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PaGalGirl.com February 28, 2006

Posted by Simba in : General , 15 comments

Its my pleasure to work on this & am having fun building this place. For all those who are unaware of PaGaLGuy, this forum was created about 3 years back with a sole intent to help people prepare for CAT, the MBA entrance exam in India. One of the hardest & toughest to crack of all the entrance exams, atleast in Asia!! :) And today it has grown to more than 50,000 members & there are a variety of discussions always going on.. from exams to careers to chit-chats! But it has grown to become a wonderful community where people have actually regained their faith in virtual world.. it is not one of those places where things happen randomly & people post s*** & get away with it. There are great moderators (ahem! like me..) who keep the sanity of the place. Today it has grown by leaps & bounds just because of the members who are always so willing to help out others.

PaGaLGirl is meant to be the same thing for women. It would ideally be a place for women only. Yes, I know there are thousands & thousands of such places but I think there is a lack of ‘community’ where people can trust other members with their personal or professional problems. I have read innumerable mails about how inspiring I have been to many many people out there, this is an effort to translate the inspiration into something concrete, like a relationship! Mails about women going through some or the other trauma in their lives with regards to marriages, divorces, suicides, bad careers etc etc have pounded my mail box and have spent lots of night trying to give my insights about these. I know, I am not a super woman with all the solutions but have always felt that the sadness people feel in their lives is not because of their problems but for the lack of ears to listen & hearts to empathize. Such mails would always make me think about a community like this.. where actually women can help other women. I feel that all of us have some hidden power within us to reach out & help & be an inspiration to others. Many fail to recognize this power not due to lack of knowledge but due to lack of avenues. :) I know there are many many women out there who want to help others with hajaar problems, ppl who have seen ‘life’ in all dimensions & insecurities & wishing goodness for others…I am just one of them.. just a simple person with a big generous heart! :) Also, there is a dearth of womanly talks.. lipsticks to movies to books to travel. Gossip, most welcome! ;) I hope to nurture my forum & seek some strong members who share my passion & enthusiam. Have found a bunch .. :) … but need many many more… Free membership but only through invitations. If you are the girl-kind & wish to a part of this community, email me this minute. My email is in the ‘About’ Tab of this webpage. Let others watch while we do some good deeds & have fun! And others, no offense, your comments will be heard!!

Surviving an International MBA - Part 1 February 24, 2006

Posted by Simba in : MBA, Duke , 12 comments

Another series. Another perspective ;-) Article published on PG.com Let the comments flow!

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It’s been a long time since I put up an article and thought it was about time I told you all, how it has been at a US business school and what the experience amounts to, at the end of the day. I am sure that my blog has been doing a decent job about updating on the fortnightly or so activities, so here’s my attempt to run you all through the ‘Surviving an International MBA’. My take is that from the Fuqua stand-point. I am sure the experience will be similar elsewhere if not the same.

It all started when I got accepted at a good business school in India. The thought of actually stepping out of the shores for my MBA crept into my mind and after a year of failing to fund my International MBA, I came back with much vigor and applied to some pretty well known schools abroad. I put in a strong application and I thought, that was one of the toughest times I would have. Once I am done with my application, I am well on my way to some sleep and peace. Ha! That’s never the case, as I figured out soon! Along with the admission offers came in, some headache with regards to funding and the visa process. Constantly, I would wonder whether the whole world was conspiring against me! Things went wrong so many times and I used to end some of the days wishing I didn’t have to go through so much trouble.. With the visa in hand, I had touched almost the ninth heaven, but then I was pulled down by the amount of work that loomed ahead of me! Resigning from my job, off-shouldering the responsibilities, booking my flights, shopping for the right stuff and phew, chasing rental owners here for a good house deal! First, get a roommate if you wish to make a few savings on your monthly budget. It took a lot of time for me and my roomie to finalize a place here, with criteria like proximity to school, secure place etc. But now retrospect, I wonder, what the big deal about a house was.

Then I had to haggle for the right flights with my travel agents, almost everything looked at its worse each day. When finally everything seemed just okay, about a few days before I left, the Mumbai floods made its grand entry! No power, no electricity and water everywhere is a sad way to remember my last few days in Mumbai. After all this, I landed in my business school and then began the actual ’survival’ stint. The moral of the story, Just hang in there, things will take time but will surely fall in place. I stand to vouch for that! :)

One of the biggest miseries students face in their initial days in a new country would be the lack of basic communication lines, in terms of computer, cell phones, car etc. Transportation becomes a big issue if you stay in a small college town and not in well connected place like downtown Manhattan. Trying to find a car within our budget, grasping with some of the details of buying a second-hand car, getting a license to kill…err to drive and finding an insurance agent who will accept your no-driving history in US will be some of the painful things you will have to go through. I was one of the few lucky ones who fixed all these things very fast and hence was at least spared the frustration attached with these. You would be better off if you can settle it all, before your course starts. Believe me, they are not kidding when they say, You will hit ground zero running

Read the complete article.

Ahh… February 18, 2006

Posted by Simba in : Uncategorized , 14 comments

Sore! My body is pretty sore these days.. well, not due to excessive work or something but due to my gym activities. I kinda figured out that if I am really getting bad grades & not getting anywhere in my internship hunt, I might atleast utilize my precious time to get healthy! Maybe look like a healthy loser than a unhealthy one! LOL! I know, my attitude sux at times! :) Hey, the gym is really good out here & all my fitness-enthu friends sure have a great time visiting this place quite so often.. at least till the last Term, I didnt have a breather to figure out all these places, but now, I am discovering the hidden nuggets on campus! Also, I played racquetball today for the first time and boy, it was fun! Yeah, I didnt kinda get to hit all the rebounds but sure tried my best! Its fun when you like the workout, it adds a new dimension to the whole thing, unlike when you are on a treadmill & each step is almost as painful as the previous one.. & you soo want to give up! Dunno how long I can keep pace with all these but sure intend to for a longtime to come!

My best friend here got a job & I am getting sleepless! LOL! But I really am damn happy for him, though I think he deserves a much better opportunity! :) Hey, all you readers out there, you all owe me a big one for all the times I have tried so hard to provide as much info as possible. Why dont you send me some contacts in some technology or telecom firms out here! I sure am shameless but hey, I am trying! :-) Shivesh has put up a nice post about work permit in UK which might interest many of you. Go & take a look. I have my finals in less than 2 weeks & am pretty not so excited about these exams any more. I had not such a great interview last week, dunno why I am getting to talk to the wrong people & somehow things are just not getting fine…maybe they will take more time than I had initially anticipated. Whenever I think about the number of things that I have done over the last few years to get to where I am today, it sure seems almost surreal but the journey has just begun & I know, I will find myself in many many not-so-comfy places all through out. It never has been easy for me, never will be, I guess! Though I must say, No regrets! Ok, now, I have gone on a yapping mode and wont stop till you probably pay me.. and I know, noone will pay me either.. So, for my own sanity, I end this post! Tadaaaa…. Gnitey! 

Hey before the adieu, I took some quiz the other day (randomly, landed on one of those sites!) & see what they think of me - “You are Supergirl! Lean, muscular and feminine. Honest and a defender of the innocent.” So, finally someone figured out that I am sooper!! Cooliooooo!

Googled! February 12, 2006

Posted by Simba in : Uncategorized , 8 comments

I swear, they are the coolest! They never fail to surprise me, coming out with some of the snazziest things they keep coming up from time to time! It would definitely be great to work for them who give so much freedom & entrepreneurial leeways to their employees. No, I dont know anyone there but I seriously wish I did. Ok, I am talking about Google as a company, just in case you didnt know what I was talking about! I am so hooked onto the innumerable things they have.. News, Images, Maps, Search and now this, chat within ur email! I still havent tried it but cant wait to start! What is it about this firm which always keeps throwing up new things at us, the consumers & we soon get so used to it that we cant think of life without that! I mean, now we go around saying, ‘Google it!’ for any info about almost anything known for this mankind.. & maybe some unknown, super natural stuff too… ;)

On unrelated side, right now, I am hooked onto ‘Sabka Katega’ by bodhiTree. Its really awesome I think! The last couple of days have been a lil relaxing & I have had time to watch ‘Rang De Basanti’ and the Indo-Pak ODI. LOL! Business school makes you think that even two days of not-much-to-do is luxury! There hasnt been much action on either the academic or career side and I am hoping to do a decent job at the interview coming up in the next few days. Finally, I got around visiting my gym and am trying to keep up with it on a regular basis! Tomorrow is just another day with a quiz and assignment submission! I need some action to kick me up!! Hey, all applicants, hope your interviews went on well & soon, we will be preparing to welcome you as the Class of ‘08. Good Luck! :)

I make no sense today, as I am feeling real lazy! So, now, I log out… Tada…

20 nice things about me… February 6, 2006

Posted by Simba in : Uncategorized , 11 comments

Long ago, not so long ago, my good friend Vish tagged me to write 20 things about myself. I really did not feel like doing it then. But now, as I laze around, trying to find some excuses for not studying for my Operations mid-term tomorrow, I say, why don’t I blog! So, here I am…

  1. I am a ‘pakka’ Bangalore Kannada girl and love the fact that Bangalore is my middle name! Honest, no kidding! There’s a definite sweetness when people call me Ms. Bangalore, hopelessly failing to pronounce my first & last name. LOL!
  2. I love being called Simba for reasons unknown. That’s the easiest and fastest way to get into my good books.
  3. I am studying at an awesome business school but keep wondering whether all this is a put-on and there is nothing much I am really learning!
  4. I love to blog and like the fact that so many people care to share their thoughts after reading my roars & whines! But feel so tired at times to see people all over me just to get a couple of clarifications. Relax, you don’t really need to chum up!
  5. I nag a lot! And that’s my birthright! Any takers! ;-)
  6. I think life has been a bitch many a time but it’s been beautiful enough to give me a chance to live it all up with a smile.
  7. I used to have tons of friends but now have resigned to the fact that you really don’t need that many! I love being a loner at times!
  8. What’s the big deal about jewelry? I am better off without any or with as little as need be! And make-up makes me look confident but I just can’t wait to get it off my face!
  9. I used to blabber a lot, most of the times without being sure of the things I said! Age has taken toll on me & now, I really don’t blabber as much. I prefer to listen… or so I believe!
  10. I love rice and curd over any international cuisine in the finest of restaurants! But I like variety and love experimenting with cooking! My mom’s cooking is the best!
  11. I love to travel and see the whole world! Dream job would be doing this and documenting my travels… Bliss!!
  12. I haven’t picked up a taste for alcohol and don’t know whether that’s good or bad! I truly enjoy cigarettes but have really chosen to keep it away! I am way too lazy to be addicted to anything! LOL!
  13. I am sucker for privacy! Let me be alone for chrissake! I wish to keep a lot of things to myself and like it that way!
  14. Wonder what’s the big deal about women and chocolate! Pass on the strawberries to me please!
  15. I love to believe that I will turn into fitness freak one day and each day, I wake up hoping it is that ‘one’ day!
  16. Yoga doesn’t calm me and meditation makes me dizzy. I feel great when I work out but still come up with 101 things to do to let me slip my workout!
  17. I can’t take compliments and hate that about myself! I always come up with excuses when people pass praises! Yuck!
  18. I believe in world peace and would love to stay away from all arguments and bad mouthing in the world! But just don’t piss me off!
  19. I wish I were younger so that I could dream of a person I would like to be when I grow up!
  20. And Sleep is the most precious thing to me in my life and if God decides to grant me wishes, he better wait till I am done with my sleep! :-)

And no, I wouldnt tag anyone! Guess everyone is already tagged and I am the last after which we disappear into space! 

Looking stronger February 5, 2006

Posted by Simba in : Uncategorized , 3 comments

As I was sitting & mulling about my internships, I came across this interesting article on Wall Street Journal which says that Jobless Rate Falls to Lowest Level since July 2001. Thankfully the job creation has accelerated in January 2006 thereby pushing the unemployment rate to its lowest mark in more than 4 years and offering fresh evidence that the economy got off to a strong start this year. The unemployment rate has gone down to 4.7% from 4.9% in December 2005. And it specifically said that the college graduate degree & skilled market is picking up pretty well! So, thats some good news for many of us here. WSJ also reports that Health care industry is doing great, Hardware & Technology is doing ok but is slow and of course, the auto industry still has to come a long way! And its quite encouraging to see that among the countries leading this positive job demand are India & China. :-) Maybe the recruiting season wont be that bad enough & we might find ‘good’ internships soon!

When you far away from home, everything reminds you of home. Atleast, that is the case with me! I picked up the leisurely segment of the news paper & came across this huge picture which brought me back home instantly! Before I even realized what the picture was, I had the feeling that I had been there! LOL, it was the picture of my go’ ‘ld ‘Brigade Road’ in Bangalore! LOL! Then, I saw some of the Kannada hoardings & I was grinning! The article was generally talking about how India is becoming a popular destination for both internationals & locals. By locals, I mean, people from Mumbai & Bangalore who view Goa etc as the vacation spots. It looks like Tourism is at its record levels and theres a lot of discussion on the hotel industry out there! It is always interesting to see how India is viewed by westerners! I mean really, you get to lots of stuff we ourselves wouldn’t have figured out on our own! Interestingly though, the talked about ‘happening’ cities were Mumbai, Goa, Udaipur, Kolkata (huh? no offense!) and Hyderabad (ahem!)… and zilch about Bangalore! Now, don’t ask me what the big picture of Brigade Road was doing if there was no mention of Bangalore! Maybe the journo didn’t think anyone would notice! Ah, now I miss home! Actually this post was meant to talk about something else .. anyways, while on it, check out these 2 videos, a couple of popular forwards these days!

All guys interviewing for MBA Admissions, check out what Shivesh, a fellow-Fuquan & good pal had to say!

Long time… February 1, 2006

Posted by Simba in : Uncategorized , 3 comments

…since I put up a post. Major reason, I have been procrastinating about some of the changes required for the blog. As you might have noticed, comment section does not work & I might have to shift some of the work to another place. I havent gotten around to doing just yet but hopefully will try to! I have created a lot of stuff on this blog & would like to export all of this stuff on the newer version!

School has been going on but nothing much on the academic side. Its kinda settling down, but the career front has been a lil active over the last week. After seeing many of the consulting firms come in & go out without even sniffing out my resume, I was lucky to get 1 call from a small but awesome consulting group! Call for the interview, Phew! Thats like too much to ask for in these times! :) Round 1 went fabulous are so I thought until they called me that evening & said that I didnt make the cut! It was pretty surprising & less disappointing as I did not think that it was possible to be out of the game so early! The next day, I was back to the normal schedule when I get a call from the same firm who had spoken to me the previous evening, asking if I was still interested in interviewing with them for Round 2! LOL, that was really unbelievable! So, I was off to Chicago & finished a 4 hr interview.. I was so tired at the end of it! But this time, I really did not feel so great! A couple of things threw me off & it was hard to nail the case! This time, I am sure that there wont be any pleasant news at the end of the tunnel but that really isnt a worry! The interview itself was an awesome experience & I am pretty much confident that I can get the same opportuity for a full time offer next year! But the inevitable question remains - What do I do for Internship? Its just getting harder as the no. of companies will drastically reduce from henceforth! Hmmm.. Time to don that thinking cap!

I have been pretty lazy on my general reading stuff.. just dont find time to do the same. But that is one thing I am planning to set back into motion & also, been thinking of doing a couple of interesting things.. will surely talk about it here if I get around to doing that! The interview that I just had put back some of the confidence that I had lost over the last few months :) Its easy to lose urself in a large crowd when lots of people are saying lots of things of which lots of stuff is BS! Anyway, I will take a break now & hit the sack.. And yes, I will to put some interesting posts ..not the same ol’ MBA lullaby…