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~ The End ~ June 6, 2007

Posted by Simba in : General, Frivolous Me , 9 comments

I have been planning to stop blogging for a long time now and I guess the time is right. :) I started this blog so long ago and used it effectively (ahem!) to pen my progress, give vent to my frustration & talk in length about the MBA experience. Now, that I am officially done with MBA et al, I don’t have much to write about. I have always hated people when they stopped blogging but now, I guess, I understand. I think I will keep my life a lil private and having this blog is not helpful. This way, now, I am not obligated to write down my daily experiences & that’s the way I like for now!

And for all those who want to write to me, feel free to contact me. I will try my best to get back to you. You can look up SimbaRulez for contact info and also look up MBA Queries section. It is quite helpful. :)

Thanks for everyone for reading my blog and patiently leaving your comments. It meant a lot to me! And hey, do bookmark http://simbarulez.com, I will keep that site on! And anything interesting, I will put it on the website. :)

Adios and God Bless!

~ The End ~

simbarulez.com May 15, 2007

Posted by Simba in : MBA, General , 8 comments

Phew! Finally, I managed to build this website. For a long time, I have been planning this but never had the time to sit down and do it. Now, it is up! When I got admitted into Duke and other schools, I had almost two full time jobs - working in Reliance and other, answering queries from prospective students. I managed to pull up a lot of emails and publish them as I believe they all have tons of information. :) It is not so user-friendly though!

Check out Simba Rulez and let me know.

Sunny Florida August 23, 2006

Posted by Simba in : General, Travel Bug , 2 comments

I have been trying to make this post for sucha long time.. This will be a small post! I am having sucha hard time aligning the pictures. This is the best I can do with my limited time, so bear with me. :) Ok, after the edit, this post looks goooood!!
Almost a year here and I finally managed my first real vacation last week - Universal Studios, Island of Adventure & Sea World, Florida. Yeah, Disney world has to wait for now. The drive was a tad too long close to 10 hrs from here but sure was worth it! I had an amazing time! I haven’t been on any kind of rides for a long time but managed to sit on many of the deadly roller coaster rides and actually survived it! :D I am so proud of myself LOL!

Remember the talking donkey in Shrek… He actually talks soooo much! Some of the best theme rides in Universal Studios were, Back to the Future and the Mummy! Havent laughed & screamed at the same time for a long time now…

And I move on… August 11, 2006

Posted by Simba in : Work & Beyond, General , 10 comments

As I sat across the table having our last lunch with our Director, I just realized how swiftly the whole of summer had gone by, at least with respect to my job. Exactly 2 months ago (yeah, it’s ‘ago’ here ;) ) I was sitting with the same people getting to know them and trying to be nice.. today, it was a more relaxed atmosphere… talking about the project, the work for them after I leave and the forward strategies for our department. On a scale of 10, I would give myself a 7 considering how much better I could have done stuff, quicker way of getting organized, faster way of meeting the right people etc etc. But ain’t that the way always?! In hindsight, everything could have been done better and faster.

I have given the same presentation about 4-5 times with a little bit of modification after each. And by the time we got to today’s last one, I was so tired but it is so fascinating how each team perceives the work. It was amazing how the senior management started working on the action items & timelines looking at my recommendations where as some of the other team members rolled up their eyes seeing more work coming their way. Some are so open to change where as others are so closed to all new ideas. It is pretty fascinating how the management tries to please both the extremes and in the end, get them to do exactly what it wants to be done!

And the big ‘O’ ;) question - Did I get an offer from Lowe’s? Well, at least, they literally didn’t invite me to a room and hand me a package saying so but they were pretty impressed with the work and the efforts that went in. As I was discussing with a close friend, I didnt get much of the negative feedback which is one way good, but obviously, they have been nice while appraising my work. But that kind of candid feedback would have given me a chance to understand things I should have done better and areas in myself which needs serious improvement. Retail is fascinating and the talk about ‘home-improvement’ will never go out of fashion! I dont know if I want to come back but it would be great to at least get an offer, it would validate my work, boost my confidence but to even get there, they need to have an open position in that department. I so wish I had gone ahead and met up with the people in some of the departments I wanted to work in but my health doing a roller-coaster this summer, I had to play it easy!

One thing I was absolutely thrilled about were the people I have worked here with. They are probably the best I have seen in the corporate world. 6 years into corporate before B-school and I haven’t met anyone even close to how nice these people have been! But then again, I was here for too short a time to make some gradiose statements but at least I got see happy faces and genuine smiles .. people truly loved their jobs, though I constantly felt like shaking up some of them to get things done faster!

And I got a chance to make some fantastic friends here.. some of the things I have learnt now…roll up my eyes when I see disgusting things, use a lot of ‘whatever’ & ‘hell’, sigh loudly, try to blow my “where’s” & “when’s” (to accentuate the ‘w’ in them!), make up my own veggie dishes on any restuarant’s menu, pick up some great accessories and blow up big $ on them and pretend that it doesn’t matter….. all these & more. But seriously, learnt a lot of things from my fellow interns and it has been amazing… tweak my dressing sense, eat more salads & less of spice, take less coffee & soda, work out more religiously, keep going on that treadmill even when my heart is threatening to stop any minute, work on learning more about Hindu scriptures and visiting more churches! I have a lot of friends who hail from different churches around and so badly wanted to go with them on every Sunday but somehow couldnt make it … will start doing it once I get back to school. My fellow intern and close friend was a Mormon with whom I spent a large part of one Sunday, knowing so much about their beliefs & faith. It is amazing how strongly they connect with God! Hopefully, some of her great attributes will rub off on me.. also received a lovely parting gift - “The Book of Mormon” :)

I start school in a week’s time. Though I am kind of sad about leaving Lowe’s and missing the people here, I am pretty excited to start off school, meet good ol’ friends, start worrying about grades & quizzes, nag about crazy schedules and curse some of the course works! Ah, blissful second year…. I wish! I think I am over loading much stuff this year than last, but not on the academic part. I will try to pen in some of the interesting stuff I will latch onto pretty soon. But by the looks of it now, it sure seems like a big year with a lot of ‘ACTION’ items.. things to set into motion, plans to work on, things to lay down and kick start new beginnings! :) And I move on…

Habitat for Humanity July 22, 2006

Posted by Simba in : General, Volunteer , 4 comments

Its been a while since I did some community work and I almost had this urge to do something over the last few days. Maybe because I was over thinking about myself, my health, my life etc. It’s at these times, I kind of get into a sympathetic phase and feel sad about the days I go through. I guess we all face such days and the only way to get out of that phase is to go out and work for others. And I did exactly that for Habitat.

As a part of Intern Community work of Lowe’s, we helped out the Habitat builders in building a home. It was fun but owing to bad health, I couldnt be of too much help. But hey, I tried my hands on drilling & the electric saw.. I wish I could do this on a more regular basis as it is proper labor work with sweat et al. We started out pretty well but as the sun moved right on top of our heads, it started getting a little tiring. And the actual builders on their front were very helpful in teaching the tricks, rather the art of building a home! I have done a host of other things as a part of my voluntary service but never ‘this’ kind. :) It is pretty interesting how they operate. On lay man terms, they buy a lot of land and build homes for the homeless. But how do they pick on whom to donate the homes to.. Am not really clear about that but anyone who wants a home should have assisted them for ‘x’ hours building other people’ homes! Interesting, huh!?

I really love the attitude of ‘Do-it-yourself’ out here. Most of the work around the house is generally done by the owners themselves.. yeah, manual labor is crazy but I think, there is also a sense of satisfaction when you probably build your own table even if it doesnt compare with a designware! So, should I think about doing up my home.. once I get to that point.. Ahem, an interesting thought! Lets see how that goes!

I am still working on this website, and just not this blog. It will take a while. Stay with me. Will keep you all posted!

East is East May 15, 2006

Posted by Simba in : General, Travel Bug , 6 comments

Okai, some people know why I am missing in action these days. This post is a small update for all my blog readers who arent seeing me around, on my blog, on PG or on PGG! Well, thats because I have been travelling and do not have any access to internet. My first best internet time has been today almost 10 days after I left US. I am a part of East Asia GATE tour at Fuqua. Its been an amazing experience throughout. Last year if anyone had told me that I will be seeing so many countries, I swear on the man above, I wouldnt have believed them for a minute! :)

Spent about a week in Shanghai & Hong Kong. Flew into Tokyo 2 days back and am having a blast! Will be in Japan this week & will fly back on Sunday. So, for the details, you will have to wait for a week to know more about the tour. But for now, enjoy some pics! :D

In memory of J.B.Fuqua April 6, 2006

Posted by Simba in : Duke, General , 1 comment so far

A snippet about the man behind The Fuqua School of Business:

J.B. Fuqua, the retired entrepreneur for whom Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business is named, died at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta on April 5. He was 87 years old. Mr. Fuqua began his relationship with Duke University when, as a teenage student, he borrowed books by mail from the Duke library. A voracious reader and a quick study, Fuqua pursued a higher education on his own. I began to order books on finance and banking and things I did not understand much about, wrote Fuqua in his book Fuqua: How I Made My Fortune Using Other People’s Money. I think if I had not had access to those books from Duke and other reading materials, I would certainly have been less successful early on in my business career.

Though he never went to college, he set a premium value on education.John Brooks Fuqua was born on June 26, 1918 and raised on a tobacco farm in Price Edward County, Virginia. His vision and hard work resulted in many accomplishments, but Mr. Fuqua is best known as the founder and chairman of Fuqua Industries, Inc., the Atlanta-based Fortune 500 company. He used a small brick manufacturer to build a conglomerate.

“I am proof that any obstacle can be overcome if you are willing to educate yourself and work hard,” Mr. Fuqua wrote in his book.

Detailed News - Here

No, we didnt get to meet him. But am sure this man deserves a post on my blog, for making Fuqua rock! May his soul RIP.

Internship Rambling March 20, 2006

Posted by Simba in : MBA, Duke, Work & Beyond, General , 17 comments

Ok, Stop grinning! I am desperate! My time is running out! And I got this fantastic idea from a good pal, long time blogger, DMN. :) We all are looking for Summers aka Internships and with each passing day, I am losing patience! Now, lets not get into the argument about if I ever had some! Term 4 began today and I am the least loaded as I have to concentrate on job-hunt! Phew, I wish I was sitting in my cool,air-conditioned office way back in Mumbai taking my nice pay chek and fighting with my boss! Nah, I would never say that! Thank God, I am sitting here worrying about my summer job rather than be doing the kind of work that I used to do! LOLz! Puneet, I know, I still need to get to you about the kind of requirements I am looking at! In brief, I have been a techie, worked on Optical & Wireless technologies for about 6 years prior to MBA. Any strategy, business development or consulting position in the Technology or Telecom sector would be great as I would be helpless in coming out with creative strategies to sell some ketchup! :) Actually, for a while, I toyed with the idea of working on the Finance side as that really interests me but then again, without any prior experience, its hard to make a transition! Now, dont even get me talking about some of the interviews we, as international students, cannot apply! Hmmph!

Back to my rambling, till date, I have given 4 interviews and only the first one I managed to make it to the second round. For all others, I still havent heard from them! Now, does that mean a Ding from them! Maybe or may not be, but one thing is absolutely sure, they are not crazy about you! If they are, they will get back to you a day or two after your interview. So, I might be in for a surprise if I actually get to hear something positive from these. Anyway, moving on, the off-campus job search is painful as there are no rules for this game. You might turn out lucky if the alums reply back or you might get some real bad, cold shoulders. So, how am I going to wade through these things. I dont know but I guess, I will survive! No, at this point, I am not hopeful of getting an awesome job but it helps to get a decent one that I would enjoy for my summers. Most of the engineers are in pretty much the same position, at least the desis but some of them have been lucky to beat the rest in this cat race! Most of the commerce grads have accepted various positions in different sectors of the Finance world. So, does this thing gotto do anything wrt the engineering bit, I am not really sure but sadly, most of the technical companies that were here called only US citizens which kinda made it hard for all of us! If the tech sector dont want the tech junta, I cant see anyone else needing us! There are a few tech consulting firms around and they are doing a host of activities in the wireless domain! Would I be interested.. absolutely! But they are a very few and you need some tremendous patience to follow through till the end. So, with time running out.. I have just about a month to finalize this else I am pretty much free for the summers! :|

Now, am I disappointed about being at this stage. I guess not when you talk about the whole grand scheme of things, that is basically when I sit down with my grand-children to tell them gory tales about how recklessly I survived a summer with no food & no money but with tremendous energy! But for time being, I must accept that it is very disappointing not to have the opportunity (mind you, not the job perse!) to put forth a stellar candidature. So, what will I do? LOLz, you will see a lot more action in the PaGaL land and a lot of thought-dump here on this blog! So, would I be considered a failure..and should not be writing my MBA articles…Ahem! Only time can answer this question! :) Hey, Class of ‘08.. dont be scared when you read this! I wish there were many many more desis who were writing blogs who would convince you that getting a summer is a stroll in the park.. but there aint many! So, take my words with a pinch of salt! Its better to be aware of the reality bites, not to be disheartened! Fuqua is a great school and my getting/ not-getting a job is not a good estimate about the school perse! Comments in form of job offers would be highly appreciated ;) LOL!

Edit - I have started the Internship Hunt page to keep track! I have no reason to crib if I dont try enough! :|

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!!