skit in a diplomatic/feel good note. :-)Gikshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544708941602773930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136248.post-1133552016141276112005-12-02T11:29:00.000-08:002005-12-02T11:40:34.643-08:00Analysis of a few thingsHeres my take on some recent happenings in ISB...<br /><br />Why did the bid price go over the roof for M&A?<br />Many people took the 1 point Faf courses last term and got frustrated because of over faffing! Since they couldnt opt for heavy quant stuff, M&A looked a decent option to get back to numbers in a minor way. The heavy wallet of course played a big part!<br /><br />On the consumer behaviour front, i had promised more practical examples. Here's one...<br />Remember the Aamir Khan commercial, "Sar uthake piyo"..Do you know why Coke has come out with this ad?<br />The pesticide incident created linkages in the long term memory between the word Coke and pesticide. Hence whenever people think of Coke, it is natural to think of pesticides.<br />Even though people dont believe that there is pesticide in Coke, the thought of the word deters them from buying it. Now, what is the remedy?<br />Denial will only reinforce this effect. You can try "associative interference" techniques to reverse this. This is achieved by making stronger linkages with Coke than what is existing..try nationalistic feelings, quality standard etc. In due course of time, the older effect goes down because there are a lot more linkages established; the old associations get lost in an embellished associative network!Gikshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544708941602773930noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136248.post-1132941375533811962005-11-25T09:10:00.000-08:002005-11-25T09:56:15.576-08:00Getting into the 50'sLife at ISB can be compared to our own life and in that scale we are all 50+ now assuming that our average life span is around 80 years. This term was a bit heavy on me as i had to manage the load from 5 subjects + PAEV. I even had to cut down on my play time this term for multiple reasons...lack of partners and being busy myself! I should admit that it has kind of helped me wake up to the fact that post B school life can be really taxing and that we need to be ultra smart & be on thy feet for 24 x 7 x rest of work life!<br /><br />Yesterday was the "freak out" day when the exams got over but unfortunately we didnt have any good movie to watch at Prasadz. There was a plan to go and play fuzzball which got scrapped due to our own laziness. Anyway we made amends by going "city hopping" in the night and saw a good part of hitech city life in the midnight. It's amazing how the Hitech city has developed over the recent past. This place was just deserted rocky - good for nothing land a couple of years back and now its a revelation studded with awesome buildings hosting the best minds of the country! We tested out the street side stall food and tea after a long time and it felt great grounding feet firmly in between an elevated B-school life! Overlooked many a time, the cops too are doing a great job when the city sleeps, and even our car got checked thrice yesterday. (now dont tell me that we looked subspicious!). I've had a good term break till now but need to get started on my PAEV plan.<br /><br />Oh yeah, for people who didnt get a chance to study consumer behaviour here's a funda to apply in real life. This is called Protection Motivation theory and one among the many principles of persuasion. It says that fear appeals are effective when they “really” evoke fear, provide a means to overcome the cause of fear and the recipient feels capable of using these means.<br />An application of this in English is to take your girlfriend to a horror movie or to a tense sports event to get an increase in romantic behaviour towards you. Feel free to talk to me if you want to know the exact means by which this happens - i mean the behaviour theory side :-)Gikshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544708941602773930noreply@blogger.com0