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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

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… ;)

Internship - Nailed! April 20, 2006

Posted by Simba in : MBA, Work & Beyond, Success , 29 comments

I cant tell you how happy and relieved I am today. I just got an offer and I am so thrilled that I cant even think! Hugs to all those who stayed with my nags through out. I will give more details later on. Am just so happy that I cant think straight now! :D

Yipeeeeeeeeeeeeee!! So, I am working this summer too!!!!! LOL!

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!

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.

Am bored! April 5, 2006

Posted by Simba in : Frivolous Me , 1 comment so far

Am so bored that I am taking an online quiz to test my temperament! Jeez, I need to see a doc! Am all thats said below & more! So dont mess with me! :P


You Have a Choleric Temperament


You are a person of great enthusiasm - easily excited by many things.Unsatisfied by the ordinary, you are reaching for an epic, extraordinary life.You want the best. The best life. The best love. The best reputation.You posses a sharp and keen intellect. Your mind is your primary weapon.

Strong willed, nothing can keep you down. Your energy can break down any wall.

You’re an instantly passionate person - and this passion gives you an intoxicating power over others.

At your worst, you are a narcissist. Full of yourself and even proud of your faults.

Stubborn and opinionated, you know what you think is right. End of discussion.

A bit of a misanthrope, you often see others as weak, ignorant, and inferior.
What Temperment Are You?

Surviving an International MBA - Part 2 March 31, 2006

Posted by Simba in : MBA, Duke , 4 comments

Foreword: I guess this has been one of the most disappointing article of mine! Maybe things have not been so bright for me that I wasnt able to put some fantastic stuff, I kept hitting road blocks, its almost like the last few months of Term 2 & Term 3 have been like a distant dream! I had to sleep over this piece for a long time & also ask my good friends to remind me what we actually did! So, hopefully, you all, my readers & prospective B-School applicants can gain something out of this. Now, coming to the question of why I had to write this piece if I was not so ready! Well, time flies and I am almost coming to end of the first year and the moments pass by so fast that it is hard to document anything. If I hadnt written this, then I would have leaped directly into summers which would not have justified the whole experience! So, here I go… Comments, Brickbats all welcome, as usual ;)

—————————————————————————————————————

Welcome to Term 2 and you are back to losing sleep in the night and catching a few winks during the class. By now, you know who the class stars are and pretty much who are the people who just talk in class for air-time. You try to do everything around you, assignments and quizzes and club activities. But you will be warmed up enough and resigned to the fact that you might after all say adieu to your sleep and social life! But I feel that many of us get too carried away at this point. Things start looking too big and you go through the motions of everyday life without really savoring it. My advice, take it easy! It is just a 2-year stress period in life, all the hard work will pay off and at least you will know how much you are capable of stretching yourself. You survived Term 1 and I am pretty sure you will survive this one too, just keep the ball rolling. In Term 2, you essentially start off networking with alums and second years. You are ideally supposed to start off-campus research at this point but I can count on my fingers the number of people who actually did this.

Networking is the BIG thing in B-schools.You network with maximum number of people, on and off campus! ;-) Many people shy away from it as it makes them uncomfortable. Yes, networking is an art in itself, some people shine in such things but it is something that can slowly be picked up if you are really interested. Come on, why did you land in a B-school?! To meet people and to overcome challenges; now, networking helps you achieve both of these. But I like it because it takes a lot of nerve to do it initially. But, slowly, as you talk more often, it will make you a lot more confident and soon you will be clear of what your strengths are. I still need to do tons of this myself to land in a good internship position but the sooner you acquire this skill, the better for you!

And from my experience, I can tell you that the courses in Term-2 are harder than the ones in Term-1. This might not be the case in all the schools but at least we felt so at Fuqua. What might be the reason? Maybe the first Term was just meant to start you off. With so many guys coming from the work force, there is no point in loading them and scaring them right away. So, Term 1 is like… well, things might get mad & Term 2 is crazy! We had the biggies like Finance, Accounting, Marketing etc. Week in Term 2 makes you feel that Term 1 was indeed a cakewalk! But you will have enough courage to go through the strains of Term 2. You will just be used to stretching yourself and it won’t seem like a chore. And then again, if you haven’t had a Finance course, trust me it is interesting! It is hard but if you are lucky enough to get a great professor, you are truly blessed.

Read the complete article

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! :|

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.

Ahh.. the break March 10, 2006

Posted by Simba in : MBA, Duke , 6 comments

Finally the break.. yohoo, Term 3 is gone! Phew! And almost 50% of my MBA is over.. almost! Times fly I guess! And I have been busy with building up my forum PaGaLGirL and man, it takes a lot of time. I would have never guessed the amount of work that goes into building sucha place. At times, I am so beaten with a lot of work but still keep going online and thinking about what else can be done! Fresh dose of entrepreneurism!! :-) And it gives me kicks. Hope to see the community grow & prosper.

On unrelated side (ahem!) I am happy that Term 3 is over. 2 courses went okie dokie but Operations went off my head. I might need to take a couple more courses if I have to get the funda of logistics right! I am looking forward to my Term 4 courses which has more of quantitative like Corporate Finance and Fin Statement Analysis. Also I have the GATE course. I am going on a Travel program to Japan, China & Hong Kong in May & we have a couple of reads & presentations during the Term. I am actually looking forward to the GATE classes. And there are a few companies coming in the next few months & I might have like a 1% chance of getting in. Am I being pessimistic, LOL, just realistic! I am still hunting down Alums to help me with my internship hunt! But am not sure whether I even want to get back to Telecome/IT stuff, you know, it will be a difficult choice for me. For summers, I am fine with just about anything but for Full Time, I have better ideas.

Congrats to all R2 admits. Welcome to Duke and make sure you meet me :) LOL, no big deal even if you dont! And guys who heard the Dings, I am sorry, maybe there are better things waiting for ya all. If you need any assitance, do email me. And waitlists, what can I tell ya all. You all need to fortify your chances this minute. Try to send sufficient materials to fortify your case. Do your best to improve your chances. This might be the last chance for this fall atleast! :)