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Homecoming et al. December 28, 2006

Posted by Simba in : Wiggles, Travel Bug , 8 comments

It is amazing how things never turn out the way you want them to but you are just happy with the way they turn out. I always envisioned going away escorted by a bunch of close pals who would mull over how much they will miss me and always dreamt of coming back to a wave of people who would be dying to welcome me back home. Neither of them happened and thank god, it didn’t! I had no plans to fly back this chilly winter but things changed so drastically so fast that I decided to book my flights in a jiffy. Yes, I burnt a big hole in the tiny teeny wallet I carry…and the only person to receive me was my childhood friend whom I woke up rudely in the middle of the night and asked her to rush to the airport. And my love, my favorite city, Mumbai just missed out on me… this time around. Bangalore it is, for me. Hmmph!
 
It’s been a queasy feeling since I came back home. I don’t mean to be difficult to anyone around me but suddenly feel out of place everywhere I go. Someone asked me how I felt about homecoming, and the only word that came out easily was, “weird”. It is like this feeling of belonging nowhere. I don’t belong there and now, I don’t belong here, that is I transcend in space.  Does it happen to all those who have live away for a while? But I was here less than a couple of years ago.

But hopefully this break will do me a whole lot of good. Finally I have gotten around reading a lot of books and spending time doing nothing. I have been running so long and an afternoon with nothing to do is almost like a dream come true. I miss the school, friends and school work almost everyday, it is sucha part of me that I feel bare without the constant running around. And getting to blog in one more interesting thing I can do… so here I am! But of course, trying to get a decent connection for the wordpress page to load is a different ball game on its own! More about life here in my next post.

This post was just a revival post to say, I am alive and kicking.

The sloppy ‘joe’… November 18, 2006

Posted by Simba in : Wiggles , 5 comments

As I was saying all through the last post, I just have lost the patience & energy to pen my blog regularly. Though I sincerely admire all the readers and especially those who wish to send me good wishes thro’ comments & emails etc. Sorry to disappoint you… I have taken off the Job-Hunt page as I figured out that I am not a good book-keeper this year :(

But that said, I am doing all I can to end up where I want to. I hope I do. And when I do, trust me to put up a nice post. :) Other things are fine but I hate this Term in school, things just seem to be moving so slow & the courses I am on right now are not ’stimulating’. A small post for now… Updates later!

Crazy days… October 2, 2006

Posted by Simba in : Wiggles, MBA , 11 comments

I dont remember the last time I have been so busy! Phew, what is with B-schooling? Aren’t the Second Years supposedly the official slackers… thats the joy of being a second year student! But looks like the joy is crushed with tons of assignments, case studies & exams. So, even as a second year, I am slogging my a*** off to at least keep my head afloat, if not the whole part of myself :)

Nothing much has been happening otherwise. I actually had planned a lot of stuff, apart from the academics & career part but looks like all that might have to wait. For e.g, the development of this blog into something more substantial, learn some new languages, learn golf etc etc… but I must agree that I am doing some interesting things in the whole grand scheme of things… trying to sqeeze in gym & racquet ball sessions regularly (yeah, trying ;) ), bakin’ & cookin’ some interesting stuff & learning salsa dancing! For now, that should keep my platter busy! Day before, we headed out to ‘Hindu’ bhavan here which had organized Navratri celebration on a grand scale. I had always heard of Garba & Raas but never had tried my hand at it… & now, I did! :D Went late, hence missed the Garba part but the Dandiya Raas was sure a lot of fun! I think I kinda got pretty good at it.. its pretty simple & easy to learn! And of course, there was some sheer thrill in having hot samosas & garam masala chai in the middle of the night.

Career has taken a paramount position in my to-do, must-do lists. I havent heard back from my summer and I am not very surprised considering they are not pro-internationals.. but what’s wrong in being cross-fingered! The companies are back on campus & there are tons of things to do almost everyday. Last week, we had the Duke MBA career fair and I had a chance to talk to some of our seniors (Class of ‘06) and some interesting firms. Lets see how that goes. So, it is down to this one now.. have to get a job offer so that I can get a work permit… else pack bags & back home! Home … *sigh* where is it?!

Right now, I am working on dropping off my resumes & coverletter… so, I will get back to that! Alrighty… am out for now…

Hey, BTW… Happy Ayuda Puja & Gandhi Jayanti :)

Welcome Class of ‘08 September 4, 2006

Posted by Simba in : Wiggles, MBA, Duke , 1 comment so far

I know its a little late for the official welcome of the First Years to Fuqua. But I think, it is the appropriate time to do so. This post is officially dedicated the ‘08 Fuquans :D Hope each of you had a great time at the Orientation Week, the ILE Week and the first week of classes. I have had a chance to interact with many of you and its been great knowing each one of you. I wish you all the very best in your classes, assignments, club activities, job search and zillion other things you wish to do when you are here. Fuqua is an amazing school. Period. Ensure that you get the best of it!

I am always amazed by the people I have met here and the Class of ‘08 has been no different. I am specifically interested in knowing all the ‘Desis’ who flew in directly from India because I know how hard things can get and how badly you need someone looking out for you! It is very weird being a second year as you are suddenly in the harsh light of close inspection by the first years who want to ensure that they get every ounce of knowledge outta you, again by the first years who view you as a demi-god for surviving the ‘terrible’ first year at a business school, by the Profs who suddenly assume that you are more smarter than when you applied and hence expect more out of you, by the Career Centre who expect you to be an expert in the world of job-search and career management, by team mates who expect you to bring in a lot of worldly knowledge from your 2-month stint of summer internship, by classmates who are all fidgeting by the expectations of everyone around them and by the first years again, who think you have the ace weapon to land the stupendous internship! Phew! If you think it was hard being a first year student, think again… second year can drive you insane! Am I kidding?! Ofcourse I am :D It has been an amazing ride and this year, the last in my life time as a student, I better get everything outta this place and people here!

It feels so nice when people instantly recognize my name or when I see people grinning as their eyes light up when they address me as ‘Simba’. It is pretty amazing that so many people know me through this blog of mine! When ‘The’ gets prefixed tp your name, its kinda flattering & scary at the same time. LOL, some people are actually surprised by the low profile that I maintain around here! I am serious! I am low-profiler! :) Taking the cue from Ms.N I feel the need to share some of the pointers with the First Years. I agree with her on all counts and would like to stress on the last one. Have fun…

Have fun - In the process of running around for classes, winding up the finance assignment in the nth minute, cursing the team mate for not doing a great job on his/her part, grabbing a quick frozen meal due to lack of time, trying to accomodate the gym session once in a while, doing the cold-calling, reaching out to the career centre and the second years… stop for a moment and take a deep breath. It is ok. It is fun! Trust me, start seeing beyond the everyday ‘to-do’s’.. you have invested an awful lot to be here, you were selected out of god-knows-how-many candidates… it is just an MBA! Just a small break from the normal life. Enjoy every bit of argument, dis-agreement and every mug of beer while you are here! :D

Job-search - Everyone lands up somewhere or the other either for an internship or a full time role. But no one hears of the struggles some of them have to go through and the insecurities that each of them face when they dont hear back from firms.. we all have been through hard times of self-doubt. Career Centre is here to help and so are the people around, utilize them to the max. Absorb the wealth of knowledge and the potential networks in your own classmates & seniors & alums. Work on your strategy. It is easy to push the job search for the months of Jan & beyond, even more easy to put all your money on the on-campus recruitment… but be realistic! Why take a chance with only on-campus firms, why not your dream firm which doesnt make it to your campus, why settle for something lesser than you think you are capable of, why put all the eggs in just one basket?! There are innumerable firms out there.. if they dont get to you, go out and feast on them! ;)

Get outta groups you feel comfortable with - This advice is especially for the International students. Dont stay with the people you feel at home with.. I know, there are times we all need it but ensure that you really get out and meet other people. Talk to other international students, americans, seniors, profs etc. Get to know people and learn about new things & new ways. I didnt do it as much as I would like to but something I learnt from my summer job. You are here to feel comfortable in uncomfotable situations, so start getting used to it…

Clubs, extra-curicular - Dont take too much, dont take too little. Balance it out! My big advice to all first years have been, take leadership positions in 1 social & 1 professional club and be active in any other club you want without any official posts. You must take on some load to ease the pressure of the course work but be warned, when you do sign up for work… there is work to be done! It is not just a set-up! ;)

I can go on and on rambling about what can be done better! But seriously, the best way is to meet as many people you can and start thinking about ‘why’ you are here… the bigger and larger picture of how these 2 years fit into your big fat album of life!

Lowe’s I goes! April 26, 2006

Posted by Simba in : Wiggles, Work & Beyond, Success , 17 comments

And I am thrilled beyond anything. Lowe’s is a gaint retailer and I am helping them with Strategy & Operations. Today, I have accepted my offer and will be heading out to Mooresville, a couple of hours drive from here! No winners for guessing whether I will take the offer or not… ;)

Now, how the hell did I land up here considering that I was gunning for tech/telecom firms. Well, dont we all get lucky once in a while! :D Actually I had imagined that my transition into the tech sector would be easier considering my back ground in hard core telecom but it turned out that getting into any field & function is quite a bit of a challenge and takes an enormous amount of work! To dispel all wild assumptions, let me be clear.. I am not absolutely thrilled with techology firms, but yes the application of technology is fascinating to some extent! In a wild way, I had interviewed with 2 tech firms here for good positions and an offer from them would have calmed me a long time back but I wouldnt have been like thrilled about it!

I just cant tell you how happy that I am for breaking this ’stigma’ of techie, am sure anyone in this field can vouch for that! I was not into software or IT, more like a hardware/operations kind of gal but still I was viewed all the same. Now, at least I can boast of breaking the shackles and entering a new market of retailing. The work seems interesting and I really liked the people I got to meet during my interview. So, this phase should be a new learning experience! New kind of work in a new environment with new people… Of course, all this was made possible by a simple 3 lettered word - ‘MBA’ :)

As PG said, I guess I have learnt a lot from this whole process of internship hunting than I would have had I received an offer from my first interview. Today. I can write mails to people whose names I cannot pronounce, I can pick up the phone and cold call anyone, reach out to people who I think can be of help.. I mean, arent these some of the skills that we absolutely seek as business leaders! Am sure all these wont go a waste and I can’t stress on how much self-learning this process in itself gives.. yes, I cried, nagged, cribbed about the world being insensitive & life being unfair.. I will never go back on that.. I have faced innumerable sad days wondering where I was heading and so many self doubts about my own capability! So, did all this vanish into thin air with one small job offer.. Hell no! But it atleast altered my thought pattern, it gave me new avenues I could do things, better ways of getting stuff done… I would not want to go through those stressful days again and can empathize with everyone whoz been there! But put me again in such demanding situations, I can pick on certain cards to make my game a little, a tad little, simpler!

LOL, now I worry about being a total bummer during my internship.. what if I am a total loser & they decide to kick me out! Will I be the first one in the history of Fuqua to have a student kicked out in the middle of a summer internship?!

And life goes on… ;)

Restless in Durham April 9, 2006

Posted by Simba in : Wiggles, MBA, Duke , 11 comments

No, its not the name for another romantic flick! Rather it is how I am feeling these days. If you have been following my i-hunt page for the last few days, you might have seen my ups & downs, mostly downs! Hmmph! I dont even know why I am blogging now, maybe just to let out my frustration about things not happening. I am a hyper person who wants to get work done fast, that minute. But this slow painful process of looking for jobs is becoming more of a drag. I am not sure how things will roll out for me but I am just worried sick! Why are there lack of opportunities?! I keep asking myself, as one of the alums had written in his article in Fuqua Times.. you will always feel that you are not doing everything thats to be done, so, stop fretting! *Sigh* Attimes I feel that the reality of many such things is not disclosed in the right manner… like how tough it was for SYs to get an internship, how they settled for something lesser than anticipated, how some just got extremely lucky, how the early birds really got their due.. all these & much more. Maybe that is a human reaction, I mean, after you pass a sickness or a bad period, you tend to forget the self-doubt moments you had and you also forget to pass it on to others!

Even if I dont pass on anything to my readers, I will say this, getting through an MBA with high lofty expectations can be tougher than actually getting admitted. Its a test of your skill and patience all through your 2 year period at a B-school. I guess, thats one of the things that Adcoms are really concerned about, apart from all the application stuff, I am sure they sit back & ponder whether you are strong enough to even make thro’ the 2 years. Wow! I wish people had told me how hard it will be and why you should always be more alert about the off-campus events too. Why dont more people write articles about stuff like this. Everyone talks about the great things etc etc but why dont they mention the small battles that had to fight & the self doubt moments they had to pass,though, I wish someone had told me! For me, at this point of time, it seems like a no-brainer.. I should have been more proactive, but, before it didnt strike! Complacency pays back sooner or later! I will ensure that atleast the Class of ‘08 and beyond are more active with regards to their job-search! X, Y or Z school, it never hurts to go beyond what you are told and search for places you want to be & want to work! Never trust only on your campus recruitment, you might get some good ones but you might also miss out on something awesome had you looked harder! I fret about the breaks which I let past & the people I didnt write to, more often! Now, in the last minute, the ball is still rolling and wonder when it wil halt!

This Term has almost been a blur with my mind off all the courses. I dropped one course earlier on so that I can have a breather with my i-hunt. I think I did try my best and am still willing to do that… small fights aint hurt anyone! But I am not really into the courses I am taking. I feel bad that I am not gonna able to get an A plus in Corp Finance though I love it! No, I dont fret about all courses nor am I an academic person with great scores. I like to learn courses which I pick up a serious liking for! I am sooo restless to even look at anythingelse, my mind wanders about the 2 months when I will be doing nothing, I mean, nothing substantial!

Its just not my day! March 15, 2006

Posted by Simba in : Wiggles, Frivolous Me , 19 comments

Okai, if you are not in the mood of reading an extremely painful nagging post, just go! Now! Ok, if you are reading on, then accept my deepest sympathies, this will be a long post. Either you are jobless or you love seeing people nag or you care enough to stay. If its the first, jeepers, you better think about what ya doing with yar life! If its the middle reason, then you are plain sick! And if its the last, Ahem, Ok… Thanks! You know how attimes life is sucha bitch and you wonder what the hell is the man doing up there.. Knock Knock, Hey Goddy, are you around.. now what the hell happenned today!? Dont ya like me…I may not be the kindest soul around but like hell, I am like probably a 6 on your scale of 10. I blog randomly, read innumerable painful mails, reply to most of them & I also smile at strangers! Doncha think, I could have done with a better day.. Now, come on! *Sigh* HE must be courting some of the pretty angels up there. Hmmph!

It all started with this brilliant idea of getting my driving license. I thought it would be nice if I get hauled down at any point by the cops. I read the entire DMV book, first to last. I knew all the rules. I also took some free sample tests online, now come on, how many of you have prepared so much! I tell ya, if I had studied for my Operations this much, I would have topped my class! So, me & my pal set out bright & early. We go to the DMV office which is far .. far as in my lingo, about 45 mins drive! We reach there and as we are about to get off, we see the DMV cop taking some test where she is testing the brake lights. So, we decide to check my brake lights just incase. And Jeez, one of them has gone Kapoot! So, we drive around & search for a mechanic shop to set right just 1 bulb and we find the bulb in the form of a mechanic! We tell him to change the bulb, we are made to sit down for an hour & then the mechanic comes & says, we need to change the bulb! What, did you want 1 hr to figure out something we exactly told you to do! Anyway, got it done & went to the DMV office! Ok, so everyone finally woke up today morning and discovered that they need to take up the Test! The place was crowded like crazy. So we thought we will grab our lunch and by mid afternoon, the crowd would be kinda lax. And after lunch, we head back & LO, there are more people now! What, what about your afternoon siestas, guys! So, I make my way and get my slip and wait my turn. And everyone around me are almost devouring the DMV book..you are right, I pick up mine & start doing the same. I swear, I dont want to flunk! So, when my number gets called, I walk in to talk to the cop to give all the details, smiling et al. (Didnt I tell God that just now!) I am checked for vision. I dont wear glasses and I can perfectly see without them but I thought why take a chance and wore my reading glasses which has the slightest power. And I am doing fine identifying etc etc and I am sent for the test.

I start off and *Bump* I get the 3rd question wrong. What the hell! We take a computer test and we need to get 20 right out of 25 to pass. I curse the bicycle riders for making me get the wrong answer. Then I come to 6th question & its from the chapter my friend said they wont ask from! Now, I curse him and skip the question! Ah, we have a skip button and we can get back to it in the last. Now, why dont GMAT guys take the software from these guys! Hmmph! I am happily going on with my 10th or so question when the computer next to me gets filled in by a dude. Now, this dude reads aloud the question! I am like, what! And I give him glares.. he reduces volume ..but hes making some weird diagrams in air to understand the questions! Poor thing! So, I came to 21st question & got the message, you passed with just one wrong! Phew, that was good. So I smile & go back to the same cop. I think, gone are the days, when people congratulate you on passing the driving exam!

So, now we set out for the driving skills test. Trust me! I am a safe driver! I do all the right things, reflexes are ok…we drive around and the cop seems to be ok with my skills! After about 5 min drive, we are getting back to office & I make the last right turn & in my mind, passed the test! We park & head back, she says, You were great, very nice et al but… These ‘buts’ kill me, I swear! And my smiling face became :| .. but the last right turn, you kinda srewed up! And I cant give you your Driving Licence. Oh my God! What the hell, one mistake, thats it. Just one! Come on, I will take you on more right turn, we will keep taking rights till we hit eternity! And she failed me. :( But gave my my permit, which means, I am still a learner! $%&#*% Whatever! We drive back home with me cribbing about my license. And we get back home & I see that my Decision Course results are out & I am damned, the only paper, I thought I did my best! So, best is not enough anymore I swear! And then, I trying logging into my this blog & it keeps throwing me out. I am sooo frustrated! I have so many accounts, so many passwords & if I try all combinations, it might just take me about a day to log in! Hmmph! For like an hour, I fidget around & finally get it right with the help of Forget ‘Password’. Even WordPress seems to play games on frusto people these days! Now, I am all disapointed & frustrated. If you all reached here, you must be awesome! Great patience. May God bestow good things on you! I go now! What a Holi day, washed off the color from my day! Anyways, Happy Holi guys! Hope you all had the fun I didnt! Take care. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Tada.

Errrrr Tomorrow…. February 11, 2004

Posted by Simba in : Wiggles , add a comment

I can barely sit & work.. Gosh Am sooo excited about the interview.. Nopes, not fear.. but pure scintillating excitement !!!

Yes… Guess its about time I finished the interview too… I had really worked hard on the essays & application!!! Hopefully this interview will also be fun & informative…More than anything.. its almost like reaching somewhere!!! At this point, really does not matter whether I make it or not.. but hell, it feels good :) :)

Thats it for now I guess… the passpost & photo is ready… Will just skim thro the program content & my essays today & thats it :) :)… Okai… So, shall be putting in the details of the interview the day after tomorrow.. I am off from Work tom … YIPEEEEEEEEEE………….

Byeeeeeeeeeeeee

My Blog January 27, 2004

Posted by Simba in : Wiggles , 1 comment so far

Finally.. some color & some shouts…:mg:… tried to work on some of the aspects of the blog today… looks pretty neat huh!!?? Still got lots of work on it though…

Chalo… will just work around…

Overloaded January 21, 2004

Posted by Simba in : Wiggles, Work & Beyond , add a comment

My god!!!

If i say that I am overloaded, it would be just undermining my schedule. Yesterday I left home at 8 in the morning & reached at 10 pm. Started off with one essay at office. At 10ish started with official work… damn every single person got on my nerves… didnt take a single break till 3pm (lunch cum coffee break).. & continued till 6:30pm.

Then rushed to my gym.. had a great workout…:):).. due to the lack of time.. I actually hurried up without taking any breaks in between!!! Then.. had my guitar class at 9pm…I really need to put in some work here.. need a lot of practiceeeeeeeeeeee…..

I also need to work on this blog of mine & make it all colourful.. When shall i do that.. hmmmm… may be once i am done with ISB essays :) :)…..